Drew Roberts couldn’t wait to get out of Toronto.

After he and his girlfriend managed to find work in Kingston, Ont. they found the same problem: even 260 kilometres to the east, the dream of home ownership was still out of reach.

“We left Toronto in search of a more stable career in our respective fields,” said Roberts, a 32-year-old scientist. “We wanted a city with a slower pace in which we could grow our roots.”

When planning to make the move in spring of 2021, Roberts said he kept an eye on the local real estate market, but said prices had already swelled beyond their budget so they instead moved into a rental…read more.