And both those particular issues are usually fixed by the passage of time. Come back in a year or two and see if those are still a problem

Oh no Sinurt. Don't say this. Up until now you've been so positive about your move and you and many others have been a source of optimism for my wife and I.. We are both considering Fredericton so seriously. I'm sure that your experiences are just unfortunate and don't reflect the general situation.

I do know that Canada is experiencing doctor shortages, etc, but I've also read that the awareness is there and things are in motion to improve the situation. At the end of the day long waiting times exist in the UK too although it is a post code lottery. One other thing to remember is that the UK is sliding fast economically due to mortgage issues and soaring prices of natural resources such as oil/gas. On top of this, we're a country with little natural resources and are only going to be more and more dependant on countries like Canada to supply us and at what cost as our resources dry up. The points being, a) Will our own health system have adequate funds in the future to increase numbers of doctors and reduce waiting times? b) Will the pot of doctors we do have want to jump ship leaving a shortage here and fly off to countries like Canada where the future is a lot brighter even if things aren't so hot there at the moment.

As for your husband's job....I think who you know applies to most countries and regions. It's a sad fact. I'm sure that once he gets a foot hold and proves himself, he'll be on the up. What about retraining for jobs that are perhaps more prevalent and rewarding that are in the Fredericton area?

I think you’ve got to look at the overall picture and weigh up the pros and cons of your emigration. You’ll probably find that no country is perfect, but I’m sure that you cannot do much better than making a life for yourself in Canada. However, at the end of the day it is down to overall personal happiness and from what I’ve read you seem to have that. Don’t let one or two things cloud your judgement…..easy for me to say I guess, but it is an unbiased statement.

Anyway, good luck and don't give in too quickly. Give it a good go before jumping out of the frying pan and back into the fire. We're really hoping you're still there by the time we make it over.

Employers certainly vary. At my office, a snow day means most people work from home.

Where the OH works, public sector so a very soft employer, they go by the schools. If the school buses are not running due to weather then not going in won't get you in trouble but you have to make up the time, if the schools are closed then no one is expected to go in. If the schools are open but the roads are closed confusion reigns.

Thanks for your post welshmountie I am hoping we may have the doctor problem sorted, it means travelling a bit outside the city but hey at least it's a start. As you (and everyone else) said I think it will just take time for my husband to move onto a better job. As he is on an open spouse visa though he is not allowed to study but that's maybe something to consider once we have got PR.
Everything else about here is brilliant though, the weather has been superb and we have made so many great friends that we really do feel at home here so we won't be jumping ship just yet, and besides we need to get you and your wife along to one of the pub nights