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Just wondering if you decided to move after all and if you have anymore info now...! Looking to move next year with two children under two!
Thank you!
Hi -
I ended up staying in Toronto with the new baby but we are now likely moving this summer. We are looking at schools right now for the kids though as I know we are already late in the registration process! How did you do?
My family and I moved last August to Montreal from Toronto. We all needed to either learn or continue practicing our French. My kids started in a French school and now are speaking more French than I ever did after several years in High school.
The cultural scene here is amazing but there is a challenge finding employment without the French language.
We found this website to be most helpful [url=http://www.montreal.angloinfo.com]AngloINFO Worldwide[/url] in finding dentists, optometrists and other needs within the city.
Our kids are quite close in age so I'll try and help as best I can because I live in the suburbs (about 40 minutes away). "Montreal Moms" is a popular English-language Facebook group that has a lot of moms who live/work right on the island and they can help too.
-Which areas are the most family friendly?
Most areas are, I haven't really found one that isn't ~ I suppose right downtown is harder with kids but few people would live there anyways. I do live in the suburbs so I am not sure.
-Which areas are the most practical? I would like to be able to find most things I need withing walking distance
See above.
-Which areas are English-speaking? I am not necessarily set on an English-speaking area but I know my husband would like that.
Westmount and the West Island have substantial Anglophone communities.
-Are there any Montessori daycares? I was told subsidized daycare was hard to get in, how much are other daycares a day (roughly)?
Not many - and subsidized is about 2-3 year waitlist right now. I'm afraid my 3.5 year old is still on the waiting list from 2011. My friend's 4 year old just got in. Any young babies you see in subsidized daycare are sibling priority. It's about $45/day straight out per child (and then subsidized by income). We are $90k income and pay $17/day per child after the subsidy, so it isn't terrible at all.
-Aside from Craigslist and Kijiji, do you have any website names I could look up for housing? What is the renting process? (deposit...)
Centris.ca is the most popular website for real estate, I don't know about rentals, although I'm sure the agencies can put you in touch
- Interactions with other children/other mums: how do you go about it?
Facebook groups have been the easiest way to meet them
- Where did you move from and if it was from Canada, how did you ship your belongings to your new place? Which company did you use?
We came from Vancouver and used Royal Lepage
- Do you find cars are a necessity or you can do without fine?
You don't need one if you are fine with metro and bus or taxi, unless you live somewhere quite far. I would recommend a good solid double stroller that can cope with rough winters (I have a Cheetah Chariot) or baby sling.
- What type of outings/activities are available for children?
A lot of mommy meetups, child-friendly cafes, funtopia/recreofun (google it) type places are very popular
Hi -
Sorry the move was in hold for awhile but is now back on the books. I was wondering if you had any thoughts on the English neighbourhoods of Kirkland, Beaconsfield, Dollar des Oiseaux or Lavalle? I'm looking for more English neighbourhoods that are safe with lots of working young families. Also some where with lots of access to kids groups and activities would be great!!!
Sorry the move was in hold for awhile but is now back on the books. I was wondering if you had any thoughts on the English neighbourhoods of Kirkland, Beaconsfield, Dollar des Oiseaux or Lavalle? I'm looking for more English neighbourhoods that are safe with lots of working young families. Also some where with lots of access to kids groups and activities would be great!!!
Laval is majority Francophone, unlike the other three suburbs you referred to (the other one with a French name is called Dollard des Ormeaux). Any of the West Island suburbs would be fine for you, they really operate like one bit community and social networks for locals tend to span the width and breadth of the West Island.
Sorry the move was in hold for awhile but is now back on the books. I was wondering if you had any thoughts on the English neighbourhoods of Kirkland, Beaconsfield, Dollar des Oiseaux or Lavalle? I'm looking for more English neighbourhoods that are safe with lots of working young families. Also some where with lots of access to kids groups and activities would be great!!!
BIMBAM's reply got me wondering whether you meant Laval or LaSalle -- the latter used to be a suburb of ~75,000 people but merged in 2002 with the city, so it is now part of Montreal proper, and is mostly bilingual (43% English, 37% French, 20% other, according to the city website). Which is it? Laval is huge (population over 400k), has many individual neighborhoods, but as BIMBAM wrote, most are overwhelmingly francophone.
My mother's French has always been rather limited.
I grew up in Montreal before moving to FL. She still lives up there.
Growing up, we lived in Brossard -- A very diverse, multi-ethnical suburb with a pretty heavy English-speaking population. It is pretty far from the Airport, however.
Now, she lives in Pointe-Claire.
I have relatives in Kirkland, Westmount, McGill area, LaSalle, and even Verdun.
For the most part, you won't have trouble being an Anglophone anywhere in Montreal. My mom's always been pretty comfortable there, and for the most part, she has little reason to go to the more French-speaking suburbs.
As with most large Northern cities, you'll find practically everything within walking distance.
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Happy in Montreal
