Topic: Greater Toronto Traffic to become undriveable.

[articsteve]

Ottawa plans 40% rise in immigration in next five years.  Since no fewer than 50% of all new immigrants settle in the GTA only two words can describe the effect on GTA traffic which is already hell:

Permanent Gridlock

Canada's current immigration levels would rise 40 per cent within five years under a plan that will soon be presented to the federal cabinet, The Canadian Press has learned.

Prime Minister Paul Martin described immigration in a speech this week as key to Canada's economic success in an era defined by low birth rates, an aging population and an ever-deepening shortage of skilled workers.

His immigration minister will address that challenge by announcing the target by Nov. 1 after consulting cabinet colleagues.

Joe Volpe will table a document in Parliament setting out the goal and will also deliver a wide-ranging plan for meeting it in a presentation to his cabinet colleagues next month.

Volpe declined to provide specifics but said something needs to be done to ramp up the country's immigration levels.

"We've got to have more," the minister said in an interview Friday. "There isn't a place in the country that hasn't used that four-letter word: `More'."

Volpe said the reality of Canada's immigration needs hit home as he travelled the country over the last five months and heard the same refrain from coast to coast, in rich and poor provinces and in urban and rural areas.

Government sources say his proposed target would see immigration levels rise to one per cent of the Canadian population within five years — or about 328,000 per year and growing.

That would represent an increase of about 40 per cent from last year's level of 235,824 people who became permanent residents of Canada — which fell within the government's current target range of 220,000 to 245,000 new residents per year.

[Turbo Bob]

Cool, my current company is based in Ottawa, so if I stayed with them I could (fingers crossed) be moving to Ottawa...

 

What's the weather like?

[paulk]

I don't think it'll have a big impact.  Canada's population growth rate is only 0.9%/yr.  This increase would only push it up by another 0.2% or so.  Fairly marginal.  Male baby boomers are reaching the point where their death rates increase significantly, so it's possible the overall population growth rate won't even increase that much.

[tpl]

All I can say is that TO traffic is peanuts compared to REALLY BIG cities..

This is not to say its good.

things that would help

when you have a fender bender: if the engine still runs drive off the goddamn roadway. I dont care what the law is, get out of my road.

If you feel your engine dying on you.... steer off the goodamn road Collorary: buy gas before you run out

If you cant push it for 20 feet on the level on a dry surface... dont buy it.  and if that means that slushboxes become extinct that that is a good side effect.

[Railton]

Bob,
Ottawa has been described as a city in the wilderness. No truer words were spoken.

If moving to Ottawa be prepared for extremes in temperatures. Bloody hot in the Summer and consistantly cold in the Winter. No Spring, no Fall, just Summer and Winter...and mostly Winter...Canadian Winter.
That all being said though, I enjoyed my 16 years there. To survive there one needs to embrace Winter. Get out and learn Cross-country skiing, ice skating and running in -30 degee C temps. It's invigoratinng.
You will find that there are excellent areas for road cycling and mountain biking. Much better than in the GTA.
Demographically, Ottawa inhabitants are not showing folks, they put there money into their kids and their quality of life. Conserative in their lifestyle and Liberal in their voting. The Lotus would stand out like a sore thumb if you manged to bring it across the pond. You'll fit right in with a Honda or Toyota...and not a new one.
Enjoy, although Montreal sounds a better fit for you. Oh well, it's only an 1.5 hr drive down the road.
Railton

[paulk]

All I can say is that TO traffic is peanuts compared to REALLY BIG cities..

TO definitely qualifies as REALLY BIG!  The only cities larger in North America are Mexico City, NYC, LA, and Chicago.  Once a city crosses a certain size, whether the traffic is good or bad seems to depend on how it's managed.  e.g. Istanbul is remarkably good; Bangkok, remarkably bad.  TO seems somewhere in the middle.

[airbalancer]

Cool, my current company is based in Ottawa, so if I stayed with them I could (fingers crossed) be moving to Ottawa...

 

What's the weather like?

Driving the son back Ottawa for school in December
It was 12c out in Cobourg ,100km east of Toronto by the time we got to Ottawa 3 hrs later it was -5c
It is 7 degrees colder then Toronto in the winter time, all he did was how cold it was. I told him to go to Windsor for school, it would have been warmer

[jimmy10]

Driving on the 401 through Toronto can be slow ,but not real bad as of yet,407 cut-off makes driving easier at times depending where you are going ,but the QEW is brutal,driving on that highway with all the young in and out drivers,some older,but mostly younger drivers ,is quite an adventure, lane crossing all the time.If you stay in one lane you will get dizzy watching drivers try to inch farther ahead crossing back and forth accross all 4 lanes at very high speeds,all this while its bumper to bumpertraffic.Funny thing is,they never get that far ahead in the end, maybe a few minutes or so,but all the while taking their lifes and others in hand.

[froggy]

Hey Bob,
Ottawa is a pretty nice city. Housing is far from being nearly as expensive as Toronto, less traffic and less crime. It is a spread out city. As for the weather, Railton is right on!
As for the cars, they are also lots of E46 BMWs here, remnants of the Internet bubble... I even saw a Carrera GT! But fancy cars are not as common as Montreal or the GTA, I guess...  
The advantage of Ottawa on Montreal is the price of gas too (15-20% cheaper in Onarion than in Quebec)
Quebec's insurance is cheaper but they get hammered on income taxes...
A calculation was made a couple of years ago about the cost of living in Quebec or Ontario (Ottawa is on the provinces border, Hull/Gatineau on the Quebec side, Ottawa on the Ontario) and taking into account the price of housing (cheaper in Quebec), Income taxes (lower in Ontario), etc... it was demonstrated that, from a monetary point of view and with no kids involved, you were better off in Quebec if your gross income was < $55,000 pa, and better off in Ottawa otherwise.
This might be a bit dated though, not sure about the figures now.....  

[wing]

Ottawa has a better club for Auto-x

It's not that cold maybe I'm use to it.  I don't think I would live in Toronto gridlock and the sheer number of people would bother me, I like my 10 min commute and small town atmosphere.

[eddy4]

If you can pick the time of day to traverse Metro it is not too much of a problem.
The volume of traffic can sometimes slow things down but on the whole it could be Much , Much worse.

I live far outside Metro and sometimes have to make banzi runs from the west end up to the north and then right down town and west again on QEW / 403 ....rarely have problems..but I pick my times carefully.

[a4_tom]

Greater Vancouver's traffic will become worse for sure. Since our Translink transportation board is not going to built new roads to "force" ppl take public transit, as well as lack of a proper freeway systems from south end of the suburb into downtown area.

[si]

Greater Vancouver's traffic will become worse for sure. Since our Translink transportation board is not going to built new roads to "force" ppl take public transit, as well as lack of a proper freeway systems from south end of the suburb into downtown area.

YES.

Very aggravating driving from Southern Vancouver (Tswassenn) into the city (or North Van).  No HWY system from Richmond until North Van.  Stop and go city traffic only.  An underground highway or above ground (ugly but cheaper) would help greatly.

[The Fuzz]

when you have a fender bender: if the engine still runs drive off the goddamn roadway. I dont care what the law is, get out of my road.

There is no law that says not to move your vehicles. People just think there is.

[Scaerio]

Driving the son back Ottawa for school in December
It was 12c out in Cobourg ,100km east of Toronto by the time we got to Ottawa 3 hrs later it was -5c
It is 7 degrees colder then Toronto in the winter time, all he did was how cold it was. I told him to go to Windsor for school, it would have been warmer

What kind of candy-a$$ed Canadian are you? 

Typical Torontonian... "Oh - look a snowflake!!  Call in the army!!!'

[tpl]

All the comments about how cold Ottawa is.... that is good 'cos until you have expereinced Toronto's dreaded Brown Slush...

CP.  I didnt think it was the law except possibly in the case of  injury to someone.... but no-one ever seems to do it. I guess they are frightened that they may harm their car some more...which they might indeed...but I'd still like them out of my way!

[airbalancer]

Driving the son back Ottawa for school in December
It was 12c out in Cobourg ,100km east of Toronto by the time we got to Ottawa 3 hrs later it was -5c
It is 7 degrees colder then Toronto in the winter time, all he did was how cold it was. I told him to go to Windsor for school, it would have been warmer

What kind of candy-a$$ed Canadian are you? 

Typical Torontonian... "Oh - look a snowflake!!  Call in the army!!!'

First off I do not live in Toronto.
I have spend many a  years  living in Thunder Bay which makes Ottawa seem like Cuba
Also it was son who said Ottawa was cold

[a4_tom]

Greater Vancouver's traffic will become worse for sure. Since our Translink transportation board is not going to built new roads to "force" ppl take public transit, as well as lack of a proper freeway systems from south end of the suburb into downtown area.

YES.

Very aggravating driving from Southern Vancouver (Tswassenn) into the city (or North Van). No HWY system from Richmond until North Van. Stop and go city traffic only. An underground highway or above ground (ugly but cheaper) would help greatly.

So you live in Tsawwassen too?

[Wetson]

I live in Toronto and the last 2 winters have been normal Canadian winters... Cold and lots of snow.  All people have done is complain about the cold.  It really bugs me.  I usually tell them if they really want to see cold and even more snow.... go to Winnipeg or Edmonton.  They'd be greatful that Toronto's winters are so mild in comparison. 

I'm not going to defend Mel Lastman calling in the military because yeah it was a joke.  The reason why that happened though is because in the prior years the previous municipal government (idiots) had cut back the snow removal budget and sold off equipment.  When TO got dumped on they couldn't cope because of the lack of equipment to clean it up.  That's why the military got called in.  Besides ... if you think about it.... it was a brilliant move.  The gov't footed most of the bill rather than the city of Toronto because the military was involved.

I can assure you  now that Toronto has the capacity to remove that kind of snowfall and more.

[airbalancer]

Now remember Toronto has a damp cold , out west it is a dry cold
and when it is -40 is just $%%%##% cold