dbd33

I've visited for work many times and have completely failed to find the inner-city. I'd appreciate it if you could point me to the exciting part of town.

Arty

Hi Guys,
thanks for the replies,the reason I have picked these three areas are that I have friends who live in each of them and they paint a positive picture.
As for work it is common for oil and gas companies to pay for all your costs getting to and from work bar alcohol I believe my flights would be from Abbotsford to Edmonton then on to Halifax.
It would be easier for me to go elsewhere but when I am leaving the family for two weeks at a time I would like to have the reassurance of friends being there for them if they have problems.
What puts me off Calgary is the price of houses there and the rental costs,very expensive ,but I suppose the plus side is there are way more opportunities.

cheers Guys

Cookie

If you moved to Alberta wouldn't it make sense to work in the oil sands? Very little commute and no time difference to adjust to each trip. Saying that, winters are very long in Alberta and even though I live in NS and generally don't mind our 3-4 month winter too much, this year it 5 long months and way tooooo much. The novelty of long winters really wear off fast.

Mr cookie works in the oil sands and commutes every 10 days from NS. Very few of his colleagues actually live in Alberta. Quite a few commute from BC. We are trying to decide where to move to because each and every month we are throwing money down the drain because we have to pay additional NS tax on top of his Alberta tax. Although he gets a tax free travel allowance his flights are not fully covered so each month so we are losing a lot of money there too. He can keep his travel allowance no matter where we live.

Personally, I would move to BC for more temperate climate and beautiful scenery.

Arty

Hi Cookie,
My plan is to stay we're I am work wise,but out west is better for my family more opportunities. With regards to flights , hotels and food they are all covered by my company.i have colleagues who live in Calgary and each year they get a big tax rebate.

Cookie

You only get a larger tax rebate because you are paying Newfoundland taxes but will file your taxes in eg Alberta. If you work and live in Alberta then you are paying much less tax in the first place.

Have to say it's not often people live out west and commute to the east.

Cookie

Ontario taxes aren't bad either and you're closer to your workplace.

Canadian income tax rates for Individuals - current and previous years

Arty

Yeah I tend to go against the flow lol
But to be honest the Maritimes should see a boost to their economy over the next 5 years or so,due to Shell and BP exploring the region

Atlantic Xpat

If he is working offshore Nova Scotia, why would he be paying Newfoundland taxes? Newfoundland taxes are lower than in NS but still higher than AB.

Arty, where are you actually living at present?

Arty

Hi I am still commuting between Scotland and Nova Scotia 2 weeks on 2 off.
But it is time for us to come over now .

Lychee

Abbotsford and Chilliwack are a part of the Fraser Valley, the lush agricultural valley along a major freeway a 1-2 hour drive east of Vancouver. Culturally it's rather soulless, less sophisticated, more conservative, and more Christian (in an American evangelical way, rather than English protestant way), which may or may not be alienating to you. Parts of the Fraser Valley can be beautiful, but it is truly a suburban style of life. You'll be driving everywhere and convenience is treasured over quality. Then again, I suppose this could be used to describe most of Canadian life outside of the major cities.

What Abbotsford and Chilliwack will have over Okotoks, or anywhere in Alberta, is lush greenery year round, and a spring that begins in the month of February, with spring flowers that last until May. In Alberta, winter morphs into summer in late May/early June. If you enjoy gardening or growing your own vegetables, you'll have many months more to do so in the Fraser Valley than anywhere in Alberta. Alberta has a very dry climate and lacks the greenery many English expats are used to seeing. This is extremely trivial, I do realise, but I find this is a factor many don't even consider when choosing a place to live in Canada. The climate varies dramatically and may play a larger impact on your life than you may have initially realised.

Cookie

Read it wrong. If the company is Nova Scotian based they would automatically tax him for NS. If he asked them to tax him as Albertan, his taxes would be lowered but no large tax rebate.