[TooFineAPoint]

I lived in Calgary for 3 years without a car. It's easy. He just has to stick to Beltline or Kensington (depending on his tastes in life... I would recommend Beltline).

But take it from a guy who also lived in Montreal for 3 years and doesn't speak a lick of French -- he would be better off in Montreal, provided it's not during the winter. Dollars will last longer, it's a beautiful city, and there are a million things to do via walking or metro.

If he's planning on staying during the winter, Kelowna. But I don't know how he does that without a car.

[christpuncher]

^^ Where did i say the word "car" in that post? 2nd tier Ontario cities have public busses too and they are cheaper than Toronto or Calgary...If that matters, it doesn't.

I read the heck out of the thread and it's full of vague questions and wild suggestions... Like that he should choose a city to learn English based on how not ethnic it is, and that this would make Toronto and Vancouver a more difficult place to learn... I'd ask again if that is a joke if I didn't know the answer already.

If anything Toronto is the the best city to learn English, as he is bound to be able to find an organisation or group based on his home country to take him in and provide some free social/language mentorship, if he has the drive to do so.

I'd agree Calgary is a good option though and a weekend trip to Banff via bus would be worthwhile. But 2nd tier Ontario is way cheaper than Calgary or any major city, for everything, if budget is the ultimate concern.

[rudebwoy]

I have never been to Calgary, apart from the women it sounds like a boring place.

Edmonton is called Deadmonton for a reason, other than the big mall what else is there.

Toronto/Montreal is the definite winner.

You don't need a car or bus pass if you are downtown Toronto.
Loads of things to see and do, especially in the summer. Some festivals have free food or very cheap food like the Greek festival.

We have loads of Mexican restaurants and a wide range of "ethnic" restaurants to choose from. Your not going to get that in small town Ontario or places like Moncton.

People are generally friendly, when they realize your a tourist.

[scotian]

^I agree that Edmonton is pretty boring, I wouldn't recommend it as a tourist destination but its not too bad of a place to live in as the cost of living is reasonable and the economy is still decent. Overall I'm not a huge fan of the Prairies, even Calgary is a bit dull unless the Stampede is happening but its proximity to the Rockies make it a decent place to visit and live. Moncton is surprisingly a really fun little city, the population is about a third French Acadian and they know how to party, we used to take road trips there from Halifax (three hours away), unlike the rest of New Brunswick AKA No Funswick. Another decent area to check out is the east Kootenay in BC, Nelson and Castelgar and beautiful small towns with lots of fun outdoor activities to do and great scenery.

[Cambodian Creamsicle]

My hometown Fredericton, NB. Nah, anywhere but there.

[TooFineAPoint]

(04-24-2017 08:03 AM)christpuncher Wrote:  

^^ Where did i say the word "car" in that post? 2nd tier Ontario cities have public busses too and they are cheaper than Toronto or Calgary...If that matters, it doesn't.

I read the heck out of the thread and it's full of vague questions and wild suggestions... Like that he should choose a city to learn English based on how not ethnic it is, and that this would make Toronto and Vancouver a more difficult place to learn... I'd ask again if that is a joke if I didn't know the answer already.

If anything Toronto is the the best city to learn English, as he is bound to be able to find an organisation or group based on his home country to take him in and provide some free social/language mentorship, if he has the drive to do so.

I'd agree Calgary is a good option though and a weekend trip to Banff via bus would be worthwhile. But 2nd tier Ontario is way cheaper than Calgary or any major city, for everything, if budget is the ultimate concern.

Why would anyone choose to travel to a second-tier Ontario city, except to commit suicide?

Do you hate this poor man??!

[Moma]

(04-25-2017 12:48 AM)TooFineAPoint Wrote:  

(04-24-2017 08:03 AM)christpuncher Wrote:  

^^ Where did i say the word "car" in that post? 2nd tier Ontario cities have public busses too and they are cheaper than Toronto or Calgary...If that matters, it doesn't.

I read the heck out of the thread and it's full of vague questions and wild suggestions... Like that he should choose a city to learn English based on how not ethnic it is, and that this would make Toronto and Vancouver a more difficult place to learn... I'd ask again if that is a joke if I didn't know the answer already.

If anything Toronto is the the best city to learn English, as he is bound to be able to find an organisation or group based on his home country to take him in and provide some free social/language mentorship, if he has the drive to do so.

I'd agree Calgary is a good option though and a weekend trip to Banff via bus would be worthwhile. But 2nd tier Ontario is way cheaper than Calgary or any major city, for everything, if budget is the ultimate concern.

Why would anyone choose to travel to a second-tier Ontario city, except to commit suicide?

Do you hate this poor man??!

I thought Ottawa was fine and I've been there at least 3 times. I didn't live there but it was only 2.5 hours away from Montreal and about 20 mins from Hull, Quebec. I would consider Ottawa a second tier Ontario city. I went to Sudbury and it seemed alright to me. Toronto was fun and yes, it's the New York of Canada but not everything must rise and die within Toronto. The landscape and nature in Canada during the summer is beautiful and there is a genuineness that you experience outside of Toronto if you talk about people. The more attractions a city has, the harder it is to stay within that budget which has eluded most of you.

With $1500 for the month, that person will have to be able to be mobile, have a place to stay and at least eat. Everything else has to be pretty much free. Festivals, events must be free admission. The person has to be very sparing with snacks or any other spending that we don't even consider or risk running into the red.

If one can exploit the live-work option as Kosko said, that can alleviate the pressure substantially and provide much more wriggle room to enjoy whatever the decided city is.