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Canada-Era, How Do the Major Cities Stack Up Against Each Other?

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Euler007

Euler007

Member
Jan 10, 2018
5,041
Llyranor said:
Which part of Mtl?
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Laval, within a 20 minute commute from one of the subways that will get you downtown in another 20 (several within walking distance).
Deux-Montagne, 10 minute commute to train station, 30 minute to downtown train station.
Longueil, either buses straight to downtown (reserved lane), or bus to the Longueil metro station.

If you want to drive, I'm counting 10,145 4BR+ houses within 50km of Montreal, but I wouldn't do that. The REM electric train will improve access to downtown for the western part of the south shore, west island, and northwest shore (deux-montagnes).

If you prefer city life, there's 8,438 2BR+ condos for less than 400k within walking distance of the subway system (68 stations).

I dig Laval because I work in the east end of Montreal and can get there with no traffic delays, and I can take my road bike and bike for 60km with just a few stops.
 
tabris

tabris

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,235
Vancouver is a mini-Hong Kong, in both pros and cons.

Pros:
  • Everything is new since it went from a small city to an international city within the last 20 years.
  • Asian urban design which has created a fantastic dense downtown and urban densification everywhere else. It's a very different feeling from the 1950s car culture design of the rest of Canada.
  • Largest concentration of Asian demographics outside of Asia. By 2031, Chinese will be the majority demographic in Vancouver. This makes for a great tapestry of cultures here.
  • Absolutely beautiful geography around and within the city. May be most beautiful city in the world during summer.
  • Best public transportation in North America.
  • Mild climate, never too cold or too hot.
  • Some of the best food in North America.
  • This can go either to pro or con depending on your perspective, but outside of the richest areas in Manhattan and Silicon Valley - this has the largest taste of luxury in North America.

Cons:
  • While being an international city, still bogged down in some small city elements holding us back such as local government fighting against Uber as example.
  • Most unaffordable city in North America
  • Has a reputation as a disconnected / not the friendliest society, some of that is due to international city design and so many cultures still coming together.
  • Rainfall majority of the year outside of Summer.
  • Heavy homeless population due to unaffordability and poor mental facility support.
  • If you like 1950s car culture and suburbia you see in cities like Toronto, this is not the city for you.
*This perspective is from someone who has been to 5 Canadian provinces and 34 US States. I've been to almost every major North American city.
 
Serrato

Serrato

Member
Oct 25, 2017
385
Montréal, Québec, Canada
I've lived in Québec City, Laval and Montréal.

While you'd need to learn French a bit to get comfortable around Laval and Montréal, it's a prerequisite for Québec city.

And I agree with Montreal being the Multicultural spot it is. There's pretty much a bit of everything, great food and a good downtown.

Laval being kind of Montréal suburbs while being right beside it let you have both of best world if that's your gist.
 
joecanada

joecanada

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,651
Canada
pauloshinobi said:
So, I don't have the intention of snatch/sidetrack the thread but...

I have a slight chance to move to Victoria for work, since the company I work at is preparing to open a branch there. (I currently live in São Paulo state, Brazil)

What else do you guys can tell me about Victoria?
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Best weather in Canada by quite a margin. Even more sun days than Vancouver. Also cheaper than Vancouver but a condo still costs 400k
 
Fugu

Fugu

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,730
Euler007 said:
Toronto is the biggest city. The capital left Montreal in the late seventies, and they brought their printing presses with them. They used immigration to flood out the demographic influence of the french canadians, and the result is huge city where everything costs a lot. I have not so found memories of being stuck in traffic on the 401. I lived there in the mid-2000s and go there several times a year since for work. Even if you offered to double my salary to move there from Montreal I would probably say no.
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The bolded is one of the most patently ridiculous things I've read on this forum. The implications of this sentence are too mind-boggling for me to even begin to assess.

Thanks for the laugh.
 

Interr0bangr

Member
Oct 31, 2017
38
Hamilton is big enough to have everything you need in a major city, small enough that it still has a personality and opportunity to make an individual impact and close enough to Toronto (40 mins with minimal traffic) that you can take advantage of everything it has to offer as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRDItb-ZCs0
 

BigJeffery

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
2,338
Vancouver is amazing, Toronto is cool. Edmonton is underrated (I live here, though). Winnipeg stinks. Montreal rules. Calgary is okay. Quebec City is beautiful.
 
gutter_trash

gutter_trash

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
17,124
Montreal
Québec City is very homogenous and the one of the least diverse cities in the country .

Plus, they have beem treading conservative for quite awhile
 
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SRG01

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,014
Doesn't Winnipeg get a lot of live shows passing through? I remember growing up that it used to be a major stop for a lot of bands touring Canada...
 
fallout

fallout

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,226
SRG01 said:
Doesn't Winnipeg get a lot of live shows passing through? I remember growing up that it used to be a major stop for a lot of bands touring Canada...
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Yeah, it's a common touring stop because there's nothing else around if you're on the road. Basically, if you hit up Minneapolis and want to get to Edmonton/Calgary, it makes sense to stop in Winnipeg.
 
prophetvx

prophetvx

Member
Nov 28, 2017
5,329
Casual said:
Kelowna would be nice too I suppose.

Calgary is miserable though. Especially in the Winter. It does have some great places near it though.
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Give me a prairie winter over a Vancouver winter any day. Damp cold weather is the worst.

I say that as an Australian who has lived in Canada for about 10 years now. Vancouver's weather is downright depressing in the winter.

Kelowna is an awesome city, it's a shame about the people that live there. People who think Alberta is full of rednecks haven't been to Kelowna, it's like trailer park boys meet the jersey shore.
 
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Joeku

Joeku

Member
Oct 26, 2017
23,475
Winnipeg goes at the bottom.

Source: I grew up there. That town is the Hart Dungeon of cities. It hardens you but fuck that hole.
 
Raydonn

Raydonn

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
919
Toronto Pro:

Likes to vote left-leaning candidates.

Toronto Con:

Part of Ontario. GTA attached to Toronto.
 
TemplaerDude

TemplaerDude

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,204
Andrew Korenchkin said:
Ok what do they do wrong?
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We're only just starting to figure out that maybe it might be a good idea to possibly put higher density housing around major transit stations. NIMBYism everywhere. One of the busiest transit stops in North America is surrounded by single family housing.

Not to mention this city is in the pockets of developers and in the middle of a housing crisis (mostly because the previous Government called us a bunch of racists and pocketed cash from funny donors to turn blind eyes everywhere). If you come here I hope you have a good job lined up and a lot of money.
 
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Barnak

Barnak

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,057
Canada
gutter_trash said:
Québec City is very homogenous and the one of the least diverse cities in the country .

Plus, they have beem treading conservative for quite awhile
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As someone living in Quebec City for nearly 25 years, while I agree that most of its population is white, I still come across plenty of minorities, mostly blacks and Arabs I'd say. I know it doesn't compare to Montreal/Toronto/Vancouver, but it's not nearly the same size of population, plus you can't really live here without knowing French. Which would explain why most of its minorities are blacks and Arabs I suppose.
 
signal

signal

Member
Oct 28, 2017
40,184
norog said:
Compared to Winnipeg/Regina? Nah. Ottawa at least has some great museums, galleries, parliament hill at night with those monster raccoons, etc.
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I don't think it does but even if you like those things that's much more of a visit than a live there.

SRG01 said:
I mean, I just saw this video on Facebook on Rideau, so it can't be that bad: https://www.facebook.com/NarcityCanada/videos/1839746109422455/
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That first guy's shirt smh. Video paid for by the Tourist Board of Ottawa.
 
OP
OP

Deleted member 23850

Oct 28, 2017
8,689
TemplaerDude said:
We're only just starting to figure out that maybe it might be a good idea to possibly put higher density housing around major transit stations. NIMBYism everywhere. One of the busiest transit stops in North America is surrounded by single family house.

Not to mention this city is in the pockets of developers and in the middle of a housing crisis (mostly because the previous Government called us a bunch of racists and pocketed cash from funny donors to turn blind eyes everywhere). If you come here I hope you have a good job lined up and a lot of money.
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Sounds like my beloved Austin.....

Hurry up and get CodeNext approved.
 
turbobrick

turbobrick

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,063
Phoenix, AZ
As for Vancouver, are home prices still really expensive if you live in like the outer suburbs/towns and not in the city itself? I don't mind a commute.
 
djkimothy

djkimothy

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,456
Kitchener is cool. Doesn't it have the largest Oktoberfest in North America?

I worked in Cambridge for a couple months, it was a good area with decent rent.
 
Ahhthe90s

Ahhthe90s

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
1,294
Everyone is moving into Montreal because rent is cheap, cost of living is affordable and there are jobs.

Just look at how the city has boomed the past 4-5 years, I've never seen this much development here before. It's so exciting, I hope it keeps up.
 
Euler007

Euler007

Member
Jan 10, 2018
5,041
Morrigan said:
Not if you're in tech.

Wait what.... how fucking fast do you drive? :P

Montreal is 5-6 hours away from all of those cities.
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I drive pretty fast, usually 18kph above the limit. Boston is 309 miles away, Toronto is 345 miles away (but people speed a lot on the 401), New york is 374 miles away.

I wrote a long paragraph to answer the people calling me racist but I deleted it. My wife's an immigrant and so are most of my friends. For people outside Canada the summary is that there's two cultures here, and the favorite way of the english to feel superior is to call the french racist.
 
Dead Guy

Dead Guy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,597
Saskatchewan, Canada
So question for Vancouver ERA.

If I'm lucky I'm hoping to land a job there and move from Saskatchewan. I know the city proper is brutally expensive but how are the subdivisions like Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey etc.? Are they a little better price wise? Also how is the commute?
 
MBeanie

MBeanie

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,875
As a Toronto native, I have to rep my city, there's always something to do or see here, it can be pricey to live depending on how much travel time your willing to accept to enter the city. There is an amazing amount of greenspace in Toronto for such a big city(its called "a city in a park" for a reason). Traffic is utter shit though. Winters suck, mostly because its a damp cold here, so it usually feels much colder than whatever the official temp is.

Ottawa is one of my fav cities and as a bonus its 2 hours away from Montreal and about 4.5 hours out of Toronto. Lots of museums & other historical sites, the parliment, byward market is always great to explore in the summer heat. Ottawa winters suck though.

Edmonton is a pretty affordable city to live, just on the smaller size as cities go. I love the weather because both winter & summer its dry, so even if its -20 outside, if you dress properly you should be fine, as the cold won't seep into your clothes. The river valley that cuts through the city is absolutely gorgeous. Few hours out of Jasper national park & Banff national park. Calgary is also a few hours away. Not a heck of a whole lot to do IMO but its still a good city to live.

I've never been to BC but taken from family who've lived in Vancouver, its an awesome city but expensive at times to live. A ton of things to do. And the biggest takeaway for me is the close proximity to the Rocky Mountains and the incredible year-round weather.
 
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lunarworks

lunarworks

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,123
Toronto
djkimothy said:
Kitchener is cool. Doesn't it have the largest Oktoberfest in North America?

I worked in Cambridge for a couple months, it was a good area with decent rent.
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Kitchener used to be called Berlin. That's why. Then there was a bit of a dust-up with the Kaiser, and they changed it.

GO Transit needs to electrify the lines going out that way. Not just the Lakeshore lines. That would make the region so much more accessible. (I hate the 401.)
 
Lazlo

Lazlo

Member
Oct 28, 2017
238
Dead Guy said:
So question for Vancouver ERA.

If I'm lucky I'm hoping to land a job there and move from Saskatchewan. I know the city proper is brutally expensive but how are the subdivisions like Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey etc.? Are they a little better price wise? Also how is the commute?
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Burnaby and Surrey are on skytrain, and king george to downtown is ~45 ish minutes so not too bad. Probably faster than driving. Depends on where you are working. Richmond is on the canada line, faster trip into downtown (I think it's 30-35 mins?) not as bad of a commute via car though highway 99 is always jammed during rush hours.

As for rent, take a few hundred off vancouver prices for burnaby and richmond, and a few more off for surrey (for "good" places / new construction around the skytrain) and even less if you're not near transit / don't mind living in an older place.
 
DassoBrother

DassoBrother

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,623
Saskatchewan
I feel like I'm supposed to come defend Regina but I never even thought it'd be mentioned as one of the major cities, and I'm not about to try to convince anyone it stacks up against Vancouver/Toronto/Montreal.

I'll say I like that living here is cheap (housing, insurance, internet/phone), we have good restaurants, we have distinctive seasons (I walk to/from work year round and never found winter to be that unbearable, lack of sunshine starts to wear you down by January/February though), we have enough events sprinkled throughout the year that you can find something to do most weekends (rest of the week you might have to make due).

Don't like our government (provincial or civic but I have a decent city councillor), lots of quiet racism (some not so quiet too), not enough concerts, over building so housing market is due for a correction, city is too car centric but that probably applies everywhere.

If I'm thinking of how my mind classifies Canadian cities, it'd be as follows:

TIER 1: Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal
TIER 2: Calgary, Saskatoon, Ottawa, Quebec City
TIER 3: Regina, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Hamilton
TIER 4: Everywhere else (I've never been to the maritimes so they don't count?)
 
Heshinsi

Heshinsi

Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,092
DarthWalden said:
If you want the best of both worlds I think Calgary is a great place to live, it's near several ski mountains, national parks and places to camp/hike but also the city is very nice and if you are into craft beer it's becoming a bit of a mecca for that in the past few years. Edmonton is nice as well but it's winters are colder and I prefer the layout of Calgary.
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You prefer the layout of Calgary? I hate driving down to Calgary because it's a fucking headache trying drive around the city.

kswiston said:
I am glad that owning a house in Edmonton is still feasible for millennials without help. Starter houses in places that you wouldn't be afraid to live are 300-450k depending on neighborhood. Cheaper for townhomes. Markham was double that when I left. And It's not like wages are higher in the GTA than they are in Alberta (unless you are in finance).
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You live in Edmonton?!
 
tsakiki

tsakiki

Member
Oct 27, 2017
718
DassoBrother said:
If I'm thinking of how my mind classifies Canadian cities, it'd be as follows:

TIER 1: Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal
TIER 2: Calgary, Saskatoon, Ottawa, Quebec City
TIER 3: Regina, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Hamilton
TIER 4: Everywhere else (I've never been to the maritimes so they don't count?)
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Having lived in Hamilton for 21 years (worked in Toronto for 18 of those years), I'd put Hamilton in the second tier here. It's got great proximity to Toronto and the Niagara Region, good commuting options for jobs in Toronto, more reasonable house prices than Toronto, and a lot of wonderful parks and hiking/biking trails. There are over 100 waterfalls and cascades in Hamilton, a lot of them along the Bruce Trail, plus nice beaches on Lake Ontario in Confederation Park. And of course, there's a thriving craft beer community as well.
 

Deleted member 4452

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Oct 25, 2017
2,377
Euler007 said:
Laval, within a 20 minute commute from one of the subways that will get you downtown in another 20 (several within walking distance).
Deux-Montagne, 10 minute commute to train station, 30 minute to downtown train station.
Longueil, either buses straight to downtown (reserved lane), or bus to the Longueil metro station.

If you want to drive, I'm counting 10,145 4BR+ houses within 50km of Montreal, but I wouldn't do that. The REM electric train will improve access to downtown for the western part of the south shore, west island, and northwest shore (deux-montagnes).

If you prefer city life, there's 8,438 2BR+ condos for less than 400k within walking distance of the subway system (68 stations).

I dig Laval because I work in the east end of Montreal and can get there with no traffic delays, and I can take my road bike and bike for 60km with just a few stops.
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I guess it mostly gets more expensive in central Mtl. West Island also seems pretty affordable.
 
DassoBrother

DassoBrother

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,623
Saskatchewan
tsakiki said:
Having lived in Hamilton for 21 years (worked in Toronto for 18 of those years), I'd put Hamilton in the second tier here. It's got great proximity to Toronto and the Niagara Region, good commuting options for jobs in Toronto, more reasonable house prices than Toronto, and a lot of wonderful parks and hiking/biking trails. There are over 100 waterfalls and cascades in Hamilton, a lot of them along the Bruce Trail, plus nice beaches on Lake Ontario in Confederation Park. And of course, there's a thriving craft beer community as well.
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That sounds awesome.

Something I forgot to mention about Regina are the bike trails. There are nice cross-country ski trails too (in the city and nearby) but every year I seem to put off taking advantage of them.
 
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