Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

Does the Pope $**t in the woods? :rofl:

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

Yes that's true Jsmth321 but it doesn't change what generally comes to mind when someone says, 'franchise business' does it? Is my take on what 'franchise business' generally indicates, reason for someone to be 'flabbergasted' because I didn't immediately think of a hotel franchise? Would my not immediately thinking of that flabbergast you?

People lose out on jobs and promotions for all kinds of reasons, some of them even very silly. But I'm not here to commiserate with people or spend time complaining about what is. I'm here to share what knowledge and experience I have with immigrants who want to know how to get ahead in Canada.

I've already wasted enough time in this thread having allowed myself to be sidetracked into meaningless argument over things like nepotism and Power engineers, etc. So let's change it up.

OK, as an immigrant the deck is stacked against you from nepotism through 'Canadian experience' to your accent just not being a Canadian accent. It's rampant, rife, everywhere. Everybody happy?

Now, what are you going to do to get the life you want? (these comments are not directed at you Jsmth321, they're directed at those complaining) Move past what you wish was and deal with what is. Because one thing is certain, complaining about what is and blaming everyone but yourself for why you are unhappy with your life, while doing nothing to change it, is going to get you nowhere.

I'm done with this thread unless someone wants to talk about something that matters.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

IME that's not true of the accent. In fact, hoi polloi moving from London to Canada experience a double benefit; here people like the accent and think it quite posh while, at the same time, the stigma what one experienced from having it vanishes.

I think it fair to say that having a novelty accent, and a nimble tongue, has been the making of me.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

Some accents carry more cache than others. Jamie Carragher would have a harder time wooing the ladies than someone like Hugh Grant.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

[QUOTE=Reeders;12292835]Yes that's true Jsmth321 but it doesn't change what generally comes to mind when someone says, 'franchise business' does it?
/QUOTE]

The only person I know here in Canada in the franchise world owns 4 franchises of a personal beauty products business (mainly for females) and he seems to be doing rather well in life. MBA educated and good at sales and entrepreneurship. He has been at it for 12 years but dealing with the sales staff and their dramas drives him up the wall.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

Oh, please stop feeding the Reeders troll. Treat him like toothache....ignore him and he'll go away.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

A while since anyone posted on this thread, this is something I am currently thinking about as the reduced annual leave could cause an issue for me.

What is the view on unpaid leave?

I was hoping that if I was to get offered the standard 10 days would I be able to negotiate a further 10 days unpaid.

Appreciate this will really fall down to the employee, job level, how much they actually want you on board.

I'm more just wondering what the likely hood of this is actually being a valid option.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

Would depend on your employer.

At some it may not be an issue and others it's difficult to even get the mandatory days your allowed let alone above that.

It will boil down to your specific employer for the most part.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

Yup, and the type of work you are involved with. I take off as many days as I like in the winter, and also cram a week or so in summer. Next year will start with all of February off, then we see how I feel after that, maybe a week in July around Canadian super bike week and probably another week in December.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

It is an issue that is making me reconsider my options, I feel like it's not fully enough to say well if I might only get 10 days then that's it I'm not going to even give it a go.

However annual leave is something I consider very important to me and couldn't imagine anything less then 4 weeks, i honestly believe that if I make the move and if after a couple of years i was only on 10-15 days with this not looking to improve anytime soon I would return to the uk.

Suppose that's just the risk for me to decide on

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

It warrants a frank discussion with any prospective employer before taking a job; not fair to waste your time or theirs. After asking what their vacation policies are, if finding them unsatisfactory it's up to you to say what you need, how you'd like to see vacation days increase with time, and allow them to respond. If they have 10 employees getting 2 or 3 weeks after years of service they aren't likely to give you 4 as soon as you're eligible for holiday pay. Once you decide what your limits are all you can do is ask. Good luck.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

Yep ................. good luck!!

it sounds from all I have read that most employers are not really open to allowing longer vacation time for some employees. Plus, you might be up against a union contract.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

I do get the impression from what I have researched is that you are in the lucky camp if you do get 3-4 weeks to start with.

I had read that 3 weeks was start to pick up and more companies offering this but I guess its all down to you and the company to negotiate that from the start.

I was hoping that 2 weeks unpaid may be a valid option but the more I read on holiday leave the more I doubt it, but again it comes down to the employer and employee being able to discuss it.

I can see this being a big problem for me as carzy as it might sound to some, but just don't want to put all the money into the move to have to return in a couple years, but as the saying goes, you'll never know unless you go!!

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

So much depends not only on the employer but his or her situation, ie; staffing levels and the nature of the job itself so that each case could be different. Some may have no problem with additional time off, and some may not be able to cover for an absent employee.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

I would defiantly have to negotiate a min 3 weeks to start with and be at least 4 weeks after 2 years, whether that be all paid or 1-2 weeks unpaid.

I could not see the overall benefit of not having the annual leave, to enjoy what I have moved for.

Coming from my current leave of 35 days all in plus flexibility to work from home, and attend appointments , emergency leave days, etc the balance for me is good in the UK.

It is what it is in canada and people obviously get on fine, but its a little behind the times, in my own personal view

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

I get 6 weeks but I've been there the longest. I don't even know what the others get, never asked. I know they get holidays.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

Due to the vacation and lack of employee rights and consumer rights, and the expensive travel. This has been key in our decision that we made last month to move back to the UK and it's without regret. We are moving back in November.

Travelling was always part of our life in the UK and it's so cheap to travel virtually anywhere in the world from the UK. It's expensive to do a Canada to Canada flight let alone anywhere else.

The consumer laws suck here, there is literally no protection when buying used vehicles, not much credit card protection on purchases when things go wrong. Employee rights also suck bereavement leave is terrible, minimum wage is low, vacation is awful, alot of jobs don't offer pensions.

I have to say Canada is ahead in terms of the quality of buildings and infrastructure than the UK. But that's simply because it's a newer country. Everything else is just far behind including climate change policies and food standards. It's not just vacation Canada is behind in alot of areas.

Can't wait to get back to England to be honest, we loved our time in Canada but it's not for us.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

How long have you been here? Do you think it will be easy to settle back in the U.K.?

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

Only 1 year. Yes I'm going back to live with my parents. I was living with them before I came to Canada. I feel the longer I stay the harder it would be to go back though. We are in the process of selling everything for the move.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

Fair enough. It's not for everybody. Hope you settle back in well. 👍😁

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

Wow. I think of Canadian houses as being temporary structures, like those in shanty towns. I certainly wouldn't say that the tract houses in areas like Mississauga (NotQEW) are constructed to anything like the quality of 1930s, or even 1950s, council houses.

Which building, if any, in Etobicoke would you would say is well designed and built to a high standard?

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

Well least you gave it a go, and decided its not for you. Thanks for the info you have supplied.

This is my biggest issue without a doubt.

I read an article the other day about Canada being the 4th worst country for family/work life balance.

Sure there is loads of articles for positives and negatives, but for me the move is to live somewhere different, explore the new land and travel places I haven't been in Canada, USA and South america, but without the annual leave and the high travel costs, I am going to struggle I think.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

If you move to, say, Toronto, you'll see Toronto. It's different than wherever you are now and, I would say, has a fortnight's worth of interesting things to see. The same would be true for other cities in Canada except that the fortnight would be a couple of months for Montreal or Quebec City due to having to come up to speed with the language, a couple of days for Vancouver and five minutes or less for most of the others.

What doesn't make sense to me is to move to Toronto and then go and visit Vancouver, or Victoria or any other Canadian city except the francophone ones and perhaps Halifax or St John's. The rest are just not very different, so it'd be like traveling from Reading to see Basildon except fantastically expensive for the fare and in terms of limited vacation days used up.

America has loads of different places to visit but it's expensive to fly there from Canada so, if exploring is the aim, I'd choose to live in Canada as close as possible to a US airport so as to be able to take a bus to it and fly from there. In this context living in Hamilton or Windsor suddenly makes sense. As far as South America goes, it's probable more practical to explore there while living in England; cheaper flights, more holidays.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

I have to say I agree with him from the point of view that my house in NS, whilst being a timber framed, covered in vinyl siding type, is so much warmer and easier to heat and keep cool than my house in England was. That was a Victorian semi that was freeeeeeeeeeeeeeezing (cant get enough emphasis on that) in the winter and damp, ugh. And it had heating and new windows, it was just cold.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

But the Victorian semi had stood for a century and is likely still there now. Even if you patch up the NS house every ten years or so when the shingles crack and blow off it's only good for fifty years or so. It seems to me that, when comparing houses that last for hundreds of years with those that last less than a lifetime, it's perverse to claim better quality for the throwaway ones.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

Hmm..I have a 120 year old house in Yarmouth NS and my guessing is it will still be standing after I'm gone...

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

Hey

I do agree that moving to one city and then traveling to other cities there isn't much point as they are pretty much the same. However arriving new to Canada I'd like to visit few other places, but I guess this could be included in a trip before settling down for work etc.

The big thing for me is travelling back out of Canada, holidays home, to the USA, agree living close to a US airport is an advantage, but then without the leave its hard to even have a decent time away.

If you have to add a bit of driving in then that eats up more leave than flying and again comes back to the lack of leave.

I was surprised that a holiday to Mexico was cheaper from the UK than from Canada (Toronto) for a couple weeks.

I really like the look and idea of Canada but the leave is not going to allow me to do the holidaying I want while over than side of the world.

There is a lot of places I want to see in the US, and actually making more sense to do it from the UK with the annual leave I have

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

Any chance of being self employed / doing contract work?

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

Self employed no, contract possible but unlikely

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

This reminds me that, while living in Toronto, the only people I knew who routinely skied in Banff flew there from Oslo. The locals settled for Tremblant as it's cheaper.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

IME contractors are less likely to be able to take time off than employees. One of the major reasons for using contractors is that they don't get sick or take holidays.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

We are in trouble then because its already 30 years old.....

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

Not really, it'll last longer than a car and that's the builder's objective.

Is it on a bus route? Are there regular trains from a station within walking distance? Can you get kebabs delivered?

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

No, no and yes :-)

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

As long as there are kebabs, the infrastructure is the equal of that in the UK.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

Agreed! And there is always the added bonus of the donair pizza with donair sauce, Maritimes style...

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

This remark reminded me of the time when we first left the UK in 1977 on the way to a post-doc job near Los Angeles. Being effectively impoverished, despite being well qualified, we took advantage of the £50 one way airfare to New York offered by Laker Airways and of a two week student rail pass on Amtrak for a bit less than that in dollars.

We travelled from NY to Washington DC, to New Orleans and then on (with a few stops) to LA.

I can't recommend any better way to enlighten a UK newbie to North America about the gobsmacking vastness of the place (and this from someone who had hitchhiked all over Europe and even in parts of North Africa in the previous 7 years or so).

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

our little house is built of wood, with vinyl siding, warm in winter and cool in summer (without air conditioning .......... and it is already over 70 years old

There are many houses all over Canada built of wood and well over 100 years old.

Another fallacy exploded!


Just like brick houses, a wood houses will last for many generations as long as it is well looked after!

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

Novocastrian reminds me .................


crossing Canada by train takes 6 days, only 1 night of which is spent in a hotel .... and is a fantastic way to understand the vastness of this country, and how small is the population.

I agree that crossing either the US or Canada by train is a great way to see either country.

Re: Canada's vacation politics
 

I wouldn't go exploding fallacies indoors in Canada, you'll be buried in a pile of sticks, drywall and plastic siding, like a trailer park after a tornado.