Tell us a little about yourself and family.

Hi, I’m Cassie and I’m happily married to my husband Neil. We’ve been together for 10 years, We have no children yet, but some day who knows what will happen. We had a dog called Harvey but unfortunately he didn’t make it across the pond with us and now lives with his Grandma and Granddad.

My husband Neil, is a Chartered Structural Engineer, and back in England my experience was very much within the administration field. We’re like any couple really, love spending time together and experiencing new things.

What were your reasons for moving to Canada?

My first honest reason for moving to Canada, is because of the snow. I/we really like to ski, I must admit that Europe never really did it for me. We took our first ever ski trip to Banff, Alberta and I just fell in love with the place back in 2004. We went back the year after, and the year after that we went to Italy, but I really missed not going to Canada that year.

Another reason for wanting to move to Canada was to experience something new and the opportunity. If we hadn't decided to go when we did then we would have never had the same opportunity again in our lives. The timing was just right.

How long did the Emigration process take?

To be honest not very long at all. It all started when I became a member of a little site called British Expats, you may have heard of it. I joined on 10th March 2008, we sent in Neil's resume around 22nd March to a recruiting group of Engineers from Alberta, and he had his interview on 23rd April in London.

This was then followed up with a telephone conference call on 23rd May and an invitation to go to Alberta on a research trip. The research trip was taken in July, and on 8th August we received the job offer came but it was for Edmonton, not Calgary. We waited for the LMO to be approved which came on 28th August. By the 8th of November our flights were booked. The 21st of November the container came to take out stuff ready to send it to Canada and on the 24th November we are on our flight to Edmonton.

So all in all from the first thought about going, to being on the flight, it took……… eight months. During that process we also sold our house for £25,000 less than the asking price. So not bad going really.

In which Province do you live?

We live in Edmonton, Alberta. It wasn’t our first choice. I wanted to live in Calgary to be ‘near’ the mountains. When we took our research trip out here I didn’t want to like Edmonton, in fact I wanted to hate it, but something took hold of me about the place. The four hour drive to Jasper is nothing really in “Canadian terms” and anyway I would argue that the Jasper side of the Rockies is the nicer side. I also consider Edmonton to be greener, plus we have a great shopping mall, which I don’t live too far from, and you can get anything you want in that monster!

In your opinion what are the biggest differences between Canada and the UK.? (Perhaps things you were not prepared for or were surprised about)

One of the things that surprises me are the chains, everything is a franchise. It’s hard to find independent stores which always annoys me. Also all the car accidents that happen here in Edmonton, I can never understand how or why they happen with such big roads out here. Most of the drivers in Alberta are very bad. The winter driving scares the stiff out of me but I need to do it. In Edmonton you really need a car to get about, it’s not very well thought out for pedestrians.

What are the things you enjoy most about living in Canada?

The skiing, without a doubt, is the top thing I enjoy most about the place; we are about 4 hours from Jasper.

I think there are more opportunities here within the workplace than there are in the UK. I think if your employer sees that you’re a hard worker then you do have the chance to better yourself.

I also enjoy getting out with the camera and seeing the history of Edmonton and the surrounding areas and trying to spot the wildlife that seems so unusual to us.

What are the things you dislike about living in Canada?

When I first started typing this article it was about two weeks ago, I was away from home working and pretty much at my happiest. Just recently I had a bump and was thinking “should we go home?” I have no idea why I was thinking this. I had the same thought in my head for days! Was I homesick? Did I just want my “comfort zone"?. I don't know. When I read through all the questions two weeks ago I would have been hard pushed to come up with an answer to this question, but now I think I know the answer. It’s not a dislike about Canada, it’s a dislike about the guilt of emigrating. The guilt of the people you left behind back home, the guilt about not enjoying it when you should, the guilt about enjoying it. I hope someone understands what I’m saying here. No matter what, you always feel some sort of guilt. 

What do you miss most now you are not living in the UK?

That would have to be our pet dog Harvey, unfortunately we couldn’t bring him with us due to his very bad Arthritis and me having to go out and work. It would also have made it much harder for us to get a rental. He lives with his Grandma and Granddad where he gets really spoilt.

How badly, if at all has homesickness affected you?

I don’t think it has, but saying that let me just Google what that really means: "Homesickness is a feeling one has when missing home. Feelings of longing are often accompanied by anxiety and depression." I’m going to still say no, I’ve only had a couple of bumps in our whole 10 months of being here.

If you, or your spouse, work how easy has it been to find employment?

Has your quality of life improved?

I think it has overall. We get out and do things here in Canada, and we also socialise so much more. I’m always off out with the girls at least once a week. I think they become your surrogate family in a way I would be very lost without them.

How does cost of living compare?

To be honest in my opinion I think it evens out, what you save in one thing is over the odds in another.

In what way does Canada fit into your long term plans?

We have never looked at it like that to be honest. Neil has always said he would give it three years and I wanted to give it a bash to see what it would be like to live in another country. Will we live here (Edmonton) forever and ever? The answer to that is NO WAY! I think it’s too cold a place for old bones, but in another province of Canada, well maybe ... who knows?. The goal has always been to gain Citizenship so we could go back to England if we had to, and come back into Canada without any of the “red-tape“.

In retrospect is there anything you would change?

No, I wouldn’t change a thing about anything we have done or any decisions we have made. If we did something wrong we learnt from that mistake. Life is a learning curve and we all have to make mistakes to learn not to do them again in the future.

Are there any final thoughts you would like to share?

Emigrating to another country is hard and don’t ever underestimate it. Saying that at the end of the day it's your life, and you have to live it! Don’t let anybody hold you back, if you think it’s the right thing for you and your family then for gods sake DO IT!!!!