Canada over OZ
 

Most ex pats who have gone to the land of boomerangs and kangaroos think we all live like Eskimos huddled in igloos for 6 months of the year and are nuts for moving to Canada.

Curious to know why those on here chose Canada over OZ or what is driving one to chose one over the other.

Re: Canada over OZ
 

I thought Australia was a long way away and that, if it was horrible, there was a danger of not being able to afford the airfare back.

Re: Canada over OZ
 

East Coast Canada is 7hrs away from the UK and about $600.
Australia is 20hrs away and double the price.

And I don't like sport.

Re: Canada over OZ
 

My Fiance and I both have family over there and have always had a draw to that part of the world.

OH got a job offer in Oz but we didn't go as we thought it was too far from the UK and we only knoew 1 person!

Re: Canada over OZ
 

oz is too far away, the pay for me is less, and I like snow. They have Christmas in the SUMMER!!!!!

The idea of being able to travel easily to the USA Carribean and South America also appeals. Also I will be earning considerably more in BC if I can get through all the hoops they have put before me.

Anyway shhh... dont let everyone know about Canada!!!!:blink:

Re: Canada over OZ
 

Yep - and they live constantly in 40 degrees, it never rains and all they do is BBQ on the beach. Oh, and spiders and snakes are hiding around every corner.

Give me igloos over desert. ;)

Re: Canada over OZ
 

I love this forum. :D

I lived in Oz for 4 years and didn't like it.

Didn't like the heat. At all. It's just as difficult as cold imo. But, I'm in BC which is temperate. I MUCH prefer the weather here. I don't know if many people realise that not all of Canada is snow bound? I certainly didn't before I moved here.

Constantly having to worry about getting burnt/skin cancer gets old after a while too (australia).

Don't like sport or AFL. Didn't like that during the weekends, that was the only thing on TV.

Didn't like the culture (Melbourne) or the people. I tried. I really did. But no. The men! argh. Found there was a lot more aggro between ethnic groups there than I have so far witnessed in BC. I suspect heat makes people more angry? Dunno.

I like being closer to Europe.

I'm not too far from NZ

I like being close to the US/Americas

OH came to visit me in Melbourne a few times before we decided on Vancouver. He also didn't like it at all (he's Canadian). Neither of us have any desire to move or travel there again, unless we have to for family.

I really love BC. For us, it's great. I like the climate, the people (mostly), the diversity, I think there's way more opportunities here than in Oz in our industry, etc. etc.

I miss the big-city-ness of Melbourne but now I'm into the 'couve way of doing things I don't think I could go back. I like the west coast culture, I guess.

To me, it's a no-brainer.

Re: Canada over OZ
 

Yep - and In Canada they live constantly under -20 degress , the sun never comes out and all they do is play ice hockey on fozen lakes, Oh, and the grizzly bears and Polar bears are hiding around every corner

Give me desert over igloos.

Re: Canada over OZ
 

I'm not sure - but I don't think you took the 'tongue firmly in the cheek' sentiment out of what I wrote - which was in response to the "6 months of Canada and everyone lives in Igloos" of the previous post. All stereotypes are, of course, completely true :D

Re: Canada over OZ
 

Pretty much the same for me. I've never been to OZ so will refrain from talking about what i know nothing of.

Pay for me was a major deciding point, but pay of course varies from industry to industry or its simply not important to some people. Location also - way to far from the rest of the world. I've lived in a warmer climate before (Miami) and funnily enough weather was not a real deciding point. Although on a run of wet weather in Vancouver i sometimes pine for warmer climes. A quick get-a-way to Vegas usually cures that.

Re: Canada over OZ
 

Don't forget the mounties patrolling the streets on horse back in red serge. :thumbsup:

Re: Canada over OZ
 

...and polar bears wandering the street picking fights with the grizzlies, coyotes and wolves circling waiting to eat the losers remains. :sneaky::p

Re: Canada over OZ
 

Did the backpacking thing in Oz in my younger days but didn't like it much. Found the people to be rude and very unhelpful, really felt like they didn't want you there. Also it's just too far. The beach lifestyle appeals to my OH but not to me, we lived in Cyprus for 3 years and believe me going to the beach everyday gets slightly boring. I've travelled a lot and many people that I have spoken to have said that Canada is the best country that they have been to (even the Canadians said it ha ha) so we will be able to decide for ourselves once we are on our recce:thumbsup:

Re: Canada over OZ
 

Don't forget the Wooly Pythons and Flying Tundra Sharks

Re: Canada over OZ
 

Oh yes and the Ice Weasels.:eek:

Re: Canada over OZ
 

or the Sabre Tooth Squirrels

Re: Canada over OZ
 

Too far, too expensive (to traval back), too hot, too may bugs and their santa has to wear short and t-shirts how weird!!

Re: Canada over OZ
 

Santa in shorts is so not right :rofl: Good luck with your move pinkkristen :)

Re: Canada over OZ
 

Many more Brits choose to immigrate to OZ over Canada , if Canada was a better country to live in then would'nt more Brits immigrate there then OZ?

Re: Canada over OZ
 

Tee hee, i so know, where in yorkshire are you and where in canada are you dreaming of being :)???

Re: Canada over OZ
 

I think people get scared of winter rather than embrace the 4 proper seasons and the fact that life constantly changes around you. It keeps you on your toes and provides variance to the lifestyle. Some like it and some don't, to each their own. Embracing winter does require removing ones arse from the couch and not being monotonous. I like the fact that the seasons change in greater detail for me here. The rules of Darwin apply, if you don't adapt you will be left behind and likely unhappy for 2 to 5 months of the year depending on where in Canada you live. Personally I stare down winter and scream bring it on! :cool:

Oz seems to have a notion of a paradise in the sun and I think is more compatible with the UK in terms of sport (cricket rugby) and media while Canada is more North American with a mix of winter and summer. I also think the OZ government has a better immigration system at the moment.

Both countries as well as the UK are great places and none deserve to be slagged off. It ticks me off when people do that.:frown:

Re: Canada over OZ
 

We did consider Australia, but with my Mother being Canadian, and Dad getting a job here that sort of clinched it........:)

And yes I'm not crazy about the cold but at least it is a dryer cold that England.

Re: Canada over OZ
 

good friend moved to oz (married a ozzie) got bitten by a brown snake in garden. survived though.
give me tornadoes, floods and mozzies in manitoba.:p

Re: Canada over OZ
 

My BIL and family live in Tasmania, they love it....they have snakes and huge spiders tho'....i'll take the snow any day thank you very much, spiders can't live for long at -20;)

Re: Canada over OZ
 

They have the most poisons snakes of any where in the world.

Re: Canada over OZ
 

In Tasmania?

Unless you're in the bush I doubt you'd see snakes or spiders much. In Canada there are some pretty dangerous spiders as well, such as a the black widow.

Re: Canada over OZ
 

They live in Hobart, and yes...they have spiders, the kids think it's amusing to send me pictures:sneaky:

Re: Canada over OZ
 

More people die from bee and wasp stings in the UK each year then people die in OZ from snake bites every year. Only around 2 people a year die from snake bites in OZ and mostly because they picked up or tried to kill the snake,.Regarding spiders no one had died from a spider bite in OZ in 30 years.
Yes OZ has animals that can kill people but so Canada. The USA has rattle snakes, venomous spiders, mountain lions, bears and sharks that kill people all the time.

Re: Canada over OZ
 

The whole sea, surf and sand thing does get old quick. After 4 years in Miami I swear to god it was years before i hung out on the beach again and when I did, in vancouver (which has beautiful beaches) i got more sun burnt than anywhere i'd ever been before!

Don't get me wrong I prefer sunny/warm weather, just think there is more to moving to a place that the weather alone. Again, as is invariably the case on here, perception and personal preferences take precedent.

Re: Canada over OZ
 

True. You should n't feel the need to defend oz. Each to his own. I imagine oz is a great place to call home. My brother lived there for a year and loved it. A little too far removed from the rest of the world for me. I had an idea that i might try it some time back, but i would have been losing too much. Had i been younger and not as established I may have given it a go. Vancouver has been a great fit for me.

This thread was never intended to put down OZ but more to demonstrate that making a decision to move somewhere is more involved than how sunny a place is. But each to his own. Canada is not perfect either.

I've found as you get older being closer to the UK becomes more of an issue as your folks get older etc. I left 20 years ago and did n;t care until the last few years really. I've had so many relatives die in the last couple of years and nieces/nephews born it makes you realize what's important. Life stages play into your decision as well.

Re: Canada over OZ
 

Did I tell you the story about the polar bears coming into our backyard in the spring in manitoba looking for food. They became so tame, we had them eating out of our hands, and one of them became our pet......:p

Re: Canada over OZ
 

All the time - is canada really still considered the wild wild west.....

Re: Canada over OZ
 

Oz was never in the running for me, I like more temperate climes and the mountain scenery - New Zealand was seriously considered but accessibility (distance and cost) and a much smaller employment market were not in it's favor at the time.

'Better': undoubtedly Australia is the better choice for a lot of people; Canada is the better choice for another, different, lot of people. There are lots of factors that influence numbers headed to different countries.

In Australia's case I'd venture that those factors include a) the higher visibility of Australian culture in the UK and the representation of Australian lifestyle in the media, b) better marketing and c) the relative merits /costs of that country's emigration process compared to other destinations.

Re: Canada over OZ
 

I lived in Hobart for quite a few years, only encountered the usual small spiders I saw in North America (dandy long legs and such) though I lived in the city and around Sandy bay. I'm not sure how far away from the city your family lived.

So you can go for years (and I did) without encountering a single (large) spider. Might not be the case in NSW or QLD though. I saw quite a few big ones there.

Re: Canada over OZ
 

I think also its a lot easier to get recognition for UK credentials. Canada is a bit backwards in that regard.

Re: Canada over OZ
 

I do have to agree though Australia is far from the Western world.

To say it's far from everything isn't true (unless you define North America/Europe as everything), there are some really cheap flights to Hawaii and Asia. But distance to UK/North America is pretty big.

Re: Canada over OZ
 

I don't think it's backwards - they can easily recognise your qualifications. Canada is just more protectionistic.

A lot of paperwork/hoops is involved especially in some professions to get recognised in Canada.

Re: Canada over OZ
 

Nail, head.

Lots of Kiwis emigrate to Oz too, but that's largely to do with how accessible it is imo. If they could be automatic PR's the moment they arrived in Canada, a lot would move here too. And it's not too far from 'ome. It's quite a process to get here so I'm sure that puts a lot of people off. Which is fair enough.

Anyway. I still have a soft spot for Oz. I didn't HATE it, it just really wasn't for me. Knowing what I know now I'd say there are definitely places that are right for you and places that aren't and it's not always 'you' not getting it or whatever, sometimes a place is just wrong.

Inspite of the culture shock of Canada I knew very quickly that I loved it.

Re: Canada over OZ
 

Yep, i meant Europe/North America. Been to Asia and Indonesia - not likely to go again - been there done that.

Re: Canada over OZ
 

Living here, I def. feel NZ & OZ are more isolated and there is less choice in terms of close (5 hours flight) destinations. I mean, it's around 9 hours flight to Hong Kong from melbourne. That's not a short flight. Where can you get in 5 hours? Oh...parts of Australia. Fiji, maybe. NZ. Your options are pretty limited.