Hey mck,
I've been living in Montreal since 2004. And I graduated at Concordia University so I hope I can help a bit.
Which campus will you be studying at? There is Loyola campus in NDG (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce). And then there is the downtown campus.
First of all, if you live close to a Metro station (subway), it's very easy to get around. I highly recommend choosing a spot which is at a walking distance from a metro station. There is also a decent bus service but living close to a metro is just really practical. I don't have a car and feel absolutely no need for one. Besides, parking in wintertime can sometimes be a nightmare.
I've never been to Edmonton so I don't know what the weather is like specifically. But it's clearly more to the north so I guess it tends to be colder around your place. But the thing with Montreal is that it tends to be humid (it's an island). Cold mixed with humidity tends to feel colder so you better be warmly dressed. And God knows we can get a lot of snow. But it can vary much from one winter to another.
The cost of living is on the rise but it seems clear to me that Montreal and Quebec in general is still a relatively cheap place to live in Canada. We do have a PST here but I'm pretty sure rent prices are cheaper than in Edmonton. Me and my girlfriend pay 850$ a month for a decent 5 room appartment in a decent neighbourhood.
Expect to pay something like 75$ a month for unlimited access to bus and metro.
Here's my take on the language thing. A lot of anglophone students live in Montreal using a minimum amount of French. It's remarkably easy to live in English. Of course, you will meet predominantly anglophone folks at Concordia. The island is basically split in half with the west side being more anglophone and the east side more francophone. The middle ground is traditionally considered as being St-Laurent boulevard which cuts the city in 2 on its ''north south'' axis (which technically is a Northwest-Southeast axis but that's not the way we orient ourselves on the grid on a daily basis) The more east you go, the more French you should expect. I highly encourage exploring both sides of the city. The linguistic and cultural diversity is Montreal's cultural beauty. And despite all you ever heard about language issues in Quebec, the truth is that on a day to day basis, Montreal is a peaceful place to live in and it's filled with tolerant and open minded people. You meet a few assholes here and there but that's the same everywhere. Just keep in mind that French is the official language of the province and that it's very useful to know a minimum. You're bound to use it at one point or another.
As for areas you can live in, make sure you remember what I said about Metros. You'll be happy to live relatively close to a station. On google map, the Metro Stations are indicated by a capital M sign. Here's a little guide... If you will study at the downtown campus, you might want to try living close to a Green line metro station...
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You can also check out Verdun, NDG, St-Henri or Côte-des-Neiges which is said to be Canada's most multicultural neighbourhood.
Hope this helps a bit. Feel free to ask more questions. Good luck!
Last edited by s_lone; Aug 29th, 2011 at 12:35 AM..
