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Ontario is so popular with Brits

Jo-ann Hodgson investigates why Canada’s capital province is so popular with British immigrants

Already Canada's most populous province, Ontario topped Emigrate Canada's survey of which areas readers are moving to, with 30.7 per cent relocating to the central Canadian province. The 2006 Canadian Census recorded 12,160,282 residents in Ontario, accounting for 38.5 per cent of the country's population, with immigration acting as a huge population growth force in the province.

Indeed, the provincial and national government, which is located in federal capital Ottawa, actively encourages the arrival of foreign nationals and recently issued a new 'Call for Proposals' to strengthen the role of local and regional communities is serving and integrating immigrants through 'Local Immigration Partnerships'. These Partnerships seek to help communities put immigration on their overall planning agenda in order for communities to benefit from the successful social and economic integration of new immigrants. To serve Ontario's high percentage of immigrants, there are numerous free agencies that can help you start your new life in the province, as well as Multicultural Centres, Newcomer Information Centres and Community Information Centres.

So what is it that draws so many Brits to the shores of the Great Lakes region?
"So many Brits come to Ontario as it is only a seven-hour flight; it has traditionally been home to many who have immigrated before and has a lot of family ties with the UK," says Mike Howe, from Prudential Le Clair and Associates Realty Brokerage in a Barrie, Ontario. As well as this tradition of immigration, the reasons so many Brits chose to make Ontario their new home roll off the tongue. With employment opportunities available in a wide range of industries, a wealth of culture and attractive lifestyle opportunities, diverse and stunning scenery, including some of the world's most famous natural sights, and distinct seasons, there is little wonder the province proves so popular with those looking to start an new and improved life on Canadian soil.

Where to work
An abundance of natural resources, good transport links to America and accessible ocean routes have contributed to making manufacturing the principal industry in Ontario, with the province accounting for 52 per cent of national manufacturing shipments in 2004. Based mainly in the Golden Horseshoe region, the largest industrialised area in Canada, Ontario's manufacturing industry relies heavily on the production of motor vehicles, iron, steel, food, electrical appliances, machinery, chemicals and paper.

A high percentage of Ontario's population is employed in production of motor vehicles and in 2004 the province surpassed America's Michigan in car production, assembling 2.696 million vehicles. Despite lay-offs by General Motors and Ford Motor Company in recent years, losses are likely to be offset by Ford's opening of a hybrid vehicle facility in Oakville and GM's re-introduction of the Camaro, which will be produced in Oshawa. Other important manufacturing areas of Ontario include Hamilton, the largest steel manufacturing city in Canada, and Sarnia, a centre for petrochemical production. Construction also plays a large part in Ontario's economical wealth, employing around 10 per cent of the province's population – a figure that has risen considerably over the last ten years due to the increase in new house and condominium construction.

Ontario's capital city, Toronto, is central to Canada's economy, being home to the country's financial services and banking industry. The IT sector is also important in the city, as well as in Markham, Waterloo and Ottawa. Although not nearly as dominant an industry as it once was, agriculture still employs a small percentage of Ontarians, with farms situated in southern Ontario and the fruit, grape and vegetable growing industry located primarily on the Niagara Peninsula and along Lake Erie. The number of farms in Ontario decreased from 68,633 in 1991 to 59,728 in 2001, with urban sprawl and farmland severences contributing to the loss of much of southern Ontario's farmland. Despite this, cattle, grain and dairy farming remain prominent within the province.

Due to the province's abundance of fresh water, natural beauty and cultural interest, tourism also contributes heavily to the economy of Central Ontario. Indeed, in the 2007 Fall Economic Statement, the Canadian government announced a CDN$30-million expansion of Ontario's tourism and marketing campaigns, with funding the include CDN$20 million to expand tourism marketing initiatives that will attract new domestic and international visitors to communities and major attractions across Ontario and CDN$10 million to double the funding available for economy-boosting festivals and special events to promote tourism throughout the province.

What to do
"Ontario offers a wide range of cultural and lifestyle activities," comments Howe. "There are the provincial parks around the Great Lakes for summer activities and winter pursuits such as fishing, camping, snowmobiling and ice fishing also on offer. The province's major cities, such as Toronto and Ottawa have all the activities you would expect, with world-class theatre and sporting opportunities. And, of course, there are the tourist attractions of Niagara Falls and the CN Tower." Indeed, as well as containing four of the five Great Lakes, namely Superior, Huron, Erie and Ontario (after which the province is named) and the world-famous Niagara Falls, Ontario boasts six national and 260 provincial parks, offering a wide variety of outdoor activities, from leisurely nature-trailing to extreme white-water rafting.

The far north and west of Ontario is a largely uninhabited wilderness of lakes, swamps and forests and in some parts of the province you are more likely to encounter polar bears than humans. However, far from being wilderness throughout, Ontario also has more than its fair share of thriving multicultural centres, with Toronto in particular considered one of the most vibrant and cosmopolitan cities on the continent. The city is rife with cultural attractions, such as museums, galleries and shops, to a backdrop of heritage buildings, such as the Old City Hall (built in 1899) and modern architecture like the CN Tower, currently the world's tallest completed building. "Ontario offers so many choices in terms of lifestyle, from the multicultural big city life of Toronto to smaller cities, wonderful stretches of wilderness in the north and the lake regions on the Canadian Shield and farm land," says Lois Chouinard, who lives near Barrie. "We live on a small horse farm just ten minutes from the City of Barrie and enjoy the best of rural life whilst having easy access to urban shopping, theatre and dining. Although many people work locally, we also know many who commute to Toronto as we have superhighways and train service for commuters."

Weather to expect
Another aspect of Ontario living popular with British emigrants is the fact that the province experiences distinct seasons. "It is currently minus 26oC as I write this (in February) yet often reaches 30oC in the summer months," Howe explains. As Ontario has three climatic regions it's important to research average annual weather conditions in your chosen emigration destination before committing to the move.

Most of Southwestern Ontario, plus the lower parts of the Golden Horseshoe has a moderate humid continental climate with hot, humid summers and cold winters. Due to the influence of the lower Great Lakes, the area is considerably milder than many other Canadian provinces, allowing outdoor leisure opportunities to be enjoyed all year round. The more northern parts of Southern Ontario, as well as all of Central and Eastern Ontario and the southern parts of Northern Ontario, have a more severe humid continental climate, experiencing shorter warm to hot summers and cold and longer winters with lake effect snow.

Conditions become harsher in the northernmost parts of Ontario, where a subarctic climate brings long, very cold winters, short, warm summers and dramatic temperature changes. The area is also prone to severe thunderstorms, most frequently in June and July. As long as the weather suits, it's clear that Ontario has a great wealth of opportunities to be enjoyed. Surely more than a third of Canada's population can't be wrong?

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16 April 2008

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