Prices in Montreal

88 Comments so far

#Anonymous on Jul 01, 2015.

Montreal is a very racist city when it comes to ethnics.French Quebecers don't like to see Canadians from ethnic backgrounds to succeed and obtain high pay jobs.

I have started the process to leave and move to return to my homeland.

#Anonymous on May 26, 2015.

Well, think the comment made by #Jay Abe on Oct 22, 2014 is mostly true, surely there are cases of people who have succeeded in the province but those are exceptional cases. If you have all the qualifications to obtain a good job but you don't speak French, they will say that you need to speak French, then you will learn the language and in time you will master it, then they will say that you need to have studies in any of the local universities, well, you will obtain a degree in McGill, UQAM, UDEM or Concordia and then they will tell you that you need local experience. and I can continue going on listing all the possible excuses they will present to justify the fact that a non Quebecois can't get a job at the level of his/her experience. I have nothing against Quebec, I've been living here for the last 4 years and it is my home now, but the reality is the reality and there's nothing wrong with sharing this knowledge.

I know many cases of people who speak the French, English + (at least) their mother tongue, with university degrees and years of experience in their fields working for well-known companies around the world and, they have left the province (or accepted a job under their level of experience) due to the lack of opportunities. I heard from 2 HR advisers, both of them born in Montreal, that I should change my name to a Quebec-native one in order to get an interview. I have even more shocking proofs of discrimination in the labor market but I will keep them for myself now.

#Reiner Banken on Apr 26, 2015.

I am living in Montréal since 1980 and I am very well integrated into the Québec Society. Jay Abe is very sarcastic in his post from October, 22, 2014. Abe says that Quebeckers are extremely closed-minded individuals and that you must have a French sounding name if you want to succeed. My name is definitely German and it has not prevented me from being well accepted into Québec Society. I am from Germany and it is definitely easier to integrate into Québec society than into German society. Values in Québec are different from the rest of Canada. Due to social programs inequity is lower in Québec than elsewhere in Canada. A majority of people in Québec was opposed to the US war in Iraq, while a majority in the rest of Canada supported it. People in Québec support Palestinians much more that elswhere in Canada. There are very many examples of values that make Québec a distinct society.

I must say that Abe's comments sound much like comments from an English speaking Canadian from outside Québec who is is bashing Québec. Québec bashing is quite popular. If you make efforts to integrate and respect the values of Québec society, you will succeed, but takes more than a few months. In this commment I am writing Québec rather than Quebec. Québec is the official spelling and Québec's official language is French. If you don't learn French you cannot hope to be happy in Québec. It takes time, but is worth the effort!

Using the work National appropriately the ultimate test for integration in Québec. The Québec parliament is called National Assembly, because Québec is a distinct society, a nation. I you cannot accept this difference from the rest of Canada, you will not be happy in Québec. The cultural differences go back to the colonization of Québec by people from France. Have a look at the description of the recent documentary Empreinte: http://www.ridm.qc.ca/en/programmation/films/776/empreinte-l

By the way, people from Latin cultures seem to integrate much more easily than from other cultures.

#Maureen Smith on Apr 10, 2015.

Joe Abe is 100% correct. There is political movement right now aimed at improving the economy in Montreal. I have lived here for +40 years and it's a love/hate relationship. The taxes are horrendous. The culture is fabulous. Our public transport is signifigantly better than a city like Toronto and more affordable. You must send your children to the French school unless you pay for private education and the Montreal French school board has an abysmal record especially for male children.I am personally making sure my family uses the stupidly inexpensive education costs to get all of us top notch degrees then we will leave. Who knows, maybe they can turn this place around. The bottom line is, come on down but make sure your exit strategy is in place.

#Zoé on Apr 08, 2015.

There is definitely no perfect city but Montreal, Quebec is an amazing and delightful place to live and raise children. I live in the city and my borough is becoming more and more multicultural and it’s wonderful! When my children started daycare, there were children that didn’t speak a word of French and now they speak fluently! Is that so bad? 98% of North America speaks English… we are the 2% that speak French. Personally, I have lived in a few countries and speak fluent English and German… the more languages you learn the better. No?

As for healthcare, when it’s urgent and you need it, it’s FREE and fast. When it’s not so urgent it can be painfully long. Bring toys and pencils for kids 

Anyhow, I’m sad to read such bad posts about Montrealers/Quebeckers … but maybe it’s good that some people bitch my city, best kept gem in the world. Bienvenue à Montréal!