Toronto: Love it or hate it?
- Thread starter FortYorkRifleman
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FortYorkRifleman said:
And you most definitely will. Good luck!
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http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/toronto-olympics-bid-mayor-john-tory-nowhere-near-decision-1.2515322
Toronto may or may not meet the deadline for submission as Mayor Tory wants to see what the impact of the Pan Am and Para Pan Am Games were. And should Toronto throw its hat in the ring and win I will buy recceguy tickets to whichever event he wants...
Toronto may or may not meet the deadline for submission as Mayor Tory wants to see what the impact of the Pan Am and Para Pan Am Games were. And should Toronto throw its hat in the ring and win I will buy recceguy tickets to whichever event he wants...
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Love it now that the Jays are rollin'!
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Disclaimer - I'm from the area. I'm not a country guy and I don't drive a truck, fish, or hunt. Not looking to settle down in Petawawa or anything like that EVER. With that said:
Toronto's downtown/waterfront is nice in summer and as long as you live and work downtown. It can be a good time for a young person as long as you like to get wasted and take the TTC home. It has a good school in U of T and King West is a pretty nice area etc.
As soon as you get anywhere outside of that, it's garbage to me and I hate living there. Driving is terrible. Basically you feel like no one is actually Canadian and don't even get me started on the attitudes and political ideals. I'd have to be LCol married to someone of an equal income to even get approved for a mortgage where I grew up...anything past a 1 bedroom condo is out of reach for me until I either win the lottery or my parents pass away. Would I do a posting there? Sure, and I'd live downtown and take TTC to Denison or something like that. Just to be closer to family or do UTPNCM. Could I support a family there? Would I be able to get married there if it wasn't a pretty strong DINK situation? Absolutely not.
Unless I was a doctor or working in the finance district, I wouldn't even think about going back for anything longer than additional education or a quick posting while young/single.
In the end, Toronto's only positives can be found in Kingston, ON for a quarter of the price and far less hassle. Everyone where I'm from is cashing out and moving on to greener pastures...
Did I mention they are real big fans of the military there?
Toronto's downtown/waterfront is nice in summer and as long as you live and work downtown. It can be a good time for a young person as long as you like to get wasted and take the TTC home. It has a good school in U of T and King West is a pretty nice area etc.
As soon as you get anywhere outside of that, it's garbage to me and I hate living there. Driving is terrible. Basically you feel like no one is actually Canadian and don't even get me started on the attitudes and political ideals. I'd have to be LCol married to someone of an equal income to even get approved for a mortgage where I grew up...anything past a 1 bedroom condo is out of reach for me until I either win the lottery or my parents pass away. Would I do a posting there? Sure, and I'd live downtown and take TTC to Denison or something like that. Just to be closer to family or do UTPNCM. Could I support a family there? Would I be able to get married there if it wasn't a pretty strong DINK situation? Absolutely not.
Unless I was a doctor or working in the finance district, I wouldn't even think about going back for anything longer than additional education or a quick posting while young/single.
In the end, Toronto's only positives can be found in Kingston, ON for a quarter of the price and far less hassle. Everyone where I'm from is cashing out and moving on to greener pastures...
Did I mention they are real big fans of the military there?
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Spectrum said:
I rode the TTC during my short time as a reservist in uniform and never encountered any hostility. Keep in mind I was going to and from in the evening then night, usually around 10:30 -11:00pm. I was never uncomfortable doing so.
I agree that it's pricey as hell but depending on what you want/need, your family situation etc you can live comfortably downtown in places like Parkdale, Cabbagetown, the Ossington strip, Little Portugal and countless other places.
Not sure what you mean by "you feel like no one is actually Canadian" as that speaks to the idea that once whites are outnumbered that city/town/neighborhood is somehow a country unto itself. I'm sure plenty of people think I'm not "Canadian" even though I was born here. Heard that BS before
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FortYorkRifleman said:
It's not a race issue at all - I grew up in the area, so I have a diverse set of friends. I don't care what a person looks like - it's the cultures I take issue with. You can't realistically take a family from Somalia and plop them down in the GTA with no set expectations, guidance or education and expect it's going to work out well. It's not doing those families (or mine) any good.
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Spectrum said:
That's very true. Usually it's the kids of those parent's who tend to assimilate better... most of the time.
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An interesting six pages. I don't follow party politics.
But, after serving almost 37 years full-time on Toronto's emergency services, it's nice to know that in spite of the ever increasing population growth and call volume, young people from across Ontario are still applying to join Metro's police, fire and paramedic services.
But, after serving almost 37 years full-time on Toronto's emergency services, it's nice to know that in spite of the ever increasing population growth and call volume, young people from across Ontario are still applying to join Metro's police, fire and paramedic services.
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mariomike said:
Things are unbelievably competitive now with regards to EMS, Fire and Police here in the city. Every other guy or girl I meet in this city be it bars, coffee shops, and/or through friends are looking to or just stopped trying to join one of these services. I recently interviewed a man from Timmins who moved here to join the Toronto Fire Services; he has two degrees, volunteer work, and some reserve years under his belt. At 34 he's still pursuing the dream and I asked him what age will he stop trying and he said "30" with a smile on his face.
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FortYorkRifleman said:
The City of Toronto operates the largest municipal police, fire and paramedic services in Canada. They attract candidates from across the country.
I read that the average age when starting at Toronto Fire is 31.7. Toronto Police and Paramedic may be similar. For those candidates with "life experience ", the good news is that Toronto's police officers, firefighters and paramedics are now on an accelerated pension accural rate of 2.33 per cent. This allows them to achieve their 70 per cent maximum in 30 years rather than 35.
This came into effect with the passage of the OMERS Act in 2006.
So, tell your friend to keep applying!
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Other than pandering, there is no valid reason to provide fire/police/EMS with enhanced pension benefits. The uncontrollable spiral of pay & benefits for emergency services is nearing a tipping point for many communities.
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Probably a bit off topic,but I have visited both Toronto and Vancouver and felt more welcome in Toronto than in Vancouver.I did the Ft York tour and there were Canadian kids in the group who gave a rousing cheer when the guide discussed the War of 1812. ;D
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dapaterson said:
I couldn't agree with you more.
tomahawk6 said:
Toronto is funny in that way because a lot of people are surprised with how friendly and helpful people are. Some would say its because many of the people here weren't actually born in the city but I like to think we're no different than any other big city, Canadian or otherwise.
Blackadder1916
Army.ca Veteran
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tomahawk6 said:
That's because we beat you and burned down the White House! Afterwards, we went for Laura Secord chocolates.
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tomahawk6 said:
I have met many Americans in Toronto. Hardly surprising considering one half of the population of the United States is within a one day drive of the city.
Most seemed to be enjoying themselves.
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FortYorkRifleman said:
Imagine an outsider being asked to tell someone what colour won the election? Now you know why people have the feeling that Toronto (along with Ottawa and Thunder Bay) controls everything that happens in Ontario.
http://cponline.thecanadianpress.com/graphics/elections/provincial/pages/ONT-ELXN/
The thing that many people find particularly strange with your cheerleading for Toronto (the GTA even), and that includes me who grew up in T.O., is that when a city is so large, the part that people are proud about is not the entire metropolitan area, but their own neighbourhood, like "I grew up on the Danforth [or Cabbagetown, or the Beaches, or Parkdale, etc...] and love the energy, culture, [insert other characteristic here]!"
Many of us could list any number of Canadian cities that have similar, if not more, culture and coolness. Perhaps while you wait for your application to the RegF to be processed, you might consider doing a little bit of cross-country travel to see what other cities, towns, etc... have to offer.
:2c:
G2G
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Good2Golf said:
I have been thinking about that. I know whatever happens I'll do it anyway but I would like to actually live somewhere that's not Toronto, preferably Alberta, so as to experience life on the West Coast. At the moment I can't imagine wanting to live anywhere other than Toronto which is a problem; Vancouver, Victoria, Montreal, Calgary etc are all great cities (on paper) that I would love to fall in love with but life just hasn't made it so.
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