hi folks have the chance to move to hinton,alberta from the uk as a welder 27-34 cad, permanent job
1.is the above rate good/bad
2.would my wife need employment or could i sustain us both on my income
3.house rental prices
4.cost of living(in comparison to uk)
5.is hinton a nice/s...t place to live

any input on the above queries would be greatly recieved

Have you been to Hinton? Your wife would need a job to keep her sanity!

i built a rec centre in Jasper and spent many a time driving through Hinton..there's a huge saw mill in Hinton and timber is what the town is built around. It seems a pleasant enough place its very close to Jasper national park and the mountains are literally 15 minutes away.

Only problem because of the huge amount of timber processing that goes on there so it does tend to stink a bit and its not a pleasant smell

thanks for the replies guys will 27-34 canadian dollars per hour be sufficient to sustain my wife and I (no kids) is the rental properties and cost of living expensive

Read this
http://www.hinton.ca/index.aspx?NID=184

hi former lancastrian Ive been on the page already it paints a nice picture and looks lovely but sometimes the photos of meals outside resturants are not what you get on your plate lol

Interesting there are no photos of Hinton itself..there are lots of tourist who pitch up in and around Hinton all year round...so its a bit more cosmopolitan than say Edson which is 85km to the east.

You would earn more if you were a welder in Edmonton ever though of living in the city instead?

hi pal i have been offered a job as a welder in hinton too,the questions you have asked are the same ones as i would ask! i am from derby,did you go to hinton? any advice mate? thanks

Hi Big John and Swampdog,
My husband and I were also curious about Hinton because of its location. Jasper (a really cool town!) is about an hour away, the mountains are nearby, and so on. My husband has friends in Edmonton, so he asked them about Hinton. They didn't recommend it to us. They drive through it on their way to and from the parks, and they noticed the same thing that cheeky monkey said about the really bad odor due to all of the wood processing that goes on in Hinton.

It's too bad that the smell is so noticeable. We won't be ready to move for about another 5 years, though, so we will check on Hinton again at that time. Maybe we can find a townhouse out on the west edge of Hinton, closer to the mountains and away from the stink??

Anyone know whether that's a realistic hope??

Thanks for any advice!

ewebster

Hi

We moved out to Edmonton almost 2 years ago and have passed through Hinton many times. As others have suggested there is a lumber mill in the area and the smell is noticeable. However I live in Edmonton and depending where you live you get the smell of the refineries so I would say this is manageable.

I would say the hourly rate would be low, guys work in Edmonton or who are willing to rotate in and out of Ft Mac can earn much more. I would say your wife would need to work as the days and especially the winters will be long when stuck in the house all day every day. Provided you have the right permit she will be able to obtain one as your spouse.

The area is nice and Jasper is literally minutes away, this could easily cloud your thought process. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth but it also carries the price tag, it is the Rockies after all. Hinton is cheaper but you do get the tourist creep.

Consider the following, everyone is different and we all live our lives in different ways so the rate may work for you guys

Property rental – Are you bringing belongings or starting from scratch in Canada and will your rate cover the initial set-up, furnished properties will be more than unfurnished (obviously) and looking for furnished may restrict your options. Also what do you want to in terms of a property, flat, house etc.

Access to the UK – You are at least 3 hours from Edmonton which is your link back to London Heathrow, every trip home will involve parking costs etc plus getting back from Edmonton is not cheap. Calgary is better but your talking a much longer trip.

Vehicle – Cars are cheap so is fuel when compared to the UK, car insurance can be expensive as you have no driving history here, also do you need 2 cars?

Utility bills – We find Internet, Phone & Cable TV expensive when compared to the UK.

Overtime – What opportunities will you have to boost your earnings? There are laws in Alberta which protect workers and ensures that you are paid OT at a minimum of 1.5 x base rate. Try and get a handle on what hours the guys are currently working.

Medical – Ensure the employer provides this and it is comprehensive, check on levels for dental, eye care (glasses), specialist treatments & medication. Ensure that the system can be direct billed and what % it covers of the bill as you will be funding the balance.

Offer – Check on the offer, it will most likely be as a Temp Foreign Worker. I would expect this to be through a Labour Market Opinion (LMO). This will be a restricted permit for you with a fixed working duration. Ensure that the company covers all the permit costs and legal assistance.

Relocation – Does the company help with anything relating to your relocation? If not then these costs need to be built in.

I will say you would be less than 30 minutes from one of the most wonderful places on the planet and that can count for a lot. This is a great country and it will be what you make it.

Cheers

Andrew