Move to city ends tiring commute
September 20, 2008
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Gail Swainson
REAL ESTATE REPORTER
For Bill Viau, moving back to Toronto was at first all about putting an end to a punishing daily commute from Oshawa to his downtown job.
"I've never thought it was a good investment of someone's time to be spending it on the road," says Viau, who works for the Ministry of Government Services on University Ave.
But in the process of moving back to Toronto, Viau and wife Jan have fallen hard. They have developed a grand love affair with the city and its myriad restaurants, theatres, handy shopping, food festivals and vibrant street life.
"I really love living in Toronto," says Jan. "I walk all over – to Yonge St. and Queen – to see what is happening. We go out a lot more; there's always something going on."
Moving to the city has also got the couple out of their vehicles and onto the streets, walking or biking, she says.
"In Oshawa, we had to drive everywhere, but here, I can park the car on Friday night and not take it out until Monday morning."
When he commuted from Oshawa to Toronto, Viau says, he was up by 5 a.m., into the office for 7:30 and not home again until 8 p.m.
"It's just amazing how much better things are now that we have moved closer to my work," he says. "You have to be sharp at work, you can't go there tired."
Living in the city has even taken on the blush of a daring escapade for the couple, whose 24-year-old daughter Danielle still lives at their Oshawa home.
"Toronto is a bit of an escape for us," Viau says. "A chance to explore something else and do things together.
"We approach all this as an adventure," he adds. "There's always something new to do and try."
The couple, both 53, are originally from North Bay and moved to Oshawa 20 years ago following a job transfer, after two years initially spent in Toronto.
In Oshawa, they purchased a three-bedroom home with an in-ground pool, which they are currently renovating for resale.
But about two years ago, Viau was transferred back to Toronto and found he was spending as many as three hours a day commuting the 62 kilometres into the city from their Oshawa home.
So early last year, the couple purchased a one-bedroom, 760-square-foot condo on Elm St. near Yonge and Dundas.
"I wanted to be downtown; I like the hustle and bustle," Jan says.
"Everything is there. We have a nice pool, a gym, a concierge for security and every Wednesday is movie night.
"And it's central to everything," she adds. "We can walk or bike to the waterfront – we have set a goal of cycling 50 kilometres a day – and it is close to great shopping."
Furthermore, the condo move means the couple can say goodbye to snow shovelling, pool cleaning and lawn mowing.
Jan still works at a sports medicine clinic in Oshawa, but finds she only spends an average of 50 minutes travelling each way because she is counter-commuting.
"I really don't mind it and I stay at our place in Oshawa two nights a week, so that helps," Jan says.
The couple lived in Toronto for two years in the 1980s, but have found that this time around, things are much different from when they rented on Isabella St.
For example, Jan says she is having a ball sampling all that the big city has to offer, and is discovering how much she loves Indian and Thai food.
"I'm finding a new Toronto," says Jan. "I didn't venture out before like I do now."
One downside is that her Oshawa friends are reluctant to visit.
"They just don't like driving in the city."
Will the couple stay in Toronto when they retire? Viau says he's keeping his options open, while Jan would prefer to stay put.
Any regrets about the move to a large urban setting?
For Viau, there are none, though Jan has just two.
"I wish we had a patio or balcony," she says. "And had I known what I know now when we lived here in the '80s, we would have got into the real estate market."
Toronto Star