zou_bisou

It's been awhile since I have visited because I shelved the idea - just too scared to make the move. So, dh has been travelling back and forth from Ottawa a lot. It really seems like a fab city - that I would like to live in (with the exception of the strong Arctic weather this winter). And I am even visiting to check it out in March for a few days. So, I am appealing for some collective wisdom from others on the forum.

I am not sure about my job prospects in Ottawa itself, BUT I have done a lot of research into the 'North Country' in Upstate NY and it appears to offer so much more for me in terms of employment. I have never visited this area, and I am not asking you to qualify my chances of securing employment there... However, does anyone commute back and forth across the border? Would that be a massive obstacle? I know that the income tax situation would be messy as well...and our income would be in 2 different currencies. Am I absolutely mad for considering living in northern NY with its bleak landscape and escaping to Ottawa on the weekends or having my dh commute to Kanata from there? We could afford 2 places if necessary...Right now he's just working abroad so much and I want our family to be more co-located. So, what are the realities that I am missing in suggesting we live/work in separate countries? One of us is a USC (I'd rather not say who to preserve anonymity) - so it's not about taking a job from anyone. Thanks again in advance.

dbd33

I think it's too far to commute daily, weekly is possible though that doesn't seem like much of a life. If you want to live somewhere bleak and weathery look at Gatineau, that's properly commutable.

wolstie

I got chatting with a worker in a hardware store in Ogdensburg, who had dual Cdn and US citizenship. She commuted from Mountain (south of Ottawa) to Ogdensburg, everyday for work.

Seemed no big deal, although it may be easier if you hold both nationalities.

As dbd said, look around Ottawa. We live in the Ottawa Valley, which is beautiful. I commute every day to Ottawa's east end, approx an hour in winter, 45 mins in the summer.

Partially discharged

I'm in Ottawa (west end)...from our house to the bridge at Prescott/Ogdensburg is about 45-50 minutes...

My brother lived in the 'north country' for about 7 years while teaching at the university in Canton. At various times, he had reason to go to either Montreal or Ottawa on weekends and he often did shopping in Prescott/Brockville/Cornwall/Montreal or Ottawa. After a while he said the customs people recognized him and he got quickly waved through. That is in the 2001-2008 era so things may have changed now.

PM me for more details if you have more questions.

Personally, the 'north country' is a cheap place to live housing wise, but there is a reason for that...poor economic prospects, poor transportation infrastructure etc. However, if you love the great outdoors it is a great place. For many people in New York state, the state ends at Syracuse.

zou_bisou

Thanks for the replies - I guess I am asking about my worst case scenario.

If I can get a job in the Ottawa region - that's great! Solves a lot of problems!

But...if not, we were thinking of living on the US side because dh would only have to commute 2-3 days a week whereas I would probably have to go to work daily. I would prefer Canada, though - better housing, services, amenities and life in general than rural NY. Of course, it wouldn't stop me from trying to get a job in the Ottawa area over the years.

Just curious - which side (US or Canada) do you think has better schools? I like the idea of French immersion.

We might be moving this summer - which I am super excited about! Our dd is already wearing Canada gear.

Partially discharged

In terms of schools..Canadian side. Totally different school systems though. I don't believe that french immersion is very common on the US side. The 2nd language taught in the US is Spanish which is totally irrelevant in the 'north country'. Despite bordering Quebec to the north, knowledge of even rudimentary french in the north country is very low.

Where are you living now?

zou_bisou

I've looked at the school systems a little bit. The schools in the north country look good for American schools - but I didn't see any French immersion or language classes taught. The Canada side looks a bit more confusing from a cursory glance.

Right now we are in England.

Tangram

I assume you can both legally live and work in either country ?

zou_bisou

absolutely.

Partially discharged

In terms of confusion in Canada...in Ottawa there are 4 school boards...english public, english catholic, french public and french catholic. There are also private schools some based on religion and some not.

PM me for more details on how the 4 school boards work. In a place like Prescott or Brockville the french options may be limited, but in a place like Cornwall the french options are greater...although for the french board, I believe the child must be raised in a household with existing french proficiency.

zou_bisou

thanks, I will PM you after dinner/bedtime.

dbd33

This is so. The expectation is that at least one parent will have French as Mother tongue. My children went through the Ontario school system under French boards, along the way we met only one set of parents in which neither parent was francophone. In that case one of them was a diplomat posted to a francophone country so the children had always attended school in French.

(An ineffective diplomat, I imagine).

Partially discharged

Not sure how they quantify that the parent(s) can speak french....I've known some whose french was rudimentary at best but they had a french surname which I think helped.