Paying for type ratings is more common than it was, but it is far from universal. I believe that the employment market in Europe is picking up, and that companies who currently require and charge for ratings will have to change their tune soon.
The Canadian market is small and is overly affected by the fortunes and demands of one employer. Europe's aviation market is vastly larger, serving a population 30% greater than North America, yet still has much scope for expansion. Salaries in UK domestic and charter airlines (I can't speak of the rest of Europe) have FOs earning around 40-50k GBP (about C$100k - C$120k) and captains around 60-85k GBP (C$150k - C$210k). Note that the cost of living in UK is a lot higher than in Canada!
You will have to ask those who work at the airlines you're interested in for their opinions of working conditions - do that in the Terms and Endearments forum.