anonymoose,
I spent nearly five years as a PR in Quebec and had a few thoughts to add (I am now in Toronto).
anonymoose said:
- The range of apartments I've seen goes from disgusting to acceptable. If you want a small apartment considered nice by European standards, expect to pay $ 1300 a month. Finding one is a pain in the ass because everyone is trying to trick you into wasting your time with fake ads. They advertise one apartment and show you another (which is obviously way worse). Expect your landlord to have a key to your apartment and to enter it all the time for various reasons - which is partially even covered by the law.
Add $500 to $1,000+ for an apartment that's similarly close to the city in Toronto. The same ads appear here; it's something that's common everywhere and you have to be very careful. The law in Quebec is clear with regard to a landlord entering your apartment; it's similar in Ontario.
anonymoose said:
- It is hard to find a job (if you do not speak French?). In the few interviews you get they will all try to push you into a junior position with a relatively low salary. I accepted one and now I see that the job market is really saturated. One job posting a company puts out there gets around 100 applications. They will not spend much time looking at your resume so having a good one is essential.
Finding employment is indeed difficult in Quebec if you do not speak French due to the language laws and the fact that many jobs that involve direct contact with the general public will be closed to you. French is, after all, the official language of Quebec and that's made very clear during the immigration process. You are expected to learn French if you choose to settle in Quebec. Opportunity does exist in many fields but one must be creative in how they find these opportunities. I used connections in the U.S. and was able to find a well-paying position in my career field after about two months.
anonymoose said:
- Taxes are really high. Around 35 % deductions from your paycheck. 15 % sales tax. Even 10-15 % sales tax on used(!) cars!
Income and sales taxes are somewhat lower in Ontario but not by all that much. In my opinion, the real issues in Quebec are more centered in the cost of basic items (milk at ~$7/4 liters minimum by law and gasoline fluctuating daily by as much as $0.20/liter for no logical reason in ALL stations). You have far fewer choices in just about any store and also online (retailers can't ship certain items to Quebec).
anonymoose said:
- Car insurance will be pretty expensive in the beginning. Expect 1400 CAD annually.
Double it (or more) for Ontario. Quebec underwrites a large portion of the medical part of auto insurance. Consider yourself lucky! If you have 30+ years of driving experience with records showing no accidents, tickets or insurance claims then you might pay $1,200 - $1,400 in Ontario, if not...
anonymoose said:
- Phone plans are expensive at around 60 $ per month, and they have horrible customer and network service. Expect to call them at least twice to get issues resolved after signing up.
Add $10-$25 for Ontario phone plans from the same vendors (Bell, Fido), perhaps more. Network service is better in downtown Toronto but about the same outside of the city.
anonymoose said:
- The majority of people here are extremely unreliable and rude. If you make an appointment, you need to confirm it three times or they will simply forget or not show up. Of course there are exceptions. Also I have not yet heard a Quebec person admitting a mistake they've made.
With the exception of the last sentence I found your words a bit strong. The "wasn't me" part of the culture is something I noticed and it definitely bothered me. I'm the first to admit a mistake or error; it's the way I was brought up. I've had many interesting conversations with coworkers and friends in Quebec about admitting fault!
anonymoose said:
- Quebec culture sometimes seems a bit autistic to me.
Again a bit strong. Different, yes.
anonymoose said:
- Your rights as a tenant or employee are far less developed than in Europe. 2-3 weeks annual vacation only. High weekly working hours. Low pay. Apartment leases that last for a year after which your landlord can increase the rent as they wish.
The North American standard, especially for a new employee is 2-3 weeks with more weeks added over time.
A landlord in Quebec actually can't raise the rent "as they wish" in Quebec - you may want to examine the following link:
https://www.rdl.gouv.qc.ca/en
If your rent was increased more than would be deemed reasonable you can file with the Regis. NEVER accept the landlord's "first offer" for a new rent in Quebec.
anonymoose said:
If you come from a poor country or a country with problems you might be better off here but if you have a decent life wherever you are, reconsider coming here. You will sacrifice a few years of your life to return to your previous status and it needs to be worth it for you.
I came from the U.S. and was generally happy in Quebec. However, in order to continue to grow in my career I had to leave Quebec and move to Ontario. It's difficult to thrive in Quebec if you don't know French or can't (or won't) learn it, but there are still opportunities there, just not as many perhaps as elsewhere in Canada.
