Advice on Nova Scotia
 

Hi all,

I hope Im not asking a question thats been covered b4! :rofl:

Is there any1 out there who has been to / recce'd / or currently stays in Nova Scotia ?

What is your opinion on the province?
(the culture / standard of living / friendliness of people / bringing up kids / activities for families / weather / current employment issues - (my wife is a nurse, im a firefighter)

I mention 'the culture' as this is one of the main reasons we want away from scotland / uk... we just cant imagine bringing up our new born(s) in the ned/chav binge drinking culture...:thumbdown:

We obviously dont expect canada to be perfect with sunshine an rainbows everyday! :p But we hope people can provide any honest info on realistic living?

Thanks :)

Re: Advice on Nova Scotia
 

Change "Drinking" to "Drugs" and pretty much everything else is the same daily routine as the UK only within a different backdrop.

Hopefully others can come along and give you more in-depth details you need :D

Re: Advice on Nova Scotia
 

we recently returned from our recce to Nova Scotia. We loved it there, from the very sweet, pretty and friendly airport that greeted us to our waiting to return home. The people are lovely, including the teens! We stayed in the Quaich in Oakfield - very nice - and went to Halifax, Porters Lake, Stewiacke and Truro whilst driving through other places between them.
There are a lot of trees and lakes near to Halifax but it becomes more rolling countryside further up the 102 towards Truro.
Outdoors lifestyle is a big thing there although you do need bug spray :frown: all the time in the summer (well definately June!)
Its very beautiful and very laid back. Halifax is gorgeous and the so is Truro although very different. In between its pretty rural.
The people were very friendly and the expats we met there (through BE) were very welcoming.
The cars stop for you to cross the road :cool: we found everytime we waited to cross. There is an enormous sense of space and older values. We had some lovely days out to Oakfield Prov. Park lake and all the people there were very nice to be around. No swearing or anti-social behaviour.
In fact I dont think I heard one swear word whilst there:thumbup:

Food does cost more - I bought some boursin at $7.89! but gas is reasonable, so I guess its all similiar to here. We saw some lovely affordable houses too!
So, in short, we are hoping to be there permanently, by this time next year! :fingerscrossed:

Re: Advice on Nova Scotia
 

That sounds fantastic and makes me confident that we've chosen the right province ;)

We never did a recce there but will arrive and settle in Chester in 24 days so I'll give you my experiences of the place once I'm there :thumbup:

Re: Advice on Nova Scotia
 

I'm glad that you enjoyed your trip. I live near Truro in the summer and think it's a nice place too. :)
What is boursin ? I can't say I've ever heard of it.

Re: Advice on Nova Scotia
 

I was wondering that....

its cheese...........

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boursin_(cheese)

Have to try some....

Re: Advice on Nova Scotia
 

It's beautiful. Make sure it's Garlic Boursin. It goes very well with something salty like Ritz Crackers.

Yum!!

Re: Advice on Nova Scotia
 

have sent you a PM

Re: Advice on Nova Scotia
 

No you haven't

Re: Advice on Nova Scotia
 

We are also hoping to head to Nova Scotia from Scotland. I have read comments here that say you will find a bad side to everywhere, and that may be true, but I can guarantee that the bad side in rural NS is not as bad as the bad side in Glasgow! :eek: I am tired of rude selfish people and being worn down by attitudes here, and from my experiences of Canada (I've visted quite a few times over the years, most recently 2 recces to NS) I have encountered far far less there. People are always polite and friendly, I don't feel nervous walking around, hardly any bad language anywhere (in fact, we were in the library in Wolfville using the internet with 2 teenagers sitting next to us. One of them exclaimed with a fairly average swear word, then immediately looked at me and was very apologetic! I almost said 'it's OK, I live in Glasgow, where people talk like that every second word' lol). The pace of life is slower, which I know will take getting used to but I want to get used to it. Cars do indeed stop for you to cross the road, all the time! It was quite disconcerting at first :lol:

Only down side was the food seemed more expensive than I expected last couple of trips, and I heard locals saying the same in supermarkets. I don't know about work prospects, there never seems much advertised online but everyone says networking and word of mouth goes a long way there.

My much quoted stat to friends and family is that there are a million people living in Nova Scotia... and a million people live in Glasgow!

Feel free to PM if you want to ask anything :)

Re: Advice on Nova Scotia
 

Sorry - my mistake, would you like me to?

Re: Advice on Nova Scotia
 

Yes please :)

Re: Advice on Nova Scotia
 

I wonder where in Nova Scotia you are refering to?

Re: Advice on Nova Scotia
 

Everywhere apparently.

It's an interesting read, although 3 years out of date. Especially interesting is the hand written feedback from the students.

http://www.gov.ns.ca/hpp/publication...ights_2007.pdf

Cannabis use

"In 2007, 37% of students reported they had used cannabis at least once
in their lifetime. The average age of first use of cannabis was 13.5 years.
â– The prevalence of cannabis use decreased from 38% in 2002 to 32% in
2007.
â– In 2007, 32% of students used cannabis on at least one occasion in the
course of the year.
â– Males and females were equally likely to have used cannabis during the
year.
â– Cannabis use was more common among older than younger students,
ranging from 6% in grade 7 to 53% in grade 12.
â– In the month before the survey, 79% of students did not use cannabis
at all, 5% of students used cannabis daily and 14% of students used
cannabis less often than daily.
â– Daily cannabis"

Alcohol use

"In 2007, 70% percent of students reported they had consumed alcohol
at some time during their lifetime. The average age at first
consumption of alcohol was 12.9 years.
â– In 2007, 52% of students consumed alcohol during the course of the
year. 22% of students consumed alcohol once per month or less often,
17% of students consumed alcohol more than once per month and
12% used alcohol at least once per week.
â– 28% of students reported they had had 5 or more drinks at a sitting in
the month before the survey. The percentages of students who
engaged in this drinking pattern ranged from 4% in grade 7 to 52% in
grade 12.
â– Patterns of alcohol use were about the same for males as for females.
â– The most common ways that students not of legal drinking age got
alcohol were from friends (57%), or parents (20%), or from home
without permission (13%)."

Sexual Behaviours

"â– In 2007, 35% of students in grades 9, 10 and 12 indicated they had had
vaginal or anal sexual intercourse in the course of the year. Males and
females were equally likely to have had sexual intercourse.
â– The prevalence of engaging in sexual intercourse increased with
increasing age, ranging from 20% in grade 9 to 55% in grade 12.
â– Unplanned sexual intercourse after using alcohol or drugs is known to
be associated with an increased risk of multiple sexual partners and
inconsistent condom use, among both male and female adolescent
students. In 2007, of those students who had sexual intercourse in the
12 months before the survey, 33% indicated they had had unplanned
sexual intercourse after using alcohol or drugs. The prevalence of this
behaviour was found to increase with increasing age, ranging from
25% in grade 9 to 40% in grade 12.
â– In 2007, 61% of students who had ever had sexual intercourse
indicated they had used a condom or latex barrier at the time of their
most recent sexual intercourse. Females were less likely than males to
have used a condom or barrier. The prevalence of barrier use was found
to decrease with increasing age, ranging from 66% in grade 9 to 56%
in grade 12."

Re: Advice on Nova Scotia
 

Halifax, Dartmouth, Sydney and more. There is still a serious problem with such prescription drugs as Oxycontin in "Industrial Cape Breton" which is the Sydney/Glace Bay area. Don't kid yourself that there aren't problems, there are.