Stinkypup

Beautiful but $$$$$$$$$ for property in Canmore and I gather that you need to work in Banff to live there and even more inland than we are by about 430kms!

Stinkypup

No worries... Time travel eh...? Now that would swing it for me!!

rivingtonpike

One restriction of the Island we find is that if the main highway is blocked for whatever reason and you need to travel, you're stuffed.
Mind you, I suppose the same is probably true of some of the more rural bits of the mainland. I think the challenge here is if you are able to buy into "Island Time". If you can't, the place could drive you nuts!

scrubbedexpat091

We are pretty much in the same boat travel wise if the highway between here and West Vancouver closes for some reason, closes a few times a month for an hour or 2 or 3 because of an accident, but haven't had a major several day closure for a few years now. Have had a few 8 to 10 hour closures though from accidents.

There is an alternate route technically through Pemberton and back way to connect to Hwy 1 then down into the Fraser Valley, but it takes like what 8 or 9 hours or some insane amount of time.

My wife a few years back got stuck in Vancouver for several days due to a rock slide closing the highway for about a week, that was the last major one.

I am sure a lot more area's of BC in the same kind of situation.

Emilyrj

Thanks for the help i really appreciate it - just to clarify our situation a bit more:

1) We don't have children yet - but we have plans for next year once we get to Canada

2) public transport isnt a must -we are happy to drive

3) The reasons we want to move to Canada is for a different experience. We want space and the outdoors. I'm sick of suburbia and having postage stamp gardens (which is why i dont want to live in a city). I would like a big house with some land in an ideal world

4) Because my OH will be freelancing/self employed and I will be starting a business initially we will be living off our savings so for us we would like to spend no more than $1400 for a rental property (no idea if this is cheap or not??)

You have all suggested some interesting places, Vancouver island sounds a good potential, as does Ontario.

Ideally if all things went well we would like to be able to buy a house in a few years. We won't be coming over with too much capital so were thinking about $300-400k for a house somwwhere.

not2old

Why emigrate when you can move to rural even remote areas of the UK to the wide open spaces. I'm thinking Scotland or Wales.

There is also the Republic of Ireland, wide open in places, more green, lakes, rivers, streams, property is relatively inexpensive compared to mainland UK

el_richo

If you have family and friends in the UK, i'd recommend having your first kid over there where you have support and help. Moving to a new country away from your support network then having a kid, i'd not recommend it

not2old

agree in part for the reason some folks don't know what issues can crop up with a newborn. Then again folks emigrate without any family support & have children in the new country.

Since the OP mentioned the East coast, has now mentioned cost of housing, that other than NB, NS there is also PEI. Worth a look

not2old

I understand this is the Canadian forum

OP, in post 21, I mentioned Ireland

What about something in the following, surely, close to the UK, open space etc

Cloonaglasha, Belclare, Co. Galway - House For Sale

Rathglass, New Inn, Co. Galway - House For Sale

Cashleen, Renvyle, Connemara - House For Sale

Emilyrj

That's interesting, I never even thought ma out Ireland but those houses are really good value!

We want to give canada a go though because we allways said we want to experience a different culture. We went travelling a few years ago and to really changes you for the better.

However we have mentioned that if we did come back to the UK then a rural property in Wales oR something might be quite nice

Almost Canadian

No restrictions upon who can own property in Canmore. There is in Banff.

dbd33

If you live in a rural property in Canada you'll be spoilt for rural in the UK. Even the most rural properties in the UK seem suburban to me now and our location in Canada is, by local standards, semi-rural rather than wilderness.Ten acres of Buckinghamshire is an estate, ten acres of Ontario is a just a garden offering reasonable privacy.

el_richo

There's a cultural difference between the UK and Canada?

Stinkypup

Did I not put that in my post?? Maybe should have been more explicit but was talking about the restrictions specifically in Banff

not2old

John O'Groats to Lands end is full of different culture, as is Ireland, the Hebrides & Shetland Isles [google: isle of Barra or isle of Bute].

The British Isles has a lot to offer, as wide as it is broad diverse, even if you do get to roam the Republic of Ireland.

If you are born & bred from middle England, I can tell you from my own experience (Dad was Welsh) that certain parts of Wales you'd think that you are in a foreign land. The Welsh natives are just culturally different

I suppose that's why many Brits spend an endless amount of time on the continent because they want to feel the culture

OP, put in the visa application & get to Canada, you'll enjoy it, really, honest to goodness. Just come in spring IMO