Stinkypup

I would hope so- definitely elsewhere not so much
I am actually one of the very positive bods on this forum but it is a huge decision and sensibly you are canvassing opinions, you invite positives and negatives which is a wise thing to do

Sandsmehra

Thanks again, Stinkypup.

I do really love the UK (it's still very much home after almost two decades of wandering around the Globe) and I'm not so naive to believe that Eutopia exists so this balanced view that you and the other folks on this forum are providing is really good for us.

It's just a big decision to "emigrate" once again since my wife and I are getting a little long in the tooth to keep moving countries and continents so we just want to be as sure as we can be

Thanks to you and everyone else for all your help.

In 21 days the next stop is Blighty!

Sandsmehra

I believe that I'm cursed with the affliction of the eternal expat. Having lived in UK/Europe, North America and Asia one ends up getting pretty confused since one sees the merits of de-merits of living everywhere.

Now if only I can acquire a lifestyle which allows me to reside a third of the year in all those regions Lol! 😀

Stinkypup

Now that would be ideal!

Dorothy

If I read it right you said your wife is pregnant? Something to think about is that she may not be eligible for OHIP for 3 months. Delivering a baby without health insurance is an expensive proposition. Not to mention the pre natal care that's not paid for. Be sure to budget for this.

BEVS

Karma for making me nod and smile.

Sandsmehra

Thanks, Dorothy. I don't think we'll be moving to Canada within the next 12 months though.

Sandsmehra

Sometimes I wish that I'd never experienced life outside my hometown of Bristol, BEVS! Perhaps I wouldn't have ended up being so confused then! 😆

dbd33

Some nit picking:

1. High standard of living but lower cost than UK (London as much as I love it doesn't offer a good standard of life for the money that most professional families earn)
London maybe but there are cheaper and beautiful places to live in the UK and cities in Canada can be just as expensive

I left the UK because I couldn’t afford a house in London and thought that, if I was going beyond the North Circular, I might as well go abroad. I think the case for moving to, say, Nova Scotia, is similar to that for moving to Scotland or the North Antrim Coast. Moving from London to Toronto is just a trade of pace, excitement and culture for a bigger house. If you don’t go to the football or the opera anyway there’s an argument that you may as well have more bathrooms.



2. Diversity and embracing of multiculturalism (though that is changing for the better in parts of Britain). Canadians appear very open and accepting of immigrants. Also they appear to have a stronger affinity to Britons than Anericans (again a gross generalisation).
I disagree with your comment about Canadians being open and accepting of immigrants- I would go so far as often the opposite is true, especially those with anything but white skins. Certain areas are racially compartmentalized, similar I suppose to the UK, certainly not better in my opinion

I too disagree with the idea that Canadians, cradle Canadians, are generally accepting of immigrants. It’s just that, in Toronto, there are very few cradle Canadians and they’re somewhat marginalised; trapped in government jobs and policing. Most people are immigrants and the great immigrant mass is accepting of immigration generally but not specifically, people bring their prejudices so, for example, Israelis in Toronto get on with Palestinians in Toronto as they would in the middle East. Ditto Greeks and Turks, Hutus and Tutsis, Chelsea supporters and nice people. Everyone is in favour of immigration and multi-culturalism except when it involves that other lot.


4. Space. The great outdoors.
It certainly has that in abundance, sadly a lot is uninhabitable

I don’t see this. Yes, of course, there are swathes of tundra containing no people but in proximity and everyday value London has the Sahara as Toronto has the tundra. Neither are near, cheap to get to nor very interesting when you get there. London and Toronto both have reasonably nearby countryside, the South Downs or the Chilterns in one case, fields in the other. Both are difficult to reach in a car on a Friday night. The difference is that, in the UK, public access is a long established right, there is a network of foot and bridle paths across the country, in Ontario most land is privately owned and there’s no public access, the Bruce Trail and the, paid admission Provincial Parks being the exceptions. In terms of walking in parks, with or without an unleashed dog, I think one is better off in Kew than Roncesvalles.

Where Ontario is better is in terms of accessibility to semi-formal outdoor pursuits. For example, I learned to sail at the bottom of Bathurst Street (to find out what a daughter who became seriously interested in sailing during high school saw in it) and then raced for years out of the ABYC. I cannot imagine that, in London, I would ever have had the money or the social capital to participate in an urban sailing club. Now, on most days I ride a horse, again an activity that in the Home Counties (the geographical equivalent of where we now live) would be beyond my means and too snob anyway.


5. Work/Life balance. Canadians appear to "work to live" (gross generalisation but could be wrong)
A lot less paid leave, people often can't afford to take time off

It’s not customary for Canadians to take holidays but that’s changing as a result of immigration; few people want to go to India for the weekend so multi-week holidays are becoming more of the norm. However, so is casualization of the labour force. This piece:

Truck Stop: How One of America’s Steadiest Jobs Turned Into One of Its Most Grueling - The Atlantic

is about lorry drivers in the US but it’s a very good description of employment practises here, not just in transport but many skilled and semi-skilled trades such as computing, bank clerking, librarians and archivists. There’s a danger that, while it will be allowable to have holidays, no one will be able to afford one. I haven’t, btw, had a paid day off since 1986.

Sandsmehra

Many thanks as always, DBD33! Thanks for taking time to provide even more candid feedback. Some more food for thought! 😉

BristolUK

Awright me babber?

dbd33

My posts indicate that, in this working environment, the important thing is to be at one's desk for a lot of hours.

Shakyuk

Sandsmehra

Lol BristolUK! 😄

JonboyE

Then Vancouver should hit the spot: half European and half Asian and all in North America. People seem to get along with each other just fine.