9 ms·

Isn't Montreal bigger than Vancouver? Also Montreal is cheap to live in.

by Thaxll 9y ago

monkeynotes 9y ago
Quebec has some of the highest income taxes in Canada.
- betaby 9y ago
  About the same as in California for salaries over 100K
t1o5 9y ago
Other than Montreal's cheap cost of living and good public transportation, everything else is not so great. Talented engineers graduating from McGill and Concordia are leaving the province in droves because of Quebec's weird language laws [1], high taxes and obsolete immigration system. (Eg: KFC was renamed to PFK to comply with the language laws) MIDI, the immigration department of Quebec which has fully autonomy for selecting immigrants to Quebec fails to attract or retain the foreign talents. A highly skilled worker is not given any kind of priority in their immigration application. On the other hand, if you only have a school diploma, but can speak fluent French, you get the top priority in Quebec immigration. If you are highly skilled, but do not know a word of French, it will take a minimum of 4 years to immigrate to Quebec [2]. Montreal is just riding on their old inertia. There is a huge shortage of talent in Quebec. The policies of immigration dept. of Quebec and Quebec's language policies will drive Quebec down the drain. Some politicians have even announced that if they get elected, they will deport all the non French speaking immigrants out of Quebec. So any startups looking to start their business in Quebec, you have been warned. Montreal is a great tourist city, no contest. But not so great to live or work for tech. If you immigrate to Quebec, your kids should go to French school only.[4] [1] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/pastagate-reveals-the-hypocrisy-of-quebecs-french-hardliners/article9065481/ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/pastagate-reve... [2] http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2018/02/27/des-travailleurs-etrangers-qualifies-oublies-par-quebec http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2018/02/27/des-travailleurs... [3] https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/caq-s-new-immigration-policy-learn-french-or-leave-1.2282545 https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/caq-s-new-immigration-policy-lea... [4] http://unbelavenir.gouv.qc.ca/en/whychoosequebec-foreducation.php http://unbelavenir.gouv.qc.ca/en/whychoosequebec-foreducatio...
- Maven911 9y ago
  Yes having witnessed it myself, it's tragic the self inflicted wounds Montreal takes, while peoplr still pretend it's a tech hub (only in the tiniest of sense)
  - jkaplowitz 9y ago
    For AI and ML, it now has R&D centers for Google, Facebook, and MS. It also has McGill University which is quite well regarded for AI. In that niche it's becoming a hub, though this trend is recent enough that I have to use the present progressive tense.
- branchless 9y ago
  The language laws thing is not a big deal. People just get on with it. Montreal is great. I'm here, and if my kids don't go into IT they will work in another sector and will be able to afford to live. I'd consider SV a death sentence. Who wants to work when you will never achieve financial independence because you'll never own your own land? And if you have a huge mortgage you are your boss's bitch forever.
  - twblalock 9y ago
    I work in tech in Silicon Valley and most of my coworkers own their own homes or condos. It's not uncommon at all.
    - branchless 9y ago
      housing is clearly an enormous issue in SV, yours is anecdata. For one: http://observer.com/2018/03/silicon-valley-housing-market-driving-away-prime-age-workers/ http://observer.com/2018/03/silicon-valley-housing-market-dr...
  - okatsu 9y ago
    Yeah I find the language laws thing funny. I've worked with a crapton of people who never had to learn a word of French, and if they ever have to, then so what? French is the language here. That's like complaining about Italian in Italy.

Isn't Montreal bigger than Vancouver? Also Montreal is cheap to live in.

by Thaxll 9y ago

Isn't Montreal bigger than Vancouver? Also Montreal is cheap to live in.

monkeynotes 9y ago

Quebec has some of the highest income taxes in Canada.

betaby 9y ago
About the same as in California for salaries over 100K

t1o5 9y ago

Other than Montreal's cheap cost of living and good public transportation, everything else is not so great. Talented engineers graduating from McGill and Concordia are leaving the province in droves because of Quebec's weird language laws [1], high taxes and obsolete immigration system. (Eg: KFC was renamed to PFK to comply with the language laws) MIDI, the immigration department of Quebec which has fully autonomy for selecting immigrants to Quebec fails to attract or retain the foreign talents. A highly skilled worker is not given any kind of priority in their immigration application. On the other hand, if you only have a school diploma, but can speak fluent French, you get the top priority in Quebec immigration. If you are highly skilled, but do not know a word of French, it will take a minimum of 4 years to immigrate to Quebec [2]. Montreal is just riding on their old inertia. There is a huge shortage of talent in Quebec. The policies of immigration dept. of Quebec and Quebec's language policies will drive Quebec down the drain. Some politicians have even announced that if they get elected, they will deport all the non French speaking immigrants out of Quebec. So any startups looking to start their business in Quebec, you have been warned. Montreal is a great tourist city, no contest. But not so great to live or work for tech. If you immigrate to Quebec, your kids should go to French school only.[4] [1] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/pastagate-reveals-the-hypocrisy-of-quebecs-french-hardliners/article9065481/ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/pastagate-reve... [2] http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2018/02/27/des-travailleurs-etrangers-qualifies-oublies-par-quebec http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2018/02/27/des-travailleurs... [3] https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/caq-s-new-immigration-policy-learn-french-or-leave-1.2282545 https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/caq-s-new-immigration-policy-lea... [4] http://unbelavenir.gouv.qc.ca/en/whychoosequebec-foreducation.php http://unbelavenir.gouv.qc.ca/en/whychoosequebec-foreducatio...

Maven911 9y ago
Yes having witnessed it myself, it's tragic the self inflicted wounds Montreal takes, while peoplr still pretend it's a tech hub (only in the tiniest of sense)
- jkaplowitz 9y ago
  For AI and ML, it now has R&D centers for Google, Facebook, and MS. It also has McGill University which is quite well regarded for AI. In that niche it's becoming a hub, though this trend is recent enough that I have to use the present progressive tense.
branchless 9y ago
The language laws thing is not a big deal. People just get on with it. Montreal is great. I'm here, and if my kids don't go into IT they will work in another sector and will be able to afford to live. I'd consider SV a death sentence. Who wants to work when you will never achieve financial independence because you'll never own your own land? And if you have a huge mortgage you are your boss's bitch forever.
- twblalock 9y ago
  I work in tech in Silicon Valley and most of my coworkers own their own homes or condos. It's not uncommon at all.
  - branchless 9y ago
    housing is clearly an enormous issue in SV, yours is anecdata. For one: http://observer.com/2018/03/silicon-valley-housing-market-driving-away-prime-age-workers/ http://observer.com/2018/03/silicon-valley-housing-market-dr...
- okatsu 9y ago
  Yeah I find the language laws thing funny. I've worked with a crapton of people who never had to learn a word of French, and if they ever have to, then so what? French is the language here. That's like complaining about Italian in Italy.