Miccara Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Perhaps you missed today joke posting... Dear Diary, AUG. 12 Moved to our new home in Canada. I am so excited. It's so beautiful here. The mountains are so majestic. Can hardly wait to see them with snow covering them. OCT. 14 Canada. It is the most beautiful place on earth. The leaves have turned all colors and shades of red and orange. Went for a ride through the beautiful countryside and saw some deer. They are so graceful. Certainly they are the most wonderful animals on earth. This must be paradise. I love it here. NOV. 11 Remembrance Day. Deer season starts soon. I can't imagine anyone wanting to kill such a gorgeous creature. Hope it snows soon. I love it here. DEC. 2 It snowed last night. Woke up to find everything blanketed with white. It looks like a postcard. We went outside and cleaned the snow off the steps and shoveled the driveway. We had a snowball fight (I won). When the snow plough came by we had to shovel the driveway again. What a beautiful place. I love Canada. DEC. 12 More snow last night. The snow plough did his trick again to the driveway. I love it here. DEC. 19 More snow last night. Couldn't get out of the driveway to get to work. It's beautiful here but I'm exhausted from shoveling. Frigging snow plough. DEC. 22 More of that white stuff fell last night. I've got blisters on my hands and a sore back from shoveling. I think the snow plough hides around the corner until I'm done shoveling the driveway. Nasty fellow. DEC. 25 Merry frigging Christmas! More frigging snow. If I ever get my hands on the son-of-a-gun who drives the snow plough, I swear I'll kill the nasty fellow. Don't know why they don't use more salt on the roads to melt the frigging ice. DEC. 27 More white stuff last night. Been inside for 3 days now except for shoveling out the driveway after that snow plough goes through every time. Can't go anywhere, the car's stuck in a mountain of white stuff and it's so frigging cold. The weatherman says to expect another 10" of the stuff again tonight. Do you know how many shovels full of snow 10" is? DEC. 28 That frigging weatherman was wrong. We got 34" of the white stuff this time. At this rate it won't melt before summer. The snow plough got suck up in the road and that nasty fellow came to my door and asked to borrow my shovel. After I told him that I had already broken 6 shovels shoveling out all the white stuff he had pushed into my driveway, I damn near broke my last one over his frigging head. JAN. 4 Finally got out of the house today. Went to the store to get food and on my way back a damned deer ran in front of the car. Did about $3,000 damage to the car. Those frigging beasts should be killed. The beasts are everywhere. Wish the hunters had exterminated them all last November. MAY 3 Took the car to the garage in town. Would you believe the thing is rusted out from all that frigging salt they put all over the roads. MAY 10 Moved to Florida. I can't imagine why anyone in their right mind would ever want to live in such a snowbound forsaken place as Canada. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SteveH Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Perhaps you missed today joke posting...Dear Diary, AUG. 12 Moved to our new home in Canada. I am so excited. It's so beautiful here. The mountains are so majestic. Can hardly wait to see them with snow covering them. OCT. 14 Canada. It is the most beautiful place on earth. The leaves have turned all colors and shades of red and orange. Went for a ride through the beautiful countryside and saw some deer. They are so graceful. Certainly they are the most wonderful animals on earth. This must be paradise. I love it here. NOV. 11 Remembrance Day. Deer season starts soon. I can't imagine anyone wanting to kill such a gorgeous creature. Hope it snows soon. I love it here. DEC. 2 It snowed last night. Woke up to find everything blanketed with white. It looks like a postcard. We went outside and cleaned the snow off the steps and shoveled the driveway. We had a snowball fight (I won). When the snow plough came by we had to shovel the driveway again. What a beautiful place. I love Canada. DEC. 12 More snow last night. The snow plough did his trick again to the driveway. I love it here. DEC. 19 More snow last night. Couldn't get out of the driveway to get to work. It's beautiful here but I'm exhausted from shoveling. Frigging snow plough. DEC. 22 More of that white stuff fell last night. I've got blisters on my hands and a sore back from shoveling. I think the snow plough hides around the corner until I'm done shoveling the driveway. Nasty fellow. DEC. 25 Merry frigging Christmas! More frigging snow. If I ever get my hands on the son-of-a-gun who drives the snow plough, I swear I'll kill the nasty fellow. Don't know why they don't use more salt on the roads to melt the frigging ice. DEC. 27 More white stuff last night. Been inside for 3 days now except for shoveling out the driveway after that snow plough goes through every time. Can't go anywhere, the car's stuck in a mountain of white stuff and it's so frigging cold. The weatherman says to expect another 10" of the stuff again tonight. Do you know how many shovels full of snow 10" is? DEC. 28 That frigging weatherman was wrong. We got 34" of the white stuff this time. At this rate it won't melt before summer. The snow plough got suck up in the road and that nasty fellow came to my door and asked to borrow my shovel. After I told him that I had already broken 6 shovels shoveling out all the white stuff he had pushed into my driveway, I damn near broke my last one over his frigging head. JAN. 4 Finally got out of the house today. Went to the store to get food and on my way back a damned deer ran in front of the car. Did about $3,000 damage to the car. Those frigging beasts should be killed. The beasts are everywhere. Wish the hunters had exterminated them all last November. MAY 3 Took the car to the garage in town. Would you believe the thing is rusted out from all that frigging salt they put all over the roads. MAY 10 Moved to Florida. I can't imagine why anyone in their right mind would ever want to live in such a snowbound forsaken place as Canada. Sounds like last winter here - fresh snow every weekend last winter - or so it seems. 2 foot drifts in driveway due to heavy winds on at least 2 occasions. I'm getting too old to shovel that much! Didn't have to worry about the plows though, I think we only have one of them here and it didn't show up until way late. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RescueDiver Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 almost all of Canada is much safer than most cities in the US, unemployment is lower. All that- and we don't have Nancy Pelosi! Sort of there Chuck. Having grown up in Surrey, BC I can tell you that the Gilford and Delta area at that time were horrible...especially with gang crap. When I moved down to the US in 2006 the job rate and economy was much better down here. The cost of living down here is a far cry cheaper than in O'l red & white. Just saying from experience, the economy will get better......and as for Nancy Pelosi......that si just a given my friend....she SUCKS!! To answer the main question, I grew up in BC, spent my military career across Canada in pretty much every province south of the territories, and spent 9 yrs as a Paramedic / Fire fighter in good O'l Saskatchewan..........DON"T EVER MOVE TO REGINA........you want to see violence........I have some stories. Wish I could have carried my Glock I carry now while up there!! I will always have a special place in my heart for BC. It is absolutely stunning........and expensive as all hell. But the wage scale does take the cost of living into acount and I found was not too bad compared to the rest of the country. The best bet is to do your homework and if at all possible, visit first. You can visit the gov facilities you need to and ask questions as to what you need document wise, and so forth. As for me, the cost of living being so much cheaper down here, as well as the oportunities that have been made available to me, I don't see myself moving back to Canada. BUT don't get me wrong, I found all of Canada to be beautiful in it's own way. So have fun and if you do make the move, ENJOY!! By the way.......a little jab at my fellow Canadians.......they finally started inporting Kokanee down here in MN and I only pay $11.99 for a case of 12 bottles. I am lucky!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mingwin Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 my part of Canada hadn't been mentionned yet!, maybe it just doesn't interrest you...(but you might take a look! and would gladly invited any of you to do so also! and would find rather cool to have more modeller in my area! :P !) we have an average 4% unemployment rate in the quebec area since many many years...(provincial average is more like 7,5%) i think we had like 2 murders in the last tree years... very quiet in this aspect! (but there's no doubt that this is not a quiet town, with winter carnival , nice summer festival and many other events...) it's a beautiful small city ( 1/2 million) with a lot of tourists weather isn't better than elsewhere in canada... (but still in any season, you'd found your town to be georgous!) but it's like a bit extreme... last year winter was the warmer ever(short, warm, with less snow tha mid USA) the year before we had 515 cm of snow (wich is also an all time record for quebec...) this year the winter came early with lots of snow, but lousy warm weather melted all away... leaving only ice and cold...(by now its minus 16 C) the only two thing we don't have (that would have made the place far better(that are available in canada)) is the sea ant the rockies... but st-lawrence river is huge and powerful and we're surrounded by mountains(laurentides/appalaches) ah... and life is rather cheaper here than elsewhere... (by comparison to same size town) the bad thing is, that, this is not primarly an industrial town... (more like biomed/pharma things...industry.... but we have some in photonics too... ...but maybe they'll need an electrical ingeneer at Hydro Quebec (wich is, by the way, a much more bigger employer than GM, in Canada) but, best of all... the girls of quebec! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Litvyak Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 ^^ Mingwin makes a good case. But then, I've travelled all over Europe and North America and Asia, been to a lot of great places, but if I ever moved away from BC, it would be to Quebec or to Dijon. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SBARC Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 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. You'd enjoy BC....there is almost every type of scenery here from dry climates to huge mountains to coastal living. I'm on the coast of BC and the climate is very much the same as you would find in Wales. Real estate is expensive....but still cheaper than the UK and you'd probably have a larger house for less money. Petrol is half the cost. It's not perfect....but it is pretty good. And you're only a 3 day drive from California if the winter weather gets boriing and you want a quick vacation. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
huntermountain Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Move away from Belgium? You must be kidding. For the 208 days(and counting) without a government,things have been running better then ever before. Who cares we have the highest rate in income taxes of the whole world.:) No, seriously, unless you have serious issues with very important parts of the Belgian system, I would think twice about moving away. To translate a saying from around here: could be you move because of a straw, and find a whole bale instead... What part of Belgium are you from anyway? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
huntermountain Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 And you're only a 3 day drive from California if the winter weather gets boring and you want a quick vacation. Yeah, I think you're pointing out one of the things that might require a lot of adaptation from someone from our part of the world. I live close to the coast of Belgium. I can drive to the other side of the country in ... 3 hours. I drive 8 minutes to get in to work each morning. If we drive an hour with the car, we consider that to be a long drive. I would love to come and visit Canada. My brother has been on a fishing trip there 3 times, a friend of mine went mountain biking there last year. They all loved it. For a vacation. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
K2Pete Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 As you can see, we have a lot of 'whiners' in this country. And always about the weather ... sheesh. :blink: This country is BIG. I've driven across it 6 times and it'll take 3 or 4 days, 10-12 hours a day of driving, to get from Toronto to Vancouver. I've been from coast-to-coast-to coast. The recreation is superb! Mountain hiking, Downhill and X-country skiing, Canoeing and backcountry camping, fishing and hunting. The economy, not so good. I've worked in Manufacturing ... Automotive, Ground Transportation, Aerospace and this sector has really taken a hit. When I worked in Aerospace, the engineers from UK would not have their degrees accepted by the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario until they wrote the APEO's extensive exams. Montreal is a terrific city. But I worked at Pratt and Whitney in Longueuil about 20 years ago, and they've laid off a lot of people since then. The biggest employer now seems to be the government and the service sector. I now live near Niagara Falls and GM was the largest employer in this area. In the last 15 years, the local engine factory here, went from employing over 10,000 to just about 2,000 people. However the local university, Brock, has over 10,000 employees. That still has me scratching my head! :) The same problems you have in Belgium, you'll have here ... government bureaucracy, racism, cost of living, but here, we're also inundated with US politics ... so-o-o-o ... do your homework. If you're retired it's a wonderful place. If not, I hear China is booming! Bonne chance! :blink: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SBARC Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Yeah, I think you're pointing out one of the things that might require a lot of adaptation from someone from our part of the world. I live close to the coast of Belgium. I can drive to the other side of the country in ... 3 hours. I drive 8 minutes to get in to work each morning. If we drive an hour with the car, we consider that to be a long drive. I would love to come and visit Canada. My brother has been on a fishing trip there 3 times, a friend of mine went mountain biking there last year. They all loved it. For a vacation. Yup....it is big........when I'm on the road I drive about 700 km per day.....and it's still a 3 day drive down the coast to visit California....which I consider close. Florida is about a 7 -10 day drive from where I live. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fishwelding Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I suppose it's worth pointing out the general level of motorization, too. Canada is not (yet) quite as "motorized" as the United States in terms of dependency on automobiles. But if in Belgium you find that you can walk or take public transportation to most places for most things, you will likely be giving that up by moving to North America, unless you settle in the comparatively few remaining areas where this is still possible, with other attendant costs involved. If you love cars and wish to drive more, you're okay. If you find it a chore to clean off and start your car in snowy weather, drive in snow, and then find parking, well, North America, particularly in it's older and colder regions, may not be your best choice. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aigore Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 (edited) Mmm...I could live in Canada,almost like Sweden but the bears are bigger :D Oh, and you canucks have a healthy relationship to hockey as well! Edited January 7, 2011 by Aigore Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JasonW Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Yup....it is big........when I'm on the road I drive about 700 km per day.....and it's still a 3 day drive down the coast to visit California....which I consider close. Florida is about a 7 -10 day drive from where I live.Maybe you missed it or think airplanes are only for model building, but you can fly to those places and it will probably cost as much as you'd end up spending on gas and wear and tear on the car AND you'll save yourself lots and lots of time...... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
loftycomfort Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 As you can see, we have a lot of 'whiners' in this country. And always about the weather ... sheesh. :huh: Well I suppose we do whine about the weather a lot. But if that's all we complain about most of the time, then I'd think we have it pretty good. It just shows you, in general, the citizens of this country are fairly content. I think it's a testament to how well the country is run. Terry Quote Link to post Share on other sites
leverancier Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 (edited) Thanks for the response . The reason why I'm thinking of moving is , as stated above, the massive, massive taxes, ugly scenery, the statement of the governement that they will not be able to pay for our pensons in a few years, so they are thinking of raising the taxes even more, the ridiculous houseprices, and the weather. Edited January 7, 2011 by leverancier Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grant in West Oz 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? Perhaps you should approach some agencies in Australia? If you can swing over to products used in mining and other extractive industries, your future would be sound. Apart from a little unseasonal flooding, the weather's usually good. G Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mingwin Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Thanks for the response . The reason why I'm thinking of moving is , as stated above, the massive, massive taxes, ugly scenery, the statement of the governement that they will not be able to pay for our pensons in a few years, so they are thinking of raising the taxes even more, the ridiculous houseprices, and the weather. ...oups... the bad thing is that, this is going to happen everywhere in occident... (maybe germany excepted...) tax cuts arent going to happen here... as we are, at least, 600 billions in the hole... but honnestly, i wouldn't exchange my canadian taxes against a US citizenship.... (for most if they got they're Tea things party....) my taxes, i only wished they'd better spend them! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tilt Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 As you can see, we have a lot of 'whiners' in this country. And always about the weather ... sheesh. ...say's the guy that lives in a part of Canada that actually got a summer in 2010. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tilt Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 so they are thinking of raising the taxes even more, the ridiculous houseprices, and the weather. If you want to improve these areas......then Canada is not the place. Or at least Western Canada. BC housing is crazy expensive. And Alberta isn't much better. Canadian taxes are not easy to swallow. And I've already posted my opinion of the weather - lol. I looked into New Zealand not that long ago. It appealed to me on many levels. Very moderate weather (depending on where you lived there). And the culture is one that is very attractive. Beautiful scenery.....etc. I know there may be things I'm not fully aware of for there. I plan to take a trip there in a couple years. My wife will think it's a vacation we're going on. But for me, it'll be a recon mission....lol. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Av8fan Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Tilt, Funny you should mention NZ. I've been considering it as well. I hope it works out for you. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The_Animal Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 and we don't have Nancy Pelosi! <_< Hell, I'm glad we don't have...Sarah Palin...either. Of course, I think ol'Gordo Campbell comes a close second...and unfortunately we still have him around...at least until he gets around to figuring out who's going to succeed him. Oh...just for your information...it's going to snow next Wednesday and Friday...and it's friggin' cold...when it gets in to the minus. It don't seem cold when you look at the temperature on TV (hovers between 2 and -2 C) but when you factor in the windchill and the moisture in the air...it feels like you're getting stabbed with a cold knife. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 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. $650 for a one bedroom in the city? That's *EXTREMELY* cheap by the standards of any big city in the US. Like probably half in many cases. I know some Canadian cities are pricey, but so are cities everywhere in the world. If I wanted to live in Toronto or Vancouver, and I could find a decent apartment for $650, I'd be ecstatic. My sister paid considerably (like about 50% more) more than that for a 5th floor walk-up in Manhattan - in 1980. J Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RKic Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Life in Canada? Carbon based I imagine Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Av8fan Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Jennings, I should have clarified: $650 would be a small one bedroom. No A/C probably laundry on site(hopefully no one swaps your laundry for theirs when you go back to your place for more change) And in my experience, those apartments were in the more "interesting" buildings/Neighborhoods of the city. I lucked into renting a basement apartment from friends. None of the noise and bug issues. the brown cockroach is the official bug of the city lol Toronto has a lot of diversity. some amazing places to eat and go to, but, I guess I have become spoiled. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sabre F-86 Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 (edited) Before you do anything about coming to Canada, I'd suggest you spend some time looking at the major newspapers and see what you can find for jobs. Globe and Mail: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/ Toronto Star: http://www.thestar.com/ National Post: http://www.nationalpost.com/ These are the 3 majors in the Toronto Area, but others can give you links to other papers. Toronto weather is humid hot summers, humid cold winters. Snow seems to be getting less with every year but its still grey and miserable. I spent a week in Alberta last summer, last week of August and compared to the humidity here it was heavenly. Comments about missing summer there last summer are apparently true from what my buddy told me. For me it was heaven as the humidity in TO was adding about 15 degrees to the temperature. Being as our economy is about 70% based on exports to the US, we are in a slump too. Manufacturing is down because of low US purchasing compounded by an increase in the relative value of CAD vs USD. Our exports are more expensive, making it even worse. The auto industry is in chaos, All 3 manufacturers are hanging on by their teeth and just barely at that. Cost for an apartment in Toronto is closer to $1000 a month for a decent place. $650 will get you a basement apartment or an old half derelict building. I am living in Mississuaga, a suburb of Toronto about 20km west of the city and a run down building here is $823 with parking. I have been here since July so my numbers are pretty current. Fuel for you car is currently running at $1.145 a liter, and you pretty much have to drive everywhere. Canada is not like Europe with trains every where and good bus service. Our buses run every half an hour during rush hours and hourly outside that. Weekends is attenuated service. Getting from the suburbs ie Mississauga to the core of Toronto will take you about 30 minutes by GO train, up to 3 hrs by bus (depending on where you live) and Cabs in the core are running about $2 a kilometer with a $2.50 starting price. Do a lot of investigating before you pack it up and come here. Its a nice place but jobs and the economy are anything but stable. Sabre Edited January 7, 2011 by Sabre F-86 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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