TheStennings

I have to say we applied a year and a half ago and although my wife isn't as keen as me I want to go out there not only for what I perceive 'a better way of life' but for the kids education and for a better future for them.

I know there is good and bad in both places but i just felt that my kids (10+13) have a better chance away from 'chavs', the dam yobs and the binge drinking !

manghams

Thats our aim too; so far so good

rae

Started the new term last sept. has had ups and downs, mainly up to be fair.

Pompeygirl

Oh me too! I dont have a problem talking to anyone!
Everyone over here is so friendly!
Yes some of the Brits can still be a bit "British!" and seem to want to compare what size house and car you have etc!
The Canadians are a lot more laid back, and very sociable!

Wendy E

Been here (Niagara Region) for 2 years. Came for kids sake (now ages 7 and 9) and have never looked back. Kids both doing well at school and are happier with the sportier life. Older one was very ahead when we got here as she started school earlier in the UK so they let her skip a grade.
My social life was forged for me by my son who took to Soccer and Ice Hockey in a big way. Have found people very friendly and easy to get to know.
Winters do drag on but the summers make up for it. Have strong doubts about the economic future of Britain. I'm glad I got my pensions out.

derryck

Last night, I saw a rather disturbing programme on BBC world, called "Broken Britain" - let me pre-qualify my comments by saying that I consider the BBC to be a bit alarmist about a lot of things - anyway, it was about Wythenshawe, a suburb? of Manchester - and it painted just a frightening/despairing scene about the prospects for the young ones growing up. Drugs, stabbings, etc.

http://www.bbcworld.com/Pages/Progra...&FeatureID=607

rae

thats where i used to work and believe me when i say that comparing the kids there to the kids i deal with now is like chalk and cheese, and i now police the so called worse part of edmonton with a similar knife and gang culture, Millwoods, referred to as Killwoods by its residents at a recent community meeting. they do not know they are born.
no one ever called me sir in Wythenshawe, got a sir and a thank you after i handed a $500 fine to a 17yr old for fighting in public yesterday, the mere fact that i could give him a ticket and he actually took it from me is astonishing, in the shire, i would not even have bothered as i know this would just be the precursor for a fight.

rae

any idea if i could watch this online, cannot seem to find a link? ta

Biiiiink

It was a Newsnight series of pieces I think - http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/new...t=true&bbcws=2

derryck

I doubt it - if it was ever a Panorama programme, you might be able to see them on the Panorama web site. Otherwise - we'll have to chat. I recorded it on my PC, but it is all of 700MB.

derryck

You truly are a star. I am not saying this because you are also a moderator...

I had not realised that it was part of a series... Now, I am not sure if I want to see the rest of them... ;-(

rae

ta, just watched it, if anything it was under reported, shame she could not get more of the kids to talk to her, you had a brief glimpse there from what he said of what it is really like.

rooney2603

[QUOTE=britsnake;5872832]I was speaking this week with a canadian friend on this very subject and it seems that location is the key. There are parts of canada were there are schools where there are security guards and knives and guns and kids getting shot and stabbed occassionally. I was advised to stay clear of those areas.

What areas are these???

Surrey Expat

[QUOTE=rooney2603;5922939] Some schools have their problems, but have never heard of anything like this in all the years we've lived in Canada. This sounds more like some US schools than Canadian.

derryck

[QUOTE=Surrey Expat;5922986] I's say that both of you are not far off the truth... Toronto has some school violence issues, but I think that it is fair (and quite American) to say, "location, location, location".

Check out some of these links - for a bit more of a background on this issue
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/b...ce-report.aspx
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/b...ol-safety.aspx
http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_18438.aspx
http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_18787.aspx
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/20...04368-sun.html

For me, most of the insight comes from the reactions/responses of the kids to any such incident - are they "shocked" or "indifferent" to the incident? Sometimes, the media's response is also telling -

I think that school violence is here to stay - I am not "alright jack", but I am not concerned about the school that my kids are in - it is just a regular school - in a regular suburb in Durham. If I lived in the Jane and Finch area of Toronto, I might not say the same thing. Toronto is probably the worst in the school violence statistics - and (just parts of it - occasionally) so we're talking about a small number of schools in a city that has 6% (or so) of Canada's population...