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Moving to Quebec - Advice?

Hipster, I've considered that and it's my Plan B but after living a fast paced life in Toronto for 10 years, running a business, I welcome a life in a small community with a slower pace.

The advantage of TR is that rent and general cost of living is so cheap that I can live there for probably a year without working. Moving to Montreal won't be much cheaper than Toronto so I'll have to hit the ground running, find work right away and keep up the hectic pace that I have now.
 
I lived in many towns in Quebec, for 30 years,my mother is english and my father is french-canadian. My last name is french canadian, and I speak quebecois almost perfect. If you try and speak perfect french, you will get by,but people will sure look at weird. In Quebec, it's all about being, white and french canadian. It doesn't matter if you can speak french, it's about having french canadian heritage, and not being mixed with anything else. I had eggs thrown at my house, I was picked on so much that we had to move..all because my mother is not french canadian. It was terrible..however, I do think you will get by..but, it won't always be pleasant. They'll be those that accept you, but,you'll be shocked when some people won't even give you the time of day cuz you're not quebecois. I was so relieved when I moved to T.O., I could speak any language I wanted and not be worried about getting in a fight. I think you'll be fine,especially if you're girlfriend is quebecois. Montreal is your best bet though...
 
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Thanks for the insight drone.

I'm really kind of shocked that this is happening in our own country. You hear about the Quebec separatist movement but because it doesn't directly affect our daily lives, the rest of Canada doesn't realize how serious it is. I'm getting to know this now and appreciating how difficult it has been to keep Canada together.

I am determined to make this work and actually even more inspired to integrate myself into Quebec by learning french, the culture and history. I'm however becoming more aware of the difficulties that may lie ahead if I decide to go ahead with the move.

This is a very interesting topic. I'd love to hear more from Quebecers, specially anglos who've lived there.
 
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I'm an Anglo who lives in Montreal... I don't know if I can give you any useful information.

I disagree that Montreal is no cheaper than Toronto... rentals are much cheaper. I also disagree that Quebec separatism is a major issue these days.

Anyway, if you have any specific questions about life in Montreal, please let me know.
 
Ganjavih, you're the perfect example because you used to live in Toronto as far as I remember. Thanks for offering your help.

1- When you moved to Montreal, did you already have a job lined up? If not, do you feel you were discriminated against while looking for work?
2- How was your french when you moved? Have you learned it while living there?
3- Do you think it would be possible to find work, not knowing french?
4- You mentioned rents were much cheaper than Toronto. What's the average rent for a nice 1 bedroom apartment in downtown Montreal? I would be looking for something near a subway station, possibly near McGill.
 
Metroman, my situation is a bit unique, but I'll try to answer your questions.

1. I moved to Montreal for schooling at McGill. To find a decent job, though, being bilingual is a must, unless you're willing to stock shelves or scrub toilets (even then it might be tough). I haven't sensed much discrimination in Montreal, as the central city is almost as diverse as Toronto, and speaking English is quite common.
2. My French sucked when I first moved and it still sucks. If I want to work in Montreal beyond my schooling, I would have to become fluent... no question.
3. See #1.
4. Downtown rentals expensive (still cheaper than Toronto), but if you're willing to live outside of downtown (CDN, NDG, TMR, etc.), you can get something decent for $500-$800 (depending on your standards). Near McGill is more expensive, you could still get a nice small 1-bedroom for under $900.

Drop me a line if you'd like: ganjavih AT canada.com
 
Thanks Ganjvih, that was helpful. It reinforced the opinions I've been hearing while searching the net for this info: that unless you're fluent in French, you won't get too far in QC.

I do plan on attending McGill in 2011 but I want to get my house in order first. Also, not wanting to be in student debt for the rest of my life, I plan on working during my studies.

I think the best strategy right now would be to do an intensive French immersion course so that by the end of the year when I plan to begin the move, I'll at least be functional in French and can begin building my business as soon as I get there.

Can anybody recommend a French course that you've taken in Toronto that worked for you?
 
Regarding rent, I looked at some places last month when I was visiting my gf in Trois-Rivières and I was baffled: $350 for a 1 bedroom 700 sq ft apartment downtown or $750 for a full house in the periphery of the city. Now that is cheap rent! :)

I like the idea of such a low cost of living so that when I get there, I don't have to be rushed to find work right away. I can get to know the area, assess the potential of my different business ideas and learn French in the best place to learn it: locally.
 
MetroMan said:
Regarding rent, I looked at some places last month when I was visiting my gf in Trois-Rivières and I was baffled: $350 for a 1 bedroom 700 sq ft apartment downtown or $750 for a full house in the periphery of the city. Now that is cheap rent! :)

I like the idea of such a low cost of living so that when I get there, I don't have to be rushed to find work right away. I can get to know the area, assess the potential of my different business ideas and learn French in the best place to learn it: locally.
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Yeah, that's super-cheap. And learning French will be easier in TR. It's easy to get lazy in Montreal and get by on English... especially if you hang out on the west side like I do.
 
Never underestimate the fact that people will help you out with your French. If you show the effort as someone trying to learn, no one reasonable is likely to trouble you. Your bigger concern is work. As an event photographer and graphic designer, that could mean plenty of interaction with other business people. That's where you might encounter a few more problems with language. The official business language in Quebec is French.
 
MetroMan said:
I guess I've identified my priority then: Learn French before I go. Thanks for the follow up gristle.
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... and learn a Parisian French, or a standardized international version thereof like our Governor General. Quebecois has absolutely zero caché or value in a work sense outside of Quebec and learning the dialect is about as smart as a non-anglophone deciding to learn English with a Scottish brogue. Besides, if you don't understand what some Montreal waiter with attitude is saying you can always blame it on his incomprehensible dialect :)
 
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