Bristol to Saskatoon
 

:) Hi Everyone,

We are thinking of moving to Saskatoon, my hubby is an HGV driver and we've seen an ad with an agency saying that they give free trials and free flights! Has anyone done this? Can anyone give us as much info as possbile and of Saskatoon in general. What are the schools like and houses and prices of course! I don't think that that I could make the move without my parents (hubby has no family, so no ties), so has anyone else been in the same position and persuaded their parents to go with them.

Please, please, please can anyone give us as much info as possible.

P.s we have three children and they are 12, 10 and 5.

Thanks :thumbup:

Re: Bristol to Saskatoon
 

have a look at www.mls.ca for house prices - sorry I can't help more but its a good starting point!

Re: Bristol to Saskatoon
 

Even better (looking):
http://homes.point2.com/

Re: Bristol to Saskatoon
 

This one too:
http://www.saskhouses.com/listings.php

Re: Bristol to Saskatoon
 

:) Thanks everyone for your help. Still trying to persuade my parents :(

Re: Bristol to Saskatoon
 

The house market seems somewhat screwed by the global credit bubble, just like most of the Western world; my girlfriend has been looking for houses and the ones the real estate agent sent us MLS numbers for last week have almost all gone already. She says a lot of people are moving back from Alberta after the recent 'oil rush', so lots want to buy right now.

That said, they're still a small fraction of the cost of a similar house around here in the UK. My only real concern is that if the US economy keeps sinking then they're probably going to drop 30% or so over the next few years as the Canadian economy gets pulled down with it... I doubt Saskatoon wages could support current prices in a recession.

Note that there's a five-plus year wait for parental sponsorship visas and that's only going to get longer. There are a very limited number of visas given out, and that number is going to be substantially reduced soon. So don't expect to be able to bring them over for a very long time.

Re: Bristol to Saskatoon
 

I have posted this before, but here goes again.

http://www.forsterrealty.com/regina.html

A series of photos taken around Regina Beach. Its not Saskatoon but the landscape is very similar.

The music is cute the first time, but gets a bit monotonous if you look at the pictures more than once!!

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/index.html

That is the local paper.

Re: Bristol to Saskatoon
 

On the news just yesterday, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland are the two provinces that are losing population, mainly to Alberta. I haven't been to Saskatoon but I've heard it is a pretty university town. It's probably a lot cheaper to live in Saskatchewan than in most other areas of Canada and if you get there with some skills and a willingness to hang around for a while, I think they'd be very glad to see you.

Re: Bristol to Saskatoon
 

Certainly they have been, but as I mentioned, my girlfriend said a lot seem to be moving back from Alberta now. I'm not sure if there are any official figures to show what's happening either way.

Incidentally, her real estate agent also said that the house market seems to be slowing down in the last few weeks, so that may be good news for people moving out there. Apparently he said he'd met a few people who have moved out from Britain to be HGV drivers recently... must be a popular choice right now :).

The document I posted a link to in the other thread has both Regina and Saskatoon as among the cheapest places to buy houses in Canada, relative to incomes; so I was probably overestimating the amount they might drop. But in the long run, there's plenty of land and seem to be quite a few new houses going up, so that puts an upper limit on what you can be expected to pay.

Re: Bristol to Saskatoon
 

hi there, i have been to Saskatoon and must say i was impressed. it has beautiful old architecture and along the river bank is built up into a park with walkways etc...very lovely indeed.
the people were friendly and i have a (new) close friend who has lived there all her life. they make good use of the summers with lots of actitivities. i personaly cannot wait to go back again to visit.
the weather is a bit full on with winter. she was telling me the other night they still have at least 5 feet of snow piled up in the front yard and they are putting warnings over the radio to remove it from the house foundations etc ( to decrease flooding in basements)...winters are long there. but if you dont' mind that..then i think from my own experience Saskatoon is a lovely place.
good luck~

Re: Bristol to Saskatoon
 

i dont want to wee on your fire but please check out the job.

i was recently on holiday in florida and had a conversation with a guy who relocated to saskatoon, whilst he liked the place and indeed canada, his problem was the job.

not only did he need to ride tandum with another driver but was often away for 3 weeks at a time, his job included convoys to mexico and frequently being told he would be home on a friday but would be out on the road till the following wednesday.

he arrived in canada on a temp work permit and got the full application going after arrival, his full visa did not complete within the first 12 months so he decided to carry on in the job till as which time it did complete.

he was about 16 months in when he and his wife decided to call it a day and come back to england, infact they were going home via florida, they did enjoy there life in canada when they were together but that was not very often.

he was told he would be home every weekend and his full visa would be completed within 12 months.

make sure the job is what you both want.

good luck

leadman

Re: Bristol to Saskatoon
 

Hi, check out the forums on http://www.onlinetruckers.co.uk/inde...fbe9ec5e01b85e for specific questions on trucking in Canada.

Dave

Re: Bristol to Saskatoon
 

hi
we are going out to moose jaw in a couple of weeks, we have been over on research trip, we went to 3 job interviews 2 in alberta, 1 in sask, and we choose the sask one.

We just found it so much more friendly than alberta and the housing market seems more stable. Also spoke to alot of people while we were there and people who went to Alberta from Sask didnt seem to like it and were all considering moving back, the rising cost of living out way the better wages.
I am also a truck driver.

Re: Bristol to Saskatoon
 

Hello,
I can give you quite a bit of information about Saskatoon. On this website there seems to be quite a bit of generalization about "Canada" and one must keep in mind that most provinces are quite different from each other when it comes to education, taxes, health care, etc. As far as education is concerned, in Saskatoon there are two public school divisions, Catholic and a non religious division. School goes from Kindergarten to grade 8 (about age 12-13) and then grade 9-12 for highschool. There are also a few private schools within the city. Classes in Elementary schools are about 25-30 students while highschool classes can vary (although I am unsure exactly what the official numbers are). Most neighborhoods have access to both a Catholic and Public school, while there are several highschools on both the east and west side of the city. The west side of the city is also getting two new highschools this year. If you continue to research Saskatoon you will hear a lot about the "east side" and the "west side", as there is a river that divides the city into two. There is bussing available in most areas for kids to go to school, while there is a public transit system that older students can use. There is also a large, world class university in Saskatoon that draws both a number of students (20,000 undergraduates - or graduates as you call them- per year) along with a lot of research grants, which enhance the city in a number of ways.
I know that a lot of truck drivers tend to live in some of the smaller communities around Saskatoon, such as Warman, Martinsville, Asquith, Osler, etc, as many of the trucking companies are based outside of the city. These communities generally have lower living costs, although Martinsville and Warman are almost on par to Saskatoon. As far as housing costs are concerned, it depends on, of course, what part of saskatoon you live in. Although the city itself only has about 200,000 people, it is very spread apart and takes about 1/2 an hour to get across the city during the mid point of the day. The East side is generally more expensive, with a newer house around 1200 square feet costing about 250,000 - 300,000 CAD. The west side would be probably between 150-250,000. The market is VERY HOT in Saskatoon right now so it would be beneficial to find a good realestate agent.
As far as the city is concerned, I have heard foreigners describe it as a beautiful, small city. Saskatoon has probably the best shopping in Saskatchewan, we have plenty of good acts coming to our auditorium, there are plenty of community centers, swimming pools, running trails, etc. The city is well maintained and growing quite fast. Although there are probably some downsides that an insider might not see or understand that you might notice right away. The winters are quite cold and dry - make sure you invest in a humidifier. This of course, provides opportunities to go snowmobiling, skiing, sledding, ice fishing, etc. Saskatoon is very close to a variety of lakes and northern forest that is good for all sorts of activities both in the winter and summer. Many people own or rent cabins in the summer, as it is quite affordable for many families. Another downside is the healthcare system; although it is free, you should make sure your employer offers some sort of health care for your eye doctor, dentist, and prescriptions. Because the healthcare system is funded by taxes, there are a number of shortages and there are waits for some procedures, especially major surgeries (of course emergencies are a different story), MRIs, etc. There are plenty of general practicioners to care for you otherwise.
One other problem that many people consider an issue with Saskatoon (and Saskatchewan) is that our (rather large) aboriginal population is often at odds with the rest of the province on issues of tax, self government, and, as with most communities, there are some problematic areas with Saskatoon where poverty is prevalent. Although the province and municipalities are trying to deal with this, it is a long term problem, especially in aboriginal communities within cities and on reserves. Although this probably will not affect you if you live in Saskatoon, many people consider it a major issue.
Hope some of these details help. Good luck making your decision.

Re: Bristol to Saskatoon
 

Hi Melizabeez, Welcome to the forum, Thanks for all your info on Saskatoon it is really usefull to me, as we will hopefully be there on work permit later on this year.