amardan

Hi BE

My family and I are currently living in Calgary and are considering relocating to Nova Scotia or New Brunswick as we personally feel it is the kind of place we could settle in. Unfortunately, haven't had the opportunity to have a reccie trip but plan to in 2009.

We were just wondering if anyone could give us some simple guidelines as to what areas should be considered ie English side more than the French side. Also where people recommend would be great to bring up our family of children aged 11yrs and 10yrs, schools, health etc.

Any advice of any kind would be very much appreciated in helping us to decide our next move.

Thanks in advance

Rachel

Atlantic Xpat

I only have a passing knowledge of NB and NS so can't help too much but surely the first question is 'what sort of job do you need?' (if indeed this is important.) As with all places in Canada that probably dictates whether you live say inear Halifax or Moncton or enjoy the paradise that is the North Shore of Nova Scotia.

Alternatively skip by the Maritimes and come out to the edge of the Atlantic!

BristolUK

Most parts of NB would probably suit you. We like Moncton. It's big enough and has everything you need. Snow clearance is fantastic - you can get out and about quickly even after huge snowfalls.

It's not especially attractive....I like the houses and parks but the river is brown sludge.

Moncton is well served for hospitals. The waiting time to get a doctor can be several months, maybe a year. Unless you can persuade someone to take you on.

You need to be careful about prescriptions. If you have coverage through employment or insurance, then fine. But if you don't work and have pre-existing conditions and can't get insurance, then watch out. You may have to pay everything with no assistance from the province. There is a scheme to assist where drug costs are high, but NB penalises home owners, treating equity as an income. You can have the same income & costs as renters have but be denied assistance. In NS they don't do this. They look at your real income instead.

Long story short: due to the worsening of existing ailments, we have been hit by high drug costs in the last 12 months. When we first moved here, the monthly drug bill was $150 with occasional extras and easily manageable. We couldn't get drug coverage. It's now over $400, likely to rise and will become a problem in two years if we don't do something about it.

What we will be doing is moving to NS where, in an identical domestic/income/costs situation the ceiling applied means we'll be paying a maximum $1000 a year instead of the $5000 a year that NB says we should pay.

deanjp32

the North Shore is the place to be as Atlantic expat says and i am not a realtor or have any benefit to be gained from saying it

amardan

Thanks for all your advice. My OH is an electrician currently in Calgary but unfortunately we have always wanted to be near the sea and Calgary is very inland and arid, which we personally not keen on. We have been looking quite a bit at Nova Scotia and thanks Deanjp32 we will check out the North Shore.

Tangram

Oh god it's started.

deanjp32

no it's not!!!

i just put that in to tell all those that bashed OTBO that i have in no way anything to gain and was just sharing my opinion of living here on the North Shore and as we all know when someone mentions the North Shore sure enough someone comes on to stoke the fires so

thedignans

Hi there,

We live in New Glasgow NS and we love it here. It is a small town of around 10,000 people but the county itself has around 46,000.
I have 2 young children and I can find everything I need here and there is a great Community Spirit which is so refreshing.
Anyway I know a small town is not for everyone but we took a gamble and it really has paid off for us.
Good luck and if you need anymore information about Northen NS, PM me and I will do my best to help.

Julie

deanjp32

We live 5 mins from Tatamagouche which is 45 mins to Truro, less than an hour to New Glasgow and about an hour ish to Amherst. All of which are modest towns in size but you get get everything you want from them if you feel the need.

Tatamagouche itself has an elementary school, high school, hospital, supermarket, bowling lanes plus 2 other bars, bank, post office, museums and loads to do all year round in the local area and a fantastic community spirit.

We were involved at Christmas at the creamery this year where they serve d about 400+ meals to anyone who wants to turn up. They also deliver meals to people who cant get to the creamery. Its a great party atmosphere and it is all about the community getting together at christmas. We have the Oktoberfest which is amazing. Lots of walking, hiking, ATV trails and so on.

We also have a growing British contingent of like minded people who felt the need to come to the area.

cant wait for the usual posters to slate the me for mentioning the North Shore again

SAW 04

Well you can thank your buddy OTBO and the side kick PF for that!

Cookie

We too are from New Glasgow and have really enjoyed living here for almost 2 years. Great community, friendly people, lovely countryside and beaches.

Out of interest, Tatamagouche is about to appear on the TV series The Week the Women Went. Here is the link to the website.

Silverdragon102

We live near Amherst and love it, don't have any children so can't say what the schools are like but we like the rural touch and only about 15 mins from the sea

aid1970

This is why we are hoping to live in NS

deanjp32

Yeah i was filmed as i volunteered to help 1 of the local businesses that lost its women.

The trailer is quite good!!!

amardan

Thanks everyone your advice has been very valuable. All I can say now is roll on 2009. Happy New Year to you all