leverancier Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 (edited) I've grown sick of life here in Belgium, and I'm toying with the tought of moving to canada. At first glance, it looks like paradise: beautifull nature, strong economy, safe... So how is life really like in canada? With my skills, diploma and experience(electrical engineering, 13years in automotive), I would probably have to go to Ontario, since most of the automotive industry is based there. I would prefere British Columbia though, any chance of me finding a job there? Edited January 6, 2011 by leverancier Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bun E. Carlos Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 take a shot! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SBARC Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Best to make a trip and visit Canada and see if you like it. Ontario is cold in the winter and hot in the summers....think of Moscow. British Columbia has a combination of scenery from mountains like Switzerland to a mild coastal climate with weather much like Belgium. Canada is BIG.....again think of Russia. I won't say it is the best country in the world.....but I will say I have no plans of leaving Canada and moving to another country. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
taylorde Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 You could try Michelin North America - they have 3 plants in Nova Scotia. Standard of living is quite cheap on this side of the county. Weather sucks though. Lots of Germans in our neck of the woods. DaveT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Good luck getting an auto job. My brother in law has been with Chysler (Ontario) for around 15 years. Constant talk of lay offs. But now he should be "safe" with his seniority. As for crime........ Well, we have our share. Now, admittedly I see it EVERY day, but that goes with my prison job. Statistically, crime is much lower then say the US. There are US cities with over a thousand murders a year, we don't get that many over a couple years for the entire country. As for immigration. Having a job lined up first so you can provide for yourself and not welfare would be a good idea. But coming from Belgium I would guess you're not what is considered a "visible minority". They seem to be getting all the breaks at the moment with regard to getting in. I would recommend a vacation first. See what its like, then decide. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
loftycomfort Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 (edited) If you have a P.Eng. license that's recognized in Ontario, it would help you alot. Like Shawn said, the auto sector is hit pretty hard in recent years, but if the province can secure "green collar" jobs in the near future - ie wind turbines manufacturing and such - your skills can be in demand. It's a shame that a lot of employers here often disregard the professional experiences that immigrants have, which forces them into lower tiers jobs. This tends to happen more to immigrants from developing countries, though. You may not impacted as much since you're from Belgium. Good luck. Terry Edited January 6, 2011 by loftycomfort Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheHarleyMan2 Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 This time of the year probably 4-6 feet under snow! ;) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
loftycomfort Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 BTW, if you decide to visit us, please let us know who has the better beer, Canada or Belgium. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bmccarron Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 This time of the year probably 4-6 feet under snow! ;) This is a gross misrepresentation of the truth. Here in Vancouver, today, we have NO snow, temp. of 6 Celcius and light rain. Cheers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fishwelding Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Best to make a trip and visit Canada and see if you like it. Ontario is cold in the winter and hot in the summers....think of Moscow. British Columbia has a combination of scenery from mountains like Switzerland to a mild coastal climate with weather much like Belgium. Canada is BIG.....again think of Russia. I won't say it is the best country in the world.....but I will say I have no plans of leaving Canada and moving to another country. Good point. Much of North America has historically been, for Europeans, surprisingly extreme regarding weather. In the mid-Atlantic U.S., hot summers are made worse by appalling humidity. I've talked to students from various parts of Europe (and the rest of the world), and have been at several conferences with Europeans, and their fashions are slightly different than hours due to the weather issue. Not a big deal, necessarily, but come over about early August to see what the summers are like. It's kind of been that way for a while, too. Long-term weather cycles aside, European soldiers brought here to fight in the colonial/war of Independence period found the hot summers brutal. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SBARC Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 It's kind of been that way for a while, too. Long-term weather cycles aside, European soldiers brought here to fight in the colonial/war of Independence period found the hot summers brutal. I've been in Ontario in the winter and summer....wow talk about extremes. I guess that is why I like the west coast....milder weather in summer and winter. Mind you I knew a girl from Australia that always got very depressed each winter here on the west coast.......having constant cloud for months on end was not good for her as she was more accustomed to the endless summers and sunshine in Australia. She eventually moved back home to Australia with her Canadian husband as she was approaching the child bearing years and no doubt wanted to be closer to her parents. You do get slightly longer days in most of southern Canada than Belgium...because Belgium is farther north than cities like Toronto or Vancouver....which is neither here nor there I suppose. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Av8fan Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 (edited) I would move to BC. Cost of living in Toronto and BC is high. Average apartment rent in Toronto for a 1 bedroom is starting from 650 and up per month. Condos more so. At least BC has scenery, oceans etc etc. Although I hear that it is cloudy and overcast a lot? If you have to pay through the nose for rent/mortgage, why not live were you can see some mountains? Manufacturing has taken a hit in Ontario. The recession and it's effect on the USA has hurt. Edited January 6, 2011 by Av8fan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fishwelding Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I've been in Ontario in the winter and summer....wow talk about extremes. I guess that is why I like the west coast....milder weather in summer and winter. Mind you I knew a girl from Australia that always got very depressed each winter here on the west coast.......having constant cloud for months on end was not good for her as she was more accustomed to the endless summers and sunshine in Australia. She eventually moved back home to Australia with her Canadian husband as she was approaching the child bearing years and no doubt wanted to be closer to her parents. You do get slightly longer days in most of southern Canada than Belgium...because Belgium is farther north than cities like Toronto or Vancouver....which is neither here nor there I suppose. I saw an English girl experience the Midwest firsthand, via the Interstate. Vast miles of farmland, flat as a table. The only excitement is cows. And crop sprinklers. And more cows. As I could see she was growing involuntarily agitated (you know, like when a cartoon character finally goes crazy), I declined to mention that this was child's play compared to the Far West. I, too, used a Eurasian analogy: "we have our own steppes." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Miccara Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Move. You'll never know, unless you do it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The_Animal Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Freakin' cold. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
adecore Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Been thinking about making the move myself, I can just about scrape in on a professional visa because of my job, provided I have a solid job offer first. Do have some family in BC so I'd probably gravitate towards that part of the world. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tilt Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 There are some great things about Canada. But there's many things that aren't so great. The main one I love to complain about, is the weather. I find as I get older, my tolerance to Canada's craptastic weather is wearing SUPER thin. Out here on the Prairies (I live in Central Alberta) we have basically 2 seasons - Brutal Winters, and Road Construction. It's actually more like 4 seasons, as listed below.... -Brutal Winter (lasting roughly 5 to 6 months): Wild temperature swings, coupled with nasty rotten snow. -Ugly Spring (lasting roughly 3 ish months): Ugly because everything dull and grey. Takes a while for plant life to return. And very dirty from all the sand and dirt spread on the iced roads throughout the winter. -Brutal Summer (lasting from 1 week to 2 months): Hellishly hot. About a million % humidity. Mosquitos....thick and big enough to haul away a small child. -Fall (lasting roughly 1 to 2 months): Pretty much the one time of the year that makes it tolerable to live here. Not too hot, not too cold. Very beautiful scenery. Just too dang short. So you can see, my disdane for our weather has turned me into a grumpy old man. If there was some way I could move to a place that had 'even' weather patterns, with no extreme cycles, but still live in Canada, I'd be there in a heart beat. But after doing a pretty extensive search myself, that place does not exist in Canada. So my search for my future home continues. That's my take on the Prairies. I'm sure others won't see it quite so extreme, but that's fine. I just hate winter and look forward to a time when I live somewhere that snow does not fall. Good luck with your search eh!! Tilt Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dogsbody Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Come to Northern Alberta. Lots of work in the Oilsands. I left Nova Scotia 30 years ago and I'm still in the Oilsand Capital of The World. Engineers are always needed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ron Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 (edited) There are some great things about Canada. But there's many things that aren't so great. The main one I love to complain about, is the weather. I find as I get older, my tolerance to Canada's craptastic weather is wearing SUPER thin. Out here on the Prairies (I live in Central Alberta) we have basically 2 seasons - Brutal Winters, and Road Construction. It's actually more like 4 seasons, as listed below....-Brutal Winter (lasting roughly 5 to 6 months): Wild temperature swings, coupled with nasty rotten snow. -Ugly Spring (lasting roughly 3 ish months): Ugly because everything dull and grey. Takes a while for plant life to return. And very dirty from all the sand and dirt spread on the iced roads throughout the winter. -Brutal Summer (lasting from 1 week to 2 months): Hellishly hot. About a million % humidity. Mosquitos....thick and big enough to haul away a small child. -Fall (lasting roughly 1 to 2 months): Pretty much the one time of the year that makes it tolerable to live here. Not too hot, not too cold. Very beautiful scenery. Just too dang short. So you can see, my disdane for our weather has turned me into a grumpy old man. If there was some way I could move to a place that had 'even' weather patterns, with no extreme cycles, but still live in Canada, I'd be there in a heart beat. But after doing a pretty extensive search myself, that place does not exist in Canada. So my search for my future home continues. That's my take on the Prairies. I'm sure others won't see it quite so extreme, but that's fine. I just hate winter and look forward to a time when I live somewhere that snow does not fall. Good luck with your search eh!! Tilt 100% nailed it. I am in Calgary just south of you. You've summed it up nicely other than last year we missed brutal summer. We jumped from ugly spring to fall in one step. I am a car freak also with a 2008 Vette and 57 Chev street rod. I prefer not to drive either in bad weather if I can. Last year I didn't put one km on the 57 and only about 1000 on the Vette (mostly in rain) Edit: and my new 2011 white Chev Avalanche is currently in the garage in a lovely shade of dirt! when I washed it last weekend I found the chrome trim is already rusted potted all over (it's new). Got to luv that salt! (I wash it at least once a week too) I am really sick of our prairie weather and would love a transfer to someplace like Houston. Edited January 7, 2011 by ron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tilt Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 We jumped from ugly spring to fall in one step. Yeah, it was horrible. We litterally had a couple nicer days in July, then it was solid rain for the next 2 months. And on the nicer days in July, the mosquitos were just unbelievable. We went camping once, and had to bath in spray. It sucked. The decent Fall was the only plus this entire year here. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bonehammer73 Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I've grown sick of life here in Belgium, and I'm toying with the tought of moving to canada. At first glance, it looks like paradise: beautifull nature, strong economy, safe...So how is life really like in canada? With my skills, diploma and experience(electrical engineering, 13years in automotive), I would probably have to go to Ontario, since most of the automotive industry is based there. I would prefere British Columbia though, any chance of me finding a job there? I think you ought to take a look at the job openings before you leap - perhaps even reply to a few, mention that you're currently abroad but willing to move, and see what happens. Automotive is not my branch of expertise but probably some other ARCers can help with finding the "classified" section. As someone above suggested, keep an eye peeled for the power generation sector as well - it's where it's at. Funny, I'd move to Belgium, myself... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dmthamade Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I've grown sick of life here in Belgium, and I'm toying with the tought of moving to canada. So what has made you sick of life in Belgium, if i may ask? It would be real sad to move to Canada only to find the same situation, or worse. Don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Every city and every country has trade-offs. If Canadian winters were nice and mild, Calgary, where I live, would have 4 million people rather than just 1 million living here. Our winters do suck, but on a relative basis, almost all of Canada is much safer than most cities in the US, unemployment is lower, and you can find wide open spaces to fish, hunt camp or whatever within minutes of most major centers. All that- and we don't have Nancy Pelosi! :unsure: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
F106A Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I found a 'thought of the day' cartoon in the newspaper one day that said, "The hardest part of getting to where you want to be is leaving where you are." It helped me through what I thought was going to be a tough career change leaving the Colorado State Patrol, and going back into the military. I made the right decision. Good luck, Mark Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tilt Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 "The hardest part of getting to where you want to be is leaving where you are." Truer words have never been spoken. I have a mountain of resistance in my desire to relocate to a nicer place. My wife is one major contributor to that resistance. Along with the massive levels of work it would take with all the details. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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