Five excellent reasons to move to Toronto

In Toronto, expats aren't some sort of outsiders, who should look to withdraw in their bubble in order to lead a comfortable and sheltered expat life. Approximately, 50% of Toronto's citizens weren't born in Canada, and for over 30% of the population, English or French isn't their first language. However, as a result of earlier migration waves, downtown Toronto is home to ethnic enclaves such as Little Italy, Little Portugal, Koreatown, Greektown, and Chinatown. Nowadays, these dedicated areas represent interesting cultural and culinary hubs rather than closed communities. Living among 200 or more ethnicities gives you the privilege to learn about others and to also freely and proudly share your differences too — after all Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world!

According to the 2018 Global Cities Report composed by A.T. Kearney consultancy company, Toronto ranks in the top 20 of the world's most influential and attractive cities for international business, talent, and investment. Toronto, along with the big names of New York City, London, Tokyo, Singapore, and Paris, is an influential city, which supports business activity, invests in human capital, and offers an abundance of cultural experiences — all of which help organisations and their employees to succeed in what they do. For expats who are looking for job offers in Toronto, some of the highest-paying in-demand professions are in the sales, consultancy, engineering, accountancy, health, and aviation industries. Also, the travel and tourism industry is prevalent in Toronto (Toronto's international airport is the fourth busiest in North America), with about 250,000 employees in hospitality.

One of Toronto's unique characteristics that make it such a great place to live and work in is that it offers all the benefits of a metropolis (e.g. professional development, dynamic social life, original entertainment, and efficient public transportation — although there's room for improvement regarding the transportation system and infrastructure) in a small-town's, friendly vibe. Toronto is an ideal destination for the outdoorsy expat and families, with about 1,500 parks (approximately 18% of the city's total area), marked bike lanes, and beaches, only ten kilometres east of downtown and on the northwest shore of Lake Ontario. Although the temperatures go down to minus degrees from December to March, in general, Toronto is a sunny city with about 300 days of sunshine.

Toronto is North America's third largest hub for movie production; it is very common to come across movie shootings and film crews on your way to work or while eating dinner at your favourite restaurant in the city. Actually, about 25% of Hollywood movies have been filmed in Toronto, and every September the city attracts international attention due to the Toronto International Film Festival. Thus, if you are looking to establish your career abroad in the entertainment industry, you may be lucky to land one of the many jobs available in this field. Besides cinematography, Toronto boasts a prestigious National Ballet Company, the Canadian Opera Company, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Also, the city has the largest English theatre representation, just after New York and London. The city itself is an art lover's heaven, with over 200 public art pieces and monuments.

The general safety

According to The Economist, Toronto is the safest city in North America, and the fourth safest  (sixth for digital security, 11th for health security, 14th for infrastructure, and fifth for personal security) city in the world after Tokyo, Singapore, and Osaka. Of course, like any other big city, Toronto has crime incidents, and there are areas (e.g. Jane & Finch, St. Jamestown, Regent Park and Moss Park, Cabbagetown, Malvern), which is better to avoid, especially after dark and if you are a solo expat. In general, the city is very walkable, the streets are lightened up, and there's nightlife throughout the week.