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Mafrandir
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re: Need advice and thoughts from all you Canadians

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Well it turns out my family including me see very little opportunity in England anymore so are seriously considering emigrating to Canada as being a commonwealth country and all, as I know very little about Canada in terms of nice areas to live and what have you, so I need your help and views on where's nice, we were looking at Ontario primarily but just wanna hear your thoughts :) all appreciated!



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Maf's coming to Canada!!  Where to live has everything to do with what opportunities you're looking for, your tolerance for cold winters, and how much you're willing to pay for mild weather.

Generally you can't go wrong with Ontario, Alberta, or BC for economic stability and a wide variety of opportunities. Alberta is booming right now. With the oil sands, Alberta goes through regular cycles of insane economic prosperity but it's difficult for social infrastructure to react which means that bars and hospitals get over crowded. Ontario and Alberta have freaking long and cold winters. 

The lower west coast of BC is by far the best location weather-wise but you pay top price for that luxury in housing. Many people on the lower mainland live in outlying areas and commute to the city for work. There's lots of jobs outside the city though.

Stay away from the middle provinces, Manitoba and Saskatechewan. You'll find property is much cheaper but that's because nobody wants to live there. Quebec is...another great province to come from. I know little about the other Eastern provinces but New Foundland has never been in the news for anything but hardship (please correct me if my impression of that province is grossly off-base). Nova Scotia is lovely and probably has the best social scene in Canada.

I've travelled a lot and haven't found a place I'd rather live than Victoria. It's the perfect little city with loads of personality. Not a lot of great jobs outside government, but still worth it to me.

Check out this article 

http://www.moneysense.ca/property/canadas-best-places-to-live-2014-time-to-think-small

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I have lived in Ontario, BC, Alberta, and Quebec.  I have also extensively visited all the rest of the Provinces and Territories.

As Lynn has already said; where you should go will really be dependent on what job market your parents would be entering, what type of courses you would be pursuing in school, and your current (and future) economic status.

(British Columbia) Vancouver is mild throughout the winter, but rains a lot (similar to England).  It is a beautiful location with the mountains, ocean, lush forests, and proximity to the US border.  The traffic in Vancouver is awful, so I suggest you either live close to work or live near transit.  Houses are ridiculously high priced and out of reach for many.  Their hockey team sucks ...

(Alberta) Calgary is a booming city, winters are cold but it is sunny (sunniest city in Canada).  Housing is also very expensive.  Traffic is bad, but not near as bad as Vancouver or Toronto.  It is near the Rocky Mountains (Banff National Park) and some spectacular scenery.

(Ontario) Toronto is the hub of Canada's commerce and often their is an air of arrogance about it.  It is a city that has something to offer to everyone.  Cottage country (North) is fantastic and makes for great summers at the lake.  Housing is reasonable (dependent on where).  Traffic is a nightmare, but they have a very good transit system.  For international travel it is also the hub of Canada.  Winter is cold, but short.  As an alternative to Toronto, Ottawa is a beautiful city without the bustle of Toronto.

(Maritimes) St. John's, Moncton, Charlottetown, Halifax are all very affordable and great places to live if you have a steady job.  Unemployment can be high as much of the labour force relies on fisheries.  Housing is very affordable.  Winter is long and cold.

(Quebec) Montreal - Stay away.  Great place to visit, not great to live.

(Saskatchewan / Manitoba) - Probably not the place for a family from England to feel "at home."  Beautiful places in their own rights, but it is more of an acquired thing.

 

If you can narrow it down to a Province we could likely help to suggest some cities or even neighbourhoods.

 

 

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Ontario has a milder climate than Quebec and is very multicultural. Toronto is the center of the universe which everyone living outside of Toronto would say while rolling their eyes with disgust. Outside the city of TO there are some very lovely cities (and some disgusting ones) and not too far away are the lakes. Think Lake District on steroids with less sheep, more cars, cabins and parties.

Quebec...forget it. Don't do it. Wish I didn't.

Ottawa. Yes!!

Vancouver has all the opportunity in the world. Be prepared to buy a million dollar shoebox, fixer-upper house. Dadi and I used to live in Maple Ridge which is about an hour from the city with a train that goes during rush hour. It was too far from the city. Port Coquitlam is a good place on the coast and all my friends have moved there or want to. It is not too far from the city and the houses are still affordable(ish). Kitsilano is close to UBC and downtown Vancouver and we lived there once as well. Martini bars every 20 feet and richy riches. If you can afford that area you are set. North Vancouver and West Vancouver are loveliness and you will probably find many Brits there. It is very very expensive though. Downtown? Forgetaboutit.

Victoria is the place for the newly wed and nearly dead. It gets billed as being little Britain and has a lot expats there too. My folks included. You'll need all the luck in the world to get a job for everyone who wants one. Housing is cheaper than Vancouver but not by much.

You must consider climate. The lower west coast like Llyn said is the mildest weather but you can literally get rain for 5-6 months straight. Coming from England that won't be a huge shock to you. The week of snow each year will shut the city down. Its unbelievable the panic a couple inches of snow will cause. The summers are typically warmer than England and its bliss. No one has air conditioning or pools as the season is too short to justify it.

Skip right past the provinces in the middle because, lets face it, you aren't a farmer or into oil. Ontario is booming and if you pick your town carefully you will love it. Get a car you love because you'll be sitting in it in traffic for a looong time. Quebec sucks..big time, and you will pay 3 x the income tax there as you would in Alberta (it will literally cripple you). New Brunswick has low tax and the houses are shockingly affordable (its absurd really how cheap they are). People are friendly and the economy is decent. Moncton is a growing city and hopefully will be our next home town. Nova Scotia has slightly higher taxes for the east coast and is blue/mostly brown collar BUT the bar scene is the best on the planet imo. Live east coast bands are amazing! Think fiddles and foot stomping good music. Newfoundland has potato farms and fishermen. PEI has...Anne of Green Gables.

When my parents came here they had the same thought in mind that yours did. If your parents want a contact for a chat let us know.



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Hafwen Elfling
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re: Need advice and thoughts from all you Canadians

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Well shit Dadi beat me to it.



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Mafrandir
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re: Need advice and thoughts from all you Canadians

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Holy crap cheers guys, plenty to think about and a tonne to pass on the parents truly truly appreciated :) 



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Dadi corrected me on the potato farms out east. Apparently they are in some other province. Never lived there so whatevs.



Last edited by Hafwen Elfling on Mon Jun 30, 2014 7:11 pm; edited 1 time in total


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re: Need advice and thoughts from all you Canadians

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You guys are making me want to move to canada, but you all forgot to mention the pretty ladies!

Maf, you better come visit me you brit! :D



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I'm contesting the newly-wed-nearly-dead rep that's stuck to Victoria. It was true 20 years ago, but those newly weds have grown up and have teenagers now.  The nearly dead, well, they're still alive and kicking, and grocery shopping at 4:30pm on weekdays. That should be outlawed.

 

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Very timely ...

http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/putting-canada-on-the-map/

It also shows that Llyn is wrong about Victoria :)

Llyn Elfling
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pft! I'm not wrong about Victoria. Your stats prove that there's more old people here than young. Lots of young families, yes, but I never said it was a young population on the whole.

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re: Need advice and thoughts from all you Canadians

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What the hell! Why do we have to live in the snowiest freaking place!!!



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Glandallinn
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Now there's the post i was waiting for :D



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Mafrandir
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re: Need advice and thoughts from all you Canadians

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Well now you've given the appeal to both my parents and me! Cheers dadi! ;)



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