8 things I don’t miss about living in Ontario, since I moved away, Life in canada

Long commutes in traffic

Long commutes in heavy GTA traffic were a daily reality when I lived there. Even with what feels like an endless number of lanes on some stretches of highway (hello, 401), it’s still not enough during rush hour.

I dreaded going to work most days because I knew it would take at least an hour, if not longer, each way. Tack on extra time (and tears) when it was pouring rain or snowing.

You know the traffic situation is bad when visiting celebrities start commenting on it during interviews. Tom Cruise once called out Toronto’s traffic situation in 2023 while speaking with eTalk, asking if the city had figured it out yet. Sorry Tom, but no, it hasn’t.

On Vancouver Island, my longest commute is maybe 20 to 25 minutes on a bad day. I genuinely don’t miss sitting on the highway going nowhere.

The constant rush

Anyone who has lived in the GTA or even visited knows exactly what I mean when I say everyone is always in a rush.

Whether you’re headed to work, out with friends, to an appointment or heading to school, you’re moving fast, probably walking while texting on the phone and swerving through crowds of people.

My commutes in the GTA either involved sitting in rush hour traffic or getting off a GO Train with a swarm of people, holding onto my bag for dear life while trying to squeeze through the exit.

No matter what you’re doing in or around Toronto, it always feels like you’re tight on time. Having lived on the island for 10 years, I’ll admit it stresses me out a bit when I go back for a visit.

Mosquito season

While I do miss the hot summers in Ontario, mosquito season is not something I think about fondly. Sitting outside in the evenings was practically an invitation for mosquitoes, and staying out too long meant coming inside covered in bites.

Between the red bumps and the constant scratching, I’d look like I had chicken pox all over my legs every summer.

We do have mosquitoes in B.C., of course, but in my 10 years on Vancouver Island, I haven’t come close to the mosquito situation I dealt with every summer in Ontario.

The long winters

If mosquito season is one downside of Ontario summers, the winters are another challenge.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate snow or fun winter activities like skiing and sledding, and Christmas is obviously great. But the extreme cold, the heavy snowfall, and the slushy roads that follow? I don’t miss those at all.

And it’s not like it only lasts a couple of months. Winters in Ontario can drag on for up to five months, with snow sometimes sticking well past March.

Now I’m spoiled with mild winters and an early spring every year. Ontario winters? I’ll pass.

The lack of activities in nature

It’s not that the GTA lacks nature; of course it doesn’t, and if you travel up north, it’s incredible. But strictly speaking, in the GTA, nature activities were never really part of my daily routine. Making them happen required actual planning and effort.

In B.C. it’s just part of everyday life. We’re surrounded by the ocean, have access to countless lakes, and have endless hiking options. If anything, the hard part is choosing which one to go with.

All of the concrete

Toronto has its own kind of beauty, between the high-rises and long stretches of road.

When I first moved here, I’d get a little defensive when people from B.C. commented that Toronto was flat or a concrete jungle. But after 10 years of living surrounded by mountains and ocean, I kind of get where they’re coming from.

Comparing the two is like night and day. Do I think Toronto is beautiful? Yes, because it’ll always be home. But it doesn’t quite compare to what you get in B.C.

Having to plan a beach day

Toronto has beaches. There’s even a neighbourhood called The Beaches, but unless you live nearby, a beach day in the GTA is basically a whole production.

When I lived in Ontario, going to the beach meant planning a road trip to Wasaga Beach or Sauble Beach. They were so fun, but they didn’t happen all that often.

In B.C., beaches are everywhere and incredibly accessible. On a whim, you can catch a sunrise or sunset on a beach. That kind of spontaneity is something I’ll never take for granted.

Crowded tourist attractions

Whether you’re visiting Niagara Falls, the CN Tower, or Ripley’s Aquarium, popular Ontario attractions come with crowds, and lots of them. I get it; that’s the nature of tourist destinations, but knowing certain spots were always swarmed with people genuinely put me off going sometimes.

I remember wanting to visit Niagara Falls more often but dreading the lineups and the crowds that came with it.

In B.C., the most breathtaking spots are often the quieter ones, especially on Vancouver Island. A hidden beach after a rainforest hike or a lookout point with mountain views and barely another person around — that’s become my idea of a perfect day out. The contrast couldn’t be more different.