irishkellie87

hi all, myself and my partner will be moving to winnipeg really soon , we have two ds aged 5 and 1, i am just really looking for information about winnipeg as we haven't been before, also any other treads i tried commenting on were closed

my partner will be headin out before us so i can let my ds finish of the school year here

im wondering about schools for my 5 year old, what times are they in from and also wat way they open and close for the summer etc

also is it worth shipping stuff ( toys ) over or buyin some when we get there.

im sure theres more i wanted to ask, my brain is like mush

thanks in advance

kellie

plasticcanuck

It's not called Winterpeg for no reason.

DYOUNG77

What's the street will you be living on? I'm assuming you've already have a rental agreement/ bought a property. I could send you some links to local schools. I'll be living in West St. Paul when my permanent resident visa is approved, it's the first municipality north of the perimeter highway. Deb.

irishkellie87

hi deb,

thank you for the reply, we've only looked online hant offically got anywhere yet, my ner will be headin out on his own first for a couple of weeks and stayin with a friend.

when are you thinking of heading over

kellie

DYOUNG77

I booked a trip to Winnipeg leaving on the 27th April, returning July 14th. I should have my final PR decision through the mail by the time I get back to the UK. I'll then go straight back and 'Land' fingers crossed. I've spent most of the past seven years in Winnipeg, I got married in 2012 to a Winnipegger.

irishkellie87

oh deb, congrats iv my fingers crossed for you, iv no idea at all what areas to be looking at house wise, iv beening looking for months on some websites at houses but i dont want to judge the book by it cover so they say

DYOUNG77

I tried adding my face book link so you could add me if you thought of any questions I could possibly answer but it's gone to the moderators. Winnipeg is a huge city and the areas differ dramatically, at least your partner will get to have a good look round when he comes over. Are you looking to rent to begin with?

rivingtonpike

Are you seriously moving to Winnipeg? When do you move? What does hubby do? Are you PR of on a TWP? Is the spelling thing an affectation or the device you're using?

irishkellie87

deb iv sent you a pm, yes we will be renting,

rivingtonpike yes i really am moving to winnipeg, hubby is hoping to be gone by may 1st, i will follow him over maybe the start of august, at the moment his a mechanic, i dont understand this Are you PR of on a TWP? think the spelling is the device, sorry

christmasoompa

PR = Permanent Resident
TWP = Temporary Work Permit

You're waiting until August so that your son can finish his school year, but he'll be starting from scratch in Canada anyway if he's 5 as they start later than in the UK, so I wouldn't worry too much about that if you did want to go with your OH in May. http://britishexpats.com/wiki/School_Age_Categories

Good luck with the move.

Conmar

Hello Kellie,

for your information, these are quite common abbreviations here, PR means Permanent Residence/Resident, TWP means Temporary Work Permit.

Winterpeg is a special kind of town, gotta like it or not, I myself loved it. Especially the people. Good luck and for the move.


Ooops, too late.

irishkellie87

christmasoompa thank you for the school information, thats fantastic.

we are heading out on a Twp and we've been told we can apply for PR after 6 months, to be honest i dont think id be ready to go in may

Conmar thank you so much

AlliF

Hi Kellie, I'm also in Winnipeg - have been year for nearly 2 years and have a nearly 4 year old daughter.
I can try and help with any questions you have.

RE the toys - I would def say take some of the favourites as they are going to help the kids feel at home. We came across from Australia and we took the few little essentials in the suitcases, posted some to ourselves and stuck some in the shipping. Little one was so happy to see her toys arrive in the post and then again with the shipping it was like Christmas all over again.
We got rid of the bigger stuff as renting over here it is difficult to get a decent house (it can be done but it's not easy) so space is at a premium for us.
Remember with the shipping that by the time it gets here your youngest one will likely have grown out of a few things!

There are loads of great things for kiddies to do in Winnipeg - we seem to find something new to do every week.
Yes the winter can be hideous - but everyone is prepared for it. It's not like the UK where (at least south of the border anyway) the whole country shuts down when it gets to zero and 2 cm of snow. This place never shuts down - the kids only get to stay home from school when it gets to -50.
There are always things to do if you make the effort and get out - and you appreciate the spring so much when it does arrive you take full advantage of every second so I think it makes up for it!

Juggernaut1064

I lived in Winnipeg for 8 years, Wonderful city despite what some say, Every city has a bad area and it doesnt matter if its Winnipeg or Toronto or Vancouver. When you look at a map of Winnipeg imagine it has a clock face overlay, anywhere between 10 & 12 is what is known as "North End" and not an area to move to, yes its very very cheap but theres a reason for that, if your looking close to that area to rent or buy get lots of advice from the people on here who still live in Winnipeg !
I lived in Transcona which is the East of Winnipeg and a decent area.
As stated it does get cold in Winter but there are underground passageways and overhead walkways down town linking some stores and mall areas, no where near as much as say Toronto but at least you can move around out of the winter weather.

christmasoompa

Does your partner already have the LMIA? If not then timewise it's cutting it rather fine for May, so you may well find he can't move until later in the year anyway.

As for applying for PR after six months, you can usually apply as soon as you arrive in Canada, unless your partner doesn't have a 'skilled' job. It's definitely worth applying asap, as a TWP is far from ideal for a family, so do get the security of PR as soon as you can. What does he do?