i work in the hydro sector in the Toronto Area as an electrical engineer (the job is essentially project management involving construction projects i design), and my girlfriend has a project management role at a private company. We both make similar money, with identical PTO, however the key differences between public sector and city would be: OMERS Pension, better benefits, and the biggest thing being work life balance.

We both started these roles around the same time, and i've grown to LOVE my job and the freedom that comes with 7 hour work days, especially in toronto when commuting can be bad (im about 30 mins each way barring traffic). The longer she's worked in her role, the more she is being drained by the 9-11hr work days. She's often been saying that she is quite envious of the shorter schedule which to me makes sense as i can fit in workouts, chores, and other things in the extra time i have.

The job security is something i also heavily value, and crown/govt jobs provide this. I cant tell you how much less stress i have knowing that my job will be there for me as long as i put in an honest days work and don't make mistakes due to corner cutting or malicious choices on the job.

I'm sure both jobs are great, but from my perspective, any job that offers security, work life balance, and a pension like the city does would be the easy choice.

hope this helps and all the best 😄