Hi All

We are landing in Toronto on 14th April and originally had planned on living in the London area. However my OH is an electrician and has to sit his Red Seal exam first before he will even be considered for a job-hence no job to go to on arrival(but sitting this the week we get there!)
We have heard that jobs are very few and far between in London area and that there's more work up and around the Ottawa area-is this right?
We looked at Cornwall and there seems to be everything there including low house prices-is this for a reason?
Any advice and help on this and the surrounding areas would be a brill help as we not got long until we go and basically will have to go to where the work is!

Thanks in advance for your help

There's a poster in Cornwall. I don't remember his name but am searching for his posts now using keywords such as "isolation", "unemployment", "misery", "loniliness", "going home".

stepnek

Do a search for postings by stepnek.

Cornwall does have cheap real estate- but that is to cater for the affordability of the locals. There are some nice properties viewing the St.Lawrence river I think.

I dated a girl from there and in her words it is a "dump" and a job with a retailer where you get benefits is considered to be a good one. I think there is quite a few call centres based there now.

If memory serves the drive to Ottawa was over an hour and that was with out much traffic and not at a peak time. That said maybe there isn't much traffic anyway.

Yes, there is a reason...Cornwall is a blue collar stopping point on the 401 between Montreal and Kingston. Domtar was the major industry and they have closed down...now the claim to fame is a Wal Mart distribution centre and the bridge to the Indian reserve that sits in Canada/USA Ontaro/Quebec/New York state (a jurisdictional nightmare and cigarette smuggling hotbed).

Areas on the west half of the town and along the river command the highest prices and anything within a five minute walk on the east side of the bridge is dodgy.

I would think its greatest selling point is not the place itself, but how close it is too other places (i.e Montreal, Ottawa, Lake Placid etc)

Hope that helps

Thanks to you all for your advice.

Its a no go then!! Cheers it saved me a 6 hour drive!!!!

Bleak and dreary I thought. Dragged there by my carp fishing husband! wouldn't bother again...

On the other hand if the plan if to live somewhere cheapish within reach of Ottawa its not all that bad if you dont need to find a job... The problem in Cornwall as pointed out is that the major employer dissapeared and the economy is still adapting. Probably has potential in the long term.

and if you can buy a nice property on the st Lawrence or a lake then yes beautiful

If you're looking at that area, I can put you in touch with our realtor Rick Burt, he's a fab guy knows everyone and also used to be a property inspector so can tell you a house is a dump and not to buy it without paying out for a survey. Let me know if you want teh area. He's based in SMiths Falls half way between ottawa and Kingston. We count him as a family friend now. Something I would never think of doing in teh UK.....
His area covers Belleville to Cornwall, but having spent teh night before new year there 2 years ago... Its a dump... We were supposed to stay 2-3 nights but left early and went to Morrisburg to a fab little inn instead.... We're looking at the Smiths falls area to live, and are going back at Xmas for another look.... Houses can be very reasonable there plus the Hersheys Chocolate Factory, what more could you want?.... part from a job... if you need any info PM me.

It closed didnt it

I dont see how a realtor can have in depth knowledge of the whole area from Belleville east to Cornwall and North to Smith Falls!

Its no great loss to me the choc factory closed.... we were last there in 2007, but on the other hand our realtor always knows a man who can... That's his area he covers. We're back up there in December this year and will update all on the exciting developments on the Rideau Canal area.

Factories closing down... isn't that generally a bad thing for the area? Unemployment and suchlike. Just a thought.

oooh what exciting developments - we have a cottage in Seeleys Bay?

let me know!

The Hershey factory only employed a small number of people - I think the biggest loss wasn't in unemployment, but the loss of tourists to the area. Unfortunately, a water bottling company planned to take over the site now may not be opening ... something to do with the boss being investigated for fraud