JamesM

I've tried but the only comparison stat I could find was in 1993 so no real use what so ever.

bats

None at all. They don't use the same indicators as far as I can see.

i found something. WHO info for 2002-2004

Canada top of the charts.

Table 1.1

http://www.who.int/roadsafety/projec...ng_driving.pdf

BristolUK

How so?

Had it come from a source, official or not, other than the teens it would surely have been "suggested for teens" not amongst them.

Piff Poff even went on to refer to teens reporting it to her not some official source.

Piff Poff

Thanks to those that have read my comments in the context they have been written. For some reason Colchar seems to like belittling my comments as its not the first time ive had such interaction. At no point did I site anything as official unless I posted a link.

I will state again, if you are moving to Canada just for the kids, then don't, it needs to be becuase you want the adventure and experience. The problems you see amongst youth in the UK are of the same ilk as in Canada, UK youth may hang out on the corners drinking and smoking and being intimidating, Canadian ones may hang out out in Basements smoking pot. Your child may or may jot become a teen parent in either country. Your child may or may mot be successful at school in either country, mine incedently was successful at school and came away with high grades in 2 IB subjects too as well as reaching the highest rank possible in Air Cadets. Just dont move to Canada for the kids. It has to be becuase you have to want it so very much.

JuneSpring

Piff Poff - I am pretty sure most people have appreciated your input.

colchar just seems overly and also unfairly defensive, goodness knows why...

HGerchikov

I very much agree with this, although our experience has been completely opposite to Piff Poffs, in as much as it has been a very positive move for both our kids, and I do feel that they have had a better life than they would have had if they had stayed in the UK, I think that has mainly been because of the type of kids they are and the Canadian lifestyle suits them. Plus, based on some of the experiences on here we got very lucky with the area we moved to. It doesn't suit everyone. If the only reason that you are contemplating a move here is because you think it will be significantly better for your children then you may well be very disappointed. Come for the adventure, for the different experiences and see how it works out. It may well be a good move for you, as it has been for us, but Canada is far from perfect, I love living here, and would never say to anyone 'don't come', but don't expect the move to solve all your problems.

JuneSpring

Immigration is one of the most stressful experiences of my life, so I agree you do it for fundamentally strong reasons and then hope for the best Good luck with your PR application, OP.

JamesM

According to CityTV 30 people in the GTA were charged with impaired driving today.

The OPP state that it remains the biggest killer on the roads.

Siouxie

2011: Impaired driving in Canada, 2011

https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...ivers-2011.pdf

Lorry1

Colchar - Please do not call me a liar. Piff Poff, me and others are telling very real stories of our own experiences in Canada. I am totally not denying all this happens in the UK, of course it bloody does.
The title is "moving for the kids" which I believe are wrong reasons to move. Please do not emigrate believing your teenager will not experience things that they would in the UK, or anywhere else.
In fact, if I had my chance again, I wouldn't have done it. We pulled our kids away from their very good friends, their grandparents and other family members for something that didn't exist.

Yes, I was concerned about the school security, or lack of it. I am not just talking about paedophiles, although sorry but Canada does have them, I am talking about the freedom of anybody being able to gain access into a school and up into a classroom without any questions. The fact that school/Uni shootings in the US happen and Uni/college shootings in Canada happen, is a major concern.
The fact that very young kids learn what to do incase someone enters the school with a gun and they have to go into lockdown, is scary.
At my daughters elementary/junior high school, a couple of kids from another school walked into the playground one lunch time and sprayed a couple of kids in the face with mace spray (or similar).
And yes, of course shootings have happened here, over 20 years ago in Dunblane, before kids were protected with fences & gates, which I like by the way.

Yes, there are drunk teens in the UK, I did NOT say there wasn't. It is sadly a big issue here and I wish it wasn't. I was simply stating a fact that they also drink in Canada.

I now remember why I haven't posted in the Canada forum since I left; write anything bad about Canada and you are slated. Well I'm sorry, but bad things happen there too, it is not Utopia. Get over it.

Roberto1980

I'd like to clear up what my intention was and my thoughts were when starting this thread.

So back in 2008, my wife and I first had the idea of moving to Canada. At this point we were obviously a little younger, I had more hair and we didn't have our two young girls. We lived in a flat in lets say a less prosperous part of town.. Surrounded by even less prosperous areas (west side of Glasgow lol)

We were up for an adventure, and Canada is somewhere my wife has loved ever since visiting extended family for long holidays (Hamilton, ontario) when she was younger.

Anytime we discussed Canada we spoke and thought of it as a more prosperous, safe, clean place to live with more opportunities, and yes better place to grow up. etc etc. Part rose tinted specs maybe.

So forward 7/8 years, 4 trips to Canada, online research, plenty of soul searching, 3 fed skilled worker applications and a fair bit of money and stress later, we have just had our medicals and paid our right of PR fees..

At this point, I have a slightly different, probably more healthy perspective (my wife says negative ) on Canada and life in general. (Deep eh? lol) That might be something to do with having kids, maturing moving to a nicer house / area. My viewpoint is we could give our kids a happy upbringing where we are. But we are honestly not intending to emigrate just for the kids.. That's an easy scapegoat. We are doing it for ourselves also.

Now I have had plenty discussions with my wife about this. Canada IS all the above mentioned. But I'm not so naive to dismiss the fact it has it's problems also.

The old question, is canada better? I believe it's all about perspective. And that perspective or outlook is shaped by your past and current experiences. Some say it's better as it is better than what they had, some indifferent, and some have a crap experience and long for the comfort / familiarity of 'home'.

Canada is not the land of sunshine + rainbows. It will chew us up and spit us out if we don't have good jobs to pay the bills, live in the nice house/ area and enjoy the 'lifestyle' people talk of.

The thing is, apart from the damp Scottish weather and accents of the people we encounter every day, we have all the things people really need in life. BUT we are not settled... And if it is to take an epic adventure of living in Canada, be it for a disastrous 12 months or settling for a lifetime then that's what we need to do. We need to give it a go and find out for ourselves.

Only with hindsight later in life, can someone sit in their old folks home armchair and say it was a 'better'

Shard

Yes that's right Roberto, you have invested enough emotionally, financially, and procedurely to make it sensible to give it a go. It's probably good to have a dose of realism when making the move, your expectations won't be sky high. Maybe you can look on it a 3 year move and revaluate your options then. By that stage you should be settled enough to know if you can stay at least another 2 years to get citizenship (so your kids would have a future option to return) or if you miss Glasgow life enough to want to come back and just package Canada as a overseas chapter in your life. Having said that, you may well find that your new life is enormously appealing and that it will open opportunities for your daughters or yourselves that make it all worthwhile. Of course the only way to find out is to take the leap.

BristolUK

On a slightly different - but relevant - note, having met and married a Canadian with two kids living in Canada, I moved over.

Initially we were in Quebec. They didn't much like the neighbourhood they were in although in the 9 months I was there I thought it was pretty much okay. There were the usual issues in and out of the schools and my stepson had problems with bullying.

Then we moved here. It's been really good. We are not in a nicer part of town, it's pretty much all like it. It's all relative of course and as far as I can tell what would be the equivalent area to where we were before does look a bit untidy. But it looks untidy because of bikes and other toys strewn around outside people's doors. That people leave these things outside and they don't get stolen or vandalised probably shows a difference.

The kids breezed through their schools with none of the problems back in Quebec.

My own view is that the best and worst of Canada is probably the same as the best and worst of the UK. Where I do see a difference is that the best of Canada can be achieved in a way that the best of the UK perhaps cannot be.

The 'nicer' or, more peaceful, parts of the UK are probably beyond the means of most parents but well within range if you don't mind being in the smaller cities and towns of Canada.

Small does not have to mean losing the benefits of city living, although one might find reduced options for Museums, galleries, ballet, packed out sports stadia, regular major concerts etc.

But maybe with less worrisome lives and more affordable living one can "do" those other things visiting the bigger cities on weekends and other breaks, in much he same way as some people go to London for what they can't do where they live. Except in Canada they may need to go a bit further.

HGerchikov

I am not sure you can ever say that any life choice is definitely better than any other because we don't know where the other choice would have led us. From what you have said though it does sound as if you will regret it, if you don't at least give Canada a try. You have gained enough insight to know that it's not perfect and if you come with that knowledge you will probably be fine. I think the people that have trouble are either those that didn't want to come in the first place (generally partners of people with job transfers) and they are just negative about everything and the other group are those who think the move will be the answer to all their problems, it doesn't take long for them to hit their first disappointment.
As far as the kids are concerned, whenever you get a large group of teenagers together, wherever in the world that is, there are going to be some problems. They are teenagers, it's in the job description, and to expect one western country to be significantly different from another one in that respect is unrealistic.

JamesM

Why not just move to Edinburgh?

Polled not so long ago as the nicest place to live in the UK and just down the road from everyone you know.