20+ Pros and Cons of Living In Ontario (Explained)

Ontario is Canada’s most populated and second-largest province, covering 1,076,395 sq. km (415,598 sq. miles). It would take over 30 hours to drive from one end to the other, east to west.

Home to Canada’s capital city, Ottawa, the province offers a diverse range of landscapes, from the untamed wilderness of the north to the rolling hills of Ottawa Valley in the east and rich farmlands of the south.

Ontario is dotted with small and medium towns with larger cities acting as hubs for the smaller communities.

If you are considering moving to the Province of Ontario in Canada then familiarize yourself with these basics.

Benefits Of Living in Ontario	Drawbacks Of Living in Ontario
Numerous recreational activities.	The high cost of living.
Loads of family attractions.	Loads of taxes to pay.
Cultural variations.	Harsh winter weather.
Beautiful beaches.	Troubled school and education infrastructure.
The month of fall is beautiful.	Drivers are very strange.
Good health infrastructure.	Doctors are hard to find.
Abundant job employment.	Traffic is an everyday issue.
Secure lifestyles.
A very stable economy.

Table of Contents

Advantages of Living in Ontario:

Numerous recreational activities:

Ontario is a province with plentiful recreational activities. Recreation extents from theatres and museums to planned sports and outdoor events, including Baseball & Softball; Hockey & Ringette; Curling; ATV trails; Fishing & Hunting; Sailing, Kayaking & Canoeing; Bike & Hiking trails; Downhill & Cross-country skiing; Snow-shoeing; Golf; Horseback riding; and Camping.

For the more adventurous, Ontario also offers opportunities for zip lining, spelunking, rock climbing, white water rafting.

Loads of family attractions:

The jurisdiction has several theme parks. Both Canada’s Wonderland just outside of Toronto and Marine land in the city of Niagara Falls attract masses from across the globe. Other exciting family-oriented parks include Ontario Place, Great Wolf Lodge, Storybook Gardens, Logos Land, and Santa’s Village.

The world-renown horseshoe-shaped waterfalls of Niagara Falls are Ontario’s most famous usual attraction, offering rides on The Maid of the Mist, museum tours, and many tourist-oriented activities.

Cultural attractions:

The annual Stratford Shakespeare Festival, located in picturesque Stratford, presents plays from Shakespeare and other top-notch playwrights.

Toronto and Ottawa both offer theatre and broadways productions, music festivals, plus a vast array of museums and cultural events. Even smaller communities usually boast local theatres and festivals.

Beautiful beaches:

When you start staying in Ontario, then you will learn that there is a robust reputation for having unspoiled, clean, family-friendly beaches to relish.

The month of fall is beautiful in Ontario:

Despite popular belief, Canadians are not snowbound year-round. No sled-dog teams and igloos for the residents of Ontario. The fall season is extremely beautiful and worth living in.

Good health infrastructure:

Ontario has a good health infrastructure and at a very cheap price.

Abundant job employment:

While jobs in the IT, service, and hospitality sectors are increasing, manufacturing has been on the decline. This has been creating an increase of workers in the job pool that have lower education than is needed in the job market because many dropped out of high school to begin work at a factory.

The province offers apprenticeship incentives, education upgrading, and specialty programs to help workers transition to new careers, free of charge.

Secure lifestyles:

The Canadian government commands a leave and benefits component for new mothers. Depending on how many hours are worked and the length of service, you can take up to 52 weeks of leave from your job, and then the employers are required to accept staff back into their position or an equivalent at the same rate of pay and assistance.

A very stable economy:

With 5 of the world’s major automakers and the only nano-technology capability working with quantum computing, Ontario’s industry is on the cutting edge.

Leading companies in software, fiber optics, advanced knowledge, and a stable structure help the province attract new and foreign businesses. Foreign countries invested nearly $550 billion in 2009.

Disadvantages Living in Ontario:

The high cost of living:

things are luxurious in Ontario. Everything from groceries, clothing, gas (petrol), housing, and taxes will shock a lot of immigrants. It is extremely difficult for the average family to live on the income of one person. Almost all families have both parents working full-time.

Loads of taxes to pay:

It has been intended that the average citizen of Ontario works 6 months of the year just to pay for taxes. Ontario has recently joint it’s Provincial Sales Tax (PST) with Canada’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) to create a Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) of 13% which applies to almost every item or service an individual can purchase. This tax is even included in utility bills.

Harsh winter weather in Ontario:

Canada means that it offers a colder climate than what you will experience in other countries around the world. Winter is a real thing here.

Troubled school and education infrastructure:

Some school boards have started to implement full-day kindergarten and a staggered bell system where different grades start (and end) the school day at different times. These new systems have received mixed reviews from families. Some parents and students find that these systems work well with their family dynamics while others find them stressful.

Doctors are hard to find:

Rural provinces sometimes struggle to make healthcare options available to residents because there is only so much money to go around.

Traffic is an everyday issue:

If you are incapable of driving, then staying in Ontario could generate a challenging situation. The state relies on private vehicle possession for many of its transportation requirements. The public transportation options can be significantly inaccessible.

Drivers are strange in the province:

Most drivers don’t realize that it is required by law to flash your high beams once when you are passing another vehicle at night.

Conclusion:

Like all places, Ontario has many delightful points as well as its downsides. I hope the content of this guide will be of worth when weight the pros and cons of moving to Ontario. The key is to assess what standards you are comfortable with.