Researchers say it\u2019s a continuation of a long-term trend. In just one week since the initial report, CTV News has heard from dozens of families who say affordability, access to suitable housing, schooling, safety, and quality of life played a significant role in their decision to leave or actively plan a move.<\/p>\n
When staying means becoming \u2018house poor\u2019<\/p>\n
In an interview, Griffith says that she and her partner qualified for a mortgage of up to $750,000.<\/p>\n
On paper, they could buy. But in practice, she said, it felt like a trap.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith $200,000 income\u2026 we were only able to qualify for $750,000, and I actually didn\u2019t think that $750,000 was reasonable for us,\u201d Griffith said. \u201cI knew we would be house poor.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/QKP5DVRPONDQNONVJJLIJJ3YHU.jpg\")
Andrea Griffith (Photo supplied by Andrea Griffith) <\/p>\n
The couple wanted a standalone home, but she says they didn\u2019t believe that level of debt made sense with a young child. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe just didn\u2019t think that was realistic,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
In Chatham, they bought a house. Financially, the decision brought relief. But personally, she says the adjustment has been even harder.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been struggling to make friends,\u201d Griffith said. \u201cI started crying because she\u2019s not going to have anyone at her second birthday. We don\u2019t know anyone here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, she\u2019s clear that staying in Toronto would have meant ongoing instability and frustration. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf renting in Toronto had been more secure or affordable… we definitely would have stayed longer,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Safety, a big concern for new parents<\/p>\n
For 43-year-old Dustin Titus, the tipping point wasn\u2019t just cost, it was also safety.<\/p>\n
One afternoon living in South Etobicoke\u2019s Long Branch neighbourhood, his young son veered toward traffic on a strider bike.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat moment really shook me,\u201d Titus said. \u201cYou feel very unprotected in Toronto these days.\u201d<\/p>\n
After years of navigating congestion, speeding traffic, and frequent encounters with open drug use in public spaces, Titus and his family left the city for Horseshoe Valley in Oro-Medonte, part of Simcoe County.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/6GPGQSSXNJALZEVJREXMXOEHZ4.jpg\")
Dustin Titus A photo of the Titus family that moved to Horseshoe Valley in Oro-Medonte, part of Simcoe County. (Photo supplied by Dustin Titus) <\/p>\n
In contrast, he said, the sense of community was almost immediate.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the first three days we had moved in, every single neighbour stopped to introduce themselves,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s when we realized we were in the right place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Titus said the move gave his family what they couldn\u2019t find in the city when it comes to space, trust, and the ability to walk their children to school without fear. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels natural,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s a really important feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Why are we staying?\u2019<\/p>\n
For 39-year-old Morley Abbott and his wife, leaving Toronto wasn\u2019t just about affordability. It came down to access to schools. <\/p>\n
The North York couple owns a three-bedroom condo across the street from a highly ranked elementary school. But he said that because of changes to the boundaries for the catchment area for that school, their daughter would instead have to be taken by bus to another school several kilometres away.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/6NQ4L756J5G57IWTVAZMM7E7WU.jpg\")
Morley Abbott A photo of Morley Abbott outside the school he says his daughter won’t be able to attend due to residential zoning rules. (Photo supplied by Morley Abbott) <\/p>\n
\u201cWe love our neighbourhood,\u201d Abbott said. \u201cBut suddenly we sort of have a catalyst. Our daughter starts kindergarten next year, and we\u2019re asking: why are we staying here?\u201d<\/p>\n
The family plans to move to London, Ont., where their daughter can attend school with cousins.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels like the school system just doesn\u2019t care for families like ours,\u201d Abbott said.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a reality that Matti Siemiatycki, director of the University of Toronto\u2019s Infrastructure Institute, said is a \u201clong-standing trend.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cYou look at how much it costs or how hard it is to find daycare… you have the schools… It\u2019s been one controversy after another depending on where in the region you are. People are looking at other alternatives, and they\u2019re making choices of where they want to see themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
City officials respond<\/p>\n
In a statement to CTV News Toronto, Mayor Olivia Chow\u2019s office said the city is expanding housing supply, cutting costs for families, and strengthening renter protections to improve long-term affordability.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Mayor believes that those who work and study in Toronto should be able to live in and afford the city,\u201d a spokesperson from her office wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is putting shovels in the ground on 25,000 new homes this year and next, many of them deeply affordable. This year, 77 per cent of all housing starts are city-led or city-supported project.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Coun. Brad Bradford warned that continued out-migration poses serious risks he frames as a \u201ccrisis.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should all be concerned about the tens of thousands of people who are leaving Toronto each year,\u201d he said. \u201cIf 60 per cent of your workforce was considering quitting, that would be a crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
How is living in the GTA actually working for you right now? Did moving here meet your expectations or challenge them? <\/p>\n
If you came for opportunity, affordability, or lifestyle and found a different reality \u2014 good or bad \u2014 we want to hear from you.<\/p>\n
Share your story by emailing us at torontonews@bellmedia.ca with your name, general location, and phone number in case we want to follow up.<\/p>\n
Your comments may be used in a future story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"More than 35,000 families left the GTA last year for other parts of Canada, according to Environics data.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":316362,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[712,45,49,48],"class_list":{"0":"post-316361","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-apple-news","9":"tag-business","10":"tag-ca","11":"tag-canada"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=316361"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316361\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/316362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=316361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=316361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=316361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}