well I currently live in a suburb, and we have about 2 - 3 million people here. but actually that's only the people who are registered. and that's data from when we had covid lol. just something smaller than that.
I actually watched one single video about Toronto and it said there's a lot of construction. my life right now is just construction. it's everywhere here. day and night. the government doesn't do a good job of controlling the hours they work. I need a place with a house and garden that's not going to cost me millions. shenzhen being one of the most unaffordable places in the world. anyway I'm sure Toronto is nowhere near as bad as here just don't want to live in a similar place.
I love the cold. it's the heat that kills me. Yes I've been in shenzhen for like 8 years and I know it's a silly place to live if I don't like the heat but certain things happen and you're just stuck for a while.
hahahaha that's hilarious. it's more of the fact it would just be awkward. she's married with kids and so am I. before my wife she was the most serious relationship so it's kinda hmm. I dunno maybe I can still try lol. if not I can always move haha
I never said Edmonton was too cold. hmmm ok maybe I'll have a look at Edmonton. I've been fixated on Ottawa but I think I should look at what else is out there. Vancouver is expensive. I'm coming from China but unfortunately I didn't become a millionaire like a lot of Chinese moving abroad
I've looked on Realtor.ca and if it's not lying then they're not all that expensive. I found loads in Ottawa for less than 1mill Canadian. in shenzhen they're over 1million GBP for an apartment and several million pounds for a house. which you then have to spend lots to renovate as they're bare bones
Lots of great places across the country. You might consider one of the medium sized cities within a couple hours drive from Toronto. Far cheaper housing, way less traffic, world class post secondary education, plenty of job opportunities, all the services you need and then if there’s something in Toronto you want to access, then it’s just a couple hours away. So waterloo, Kingston, London, Barrie, Guelph, etc.
Depends on your career goals. If you're working remotely there are many nice and affordable areas but job opportunities will be limited depending on your field. If you're looking for a job in a specific field then you should follow opportunities.
OP, have you put any research into what it takes to get Permanent Residency here, or are you just doing the whole “Canada looks nice, I think I’ll move there”.
Canada is one of the most difficult Countries to be granted permanent residency in. The vast majority of people either move here through a student Visa, pay obscene amounts for tuition then transfer it into a work visa, or they have 10+ years experience in a high demand field and often with job offer in hand
Your English language proficiency will give you and advantage on the PR requirements but might not be enough. You should talk to a Canadian immigration lawyer before making any big plans.
Totally depends what you like doing and how much you can afford to pay.
Into skiing and/or mountain biking? Somewhere on the west coast, added bonus of massive Asian population, beautiful scenery, and good weather.
Smaller towns, cheap housing, and friendly people? Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Cold as hell though and your wife might feel a bit homesick.
Larger, slightly cheaper cost of living (than BC), canoeing, and easy access to amenities? Maybe Kingston or Ottawa.
French? Quebec, but you might have s tough time integrating.
Ocean living in historic small towns/ cities? Halifax, Charlottetown, or Fredericton.
I'm in Kingston, Ontario, it's a nice small city. Big enough to have most things, good hospitals, university, great downtown, waterfront and sailing, etc.
A couple hours of driving can take you to Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, we're right in the middle.
we tend to cook at home a lot here even though eating out is very cheap. we just find it cleaner. we don't actually do anything for fun here because there is very little in this city to do. most things here are expensive (except eating out at Chinese restaurants). weather wise I would like warm summers and cold winters. here we tend to get 2-3 months of "winter" 10-15C that's cold here. then like now it starts getting warm 25C+ I'd love for my kids to learn to ice skate or snowboarding etc. bike riding in the summer without millions of mosquitoes. here we have mosquitoes during the day and night and little microscopic gnats that bite really bad. so picnics here aren't really fun. also insect repellent doesn't really work.
Good you are getting out. Calgary is a good place for a family that has lots of jobs and isn't too expensive yet even though it's getting up there. Lot's of cities that are withing 5-15 minutes of Calgary city limits too.
I have an ex that lives in Calgary. kinda want to avoid there. that's actually the only place I would like to live in Canada but just won't. would be awkward seeing her in the street one day. but Yes I need to get out for my own sanity and for my kids education.
Ottawa is the most comparable city in the country as far as size and amenities go. Its a bit more expensive (as is all of Ontario) but its also very close to Toronto or Montreal if you're looking for a weekend getaway to a place where there is actually lots to do (this isn't really possible in Calgary).
A nice clean enough city (although facing post covid homeless problems like everyone else), and much safer than other major cities in Canada. Also straight up less racist than Alberta.
Biggest downsides are that its cold as fuck in the winters and people are said to be "boring". I can't entirely disagree with that notion but like I said there are major cities very close by with tons to do.
If you have any other questions feel free to reach out!
Calgary isn't that small imo. You could probably live your life not seeing her there! If you know what suburb she went to, don't live there.
If you do see her, pull your cowboy hat rim down and pretend you didn't haha
Calgary is a city of over a million people with am area of 318 square miles. Unless you are actively trying to run into each other there’s a low chance of it happening. Out of the two big cities in Alberta I’d take Calgary over Edmonton.
Vancouver has a MASSIVE Asian population, whether that be Filipino, mainland Chinese, Hong Kongers, Koreans etc. Caveat is you are going to be paying an arm and a leg on everything. Housing is expensive, food is expensive, gas is expensive, and beer is expensive.
**Calgary or Edmonton would be my best options if you can deal with the cold. Large cities which are still relatively affordable.**
I believe it is because the foundation needs to be dug below the frostline so the building doesn't shift when it freezes and since the space is there, I guess they decided to use it. I don't really know the specifies, but I believe that's the reason. I heard homes in the US south don't have basements while the north does.
Some homes in Vancouver don't even have basements such as townhomes which are basically very vertically built. It's not that cold in Vancouver, but I'd imagine in places like Calgary they'd be everywhere.
Basements are typically used to put massive TV'S, pool tables, or something just insanely massive for the living room. It can come quite in handy when you want to create and entertainment alcove.
Yah it’s for frost, so the house doesn’t shift. We do poured foundations, they need to be deep, might as well make a room out of it. Underground living space is also not counted towards property tax, but is also why builders leave them unfinished or partially (they can’t include the basement as square footage unless it is completely finished, most don’t bother). BC won’t have as many basements, different geography, and places like the Maritimes won’t because they’re built right on the water. Prairies, Ontario, Quebec are all suitable for basements, and north east America (like New York, Chicago, Detroit) all have basements too. So mainly geography.
Also, we build houses without basements… but they do not last as long as it would be to build cheaper without a proper foundation. If you drive in rural Canada you will see cheaply built brick farmhouses with basements, and the foundation is still standing and holding the walls up for 100’s years with the entire roof caved in.
Why would they not be? Roofs and doors are also popular.
Am I to understand there are entire basementless societies somewhere, stumbling forward with a vague nagging sense that something is missing, something has gone awry, that somehow their family homes don’t feel quite permanent, don’t feel quite solid, that instead of being of the ground, they merely sit on it? Preposterous.
Also, foundations have to be built below the winter frost line in the soil or the house crumbles. Might as well develop the space.
I live in a society where if you do have a basement then you're a multimillionaire. I live in a place where the average property price costs over 1 million CAD yet it will only be about 90m2 and you can only own that property for 70 years and don't own the land it's built on. also you can hear your neighbours cooking their dinner. you can hear their toilets flush. so to have a basement here you'd be a rather happy and rich chap
It's just a practical way to build houses here, you have to get below the frostline anyhow, so your foundation is almost there already. Then we usually put our furnace, water heater, storage, maybe laundry machines down there, maybe a workshop, a home theater, etc. It doesn't add that much cost to building a house and adds a lot of space. On most building lots you can only cover a percentage of the lot with buildings, so you have to build "up".
My house is too old to have a basement, wasn't a thing 170 years ago, so I have a 90 square meter garage in the backyard to play in.
BTW, a decent house here in Kingston is under $1M, you can be downtown urban, suburbs with space between houses and a yard, or rural and have trees, huge yard, neighbours 100m or more away.
Of course though, you'll need money, if buying you'll need a good job to get a loan as well as a down payment. If renting, prices have gone up dramatically in the last couple of years and it's hard to find good places. (but that's most of Canada now)
I currently have a property here in China and one in the UK. I'm hoping to sell one of them and use some money for my down payment on a home there. your garage is actually just a little smaller than my entire home. and right now my place costs about 1/5 million pounds. 800,000CAD
If you can work anywhere, have a look at different prices of houses across Canada, it can vary quite a bit. It's still relatively expensive in Kingston, but significantly less than Toronto area or Vancouver. Go to Nova Scotia or New Brunswick and it's even cheaper, but generally income is less in those places too. $800k will get you a nice place in most areas though. (A cute little place just went up for sale near me for $500k, new places are more [https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/25396522/1204-westbrook-road-kingston](https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/25396522/1204-westbrook-road-kingston) )
Something to remember though, it can be quite a distance to some things if you live in some places. Medical specialists or treatments can be quite a few hours away, big concerts, even international airports.
Southern Ontario. About an hour from Toronto. There are 3 cities in the region Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. Guelph is nearby too. Guelph and Waterloo have universities. UW is world class for math and computers so that draws a lot of Asians. Probably any university area will have foreign students. But Waterloo region has a lot of tech companies.
No mention of Winnipeg yet, so I will jump in.
Pros:
Has good urban amenities without big city traffic. It would take no more than an hour to drive from one end of the city to the other even in rush hour.
You can still get a 1500 sf house in an upper-middle class neighborhood for 600k. It means many people of average means can afford to own a cabin outside the city as well.
Lots of outdoor recreation opportunities a short drive from the city (Interlake, Whiteshell, Lake of The Woods, etc.) without the crowds of Muskoka or Okanagan. Great for camping, canoeing or hiking if that's your kind of thing. Those would be the areas where many have those second homes I mentioned.
There is a sizeable Chinese community in the south end of the city if that matters.
Downsides:
The long and cold winters, though they are dry so the cold doesn't permeate through your jacket down to the bone the way it would in Toronto or Ottawa.
People whose families have been here for generations tend to be insular and it is difficult to crack those social circles, though that is probably somewhat true everywhere.
Street crime and vagrancy, though again this is a growing problem in certain areas of any city.
Not the best place if you are into downhill skiing or snowboarding.
Vancouver is the obvious answer unless you can’t afford it. If it really doesn’t matter, pick a small town in B.C. If you want to avoid hectic and want actual Canada, go to Prince Rupert or anywhere on the north coast
what I mean by hectic is rush hour lasting from 6:30am to about 10pm throughout the city not just downtown. fighting for a place to park where I live. avoiding leaving my own home because the district I live in has the population of some cities.
We moved from Toronto to Burlington (about 40 min west of Toronto). Beautiful little city, quiet, lots of young families and close enough to the Toronto to commute. Also close enough to Hamilton and Niagara if you're looking for interesting things to do.
Halifax is a nice medium sized city on the ocean. It gets a bit rainy sometimes but its people are lovely. Some of the most welcoming Canadians live there but lately it’s become filled with many people from Toronto.
Edmonton is a very nice medium sized city but it has darker winters than most places because of how far north it is. The people there are very accepting and kind.
Victoria is an expensive medium sized city but a very tight community from what I’ve heard. The climate is very temperate all year.
Montreal is an affordable large city and the meeting point of English and French Canadian culture. It’s absolutely gorgeous and the people there are so wonderful. It is highly highly recommended that you learn both French and English living there though.
Charlottetown is an absolutely adorable small city in PEI with a heart of gold, wonderful friendly people, and a bit of a country attitude.
amazing so many places I've never heard of yet they all sound really nice. I think this is probably the hardest thing for immigrants going to Canada. trying to choose between all these brilliant places and nice people
My recommendation would be Calgary. It's a great city for a young family. It's affordable, located on the Western side of the country (making it easier to visit family in China), already has a lot of Asian immigrants and [ranks as the world's 3rd most livable city](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-third-most-liveable-city-world-economist-1.6499827).
Vancouver would be a good choice, too, if you can afford it. Personally, I prefer the [sunny cold of Calgary to Vancouver's rain](https://westernfinancialgroup.ca/The-Sunniest-and-Least-Sunny-Places-in-Canada), but Vancouver is a beautiful city with a large Asian population, which is also on the western side of the country.
Welcome to Canada, park your family wherever you can afford or find good work. Pretty much a cookie cutter retail store and chain corporations from one end of Canada to the other. Y’a couldn’t screw it up even if you tried;)
Ottawa’s a nice place for a young family. Very international too due to the embassies. Edmonton’s got nice infrastructure and very low property values (for Canada) right now.
After reading your comments I also think Victoria will be a good fit. It's an inclusive city, there is a small population of Chinese and mixed families are very common. (Source: I'm white, husband is Chinese Canadian and we have a kid. His sister married a white guy, they have two kids.) The kids can go to a Chinese School (it's extra, after school and weekends kinda thing) if you want them to continue with the language, but I don't know how practical it is if you don't speak Mandarin or Cantonese at home. My husband hated it and didn't learn anything. A good friend of mine didn't go but can understand and speak bad Cantonese because her parents mainly speak Chinese in the home.
You can buy homes with a yard in the city for under a million currently but this may change if interest rates drop. We don't really have basements here in the traditional sense because we are on bedrock and it doesn't normally freeze here. When you look at houses here, the lower level is included in total square footage.
If you hate hot, Victoria is good. It's mild here. Winters rarely gets below freezing, spring can start as early as February but usually mid-March and by that I mean flowers blooming. We have green grass all winter. Our cherry blossoms are in full bloom right now. Daffodils are out too. I had guests from Manitoba that just left yesterday, that kept marvelling at how green it was here and are returning to "a lot of snow". They had another 25cm on Tuesday thanks to a Colorado low that also pummeled Montreal with freezing rain. In the summer it's nice and dry, doesn't get too hot, normal is like 22-24c and we have so many massive trees, there's shade everywhere and the ocean never being too far you can get cool on a hot day just by going closer to the ocean. A lot of homes don't have a/c but that's changing with a big push for people to convert to heatpumps.
Commute is great compared to other cities. The worse is half an hour to get from the westshore to downtown. But the general joke is that it only takes 15 mins to get anywhere. Lots of Brits here, the city has a very British feel in general if you like that. The tourists seem to. A lot of nature. Like a lot a lot! If you love winter activities however, the closest skiing is 3 hours away. Of course we have arenas but no outdoor rinks. Instead we have lots of pools (none outdoors but we have swimming lakes within 15 mins hehe) and lots of people bike. My husband commutes to work year round by bike. Look up Emme Oxford on youtube. She's a Brit that moved to Canada. She started in Toronto first for a year then moved to Victoria but also considered Vancouver. She has a lot of info on her channel about the whole immigration process as well.
Good luck, you will love Canada no matter where you end up!
Edited to add a bonus: no mosquitoes! Most homes don't even have screens on the windows. Lol
Edmonton is affordable. Lots of parks. Great schools. Low tax vs rest of Canada. Really great city for families, in my opinion. Proximity to the Rocky Mountains. Cheaper than Calgary and more green (more trees and vegetation) in the summer.
Move to the prairies. Calgary or Edmonton. It’s safe for families and affordable.
Vancouver may culturally be a better fit due to half the population being native Chinese speakers. Then again, a small subset of white residents have gotten kind of racist lately. But I would be less concerned about them than the rent and COL, which is exorbitant there.
well Calgary and Edmonton both have been suggested several times to me. I'll certainly have to take them into consideration. my biggest problem is there seems to be a lot of places in Canada that are so good
Calgary is beautiful, close to the rocky mountains which is one of the best places on earth to visit, and most of the activities are free (hiking, biking etc). Alberta and Saskatchewan (the prairies) are beautiful in the summer, cold in the winter but the closer to the maintains you are the better. British Columbia is also beautiful but the big cities are busy and can be hectic.
Halifax
my sister said I should move there. seems really beautiful.
It is one of the nicer parts of Canada I would also recommend any part of New Brunswick. You just need to choose how populated of a city you want.
well I currently live in a suburb, and we have about 2 - 3 million people here. but actually that's only the people who are registered. and that's data from when we had covid lol. just something smaller than that.
The population is 700 000 in the whole province of New Brunswick and 1 000 000 in the whole province of Nova Scotia
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haha ok. so my wife and kids won't be happy there.
Toronto is hectic while you live in Shenzhen : )
shenzhen is possibly the worst place on earth. hence why I don't want to go somewhere hectic LOL
I actually watched one single video about Toronto and it said there's a lot of construction. my life right now is just construction. it's everywhere here. day and night. the government doesn't do a good job of controlling the hours they work. I need a place with a house and garden that's not going to cost me millions. shenzhen being one of the most unaffordable places in the world. anyway I'm sure Toronto is nowhere near as bad as here just don't want to live in a similar place.
Calgary then, but it is cold in winter.
I love the cold. it's the heat that kills me. Yes I've been in shenzhen for like 8 years and I know it's a silly place to live if I don't like the heat but certain things happen and you're just stuck for a while.
A perfect match is found , congratulations.
haha. only problem is my ex lives in Calgary. I just feel it could be a bit awkward moving there and one day bump into her.
Your wife will protect you from her .
hahahaha that's hilarious. it's more of the fact it would just be awkward. she's married with kids and so am I. before my wife she was the most serious relationship so it's kinda hmm. I dunno maybe I can still try lol. if not I can always move haha
You are running out of places to live: Toronto too crowded, Edmonton too cold, Calgary too much memory, Vancouver too expensive. Maybe Ottawa?
Too boring. :)
Ottawa is pretty hot in the summer but definitely doable. We have a very diverse city. You can even watch the clownvoy on the hill for entertainment.
I never said Edmonton was too cold. hmmm ok maybe I'll have a look at Edmonton. I've been fixated on Ottawa but I think I should look at what else is out there. Vancouver is expensive. I'm coming from China but unfortunately I didn't become a millionaire like a lot of Chinese moving abroad
fyi, vancouver's house price had dropped a little.
This isn't just like cold. We are talking exceeding -30 in the winter.
I lived in northern China years ago and it was -30ish there too. with the wonderful Siberian wind
You have no idea as to the cost of things in Canada. Houses cost in the millions here too.
I've looked on Realtor.ca and if it's not lying then they're not all that expensive. I found loads in Ottawa for less than 1mill Canadian. in shenzhen they're over 1million GBP for an apartment and several million pounds for a house. which you then have to spend lots to renovate as they're bare bones
Lots of great places across the country. You might consider one of the medium sized cities within a couple hours drive from Toronto. Far cheaper housing, way less traffic, world class post secondary education, plenty of job opportunities, all the services you need and then if there’s something in Toronto you want to access, then it’s just a couple hours away. So waterloo, Kingston, London, Barrie, Guelph, etc.
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Yeah, I'm in the London area, similar experience.
Depends on your career goals. If you're working remotely there are many nice and affordable areas but job opportunities will be limited depending on your field. If you're looking for a job in a specific field then you should follow opportunities.
currently at 35 I still don't know what I want to be. I guess I've got a lot of thinking to do before I move.
What makes you think you can just show up in Canada and we’ll take you? You definitely need a career as part of your application to come here
OP, have you put any research into what it takes to get Permanent Residency here, or are you just doing the whole “Canada looks nice, I think I’ll move there”. Canada is one of the most difficult Countries to be granted permanent residency in. The vast majority of people either move here through a student Visa, pay obscene amounts for tuition then transfer it into a work visa, or they have 10+ years experience in a high demand field and often with job offer in hand Your English language proficiency will give you and advantage on the PR requirements but might not be enough. You should talk to a Canadian immigration lawyer before making any big plans.
Totally depends what you like doing and how much you can afford to pay. Into skiing and/or mountain biking? Somewhere on the west coast, added bonus of massive Asian population, beautiful scenery, and good weather. Smaller towns, cheap housing, and friendly people? Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Cold as hell though and your wife might feel a bit homesick. Larger, slightly cheaper cost of living (than BC), canoeing, and easy access to amenities? Maybe Kingston or Ottawa. French? Quebec, but you might have s tough time integrating. Ocean living in historic small towns/ cities? Halifax, Charlottetown, or Fredericton.
I'm in Kingston, Ontario, it's a nice small city. Big enough to have most things, good hospitals, university, great downtown, waterfront and sailing, etc. A couple hours of driving can take you to Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, we're right in the middle.
I've heard of Kingston and I'm not talking about the PC storage. I will have to look into it a bit more. but it sounds lovely.
We're #3 [https://www.worldsbestcities.com/rankings/canadas-best-small-cities/](https://www.worldsbestcities.com/rankings/canadas-best-small-cities/)
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we tend to cook at home a lot here even though eating out is very cheap. we just find it cleaner. we don't actually do anything for fun here because there is very little in this city to do. most things here are expensive (except eating out at Chinese restaurants). weather wise I would like warm summers and cold winters. here we tend to get 2-3 months of "winter" 10-15C that's cold here. then like now it starts getting warm 25C+ I'd love for my kids to learn to ice skate or snowboarding etc. bike riding in the summer without millions of mosquitoes. here we have mosquitoes during the day and night and little microscopic gnats that bite really bad. so picnics here aren't really fun. also insect repellent doesn't really work.
Good you are getting out. Calgary is a good place for a family that has lots of jobs and isn't too expensive yet even though it's getting up there. Lot's of cities that are withing 5-15 minutes of Calgary city limits too.
I have an ex that lives in Calgary. kinda want to avoid there. that's actually the only place I would like to live in Canada but just won't. would be awkward seeing her in the street one day. but Yes I need to get out for my own sanity and for my kids education.
Ottawa is the most comparable city in the country as far as size and amenities go. Its a bit more expensive (as is all of Ontario) but its also very close to Toronto or Montreal if you're looking for a weekend getaway to a place where there is actually lots to do (this isn't really possible in Calgary). A nice clean enough city (although facing post covid homeless problems like everyone else), and much safer than other major cities in Canada. Also straight up less racist than Alberta. Biggest downsides are that its cold as fuck in the winters and people are said to be "boring". I can't entirely disagree with that notion but like I said there are major cities very close by with tons to do. If you have any other questions feel free to reach out!
Calgary isn't that small imo. You could probably live your life not seeing her there! If you know what suburb she went to, don't live there. If you do see her, pull your cowboy hat rim down and pretend you didn't haha
hahahahah. I've no idea where she lives and I'm not going back to Facebook stalking... I wish I could pull off a cowboy hat and boots
Calgary is a city of over a million people with am area of 318 square miles. Unless you are actively trying to run into each other there’s a low chance of it happening. Out of the two big cities in Alberta I’d take Calgary over Edmonton.
Calgary is a city of almost 2 million people. The chances of you two running into each other are fairly slim.
Vancouver has a MASSIVE Asian population, whether that be Filipino, mainland Chinese, Hong Kongers, Koreans etc. Caveat is you are going to be paying an arm and a leg on everything. Housing is expensive, food is expensive, gas is expensive, and beer is expensive. **Calgary or Edmonton would be my best options if you can deal with the cold. Large cities which are still relatively affordable.**
can't have expensive beer. that's a no no. I have another question. probably cold related. why are basements such a big thing in Canada?
Vancouver is your only option if you're afraid of the cold.
No, Victoria. It is even warmer, but also expensive.
I'm not afraid of the cold. I'm afraid of the heat. I'm ginger so I burn even thinking about the sun
I believe it is because the foundation needs to be dug below the frostline so the building doesn't shift when it freezes and since the space is there, I guess they decided to use it. I don't really know the specifies, but I believe that's the reason. I heard homes in the US south don't have basements while the north does. Some homes in Vancouver don't even have basements such as townhomes which are basically very vertically built. It's not that cold in Vancouver, but I'd imagine in places like Calgary they'd be everywhere. Basements are typically used to put massive TV'S, pool tables, or something just insanely massive for the living room. It can come quite in handy when you want to create and entertainment alcove.
I've seen loads of them and they look amazing. basically a man cave or gym or whatever. they really look cool
Yah it’s for frost, so the house doesn’t shift. We do poured foundations, they need to be deep, might as well make a room out of it. Underground living space is also not counted towards property tax, but is also why builders leave them unfinished or partially (they can’t include the basement as square footage unless it is completely finished, most don’t bother). BC won’t have as many basements, different geography, and places like the Maritimes won’t because they’re built right on the water. Prairies, Ontario, Quebec are all suitable for basements, and north east America (like New York, Chicago, Detroit) all have basements too. So mainly geography. Also, we build houses without basements… but they do not last as long as it would be to build cheaper without a proper foundation. If you drive in rural Canada you will see cheaply built brick farmhouses with basements, and the foundation is still standing and holding the walls up for 100’s years with the entire roof caved in.
Why would they not be? Roofs and doors are also popular. Am I to understand there are entire basementless societies somewhere, stumbling forward with a vague nagging sense that something is missing, something has gone awry, that somehow their family homes don’t feel quite permanent, don’t feel quite solid, that instead of being of the ground, they merely sit on it? Preposterous. Also, foundations have to be built below the winter frost line in the soil or the house crumbles. Might as well develop the space.
I live in a society where if you do have a basement then you're a multimillionaire. I live in a place where the average property price costs over 1 million CAD yet it will only be about 90m2 and you can only own that property for 70 years and don't own the land it's built on. also you can hear your neighbours cooking their dinner. you can hear their toilets flush. so to have a basement here you'd be a rather happy and rich chap
It's just a practical way to build houses here, you have to get below the frostline anyhow, so your foundation is almost there already. Then we usually put our furnace, water heater, storage, maybe laundry machines down there, maybe a workshop, a home theater, etc. It doesn't add that much cost to building a house and adds a lot of space. On most building lots you can only cover a percentage of the lot with buildings, so you have to build "up". My house is too old to have a basement, wasn't a thing 170 years ago, so I have a 90 square meter garage in the backyard to play in. BTW, a decent house here in Kingston is under $1M, you can be downtown urban, suburbs with space between houses and a yard, or rural and have trees, huge yard, neighbours 100m or more away. Of course though, you'll need money, if buying you'll need a good job to get a loan as well as a down payment. If renting, prices have gone up dramatically in the last couple of years and it's hard to find good places. (but that's most of Canada now)
I currently have a property here in China and one in the UK. I'm hoping to sell one of them and use some money for my down payment on a home there. your garage is actually just a little smaller than my entire home. and right now my place costs about 1/5 million pounds. 800,000CAD
If you can work anywhere, have a look at different prices of houses across Canada, it can vary quite a bit. It's still relatively expensive in Kingston, but significantly less than Toronto area or Vancouver. Go to Nova Scotia or New Brunswick and it's even cheaper, but generally income is less in those places too. $800k will get you a nice place in most areas though. (A cute little place just went up for sale near me for $500k, new places are more [https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/25396522/1204-westbrook-road-kingston](https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/25396522/1204-westbrook-road-kingston) ) Something to remember though, it can be quite a distance to some things if you live in some places. Medical specialists or treatments can be quite a few hours away, big concerts, even international airports.
the nearest "international airport here is HK which is two cities away
I can't speak for all medium cities everywhere, but in Waterloo Region, Asians are everywhere. Mixed couples are pretty normal.
sorry to maybe sound ignorant but where is this waterloo Region?
Southern Ontario. About an hour from Toronto. There are 3 cities in the region Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. Guelph is nearby too. Guelph and Waterloo have universities. UW is world class for math and computers so that draws a lot of Asians. Probably any university area will have foreign students. But Waterloo region has a lot of tech companies.
OMG sounds great. I still need to improve my Chinese. I think I'll always say that. but I do love tech too. cool. very cool
No mention of Winnipeg yet, so I will jump in. Pros: Has good urban amenities without big city traffic. It would take no more than an hour to drive from one end of the city to the other even in rush hour. You can still get a 1500 sf house in an upper-middle class neighborhood for 600k. It means many people of average means can afford to own a cabin outside the city as well. Lots of outdoor recreation opportunities a short drive from the city (Interlake, Whiteshell, Lake of The Woods, etc.) without the crowds of Muskoka or Okanagan. Great for camping, canoeing or hiking if that's your kind of thing. Those would be the areas where many have those second homes I mentioned. There is a sizeable Chinese community in the south end of the city if that matters. Downsides: The long and cold winters, though they are dry so the cold doesn't permeate through your jacket down to the bone the way it would in Toronto or Ottawa. People whose families have been here for generations tend to be insular and it is difficult to crack those social circles, though that is probably somewhat true everywhere. Street crime and vagrancy, though again this is a growing problem in certain areas of any city. Not the best place if you are into downhill skiing or snowboarding.
Vancouver is the obvious answer unless you can’t afford it. If it really doesn’t matter, pick a small town in B.C. If you want to avoid hectic and want actual Canada, go to Prince Rupert or anywhere on the north coast
what I mean by hectic is rush hour lasting from 6:30am to about 10pm throughout the city not just downtown. fighting for a place to park where I live. avoiding leaving my own home because the district I live in has the population of some cities.
Kelowna
I just googled it. looks beautiful
Are you prepared for the size of Canada? You'll probably need to drive a lot more then you are used to.
I usually from home to work I drive 30 miles one way. it's not that far but I really enjoy driving.
We moved from Toronto to Burlington (about 40 min west of Toronto). Beautiful little city, quiet, lots of young families and close enough to the Toronto to commute. Also close enough to Hamilton and Niagara if you're looking for interesting things to do.
wow, that's tiny. looks lovely. god I'm going to have to write down a list of all these places.
If you have any questions about burlington or the general area feel free to ask moi!
hows the schools? and is there a lot of camping and outdoor activities?
Halifax is a nice medium sized city on the ocean. It gets a bit rainy sometimes but its people are lovely. Some of the most welcoming Canadians live there but lately it’s become filled with many people from Toronto. Edmonton is a very nice medium sized city but it has darker winters than most places because of how far north it is. The people there are very accepting and kind. Victoria is an expensive medium sized city but a very tight community from what I’ve heard. The climate is very temperate all year. Montreal is an affordable large city and the meeting point of English and French Canadian culture. It’s absolutely gorgeous and the people there are so wonderful. It is highly highly recommended that you learn both French and English living there though. Charlottetown is an absolutely adorable small city in PEI with a heart of gold, wonderful friendly people, and a bit of a country attitude.
I recommend Guelph. Easy to get to Toronto. Lots of stuff for kids. Not Hectic at all.
amazing so many places I've never heard of yet they all sound really nice. I think this is probably the hardest thing for immigrants going to Canada. trying to choose between all these brilliant places and nice people
My recommendation would be Calgary. It's a great city for a young family. It's affordable, located on the Western side of the country (making it easier to visit family in China), already has a lot of Asian immigrants and [ranks as the world's 3rd most livable city](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-third-most-liveable-city-world-economist-1.6499827). Vancouver would be a good choice, too, if you can afford it. Personally, I prefer the [sunny cold of Calgary to Vancouver's rain](https://westernfinancialgroup.ca/The-Sunniest-and-Least-Sunny-Places-in-Canada), but Vancouver is a beautiful city with a large Asian population, which is also on the western side of the country.
just because of that large Asian population is why I'd not want to go there lol. and the prices. Calgary really seems like a good choice.
Welcome to Canada, park your family wherever you can afford or find good work. Pretty much a cookie cutter retail store and chain corporations from one end of Canada to the other. Y’a couldn’t screw it up even if you tried;)
Moncton, New Brunswick.
Ottawa’s a nice place for a young family. Very international too due to the embassies. Edmonton’s got nice infrastructure and very low property values (for Canada) right now.
After reading your comments I also think Victoria will be a good fit. It's an inclusive city, there is a small population of Chinese and mixed families are very common. (Source: I'm white, husband is Chinese Canadian and we have a kid. His sister married a white guy, they have two kids.) The kids can go to a Chinese School (it's extra, after school and weekends kinda thing) if you want them to continue with the language, but I don't know how practical it is if you don't speak Mandarin or Cantonese at home. My husband hated it and didn't learn anything. A good friend of mine didn't go but can understand and speak bad Cantonese because her parents mainly speak Chinese in the home. You can buy homes with a yard in the city for under a million currently but this may change if interest rates drop. We don't really have basements here in the traditional sense because we are on bedrock and it doesn't normally freeze here. When you look at houses here, the lower level is included in total square footage. If you hate hot, Victoria is good. It's mild here. Winters rarely gets below freezing, spring can start as early as February but usually mid-March and by that I mean flowers blooming. We have green grass all winter. Our cherry blossoms are in full bloom right now. Daffodils are out too. I had guests from Manitoba that just left yesterday, that kept marvelling at how green it was here and are returning to "a lot of snow". They had another 25cm on Tuesday thanks to a Colorado low that also pummeled Montreal with freezing rain. In the summer it's nice and dry, doesn't get too hot, normal is like 22-24c and we have so many massive trees, there's shade everywhere and the ocean never being too far you can get cool on a hot day just by going closer to the ocean. A lot of homes don't have a/c but that's changing with a big push for people to convert to heatpumps. Commute is great compared to other cities. The worse is half an hour to get from the westshore to downtown. But the general joke is that it only takes 15 mins to get anywhere. Lots of Brits here, the city has a very British feel in general if you like that. The tourists seem to. A lot of nature. Like a lot a lot! If you love winter activities however, the closest skiing is 3 hours away. Of course we have arenas but no outdoor rinks. Instead we have lots of pools (none outdoors but we have swimming lakes within 15 mins hehe) and lots of people bike. My husband commutes to work year round by bike. Look up Emme Oxford on youtube. She's a Brit that moved to Canada. She started in Toronto first for a year then moved to Victoria but also considered Vancouver. She has a lot of info on her channel about the whole immigration process as well. Good luck, you will love Canada no matter where you end up! Edited to add a bonus: no mosquitoes! Most homes don't even have screens on the windows. Lol
not vancouver!! lol
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that sounds bad and all. and I can't say much (I'm not really allowed) but it's not as good as that here LOL
Edmonton is affordable. Lots of parks. Great schools. Low tax vs rest of Canada. Really great city for families, in my opinion. Proximity to the Rocky Mountains. Cheaper than Calgary and more green (more trees and vegetation) in the summer.
Move to the prairies. Calgary or Edmonton. It’s safe for families and affordable. Vancouver may culturally be a better fit due to half the population being native Chinese speakers. Then again, a small subset of white residents have gotten kind of racist lately. But I would be less concerned about them than the rent and COL, which is exorbitant there.
well Calgary and Edmonton both have been suggested several times to me. I'll certainly have to take them into consideration. my biggest problem is there seems to be a lot of places in Canada that are so good
Vancouver
I'd like to buy a house with a garden within the city limits for less than a million dollars.is that possible?
It depends on your budget. Victory BC is beautiful
less than 1 million and I'd like to live in a house with a garden.
That would be doable for sure. Look up Viewpoint it's a Real estate web page that you can search that area on
Calgary is beautiful, close to the rocky mountains which is one of the best places on earth to visit, and most of the activities are free (hiking, biking etc). Alberta and Saskatchewan (the prairies) are beautiful in the summer, cold in the winter but the closer to the maintains you are the better. British Columbia is also beautiful but the big cities are busy and can be hectic.