True Broadband

Broadband Internet is a reality here.... my brother-in-law has cable to his home - a grand 6Mbps.
Is this enough to make you sick... It costs $49.95 per month, which is about R350!
Modem set-up of up to 6.0 Mbps download and 800 Kbps upload.



I'm not even going to say anymore except that companies don't have problems with employee Internet abuse here - it's quicker to download from home than to abuse company resources.

Public Transport

Efficient. Toronto Transport Commission (TTC) covers most of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and you can pretty much get anywhere and walk a few blocks to your final destination. Then there's the VIVA and GO systems which take you to the outer-lying regions/ towns - commuting for work is a way of life here. And I thought Pretoria people were crazy for driving to work in Joburg everyday!

The subway here is easier than London - the system is a U with a line through it. The stations are named after the intersections, so looking at a street map, it's easy to relate to where you are.


Buses generally run east to west or north to south. Tokens costs $2.10 (about R13) and this can take you from one end of Toronto to the other. You just deposit a token when you board the bus, and get a transfer (paper slip indicating time and date and something or the other relating to the bus you're on) and this will allow you to board another bus without further payment, as long as you're not travelling backwards on your route.
Alternatively, you can buy unlimited weekly or monthly passes that allow you to use all systems (buses, subway, streetcars, light rail transport) on the TTC. A monthly pass is $100 (about R620) which is worth it considering the price of petrol.

The buses run frequently, and I've never had to wait more than 8 minutes for a bus. It is quite conceivable that you can get around without a car here.

Toronto Drivers

So... some Canadian road/ driving/ traffic terms I've noticed:
You all know this one - robots are called traffic lights;
And pavements are called sidewalks.
Highways are called parkways
So... you drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?!

There are traffic cameras everywhere, and electronic signboards to tell you where traffic delays are. Heck, there are TV channels dedicated to traffic reporting...
Peak traffic is mild compared to Joburg, though traffic reporters will tell you that there are major delays... JA RIGHT... a major delay being more than 10 mintes than usual. That being said, it is summer and apparently many people are away, so I guess we'll see what happens come September.

This is traffic to go on to the Don Valley Parkway at 18h00:

Notice that cars here drive with their headlights on at all hours.

Petrol err sorry, gas stations are self-service and petrol/ gas price varies from day-to-day, in fact, from morning to evening and weekdays to weekends.






Cars really do stop for pedestrians here... yes pedestrians actually have right of way. Sometimes I feel guilty walking across the road or driveway with a car patiently waiting for me!

The average vehicle here is HUGE... SUV's galore.