Barrie, Ontario
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Barrie, Ontario
Does anyone know if Barrie is a good place to live if based in YYZ. Are there a lot of AC / Jazz pilots living there? And I talked to one pilot who said you could even be on reserve and live there. H did it for three years he said and never once had a problem. Anyone have comments on this topic?
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Barrie
You can do it as long as you have a vehicle thats good on gas, (or lots of money), can handle 3 hr traffic jams on the 400 any time of the year, and driving 1.5 hrs each way on good days. Barrie is anice place to live and close to cottage country.
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Barrie is a great place! Especially if you cherish the outdoors. I squirm when I think of my Friday evening drives home from work batteling the cottage traffic on the 400! Oh yes! And then there is the blizzards! If you only have to drive to work a handfull times a month it is a different story.
"Nearly all safety regulations are based upon lessons which have been paid for in blood by those who attempted what you are contemplating" Tony Kern
good spots for YYZ pilots
Barrie is a great diverse town and the guys who are there love it, but...
On probation and reserve it can be stressful. The weekend drives in the summer are nasty, especially north on Fridays, south on Sundays.
You may feel the need to grow a mullet to fit in with the Barrie locals.
Other spots to consider...(all have a higher than average pilot population)
Colingwood, (same drive time but secondary roads have less traffic), Orangville, Port Credit (Mississauga by the lake), Oakville, Bronte, and Burlington.
Port Credit to the airport is around 15-20 minutes, add 10 more for Oakville, then add another 5 for Bronte, then add another 5-10 for Burlington.
Collingwood to the parking lot is around 90 minutes. You would need to allow 2 hours to ensure you got past any traffic jams, and catch the 6B parking lot bus.
Barrie type usually leave 90 minutes prior to check in for normal traffic, less for the 6 am starts, more on the weekends.
There are also some nice places east of Toronto (Peterbourough, Cobourg, etc) but not as many guys live that way. We like the area but the drive on the 401 across Young street is reason enough for us to avoid it.
If you want urban in Toronto, Bloor West village is very cool (and pricey), while affordable housing in a nice neighbourhood can be found in the area around Brownsline/Lakeshore with only a 5-10 minute drive in to the airport.
Also, consider renting for 6 months while you explore and figure out what you like best. On the EMB you should see a block within 3-4 months. Planning a move with a block would be a little simpler than on reserve.
Have fun.
On probation and reserve it can be stressful. The weekend drives in the summer are nasty, especially north on Fridays, south on Sundays.
You may feel the need to grow a mullet to fit in with the Barrie locals.
Other spots to consider...(all have a higher than average pilot population)
Colingwood, (same drive time but secondary roads have less traffic), Orangville, Port Credit (Mississauga by the lake), Oakville, Bronte, and Burlington.
Port Credit to the airport is around 15-20 minutes, add 10 more for Oakville, then add another 5 for Bronte, then add another 5-10 for Burlington.
Collingwood to the parking lot is around 90 minutes. You would need to allow 2 hours to ensure you got past any traffic jams, and catch the 6B parking lot bus.
Barrie type usually leave 90 minutes prior to check in for normal traffic, less for the 6 am starts, more on the weekends.
There are also some nice places east of Toronto (Peterbourough, Cobourg, etc) but not as many guys live that way. We like the area but the drive on the 401 across Young street is reason enough for us to avoid it.
If you want urban in Toronto, Bloor West village is very cool (and pricey), while affordable housing in a nice neighbourhood can be found in the area around Brownsline/Lakeshore with only a 5-10 minute drive in to the airport.
Also, consider renting for 6 months while you explore and figure out what you like best. On the EMB you should see a block within 3-4 months. Planning a move with a block would be a little simpler than on reserve.
Have fun.
You learn more from your mistakes than your successes. F**k enough things up and you'll die a genius.
My typical drive from north-west edge of Barrie to T2 is 50 minutes (with a stop at Horton's, an hour is more like it). In the morning, if you are on the 400 before 0615 leaving Barrie, traffic is ok, if not light. After that, be prepared for slow downs. Learn the "back-roads" (5th sideroad /Weston road), and always listen to 680 as soon as you jump in your car. All it takes is one idiot clipping someone else, or a flat tire to jam it up. Like I say, know the back roads...
Weekends in summer... Traffic will start to jam up as early as 11am on Sunday heading south
My question: Why have a cottage if you're leaving it on Sunday morning?
Weekends in summer... Traffic will start to jam up as early as 11am on Sunday heading south
My question: Why have a cottage if you're leaving it on Sunday morning?
[quote="Canoehead
My question: Why have a cottage if you're leaving it on Sunday morning?[/quote]
Same reason, they leave a hockey game with 10 minutes in the 3'rd, or miss the 4'th quarter of a football game. Impatience trumps intelligence.
Flyboth,
Collingwood, Barrie, Orangeville, Port Credit, Oakville, Burlington, all are family friendly. Some offer cheap housing and small town feel, others access to better work for your wife should she choose to, and drive times vary from 15 - 90 minutes. Take a few days, rent a car and check them all out. You can't write off a move once you move here unless it is for your wifes work, so try to get it right the first time.
Cheers,
lk
My question: Why have a cottage if you're leaving it on Sunday morning?[/quote]
Same reason, they leave a hockey game with 10 minutes in the 3'rd, or miss the 4'th quarter of a football game. Impatience trumps intelligence.
Flyboth,
Collingwood, Barrie, Orangeville, Port Credit, Oakville, Burlington, all are family friendly. Some offer cheap housing and small town feel, others access to better work for your wife should she choose to, and drive times vary from 15 - 90 minutes. Take a few days, rent a car and check them all out. You can't write off a move once you move here unless it is for your wifes work, so try to get it right the first time.
Cheers,
lk
You learn more from your mistakes than your successes. F**k enough things up and you'll die a genius.