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Page 1 of 6 As a new immigrant, choosing which city to move to is probably one
of the easiest decisions you will make. Most immigrants we spoke to
said there were just two questions they needed to ask themselves: where
in Canada did they have family or friends; and which city held out the
most promising financial prospects.
This ‘birds of a feather’ syndrome has resulted in three
cities becoming the biggest magnets for newcomers to Canada. Toronto,
Vancouver and Montreal now attract roughly three-quarters of new
immigrants to the country; few other cities being able to match their
drawing power.
Over the course of this article, we will profile each of these cities, as
well as other areas popular with immigrants, and look at what each city
has to offer.
TORONTO
Time and again, the United Nations has voted Toronto the
world’s most
multicultural city, and it’s easy to see why. The last census revealed
that roughly half of all people living in Canada’s largest
city were born abroad. (Contrast that with New York, where 28 per cent
of the
population is foreign-born).
So what makes the Ontario capital such a favourite? For one thing,
Toronto is the engine that powers the province’s current red-hot
economy. The city’s unemployment rate is the lowest in Canada, making
it easier for newcomers to find a job.
Toronto sits close to the southern border (the US is just a two-hour
drive away), which means winter is not as harsh as most other regions
in Canada. For people unused to freezing temperatures, that is a big
plus.
The cultural diversity and the sheer numbers that each community
boasts also make it easier for immigrants to feel at home. Toronto’s
immigrant population comes from 169 countries and speak 100 different
languages. Many neighbourhoods are now popularly named after the
dominant community living in the area. So you have Chinatown, Corso
Italia, Little India, Koreatown, Portugal Village and so on, each with
their own distinctive flavour of stores, restaurants, clubs and
businesses.
 At one time, Toronto used to have one of the country’s highest crime
rates. But a booming economy and an aging population have resulted in a
dramatic drop in crime over the last decade, so much so that the
Ontario capital is now second only to Quebec City in the list of
Canada’s safest metro areas.
Toronto consistently ranks among the top 10 in surveys of best
places to live. In two recent studies, the
US-based Corporate Resources Group rated Toronto as having the second
highest standard of living in the world, while Switzerland’s William M.
Mercer Group ranked the city fifth in a survey of the world’s most
liveable cities.
On the down side, Ontario does have one of Canada’s most criticised
education and healthcare systems – the result of continuing government
cutbacks in those areas. Education cutbacks have resulted in numerous
schools being shut, and teachers have been none too amused by the
provincial government’s attempts to force a heavier workload on them.
Ontario also has the second-highest university tuition costs in Canada,
currently close to $4,000 a year.
For the final word though, here’s a finding recently published in
The Toronto Star, Canada’s biggest-selling newspaper. It commissioned a
survey which found that 94 per cent of Torontonians believe that the
city’s diverse population lives and works together “very well” or
“somewhat well”, an astonishingly high satisfaction factor.
Overall rating: 7/10
Plus: Strong economy, low unemployment rate, excellent transit
system in the downtown core, extremely multicultural, real estate
prices still fairly low in outlying areas, low crime rate, winters not
as harsh as cities further north.
Minus: Very limited transit system in outlying regions, low vacancy
rates for rental apartments, high fees for university education,
medicare cuts mean months-long waits for specialist treatments.
Major newspapers: The Toronto Star, The Globe & Mail, The
Toronto Sun,
National Post.
Cities with large immigrant populations in outlying areas*: Brampton, Hamilton, Mississauga, North York, Pickering, Vaughan
*An hour’s drive or less from Toronto
Area codes: Toronto - 416. Outlying regions – 905
Related: Accommodation in and around Toronto
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