Moving to Montreal

[Itscoldouthere]

We may be moving to Montreal in January 2020, any tips on making it work for non French speaking Brits with a dog 😊

[Itscoldouthere]

Obviously no Canadians with Montreal knowledge out there then 🤣

[owl89]

Hi!

I actually came on this forum as we are about to go through the immigration process to move to Canada, although not Montreal.

I did live in Quebec for 6 months a few years ago and my advice would be to seriously learn French. I was very naïve when I first went to Canada and thought Quebec/Montreal was going to be a bit like Wales, where they speak Welsh but everyone knows English. This was not the case at all and thank god we were staying with French Canadian friends who could help us out and teach us some French. We found many restaurants and cafes only had menus in French and a lot of people didn't know any English so we had to pick some French up pretty quickly! So I would be booking some French lessons if I were you.
Montreal is such a beautiful place and I am very jealous you are thinking of moving there!


PS the bagels are amazing :)

[Itscoldouthere]

Ah lovely to hear from someone, we spent a week in Montreal and actual found that everyone spoke to us in English once they realised we couldn’t speak French, however everyone in my husbands (soon to be) office said it definately gets trickier once you leave the city.
We will try and learn French but I know it’s going to be tricky for me.
Where are you hoping to go and live in Canada?
Must say I’m a bit worried about the snow/cold and also taking the dog, but he’s part of the family so has to come.
So much to think about 😬

[drsausage]

I’ve visited Montreal - we drove there from the US. It’s ok not to speak French in the city itself but outside the city a lot of people do not speak English.

Yes it’s cold and snowy but the houses are built to cope, the streets are ploughed, you can put snow tyres on your car and buy warm clothes. I walk my dog all winter in northern New England - his paws toughen up after the first couple of snowy days, and he has a fleecy coat he often wears.

Montreal seems lovely - it sounds like an adventure.

[HandsOffMyRights]

My ex sister-in-law lived in Montreal for 5 years after relocating for work.

They made lots of friends through work and had a lovely life there (had to move back to UK for work but v happy still )

I visited twice, once in the winter (it was bitter, but they are geared up for it over there).
And yes, the French is essential.

They had lots of friends and the children hung out at the pool in the summer, so they met other parents that way.

[drsausage]

My DD actually applied to McGill, despite not speaking French. She has several friends there who do speak French, but reassured her she’d learn enough while there. She didn’t get in but she’s been learning French via Duolingo anyway - we live close to French speaking Canada so it’s handy to know some.

[Itscoldouthere]

That’s interesting, I thought McGill was an English speaking university.
Both my D.C. are about to start university in the UK, one has the possibility of doing a year in a university abroad, so will possibly consider Canada if we are there.
My DH is in Vancouver this week with his work, having never visited Canada before he’s managed to go to 3 cities in the past 3 weeks, it’s all a big shift as he was previously traveling in to Asia.
It’s good to hear that most people seem to say Montreal is a nice place to live.

[Piesy]

However cold you are imagining... times that by 10.
Starts snowing mid-November and stops mid-April. You seriously have to be ok with a 5 month Winter.
It's a cool place to live for a few years.
Live somewhere central on the island, if you can.
Free French classes for immigrants are available easily. Classroom learning where you meet loads of people in a similar situation.

[managedmis]

Brit in Montréal here.

So:

You need to learn French, quickly. Yes, people speak English but they'll expect you to speak French if you live here - you'll access a different side to the province in this way also!

It is seriously cold - snow usually starts in December and lasts till March / Arpil. It's usually below freezing for 5/6 months of the year.

Do NOT buy winter wear in the UK, buy it once you arrive. You'll need boots, coat hats, gloves, scarf/ neckwarmer.

Do you have kids? If so, do they have English eligibility, or are you sending them to French school?

Which neighbourhood are you looking at living in?

Bear in mind there are major changes to the public transit lines, you need to take this into serious consideration!

It's a fantastic place to live, everyone is easy going, loads of amazing restos, reasonable living costs etc.

[HerRoyalNotness]

Spent 5 yrs in Montreal, did not need french. But was handy when leaving the city as it becomes very french in the rural areas. We loved it and have lovely friends there. We went back last US thanksgiving for the week and most joyously it snowed just for us ❄️

The roads will drive you bonkers, it takes ages to get anywhere and they’re always repairing something. We lived in Westmount which was very handy for our office, able to walk to work and down town if we wanted, also good bus line and metro station 10-15mins walk.

[Itscoldouthere]

@managedmis what is planned for the major transit lines? This sounds like something I need to know more about.

Do you have to look for something in particular re heating in homes? How do you keep your homes warm? I’m used to living in drafty old houses in the uk which we always struggle to keep warm. Surely it costs a huge amount to heat everywhere with such a long winter?

I switch between feeling really excited and overwhelmed, it’s probably going to be 2 years although if we like it we would have the possibility of staying longer.

Not sure which area to live in yet, we will get a month to look, but would probably want to be reasonably close to where DH will work, but will also need somewhere where I can walk the dog.
I’m not sure if I will be able to find work without speaking French, which is an added worry, but will definately be taking lessons.

[Knitclubchatter]

from montreal
lachine, dorval, point claire all part of the mega city of montreal but often referred to as the west island are rather english
as is westmont and a few other enclaves.
my father (now departed) managed fine with no french.
i believe mcgill is bilingual and you have the choice to do your work in either official language.
driving can be ugly...
now i have not lived in any drafty homes or apartments and i've never heard of anyone limiting heating due to costs but that doesn't mean it's not a possibility...

[managedmis]

So there is a major project underway to improve the transit system but it will have huge effects on the transit already in place.

rem.info/en/news/transitional-network-deux-montagnes-and-mascouche-lines-starting-january-2020

It will in particular effect the train lines Deux Montagne and Mascouche. So if I were you I'd try living elsewhere. As knit said above, Dorval, Lachine, Lasalle are all part of the West Island, along with Beaconsfield, Point Claire etc. Very anglophone.

I guess your DH is working downtown? And you have a dog, so if I were you I'd be living downtown, near to Parc Mont Royal ( Montréal's Central Park if you like!). Its a huge beautiful park, loads of trails, bike paths etc, little lake, cafe etc.

You can definitely find work without French - it massively depends on your field though, and where you want to work, not just in which company but the location too I. E in the West Island they will not insist on French that much.

W/r to heating homes - all homes are WAY better insulated than in the UK. Think good double glazing, amazing central heating etc. I've never seen a drafty house in Montréal, it's not like the UK at all for that. Electricity is cheap because its all hydro sourced electricity, so you will not see huge heating bills. You have to keep heating on all the time though, none of this switching it off overnight as the pipes will freeze.

The weather is extreme but you adapt and get used to it, you really do. It's never humid and damp like in the UK, is a dry cold. There is nothing better than a cold say, fresh snowfall and lots of sunshine!

[Knitclubchatter]

😉 lachine with it’s beautiful park along the canal...

[Itscoldouthere]

Thank you @Knitclubchatter and @managedmis that’s really helpful, I hadn’t realised the planned works on the transport, I’ll definately look that up and good to know Canadians don’t spent winter wearing 3 wooden jumpers inside like we do here 😂
Yes my husband office is downtown and we would like to live in the city if possible rather than suburbs.
We are looking forward to living in a city again having sent the last few years in a rural village, in a cold draughty house.
DH has been in Vancouver all week and has just flown to Montreal so he’s got a free weekend to look around some more before going into the office next week.
I’m a florist but work on weddings/events so usually it’s studio based rather than being shop based, I’m hoping similar things exist in Canada.
I’m not sure what my skinny, sun-lover dog is going to think about the cold and snow.

[drsausage]

I’m not sure what my skinny, sun-lover dog is going to think about the cold and snow.

He might love it! My dog moved from Georgia to Maine. His fur is so thin you can see his pink skin and ticking through it. He loves the snow and he doesn't mind the cold, but he's not keen on the salt they use on pavements to keep them clear. You can also tell when his paws are getting cold on a walk because he starts lifting up his back feet one at a time.

[Knitclubchatter]

my brother lives in an area known as NDG (notre dame de grace) it's quite anglo and has lots of nearby parks. the transport options into montreal are much better than lachine and west. sherbrook street is a main route for the bus and there is also a train station.
i'm not sure what is available downtown?

[HerRoyalNotness]

Follow Moniquephoto and maisonprincipal on insta. One a photographer and the other was a wedding planner but now has her own wedding venue. Sadly she closed her wedding planning insta down. The floral arrangements were always amazing. The two work together often. You may be able to make contacts with/through them for floral work

[IamWaggingBrenda]

I’m Canadian and although I don’t live in Montreal, I’ve been quite a few times. You can easily get along without speaking French. I would suggest, however, that you try a tiny bit of French to start, so they see you trying. They’ll quickly switch to English. It’s a lovely city. As for the weather, yes it gets snowy and cold, but if you have the proper clothes, warm coat or jacket, warm waterproof boots, mitts, and hat, you’ll be fine. The cold, snowy weather is invigorating! Outside of Montreal there are still a lot of people who speak English, I wouldn’t worry too much.