Hey, do you have an email or other social media? I’ve lived here all my life but I know there’s a few different resources in my city for migrants. I think Toronto probably has the most access to different things that might help you get settled (it’s really populous, and has been for some time, so there are more resources). There are a LOT of schools there and options for trades. I imagine with an industrial engineer background you’d have a lot of options for trades you’d be great at. I’m more of a dropout artist but if you need a friend here to ask around, I have a lot of loved ones in the trades and who know people in them.

I would also say that Toronto is not everyone’s final destination and a lot of people move away because it’s smoggy and they might want to make connections elsewhere. But there are a lot of people coming from all over the world to Toronto for the same kinds of reasons as you. From what I understand, there are big public health issues with making sure that migrants don’t have declining health immediately after moving. I’m not sure that much about it but I would advise trying to get on waitlists for public doctors as soon as you can legally do that. (I think requirements vary. Some clinics require you to live in a certain neighbourhood to apply.) The wait times for them is usually extremely long. If you can afford it, there are also some really good doctors in private practice. (Arguably, much better.) I’ve never been able to afford them so I can’t give you a ballpark of their prices.

If you speak French, I’d say Montreal is probably a bit better for a sense of queer community. Technically you can live in Montreal fine and not speak French, and it’s a great place to learn it, but I think you can get the most of it by having French skills. It helps job prospects and gives you a wider social net and ability to ask anybody at all for directions and not worry about trying to find someone who speaks English. A lot of my friends live there and it’s a really beautiful place. The buildings are pretty old for the most part and have a lot of outdoor staircases to get inside, which doesn’t really work for my disabled self, so if that’s an issue for you (especially because the stairs do get covered in ice in the winter) I’d take that into account. It’s also really cold. But Montreal is really artsy and there’s a lot going on there in general. Music festivals, video game companies, zine cafes, really cute and fashionable people, etc.

Ottawa is about on par with Montreal temperature-wise and maybe a bit hotter in the summer, but marginally. I’ve lived here since I was 17 and I would say it’s… okay. I think I feel a slightly negative bias towards it because it feels like my hometown at this point even though it isn’t. There are a huge amount of museums, buildings that are both new and old, and the subway system literally just started today.

I think most Canadians who say Canada isn’t cold probably live on the west coast (at least like, the bottom left quarter of British Columbia) or Toronto.

I’ve been to Vancouver and also think it’s quite nice, and Kelowna, but not as a queer adult. I also have a lot of LGBT+ friends in the maritimes, but I have never been and don’t know much about them.

I can probably elaborate more, so just let me know. I realize this post is from years ago so I’m not sure what your situation is now, but I’m still happy to try and help.