Posted on: 12-07-10 09:11:04
Hello there,
Im a single female, 29 yrs, from the middle east moving in about a year's time to Canada.
Since I do not know anyone there ( no family or friends ) i would really appreciate it if some one could just explain to me about the accomodation and public transport system of Toronto.
I have no idea which are the good areas to look for to stay at as i do not understand toronto geographically as yet . Could someone please let me know which is the down town area, the business area , the residential area or the suburbs etc..., areas that are safe to live in for females etc......
Any other information just to understand the basic daily life of an average Indian - Canadian would be helpful......
Quote:
Originally posted by karisma
Hello there,
I'm a single female, 29 yrs, from the middle east moving in about a year's time to Canada.
Since I do not know anyone there ( no family or friends ) i would really appreciate it if some one could just explain to me about the accommodation and public transport system of Toronto.
I have no idea which are the good areas to look for to stay at as i do not understand Toronto geographically as yet . Could someone please let me know which is the down town area, the business area , the residential area or the suburbs etc..., areas that are safe to live in for females etc......
Any other information just to understand the basic daily life of an average Indian - Canadian would be helpful......
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You have all of us here on this CD. We will root and cheer when you come out of the airport terminal.
Here is the location of the old Toronto. It is in red. If it does not display in a large format, double click on it. : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Toronto_locator.png
That was what Toronto was a hundred years ago, that I know about. People have lived here all their lives and they don't know anything about it as it is expanding every day and new streets appear and some have the same name, Mmmmmm, why?? Then it expanded itself to the total area in white. That was the old boundary. Now it is called GTA or the Greater Toronto Area. More on it as time progresses.
So welcome to Canada and to the "HOG TOWN". That is Toronto. I am going to learn a lot today together with you.
Here is the start. : http://maps.google.ca/intl/en_ca/help/maps/streetview/#utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-ha-na-ca-bk-svn&utm_medium=ha&utm_term=toronto%20views
First learn how to use. After that, go to any city or the suburb that you want to explore. You are getting a grand start.
Here is Toronto : http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Toronto,+ON&sll=48.476105,-81.335628&sspn=0.066914,0.154324&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Toronto,+Toronto+Division,+Ontario,+Canada&view=map
Now click on TORONTO and then the PegMan and view whole of Toronto and all of the surroundings Street at a time. If at any time you do not understand, go back to the first link.
I will get back to the transportation system and its nitty gritty later. You have an years worth of lead time to explore and delve deeper into it.
I also want you to contact CIIP where ever they are and get all of the help that they can give you. I want you to be the first success story on this CD board before you land. Take it from here. : http://ciip.accc.ca/
If you can do it, I am sure I have succeeded in seeing you "hit the ground running" for the first time. One down and...... many more to go.
Freddie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78uyLMh4JFM&feature=related
A warm Thanks Freddie for the information.
I've just glanced through the printout of the maps so a few questions :
1. The area marked in the red on your first link is that area like referred to as Downtown?
2. The whole area that is marketed in white is that he City of Toronto ?
3. Are all these areas like Georgina, Brock, Scugog, Clarington, Oshawa Whitby Ajax Pickering, Mississauga Oakville, Burlington, Milton, Haltom hills, Peel, York et c etc …..the suburbs of Toronto ?
Regarding the CIIP I don’t think they have a center in Middle East, CIIP caters to immigrants from China, Philippines and India.
You know I read so many negative stories on CD the ones that didn’t sound morose were the IT guys.
I started off with area , accommodation and transport as queries as I don’t what to be one of people who got conned into living in a pritam uncle type house or gujju aunty’s dingy place with her hovering around me all the time.
Why is Mississauga on CD as a place to live so popular? Is it because all Indians live there ? Or because it easier to travel to work from there ?
Is staying Downtown better than Mississauga (M)? As I’ve read that it takes time to travel. Also that if traveling daily from M it turns out to be expensive as well. I’m not going to have a car for some time.
I’ve also been looking as craig’s list for accommodation its mostly within the range of CAD 400-600 , is this normal ? I obviously can’t land there and move into an apartment with some as it will take time to find one. So the first few days have to be spent in one pf those boarding houses FIDO put a list up sunny newcomers and Jessica guest house look good.
If you don’t mind me asking where did you migrate from ? did u do it alone or with your family, how was your experience ?
Quote:
Originally posted by karisma
A warm Thanks Freddie for the information.
I've just glanced through the printout of the maps so a few questions :
1. The area marked in the red on your first link is that area like referred to as Downtown?
2. The whole area that is marketed in white is that he City of Toronto ?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For a start let me say that (1) and (2) are correct. Item (3) merits a little more explanation and after the due merit it deserves, together with an explanation it will make the WHOLE OF GTA. the expansion of the GTA or even whole of Canada is like birds sitting on a telephone wire. Where as birds can fly and roam about, but we cannot as we are social animals and wait for some one to make the first move. Then again the physical boundaries limit our movements within.
If you can throw yourself back a hundred years, all these areas were boonies. Some even call them Boondocks. Areas without any water, power, telephones or the roads and no services.. It was all gravel roads, even today some areas are still primitive and yet to get all of the above. And every neighbour helped each other. It was no different than any other part of the world. And it was all frozen.
Wood burning stoves were the order of the day. But they all were NON VEGETARIANS.
It was the old rustic farm life with kerosene lanterns, candles and the residents were ardent farmers. In those years the Government was generous. They gave away the lands to settlers. Some are called homesteaders.
So, Durham, Halton, Peel and York made the whole of GTA. (Alphabetical order.)
If you take a look at the map in the link : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Toronto_locator.png at the right hand bottom you will see Durham in the EAST and in that you will see Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering etc., forming their part of the geographic neighborhood. And so on so forth. Either you are a very fast learner or you are the one that beats the teacher. But you are modest and you will need very little guidance and only a small nudge in the right direction.
Industries needed open spaces and a lot of land was made available to these people for a very small cost, earlier on, and the Government was eager to get big Firms like GM, Atomic Energy and a lot of ancillaries into this vast expanse and the community expanded East and West, also North, and since Lake Ontario was South of us, it stayed put. Let me stop here for the geography side of the lesson.
_________________________________________________________
Quote:
Originally posted by karisma
Regarding the CIIP I don’t think they have a center in Middle East, CIIP caters to immigrants from China, Philippines and India.
---------------------
In this day and age internet has no boundaries and e-mails have no location. So, you having applied to get into Canada and having got the approval?? you should start asking the questions over the e-mails and get your educational matters streamlined prior to arrival here. You have oodles of time to do that. So start right now.
_________________________________________________________
Quote:
Originally posted by karisma
You know I read so many negative stories on CD the ones that didn’t sound morose were the IT guys.
I started off with area , accommodation and transport as queries as I don’t what to be one of people who got conned into living in a pritam uncle type house or gujju aunty’s dingy place with her hovering around me all the time.
Why is Mississauga on CD as a place to live so popular? Is it because all Indians live there ? Or because it easier to travel to work from there ?
Is staying Downtown better than Mississauga (M)? As I’ve read that it takes time to travel. Also that if traveling daily from M it turns out to be expensive as well. I’m not going to have a car for some time.
I’ve also been looking as craig’s list for accommodation its mostly within the range of CAD 400-600 , is this normal ? I obviously can’t land there and move into an apartment with some as it will take time to find one. So the first few days have to be spent in one pf those boarding houses FIDO put a list up sunny newcomers and Jessica guest house look good.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Life being what it is, people in IT who were laid off or had the time to respond, expressed their views. Some poured their hearts out a few returned home with heavy hearts. It became survival of the fittest.
Now to the PRIORITIES.
1) Landing here in Canada to settle down permanently.
2) Getting a plan in motion to get the educational qualifications fully recognized. Starting NOW through CIIP and then doing the right things here to rectify the anomalies that exist.
3) Find a temporary accommodation to stay for a few days and one close to an educational institution to complete the qualification requirements. You can always commute to get back home and to work.
4) Find a suitable job to hold a roof over your head and put a loaf of bread on the table. (Part time)
5) Look for suitable openings in the Fortune 500 companies and short list them. Starting now.
All of the above are not in any order of priorities, but need and deserve serious considerations and completion the soonest. But there are some hurdles and limitations at each juncture. For example, a place may be vacant now which will vanish into thin air when before you land here. A job that falls open in a few months might disappear once again, into thin air, as some one might appear on the scene before you show up here or get qualified for it.
So, you sure have to be really lucky and as we say, and be there at the right time at the right place.
And now to your question : Big Real Estate Companies bought over all of the small fishes, paying the going rates, earlier on, and started to build HIGH RISES in the down town core and prestigious companies got to move in and occupy them. Cost did not matter. They just wanted to rub shoulders with the next door guy and have liquid lunch down town in a posh place. Don't forget rich know who the next richest person is in Canada. So, the others moved outside the boundaries to the bedrooms (areas) where only service industries needed a small footing. So they paid Millions of Bucks but had to go Upwards to recoup the capital outlay.
Now to Mississauga. : Every one adds two hours to their daily routine to return to their home. Those who can do it in lesser time have a few extra minutes to enjoy their day and use it as a bonus. So, a lot of them moved to Mississauga, and you can always make a place into heaven if you know how, so take what ever you think is one that will provide you with all of the comforts that you are used to and make sure it is within your budget. Use the PEGMAN to get a view of the neighborhood, for starters. Devote a full day in finding a proper place after you get your very first job.
You have everything that you could ask for at your finger tip. And you have Canadian Desi here to ask for help. There are all of us who can respond back to you, if one cannot respond back to you in due course.
Freddie.
The hub of transport with in Toronto is based at the Union Station. You can read all about it here : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_%28Toronto%29
The Metropolitan Toronto amalgamated its six internal cities into one in 1998, it created a new "mega-city" known simply as Toronto. Covering more than 600 square kilometres, Toronto stretches some 32 kilometres along the shores of Lake Ontario, and includes a dense, urban core surrounded by a ring of suburbs. The city is laid out on a very straightforward grid pattern and streets rarely deviate from the grid, except if there's a significant landmark in the way. As such, it is extremely easy to navigate. Many of the city's districts and neighbourhoods are named after the intersections in the street grid upon which they are centred (e.g., Church and Wellesley, Yonge and Eglinton, Jane and Finch).
Torontonians view the city from an east/west dichotomy, with Yonge Street being the dividing line. Downtown Toronto is the heart of this urban core, with Yonge Street running almost directly in the middle of this district. Immediately north of Downtown is Midtown, the city's first streetcar suburb. The West End is generally considered to be everything west of Bathurst St., while the East End is generally viewed as areas to the east of Jarvis St., but sometimes east of the Don River. They used the ravine to construct the Don Valley Parkway. (DVP)
Likewise Bloor-Danforth which runs east-west, divides the city NORTH and SOUTH.
From there, the city's suburban districts (which were once independent cities, themselves) — Etobicoke, North York and Scarborough — extend outward to the city's outer boundaries.
In the South is the district which is downtown financial district with its banks and institutions has the city's financial engine, including Canada's largest stock exchange , the TSX.
By plane, Toronto's Lester B. Pearson International Airport terminal 1, 2 and 3.
Toronto Pearson International Airport (IATA: YYZ) [12] is about 30-50 minutes by car from the downtown core (depending on traffic) and is serviced by most major international carriers. There are two terminals: Terminal 1 hosts all Air Canada flights and a few other international (mostly Star Alliance) carriers while Terminal 3 hosts all other airlines. There are two other airports that services the needs of a few, who use them very well.
Express Bus service : Pacific Western Airport Express, operates a quick, convenient, and frequent bus service (every 20 minutes during peak periods and every 30 minutes on the off-peak). It picks up passengers at both terminals, and stops at several major hotels in the downtown core, as well as Union Station and the inter-city bus terminal at Bay and Dundas. Adult fares are $19.95 one way, $32.95 for round trips. There is a 10% discount for online reservations. HST Extra.
TTC, Toronto Transit Commission, http://www3.ttc.ca/Riding_the_TTC/Airport_service.jsp provides public bus services that runs to and from Pearson International Airport. The best TTC option is the 192 Airport Rocket that runs every 10-30 minutes between Kipling Station on the Bloor-Danforth subway line (marked green on maps) and Pearson Airport. Kipling Station is the westernmost subway stop on the Bloor-Danforth line and it takes an hours to reach downtown. One way adult fare on the TTC is $3.00 (or $2.50 if tokens are purchased in multiples of five from an agent, or of four from a machine) which includes free transfers to other TTC buses or the subway. Tickets can be purchased from the Bureau de Change in Arrivals. When the subways stop running at around 1:30 AM, the 300A Bloor-Danforth night bus provides service along the subway line and goes directly to the airport.
There are other transports that are available and run on their own schedules that help move interurban and out of city services. Also there are tourist buses and guided tours too that cater to others needs.
Freddie.
1) Landing here in Canada to settle down permanently.
Keeping my fingers crossed !!!! Just started the process 2 months back so I’m contemplating arrival around the same time next year. But I want be ready. I’m so glad I stumbled upon CD. No more palpitations!!!!!
2) Getting a plan in motion to get the educational qualifications fully recognized. Starting NOW through CIIP and then doing the right things here to rectify the anomalies that exist.
I've sent the CIIP an email today to find out the procedure. I’m also traveling to Bombay next week for a short holiday so I can try and meet them in person as well.
Update : Got a reply from them !!!! they do not handle cases from Middle East , i have to be an applicant from the three countries that they have an office in !!!!! Weird !!!! Very !!!!!
So then I checked with the lawyer here that is handling my case, he told me that I don’t have to worry about getting my qualifications recognized as a part of migration process after which I asked him how about after I land there ? To which he replied that it would all depend on the job profile. As I’m planning to look for a job in the accounting sector ( in the longer run ), a short course after I land there to understand the accounting system of Canada is mandatory. He said it would be for 2-3 months. So while I’m doing that I can always find a part time job.....
I will anyhow visit CIIP in person hopefully, going for a shirt trip to India soon.
3) Find a temporary accommodation to stay for a few days and one close to an educational institution to complete the qualification requirements. You can always commute to get back home and to work.
FIDO solved this one for me on his post. Jessica’s and Sunny newcomers look good so far. I’ll try and do some more research as I get closer to actually moving there.
4) Find a suitable job to hold a roof over your head and put a loaf of bread on the table. (Part time)
5) Look for suitable openings in the Fortune 500 companies and short list them. Starting now.
Saw a few listings on both , but I think its too early......no point liking some thing now 
... I dont think they will wait for me for a year.......2-3 months prior to my actual landing would be a better time I guess !!!!!
Till then im just going to continue my research...get as much information as possible....so no rude shocks once I land there... Im sure there will be no matter what....
I just saw in our local newspaper here in Bahrain....Saturday... there are a large number of people who have migrated from Bahrain to Canada.....
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/ArchiveNewsDetails.aspx?date=07/17/2010&storyid=282433
