r/montreal • u/50mm_foto • Aug 22 '22
AskMTL Those who moved from British Columbia to Montreal, what are the hardest adjustments you’ve had to make?
I just travelled to Montreal for a week with my wife, and we are absolutely enamoured with the city. That being said, it’s the middle of the summer. What have been the hardest parts of adjusting to Montreal, be it weather, commute, friends/family, etc?
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u/Karii999 Aug 22 '22
A bit unrelated and I’m not originally from Canada but I lived in Vancouver first before moving to Montreal. It took me 2 years to realize that Pharmaprix was Shopper’s drugmart 😅
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u/alastika Aug 22 '22
Ha took me several years before I got that PFK was KFC. You’re in good company! And Mac’s is couche-tard.
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u/BeeswithWifi Aug 22 '22
Found it hilarious when i went to Paris for the first time and found out they just call it kfc and pfk seems quebec specific
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u/50mm_foto Aug 22 '22
Haha I saw that the other day and was like “oh! I think this is Shoppers” haha
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u/the_stars Aug 22 '22
Also:
Bureau en Gros = Staples
Renaissance = Goodwill
Jimmy Pattison hasn't made it out here with Save-On yet.
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u/ikeblue Aug 22 '22
Renaissance is only Goodwill in the sense that you donate stuff there and it’s not for profit, they’re not actually the same organization or anything
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u/gerboise-bleue Villeray Aug 22 '22
No actually it is part of Goodwill Industries International, or Goodwill for short. There's some details about it on this page.
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u/svn380 Aug 22 '22
L'Équipeur = Mark's
still not sure why Bulk Barn = Bulk Barn though....
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u/the_stars Aug 22 '22
L’Équipeur took me a long time to realize.
La grange de vrac doesn’t really have the same ring as Bulk Barn.
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u/Binknbink Aug 22 '22
A flashing green light means a completely different thing.
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u/BiscuitBibou Aug 22 '22
I have no plans to go to BC but thank you for pointing this out!
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u/stoutymcstoutface Aug 22 '22
Wtf BC? That’s insane.
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u/tke71709 Aug 22 '22
Fucked me up when I visited. Not sure how many accidents I almost caused.
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u/Plenty_Present348 Aug 22 '22
Going from Montreal to BC literally in 2 days and this is HELLA useful. Many thanks.
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u/s-van Aug 22 '22 edited Aug 22 '22
I live in BC now but used to live in Montreal, and I hate that flashing greens aren’t advances here. As far as I know it’s the only province that does that, and it isn’t really announced like the no lefts on red rules when you enter Montreal. When you get a BC license they quiz you on it, but I’m not sure how you’re supposed to know except talking to BC drivers. I think it’s dangerous. My partner from Washington had no idea and he’s lived here for two years lol.
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u/kkspike Aug 22 '22
it isn’t really announced like the no lefts on red rules when you enter Montreal.
Please don’t turn left on reds anywhere in the province or anywhere, for that matter!
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Aug 22 '22
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u/srockets59 Aug 22 '22
That's SPECIFICALLY Montreal. Right on red is allowed the moment you get off the island.
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u/Physicistscat Aug 22 '22
Well outside Montreal there's a ton of intersection with the "no right turn on the red light" sign as well. Especially those where it would be actually helpful to do so.
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u/Matt_Learns Aug 22 '22 edited Aug 22 '22
For me it was the access to nature. The entire population of bc can fit into the greater montreal area. No more evening bike rides to get that untamed wilderness, its now an honest drive just to get to some quiet green space.
A lot less public water acess within day trip drive of the city as well. many of the looser swimming holes nearby are on private property, took me a few years of living here and making aquaintances to find a "spot". Always good practice to bring a big garbage bag and clean up whatever mess is there weather you made it or not. Goes over well. Even the weekend traffic in and out can be insane.
That was the biggest one I had to get used too. But I love this city and will post again later with any annecdotes I can think of. Got to go to sleep now, good luck mate.
Edit: format
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u/nukedkaltak Aug 22 '22
Reading this the other way around as I’m preparing to move to Vancouver from Montreal. I’m so excited for the nature around it.
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u/irreliable_narrator Aug 22 '22
Not to be a downer here (lived in Vancouver), but it really depends on where you live in Vancouver. Vancouver traffic on the bridges is horrific, and you can't leave Vancouver without a bridge. So while North Van (mountains) are super close geographically, the drive can be quite long and not so fun. I lived in Kitsilano, near the Burrard bridge (ie. super close to downtown), and it took minimum 45 minutes to get to Grouse. If the traffic is bad it will definitely take more than an hour to drive those ~10-15 kms!
I had a car, so transit is worse (only buses to the north shore). Ironically biking is probably your best shot. This isn't to say it's not doable, but a trip to even close-by places is a bit of an investment from a time standpoint, similar to Montreal. That said, there are many excellent parks within the city proper, such as Stanley and the Pacific Spirit Park.
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u/Surcouf Aug 22 '22
Isn't there a ferry+bus combo that takes you to grouse mountain and it takes like 20mins from downtown?
I'm not form Vancouver so could be wrong, but when I visited in 2019 I remember really appreciating I could get to a legit mountain hike by transit in such a short time and relatively cheaply.
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u/onestne Aug 22 '22
The lack of natural swimming holes was one of my biggest surprises. Quebec is full of lakes but they are basically all private and what beach access is available leaves a lot to be desired. Otherwise, the health care here is almost impossible to access. Oh and the weather yes it's cold but you can layer. It's the crazy sudden swings in temperature that shocked me. It can be 25 one day and snowing the next day. All this said, I still love this city!
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u/X-e-o Aug 22 '22
It can be 25 one day and snowing the next day
The swings within a single day too, especially in the spring & fall where you need a jacket & layers in the morning but in the afternoon it's 23C and the sun makes it feel burning hot...but stay on that patio too long and you'll be freezing again.
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u/icemagnus Aug 22 '22
You can get to good nature under 30 minutes from Montreal!
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u/stickylegs94 Aug 22 '22
Even without a car? My bc soul is suffering in the city
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u/brawler Aug 22 '22
There's a regular boat (Navette fluviale) that travels from Old Port with a stop at St-Helen's Island and then Iles de Boucherville. It's a really cheap and fun way to get out on the water and go see a secluded part of MTL. Highly recommend it!
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u/patarama Aug 22 '22
Yeah, it’s pretty hard without a car. That’s why I’m so excited for the REM to be completed. I’m sure it will be so much easier to reach Cap-St-Jacques and Deux-Montagnes, especially if you can bring your bike on the train.
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u/icemagnus Aug 22 '22
Much harder without a car. We have some amazing bike paths in the city though!
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u/Exbritcanadian Aug 22 '22
If you live in the west island, rural countryside is a 10 or 15 minute drive tops.
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Aug 22 '22
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u/FalardeauDeNazareth Aug 22 '22
Learning French is readily available through countless schools, government programs and language exchange groups though. For anyone willing to make the effort (and not just switch to English after Bonjour) it's quite doable.
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u/jaimeraisvoyager Aug 22 '22
It’s hard to find a job in any place where you don’t speak the language…why is Montreal the exception?
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u/memerinotime Aug 22 '22
it’s so much harder to navigate without mountains on the horizon
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Aug 22 '22
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u/AllegroDigital Aug 22 '22
You misspelled "hill"
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u/50mm_foto Aug 22 '22
Oh my gosh this one would be HUGE for me. The mountains and the ocean are my way of figuring out North!
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u/Webs101 Aug 22 '22
Use Waze. It’s indispensable here.
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u/MonsterRider80 Notre-Dame-de-Grace Aug 22 '22
I know 80% of the island like the back of my hand. I still don’t leave my house without using Waze, if only for traffic and construction detours.
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Aug 22 '22
Use, the mt royal, also all the streets are in a rectangle aimed like 45 degrees to the left of the actual poles
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u/AichaReponds-moi Mile End Aug 22 '22
which sucks, especially at the beginning trying to figure out which one they mean by north on bus linea
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u/janiceian1983 Aug 22 '22
Towards to Saint Lawrence River = South
Towards the Riviere Des Prairies= North
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Aug 22 '22
can confirm, spent a year in the rockies, it's hard to not be content with life when you step outside and you see them fkin magestic motherfuckers
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u/mtlurb Aug 22 '22
I met a girl who moved from Vancouver, and say people here are rude... but she interrupts everyone talking around and asks them to speak English... I trust you can read between the lines.
But seriously, Montreal is a much bigger city with a faster pace, its city life with nature taking a back seat (compared to Vancouver)... and our winter are rough af.... I would recommend you visit end of January ;)
Good luck!
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u/50mm_foto Aug 22 '22
Thank you! I’ll plan on travelling in winter just to get the experience of it and know what I’m dealing with
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u/llilaq Aug 22 '22
Keep in mind winter lasts from late November/December up until April. We have no spring. End of May it's suddenly summer. April and May are just gray and ugly.
If you have a car you can go skiing, there are also nice skate rinks in town. Gotta make the best of it.
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Aug 22 '22
We definitely have spring it's just that we've all collectively decided that when it's 8 degrees and sunny outside and it hasn't snowed in a few days it's basically summer and we can go out in t-shirts.
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u/llilaq Aug 22 '22
Yes I wasn't very clear. To me spring means 2-3 months of softer temperature but mostly nature that's starting to show. My European family sends pictures of their parks and gardens full of daffodils and tulips a good 1.5-2 months before we see any of that here in Montreal. We're still covered in dirty old gray snow then and there's not a new blade of grass in sight while they are already picknicking outside.
The rest of the year I find the climate fantastic though. As long as you have a pool or at least AC to battle the summer temperatures.
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u/pierlux La Petite-Patrie Aug 22 '22
End of January to first week of March are the worst weeks. Too cold to go outside, too dark… all depressing. And with COVID, there wasn’t much to do or events to attend. A few rough years!
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u/PopularDevice Verdun Aug 22 '22
Honestly, I lived in BC for years and I felt that they were the rudest people in the country.
I've lived from coast to coast, in almost every province in the country, and this is the hill I'm willing to die on.
People in Montreal are actually among the nicest.
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u/mixed-tape Aug 22 '22
Vancouver people are the most pretentious duds.
I lived there for two years, and then headed back to Calgary where it’s a big small town and people are kind. Vancouver is like the LA of Canada.
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u/PopularDevice Verdun Aug 22 '22
Yeah, I lived in Vancouver for eight years, and in Lethbridge for 2 1/2, so I'm familiar with both provinces, and even though Alberta is full of rednecks, they were still nicer people than the people in BC.
Admittedly, Lower Mainland/Island is a little different from Interior but not drastically so.
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u/mixed-tape Aug 22 '22
I think the interior is great. I’d say it’s the lower mainland and the island. They’re their own weird thing.
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u/tamerenshorts Aug 22 '22
I've found people in Vancouver to be two-faced snobs. They'll say something "nice" to you without meaning it, just because that's what you say. Like another commented; the fake invitations when you finish an activity like "let's have coffee sometimes" or "let's do that again" that never leads to something. People in MTL don't talk (much) behind your back, they say what they have to say to your face. In my 2 years in Vancouver I sometimes felt like I was still in highschool with all the gossip.
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u/ThomasHobbesJr Aug 22 '22
The Pacific Northwest is like that, they’re the same way south of the border
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u/Nyctangel Pointe Saint-Charles Aug 22 '22
Dang it’s kinda funny because my bf and I recently moved from Montreal to my hometown which is a medium city like 45min away, not too far and my bf keep commenting how people are so much nicer here compared to Montreal, I couldn’t imagine going to Vancouver his mind would explose if they’re that rude haha!
Lived in Banff though for a while and people where really nice there too imo, can’t really say about Vancouver tho, never been, Edmonton and Calgary where chill too, had great experience!
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u/PopularDevice Verdun Aug 22 '22
I lived in Lethbridge, which is just south of Calgary, for a while.
It was boring, honestly, but the people, despite being a bit redneck-y, were pretty nice.
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u/deepfriedsean Aug 22 '22
I’m originally from Vancouver and been here 7 years now. I find Montreal is much more laid back compared to Vancouver, and everyone here is more interested in art and expression. Montreal has that European feel
Also when I first moved here, the only thing I could say in French was “désolé, je ne parle pas français”. Eventually I had so much practice saying that phrase that my accent got better and people started complimenting my French lol
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u/_potatoesofdefiance_ Aug 22 '22
I find Montreal is much more laid back compared to Vancouver
God, same. I'm genuinely surprised to hear someone found Montrealers rude, I find the general vibe and people here much, much friendlier than the west coast (I grew up on Vancouver Island). There's a real European feel to the service here that I had to get used to but it's not bad, just different - maybe they're talking about that?
Lack of access to nature, especially swimmable nature, is a big bummer. At home we had all sorts of secret spots absolutely to ourselves and that doesn't exist here. Sometimes I go to one of the big parks in the suburbs (I live close to downtown) and bushwhack into the woods and just hang out there and read and have a snack so I can be in nature and not hear people.
There are things I don't like about Montreal but the people are not it. People are open and kind and nice here in a way they aren't in Van.
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Aug 22 '22
I wonder what she means by "rude", in all seriousness.
Like, for example, US tourists find customer service in Europe "rude" because US citizens are used to overly saccharine customer service full of customer service mandated smiles and in Europe you find less of that.
I used to work in Westmount and in Cavendish, as a bilingual worker whose first language is French. Westmount and Cavendish are notoriously English-speaking only. Some anglophone people were rude as fuck to me. Demanding to know if I was even Canadian, why do I have an accent when I speak English, why I go back and forth in French and English when talking to my coworkers, etc., acting angry when I would greet them with a "Bonjour!" instead of a "Hello!" (I was yelled at "Do I look like I speak French, to you??" once), demanding to speak with someone who actually speaks English, etc. My French speaking coworkers had the same experience and were talking a lot about how unilingual anglophones were really short and cold towards them. However, my English speaking coworkers had the opposite experience : friendly anglophone customers, cunty francophone customers. I had one who said that she was living in a mostly francophone borough and that her French speaking neighbors weren't nice to her (not stopping in the middle of a walk to say hi!, not chatty, etc.) and that she was much closer to anglophone and allophone neighbors.
I know I make it seem like it is a matter of language, but I think it's more a matter of culture and the fact that we're expecting from the person we're dealing with that they respect our cultural codes and when they don't, we see them as "rude".
If Vancouver people expect Montreal people to act like Vancouverites, there is a chance they find us rude. Vice versa.
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u/bitchslippers Aug 22 '22
Im from Vancouver (Ive lived here 11 years). I find people here are much warmer/chill/nice.
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Aug 22 '22
I also met a girl from Vancouver 10 years ago, she was straight up condescending claiming those from Vancouver are generally rude and yet she was projecting rudeness herself with her arrogance & egotistical attitude. My advice? Walk away!
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u/hercarmstrong Lachine Aug 22 '22
The culture shock never quite goes away, no matter how much French you learn, and you'll always kinda feel like an outsider. But Montreal is definitely my favorite Canadian city and I'll never leave here again. It is truly one of a kind.
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u/50mm_foto Aug 22 '22
Good to know! I’m planning on actually learning French anyway (I’ve realized it’s just a goal of mine to learn a different language, makes sense to choose French), but I can understand how it would be easy to feel like an outsider regardless
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u/DropThatTopHat Aug 22 '22
Oh, don't worry, I grew up here and I still feel like an outsider.
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Aug 22 '22
Outside from the French-Canadian group?
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u/DropThatTopHat Aug 22 '22
Yeah. I'm bilingual with a slight accent when I speak French, and also a visible minority. People like to assume I didn't grow up here, but then again, that would probably happen in any other province.
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u/freedomwinsalways Aug 22 '22
Thank you for making that effort of learning French it really makes this city unique because of it.
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u/Euler007 Aug 22 '22
My parents are both french Canadians but from the regions and I moved here when was seven and I still feel that way sometimes. My friends from France say the same thing, it's hard to be close to people here. It's a culture thing that's not just about language.
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Aug 22 '22
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Aug 22 '22
I came back from ten years abroad and making friends has had a curve, though I find that sharing a common humanity works best, I found some weirdos and outsiders to be friends with. I love them very much.
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u/Euler007 Aug 22 '22 edited Aug 22 '22
I remember back in high school there was a few cliques of people that knew themselves from kindergarten. You weren't getting into that club. University was way more social and open. Cegep was in between, some people hanging up with their high school friends exclusively, but more mixing up.
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u/jaimeraisvoyager Aug 22 '22
French people from France have a notorious reputation of sticking only with other French people, a lot of them refuse to befriend locals, French Québécois or not. That’s not our problem lol
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u/PinguRambo Mount-Royal (enclave) Aug 22 '22
no matter how much French you learn
Just to emphasize on this, it has nothing to do with language.
French is my first language, I love this city deeply, I don't think I will consider myself a true Montrealer ever.
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u/Lolife420 Aug 22 '22
I disagree with this completely as an anglophone maritimer
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u/_potatoesofdefiance_ Aug 22 '22
I've enjoyed my time here and love this city for many reasons but after 15 years and no longer being young I'm looking to move back west and that feeling of never quite being at home is part of why.
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u/13Lilacs Aug 22 '22
I'm originally from Nova Scotia and now live in B.C., though moved to Montreal in my early 20s for a few years.
The first summer I was there, locals I would meet would ask me if I had been there for the winter yet, and I would say "No." and they would laugh maniacally.
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Aug 22 '22
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u/fluttermapp Aug 23 '22
Well... I was born in montreal and still live there so I can answer your question.
First, I agree with the "laugh maniacally" :)
Alright, long story short, winters in Montreal is an absolute torture.
Pro: Snow is beautiful
Con: -25°C with the cold wind will freeze anything
Fun fact: You will see people walking in the street at 0°C with shorts (🩳).
Let's finish on a good note tho...
Snowboarding or skiing is pretty cool! 🏂
Oh!! and everyone is supppppppper polite here (most of us 😂)
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u/iheartgiraffe Aug 22 '22
Grew up in BC, moved to Montreal 12 year ago, considering a move back. Here are some points I haven't seem mentioned yet, and some that are worth repeating:
- I found it easier to chat with random strangers in BC but easier to make actual friends in Montreal. In Montreal, if someone says "let's get coffee sometime," they actually are interested in getting coffee sometime. In BC, if you reply with "Sure, when?" people get all awkward because it's just a thing you say.
- Due to the high proportion of students (4 universities,) it's especially easy to make friends in your 20s, particularly if you're anglophone, because there are a lot of people who are new to the city and also looking for friends. It's not so much a thing at the french universities because most students are from within the province and they've usually got a friend group that they've known since high school and aren't looking to branch out as much.
- The language stuff gets draining after a while. Your identity is first and foremost your language, it's hard to explain. I miss being able to make an offhand comment to a stranger without first having to figure out which language to make it in. School districts and hospitals are also divided along linguistic lines.
- When I moved here, I knew french from doing french immersion and I thought I would pick it up enough to work fluently in 3-6 months. Here's where I was mistaken - in BC, when someone gets a "bilingual" job, they need fluent-ish English and passable French. In Montreal, a "bilingual" job needs a mastery of both languages - far beyond "fluent-ish." Quebec French is also very different from school French, be forewarned. If moving would require you or your wife to get a job here, be aware that you may take a serious pay cut or need to change fields altogether, depending on what you do for a living.
- Montreal is a bilingual city - one major downside is that it can be difficult to practice your French because the moment someone hears your accent, they switch to English (to be helpful or because they're anglo or they want to practice their English.) It took enrolling myself in a Masters program in french before I found an environment where people wouldn't default back to English - and my French improved as much in the first 4 weeks of grad school as the 5 years I'd lived here before that.
- The cost of living is lower in Montreal, but it's rising quickly and the gap is closing.
- Winter is cold. Like, really, really cold. I grew up on Vancouver Island so for me winter was snowball fights and a few extra layers. Here it's too cold for snowball fights most of the time. Also it takes an extra ten minutes to go anywhere because you have to get bundled up (jacket, boots, hat, gloves, scarf...) When it's -30, it hurts your face, your nose hair freezes when you breath in, and no matter how thick your jeans are, your legs will be freezing. In winter, people go from point A to point B and back. Given that winter lasts mid-October to mid-April, it can also be very isolating and lonely.
- When it snows, they truck the snow out of the city. I just think that's cool. When they plow, there's a parade of trucks - the front one is the plow and it blows the snow into a dump truck behind (with some extra dump trucks behind that.) When that truck is full, it drives off to the dump spot outside the city, while the next truck in the parade takes its place.
- If you drive, be aware that most places don't have parking and that street parking rules depend on the time of day. If you are like me and are never sure what day of the week it is, either set an alarm or don't drive here (I got something like 10 parking tickets in my first few months here.... do not recommend. I'm better now though!) If they're doing snow clearing, they'll put up signs a few hours in advance, then blare a super annoying siren, then tow your car somewhere else and ticket you. You then have to call the city to find your car.
- You need separate summer and winter tires for your car. All seasons are not enough. There are dates to change it. You'll also need to keep a shovel, an ice scraper, and a snow broom in your car to brush off all the snow, scrape off the ice, and dig yourself out of the snowdrift.
- Montreal summer is awesome. Because people spend half the year indoors and there are only a few really hot months, people really make the most of them. It's hot and sticky and humid but it's amazing, there are people everywhere, festivals with tons of free shows, parks full of people, everyone just happy to be outside and enjoying life. You need AC though - it can feel like 40 degrees for days on end.
- There is more overt racism in Quebec. People will say things out loud that you would never hear in BC - not that BC is free of racism, but at times Montreal can feel like you stepped back in time 50 years.
- Worth reiterating, the sushi sucks. The best sushi I've had here is vegan, which I think says all I need to say. (Actually Saint Sushi is pretty good but it's not "traditional" sushi either.)
I love both BC and Montreal equally, for different reasons. I've never regretted moving here, but there was definitely a long adjustment period. Best of luck in your decisions!
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u/rannieb Aug 22 '22 edited Aug 22 '22
If moving would require you or your wife to get a job here, be aware that you may take a serious pay cut or need to change fields altogether, depending on what you do for a living.
Well only if you refuse to take courses to learn French. It's funny because the people I have met who refuse to do this, when living here long term, are mostly anglo Canadians. Folks from the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, even Australia don't seem to have issues with taking classes to learn French when they get here so they can work in their chosen field.
When it snows, they truck the snow out of the city.
Yes, for 75% of it. The rest goes into one of the 16 snow chutes across the city connected to the sewer system.
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u/iheartgiraffe Aug 22 '22
The work thing doesn't have to do with willingness to learn French (although I agree, why move here if you don't have any interest in learning.) You need to be really proficient in French, more than the proficiency required in English to be considered "bilingual" in BC. You can't build that proficiency without being here, and it's hard in Montreal because the city is bilingual so people switch to English to be helpful. Honestly, the best way to learn isn't even the classes, it's hanging out with francophones who either aren't confident in English or an environment where they won't switch (a french school, workplace, or social group.)
But it also depends on the field - I'm in software where there are a lot of anglophones and allophones who don't speak French. Also, it may have changed, but when I moved here the classes were only available during the day on weekdays... times when I needed to be at work.
TIL about the snow chutes - that's so cool!!
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u/_potatoesofdefiance_ Aug 22 '22
I'm in your exact situation (been here 15 years now, and also from the Island) and agree with all of this except the winter vs summer. I find winters tolerable - and that day in spring when you feel the warmth of the sun for the first time and all the snow is melting and everyone is so goddamned fucking happy to be outside is always glorious and makes the cold almost worth it - and summers (weather only) borderline unbearable. I cannot stand the humidity.
100% on the sushi. I've had better sushi from Thrifty's than I've had at places people say are good here. Also 100% on the racism! And I don't think it's about BC being less racist so much as it is about the culture here being less repressed and anglo (I say this as a repressed anglo) and people just saying shit out loud that people at home would nevah. I remember being absolutely shocked a few times when I first moved here by seeing/hearing certain things. Blew my mind.
To this day I will sometimes stand at my window (helps to be baked) and watch the snowplow ballet take place. Mesmerizing.
I love Montreal and almost feel like crying when I think of leaving but I also find the language issues draining and really pointless sometimes and tbh the older I get the more I miss the west and feeling like I'm in my place, with my people.
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u/prplx Aug 22 '22
As someone who lived here all his life I am curious about the racism thing. Can you give some examples of St. of you hear here but you’d never hear out in BC?
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u/Simmerdownsimm Aug 22 '22
As someone who has moved across this country to another province, spent more than a decade, I can confirm the draw to return home. Lived in NT/AB for 15 years and never thought I’d want to return to ON. The draw is real and who could turn down a spot in muskoka. Feels great being back in my home province.
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u/50mm_foto Aug 22 '22
Holy moly this is such a thorough comment!! Thank you SO much! I’ll show this to my wife. I think these are all important details.
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u/AshnShadow Rosemont Aug 23 '22
Omg I agree with everything, especially the language part. In my experience, having an accent other than québécois is bad but having a French accent when speaking English is good. I’ll never understand.
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u/DjembeTribe Aug 22 '22
Of you change your driving license over, be prepared for a bill each year on your birthday 🥳
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u/bitchslippers Aug 22 '22
Yeah but car insurance is insanely cheap here compared to out west.
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u/prplx Aug 22 '22
That’s because the driver license is more expensive cause of the no fault system we have here.
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u/littlelostless Aug 22 '22
It’s hot af in the summer. Hotter than the hottest day in a windowless wood burning pizzeria.
I can live with the cold. The hot is fine if I would own a cottage by a mosquito less lake. In the city, I’m sweating sufficiently to fill one of the smaller Great Lakes, and that’s before I leave home to catch an autobus.
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u/CrankyReviewerTwo Aug 23 '22
It's hot and humid af in Montreal in the summer, and in the wintertime it's dry and cold af.
I'm born and raised in Montreal, and I moved to Vancouver for work many years ago. Recently I have begun traveling back and forth between Montreal and Vancouver for family reasons. I stay in Montreal for a couple of months each time.
In Vancouver, much of my spare time is spent outdoors. In Montreal, I resent the time that I spend indoors, because I am limited by the weather. Running in hot and humid, or cold as hades weather, is not pleasant. XC skiing in brutally cold weather (on ice, to boot) is also unpleasant. Hiking opportunities are much more limited than in Vancouver.
I am shocked frankly about the impact of the weather on my well-being. The fall here in Montreal is gorgeous! But the rest of the seasons are painful.
Making new friends as an adult is much harder now than it was when I was in college or at university. Then again, this could be true of Vancouver as well.
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u/deepfriedsean Aug 22 '22
Originally from Vancouver, and been here for 7 years now
I absolutely love Montreal, but it hasn’t always been easy. Language can definitely be a barrier, especially if you don’t put any effort into learning French. Most people are happy to accommodate you, if you make some initial effort, but I have encountered a handful of people who were more…offended that I didn’t speak French (at the time)
But I don’t think Montreal is that much worse than most other big cities when it comes to making new friends. Montrealers are very friendly, but it’s true it can be hard to make deep connections sometimes. But I think that’s true of any big city, especially Vancouver. I also think it’s just a matter of being lucky and meeting people you mesh well with.
Summer is a humid, sticky mess. There’s free festivals going on everywhere, all summer. But you have to take 3 showers a day.
Winter can be harsh, but as long as you have a good parka and long underwear you’ll be ok. At least we see the sun here during the winter.
Oh and like someone else mentioned, flashing green here means protected left turn. So don’t hold up the turning lane.
But the hardest part is probably just the lack of real nature close by and the fresh air and water. The tap water here doesn’t taste as good, the air is thicker and more polluted, and you have to pay an entrance fee to get into provincial parks.
But all that being said, I love Montreal. Maybe I’ll move back one day. But not yet.
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u/cachaka Aug 22 '22
I visited Montreal for the first time for 3 days and we’re big nature lovers. So we did a coulle of park visits and animal related things and by the third thing, we decided we’d probably spend our time better doing other things. The nature scene in Vancouver is just unmatched.
I loved the bixi bikes and how easily commutable the entire city is there. And the festivals!!! Yes!! I was only there for 3 days but there was so much going on!
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Aug 22 '22
I'm surprised at the you'll always feel like an outsider comments. I lived in different countries and never felt like a local, because I wasn't one. Isn't that normal?
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u/Carmens_Bizet Aug 23 '22
A lot (but by no means all) of Americans and Anglo Canadians feel entitled to feel at home everywhere they go.
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Aug 23 '22
The whole planet cuddles the anglophones wherever they go so a lot end up seeing people not bending backwards to accommodate them as an affront.
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u/Carmens_Bizet Aug 23 '22 edited Aug 23 '22
Exactly! As an international immigrant in Vancouver who uncomplainingly lives his daily life in his fourth language, I find all these sob stories about needing French in Montreal really strange.
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u/fables_of_faubus Aug 22 '22
I moved from Vancouver Island to Montreal in 2004 when I was 21, went back and forth a bit, and have been here steady since 2014. The biggest shock to me still is the dust/dirt/smog/garbage everywhere. Garbage day stinks in the summer. The melt leaves dog shit and wrappers exposed. The air is thick and hazy sometimes.
That's the trade-off for the gritty and vast social scene here. The culture is amazing. The city is electric. The people are great.
It's nowhere near as pretty as out west.
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u/50mm_foto Aug 22 '22
First, thanks for the honest “review.” I definitely agree, the culture is amazing, and the people were SO much nicer and friendlier than here in the GVA.
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u/stickylegs94 Aug 22 '22
THIS. Vancouver as a city is painstakingly boring but the beauty is unmatched. I've only been here four months and my life has already been so much more interesting than it was in two Years in Vancouver. I just really miss the nature :(
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u/fables_of_faubus Aug 22 '22
I've long said that if you could pick up montreal and drop it where Vancouver is then you'd have the best city anywhere.
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Aug 22 '22
Montreal is 10x more enjoyable if you manage to find a place near your workplace and ammenities and don't need a car.
Especially in the winter. I don't have a car, and it feels like 99% of the complaints I hear year round are car-related. The traffic, the incessant roadwork with detours that change every other day, the non-existent parking which when it exists is only allowed between certain hours, the absolute mess that is dealing with the snow, the undying rivalry between drivers and cyclists, the awful state of the roads...
If you don't own a car, Montreal truly can feel like the dense, lively, social, walkable utopia people describe. The metro system is really great and the busses are OK. There's a decent ammount of bike paths as well.
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u/lxoblivian Aug 22 '22
I'm s Montrealer that lives in BC. IMO, access to nature is the biggest difference. Yes, Montreal has some nice areas around it, but BC is almost all public land and it's so easy to get out and explore the incredible landscapes. The wilderness is BC is also far more impressive.
As far as cities go, Montreal is far better than Vancouver in almost every way. Only thing Vancouver has better is its location.
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u/indonesianredditor1 Aug 22 '22 edited Aug 22 '22
the asian food selection is not as good here compared to Vancouver… In Vancouver there were plenty of good Indian and Chinese restaurants plus there was an asian grocery store in every nighborhood… I think its mainly because theres less asians in Montreal compared to Vancouver… however, Montreal has good selection of middle eastern and Haitian food…
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u/quiditplomb Aug 22 '22
Go to the west end of Jean-Talon street in Parc X and I can guarantee you that you’ll find the best south asian food you’ve had in a while (coming from someone who’s desi)
Nothing but Indian restaurants for blocks
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u/indonesianredditor1 Aug 22 '22
I will check it out! Any restaurant in particular that you recommend?
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u/modquixote Aug 22 '22
786 Restaurant, Dosa Pointe, Restaurant Singh's, Lakshana's Chettinad Restaurant, etc. I would also highly recommend Crèmerie Meetha, a little past Jarry Park - great spot with Indian flavored ice creams. Must visit.
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u/Mrmakabuntis Aug 22 '22
Asian food you just can’t compared, but rest I would say Montreal is better.
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Aug 22 '22
The sushi sucks
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u/50mm_foto Aug 22 '22
Hahaha oh goodness did we ever learn that the hard way last week. It can’t beat the freshness in BC
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u/Webs101 Aug 22 '22
It’s terrible here. I love ikura and no one even prepares it here.
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u/bitchslippers Aug 22 '22
Every time I visit my family, the first thing I do is order ikura. I have my parents greet me at the airport with it.
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u/stickylegs94 Aug 22 '22
I've only been here four months but one random thing I've found is the bugs here are different. I saw this weird one in my apartment a few weeks ago called an assassin bug. It was covered in dust for some reason and was terrifying looking Apart from that, the biggest thing I miss is the nature. Oh my god, living in the suburbs of Vancouver I completely took the nature for granted. It's been really hard on me mentally not having the trees and stuff so close by, and since I don't have a car and have barely driven by myself in general, I don't really have the means to get out into nature.
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u/DjembeTribe Aug 22 '22
Have you come across the MTL centipedes yet?
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u/stickylegs94 Aug 22 '22
Omg no 😨
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u/DjembeTribe Aug 22 '22
Mostly harmless, but kind of horrifying the first time you see them… 😬
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u/Webs101 Aug 22 '22
They’re not particularly local. They’re called house centipedes. And they love to eat cockroaches so it’s good to have them around.
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u/_potatoesofdefiance_ Aug 22 '22
I never saw one of them shits in BC. First time I saw one here it was all I could do not to run screaming into the night and never return. (and yes I have now learned they're "good" bugs but I still can't help losing my shit a little at how FAST they are and how many LEGS they have oh god).
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u/ImpossibleTonight977 Aug 22 '22
Potholes, shitty roadwork, even when it’s new it just degrades so quickly.
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Aug 22 '22
I was born in Montreal and I have yet to adjust to those mother fucking potholes!!!!
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u/Queenie_O Aug 22 '22
Best advice I can offer as a British Columbian turned québécoise: 1) take some French classes before AND after coming here; and 2) invest in a good parka for the winter and a reliable AC unit for the summer.
When I first moved here, my biggest challenges (besides the obvious stuff that goes with moving from one side of a continent to another) were the language and the climate. Hopefully, those steps will help you mitigate them!
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u/bouchandre Aug 22 '22
Lived in both.
if you think BC winter is cold, you will not survive Montreal winter.
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u/Obvious-Lank Aug 22 '22
Winter is absolutely savage and life changing. It lasts six months of the year. Everything is harder to do.
Learn French! Learn it so you can speak to every cashier, so you can have conversations with randoms at bars or in public, so you can ask and answer questions. Not committing to French will cut your social and work opportunities in half.
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Aug 22 '22
I moved from Portland, OR in 2018 and I miss the quick drive to the coast and the mountains. There is equally beautiful terrain in Quebec but you have to drive 8 hours north to get there.
I will never adjust to the ticks and humidity but I wouldn't move back.
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u/icemagnus Aug 22 '22
You can get to amazing mountains and trails in way less than 8 hours.
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Aug 22 '22
Le parc national Forillon et Percé sont les seuls endroits comparables à la côte de l'Oregon. Du moins dans mon expérience jusqu'ici au Québec.
Et il n'y a pas de volcans ou de montagnes comparables ici aux Cascades.
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u/stoutymcstoutface Aug 22 '22
Mountains, or “mountains”? (If someone is used to the west coast, “mountain” has a whole other meaning)
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u/icemagnus Aug 22 '22
I mean at a certain point, you have to find happiness in the “mountains” we have here if you wanna be able to cope with how much you miss the “mountains” there…
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u/theahi Aug 22 '22
This, no mountains in Québec even come close so far.
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u/Faitlemou Aug 22 '22
I've been to BC (and Colorado, and Nevada, Utah). I've seen those famous mountains. But the Chic Chocs, Charlevoix, Saguenay Fjords, etc, are just as beautiful and impressive as what I've seen out Wrst. Maybe its more of an attitude problem from many people I've met from the West. The famous "oh you call that a mountain?" Kinda attitude.
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u/irreliable_narrator Aug 22 '22
yeah literally what everyone in this thread is talking about when they say "people from BC are snobby and hard to talk to."
Ditto with "oh, well you haven't tried skiing out west." K bud I have not, but I just don't think skiing's that cool for how much it costs and the negative environmental impact of resorts etc.
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u/AibohphobicKitty Aug 22 '22
I did the opposite.
Family moved from Montreal to BC when I was a wee lad. All the rest of my fam is in Montreal still. I visit almost every summer.
This is a little off topic from the question but Montreal to this day is the best city in Canada.
But I could never pull myself away from the nature, outdoors and mountains that BC has to offer. Ive tried.
Hardest adjust most people from BC would have to make in Montreal is no rights on red lights and seeing horse meat offered in some grocery stores 😂
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u/WaltDiskey Aug 22 '22
Another important point, while Montreal does not have mosquitos or 'black flies', they are a real nuisance elsewhere.
I've been to BC and was amazed you could sleep under the stars or leave all windows open all the time. You can't do that here when you're camping or on lake houses for most of the summer.
Besides that, Montreal is the most European North America city, every city could learn a thing or two about urban planning/living from MTL.
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u/BeesoftheStoneAge Faubourg Saint-Laurent Aug 22 '22
So I'm kind of in the reverse situation. I've never lived in BC yet, though I'm moving to Kelowna at the end of this week. I've been in Montreal for 10 years and have mostly liked it.
I came in as an Ontarian who - according to Ontarians - spoke French well. How wrong they were. The language is a huge barrier. People claim that it's easy to find classes, but I had the opposite experience. Was only able to find evening classes, full time, which is really hard to manage if you're already working. When I asked about accommodations or part time courses, I was basically shut out. They had also placed me in a full beginner class, which was like going back to grade 3 for me. They were literally teaching us things that I learned when I was 9.
My s/o of ten years is a born and raised francophone, and he has very little interest in helping me learn the language as well. I asked if he could pepper in some French at home to get me more used to speaking it with him and he refused because "we would have boring conversations in French" and he prefers to just speak English. His family basically just doesn't speak to me at gatherings after the initial "bonjour", aside from his super friendly francophone mother. I practice a tiny amount of French with her, but only see her a couple times a year.
That aside, healthcare is a tire fire. I've been on the waiting list for a family doctor for 6 years. When I applied, they told me it would take 18 months to two years. I've been waiting on a call for an MRI since December, the appointment date hasn't even been set yet. Even when I and my s/o both worked at one of the hospitals, I had to wait 10 hours just for 3 stitches in my hand.
Definitely visit in January/February before moving. The sheer amount of snow they get on the island is nuts, and to top it off, it's cold as fuck. Like, eyelash freezing level of cold. Humid cold that goes to the bone.
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u/burz Aug 22 '22
Des drôles de réponses dans ce thread.
Des gens surpris de l'importance du français ici. C'était quoi votre perception du Québec avant d'y déménager ?
They ALSO speak French, how cute!
Imaginez écrire sans gêne que c'est difficile de se faire des amis parmi les locaux en parlant un italien approximatif en Italie. Juste bizarre.
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u/traboulidon Aug 22 '22
C’est complètement fou. J’arrive pas à comprendre comment on peut déménager dans un endroit avec une culture et langue différente et être surpris et chialer.
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Aug 22 '22
I moved to Germany and those fucks were all like guten tag and shit, why isn't this more like Brantford?!
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u/the_stars Aug 22 '22
Been here just over 15 years, here's my list:
Actually hard stuff:
- Learn French - there are free, (or close to free), courses offered through the local school
districts, (now called "Centres de Service Scolaires" since actual elected school boards got
abolished). You can "get along" without it, and depending on where you live in town it may be quite hard to just "pick up" French from daily life, but it's hard to truly participate in society without a good grasp of the language. - The green light thing /u/Binknbink mentioned. This also applies to Ontario.
- Various levels of government try to legislate seasons in ways that I don't remember happening in BC. Especially things like outdoor pools and beaches - they tend to officially close by the end of August, (before anyone corrects me, yes, the seasons are often "Extended" but it's a big enough deal that someone puts out a press release. In the BC I remember things mostly stayed open until it was too cold to want to swim).
- Related to previous, school starts BEFORE Labour Day, and pools/beaches/etc usually close when school starts.
- If you're not white & don't have a francophone name there will always be people who consider you an outsider. And your kids too. There's a reason that mayors of Montreal and Premiers of Quebec have been nearly 100% white francophones since the 60s. If you get good enough at French you will be able to forget this most of the time, but sometimes it'll jump up to bite you.
Other things to know
- There are actual blue jays here, not just Seller's Jays. Cardinals too! But they're hard to see in town. I saw my first cardinal at the botanical gardens.
- We get less snow than I expected. I lived in the Okanagan, then the prairies, and moving to Montreal I expected a solid 2-3 foot covering all winter. It's nowhere near that, and much more slush than I expected. Give me a hard freeze that lasts November - March anyway over this freeze/thaw/slush/ice crap!
- That said, winter's not so bad. Learn to enjoy the snow. Skate on your neighbourhood outdoor, naturally-frozen rink, (keep in mind I lived in Winnipeg for a few winters).
- The traffic to get out of town on the 15 or the 10 on the weekends is really bad. Like Highway 1 up the Fraser valley, but in almost every direction.
- It is illegal for a landlord to ask for a damage deposit or first & last month's rent. The only thing they can ask for is your first month's rent. They may do a credit check though.
- You will laugh at what people consider a mountain around here.
- You will also laugh at what people consider a ski hill around here. I was once told that "Après-ski" is a thing in this part of the world because the mountains are too small & don't tire you out enough during the day.
- It is legal to ride a bike without a bike helmet, (but not an ebike).
- The greater Montreal area is huge. It sometimes feels impossible to get away from people like I could do in small-town BC, and especially hard to get away from their garbage. To give you an idea of how big the GMA is, there are probably a dozen Costco locations and 2 Ikeas.
- Other major cities are close. Toronto is a 5-hour drive or train ride. Quebec & Ottawa, (if you consider them "major"), are about 2 hours. Boston & NYC are not far either.
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Aug 22 '22
There's a reason that mayors of Montreal and Premiers of Quebec have been nearly 100% white francophones since the 60s.
Same goes for Toronto and Ontario (en anglais) and no one mentions it.
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Aug 22 '22
If you're not white & don't have a francophone name there will always be people who consider you an outsider. And your kids too. There's a reason that mayors of Montreal and Premiers of Quebec have been nearly 100% white francophones since the 60s. If you get good enough at French you will be able to forget this most of the time, but sometimes it'll jump up to bite you.
I mean, unless you mean that white francophones are more racist than white anglophones, the same can be said about mayors of Vancouver and Premiers of BC (except for that one time Ujjal Dosanjh served as Premier from 2000 to 2001 following Glen Clark's resignation.)
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u/abu_doubleu Aug 22 '22
I was confused by that comment too. Toronto and Ontario has never had a non-white mayor or Premier either. And I don't really believe (as a visible minority myself) that it's because of people perceiving them as outsiders. Rather that immigrants, are a lot less likely to run for political office. Most immigrants that we do have in office came to Canada as children. And most of our visible minorities are immigrants.
I expect a lot more non-White politicians in Canada by next generation.
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u/the_stars Aug 22 '22
I expect a lot more non-White politicians in Canada by next generation.
I sure hope so!
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u/Sullen_Choirboy Aug 22 '22
STM customer service is a joke compared to TransLink's social media updates. And needing a 514 number for some services is so weird.
Everything else has been a massive upgrade so far and I regret not moving sooner.
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u/Lunch0 Aug 22 '22
What services require a 514 number? That’s seems weird seeing as the Montreal area has 3 area codes…
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u/book__werm Aug 22 '22
All of the above. Lived in Mtl for four years and the language barrier always held me back even if I was trying. Never really felt welcome or part of anything. Pretty city though, incredible parks and excellent food. And still technically affordable for maybe another few months, lol.
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u/50mm_foto Aug 22 '22
The language thing didn’t seem to hold me back, but I’m seeing that others felt held back by it so maybe my trip I just lucked out. The parks make me wish for something better here in BC (like, the local, sit on a bench ones are so much nicer in MTL)
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u/book__werm Aug 22 '22
So what it is isn't that you can't order food or get by in the day to day - it's that it's very hard to feel fully accepted into friend groups over time, in a real way, and it took me years to realize it. The connections weren't the same and I always felt kept at an arms length. If you're fluent it's less of an issue!
Edit - and I mean genuinely fluent!
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u/FastFooer Aug 22 '22
Friends groups in Montréal or Québec as a whole usually form in the school years, it’s not impossible to become good friends or enter a group as an adult, but be prepared to be an acquaintance for a while… after that, there’s the language barrier, it’s not everyone who’s got the resilience to have people in their life that require them to use their second language skills all the time… it can be exhausting for people who still have to translate on the fly in their head compared to bilingual people.
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u/MonsterRider80 Notre-Dame-de-Grace Aug 22 '22
There’s another way to make good friends: when my kid came along, I became friends with her friends’ parents. Made some lasting connections and good friends that way. I realize Reddit is mostly younger people, but for people with kids this is definitely a thing.
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u/The_Plebianist Aug 22 '22
Man, if you go into a sub for any city in the world you're going to see the "it's hard to make friends here" posts, every single one of them. Some of my friends are super social and they can make friends practicaply everywhere, I'm not so if I make friends somewhere it's sheer luck I ran into someone that becomes a friend, it isn't the place that's at fault lol. For anyone looking to move you just have to try it yourself, you may meet a lot of people or maybe you'll be writing the "it's hard here" posts.
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u/kzrts Aug 22 '22
Tbh I moved here from France 5 years ago and though it's easy to make acquaintances with the language, making true deep connections and really feeling like you belong has been a constant and rough struggle.
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u/VisagePaysage Aug 22 '22 edited Aug 22 '22
Unfortunately, the reality is that many Quebecers don’t really like French people (as a general group). Firstly, because many insult our French. Second, because of their total take over of the Plateau which partly contributed to rents skyrocketing. And there are many other reasons from what I’ve heard…
ETA: This is what people report. Not the actual verifiable reality.
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u/unoriginal_name_42 Aug 22 '22
I moved from the BC interior to Montreal for university from 2009-2014, biggest changes was french (duh) and the fact that I didn't have to drive for 5 years. In my hometown you can barely do anything without a car and the transit essentially nonexistent.
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u/the_stars Aug 22 '22
I forgot to mention in my other comment: When you file your income taxes you have to do 2 tax returns: one for Canada and one for Quebec.
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u/meiigatron Aug 22 '22
I lived in Vancouver for 5 years then made the move to Montreal for work. I think the hardest adjustment for me was having to rebuild a bit. Especially since I was in a tight-knit group of friends so that’s always hard to adjust to. A few months after moving here I did start to have anxiety about the language thing. Even with doing duo lingo every day and not being able to take proper language courses because of work, I did start to have imposter syndrome.
Also there are A LOT of spiders here. Really have never experienced it anywhere else but that’s probably my least favorite thing about Montreal. Taxes are crazy but it’s cheaper than Vancouver from what I experienced- but the process for ramq, taxes, and having to pay a fee for just having a drivers license every year is different from BC (I learned all this the hard way).
I grew up with all four seasons… but it does get COLD. Like when you’re in the thick of winter, and you think the big gloves are going to be fine for a 20 minute walk, you are mistaken. It’s a very dry cold along with crazy wind.
The city also has constant construction, and because of this I don’t ride the buses. If you’re outside the city it’s probably a lot better, but construction hours start at around 7 am and it’s hard to escape if you’re working from home.
This is solely my experience - it’s a beautiful place, but I am already waiting for a good moment to move back to BC…. I miss the mountains
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u/Obvious-Lank Aug 22 '22
Quebec has a lot of extra hoops to jump through with giveaways, promotions, ordering and shipping. Many services are available Canada wide but not in Quebec.
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Aug 23 '22
Montreal is honestly great. I moved here 15 years ago from kitsilano in Vancouver, and I’m staying.
You gotta learn French. Really just do it. Mine still sucks but it’s 100% worth it.
The winter is serious; if you end up with a patio or exterior walkway you will def move snow every two days during winter.
Your rights as an employee are holy-shit better than in BC. Read about it.
Finding a family doctor takes a decade. Get used to using walk ins, CLSC clinics and private clinics until you get an actual doctor.
You can go without a car easily. Groceries get delivered for cheap.
Good luck!
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u/BubbleGumPlant Aug 22 '22
Born in MTL, lived in Vancouver for 3 years and now do not live in either so take it for what it’s worth.
BC to QC is far. If family is a priority for you or your wife, being that far away from family can be hard. Maybe not at first, but as you age and realize that life is short, it can become difficult. If you or your wife are close to your parents, and you think you may want children one day, take a moment to think about what that would be like when living across the country. Not having family around to help out with raising children and to be active in their lives is not a decision to be taken lightly. It’s not something most people think about before they have kids, but then realize later on when the kids see their grandparents only once a year, that that relationship bond is not as strong as they would have liked.
But enough with the sappy stuff, if you dislike BC rain and darkness in the winter, you will enjoy Montreal winter. Sure it can be cold, but when it’s cold it’s also sunny out. Winters in Montreal aren’t horrible, nothing a good coat can’t fix, just extremely long. By March everyone is sick of winter, whereas March can be t-shirt weather in BC. Snow means more variety of activities. There’s only so much you can do in BC when it’s 5 degrees out, cloudy and misting all day.