CFC (also commonly known as "Staff College") has quite a few computers, plus it's a "Joint" (Army/Navy/Air Force) institution - thus, it actually does make sense that an ATIS could get posted there (i.e. SOMEBODY has to do all the work ... ha!)
I spent four years there (on staff - not in remedial trg ...)
Toronto certainly offers employment opportunities for spouses. However, it can be expensive to live there (hence it has the highest PLD rate in Canada, last time I checked).
The PMQ situation isn't a simple one to expain, but ... here goes ...
Once upon a time, some IDIOT decided to close down CFB Toronto and turn it into a park ...
Several years later ... it's not really much of a park ... (but, of course - nobody is ever going to admit they made a mistake ... and, greedy land speculators are still drooling at the propect of getting their hands on some dirt cheap dirt - pun intended ...)
Moving right along ... depending on who you listen to, there are plans to bulldoze the existing PMQs and build new ones ... or not. So, there's some uncertainty ... or maybe not ...
The Downsview PMQ patch is small, and depending on the time of month CFHA will tell you there aren't any available ... or there are empty ones ... or ... or ... or ...
The Oakville PMQ patch is West of Toronto, and not everybody likes to commute - however, quite a few folks who live out there enjoy living in a nice neighbourhood (oh ... did I forget to mention that Downsview is roughly five minutes away from Toronto's WORST neighbourhood ... something my conscience forces me to mention ... ?)
Accordingly, you might like to consider living out - PLD makes it a reasonable option, BUT be careful - Toronto is divided up into "zones", and some people have made the horrible mistake of buying or renting "just across the border" ... where they receive a lower rate of PLD (and they've suffered).
If you can't afford to buy a house right now, don't worry about it - the real estate market is still very, very high (and "buy high, sell low" is just a joke ...)
Rather than waste your money renting a ramshackle PMQ at CFHA's rip-off prices, you'd probably get much more value for your hard-earned dollar by renting something in a nicer neighbourhood.
Finally - talk to some of the other guys in your rank/pay bracket, and get their opinions (and "lessons learned" ...) - BUT, please promise me you'll talk to some Torontonians, too - I've lost track of how many horror stories I've witnessed "the blind leading the blind" (i.e. just because somebody else was posted into Toronto one or two years ago doesn't mean they actually know the REAL lay of the land. Make sure you talk to some locals ... or long-timers ...)
