Eastern Canada....
 

So.... incase we do not make it all the way back to the UK after all and decide to try out the East Coast of Canada first ;) ....can anyone give us the lowdown on living in any of the Eastern provinces please ?

Newfoundland, NS, PEI or New Bruswick all sound intriguing.....

.....I guess the first question to ask is how easy is it to get jobs doing things like Project Management/Arts Admin and Car Sales or to work as a Musician?

It sure looks like housing is a hec of a lot cheaper than in Alberta now....is this still true ?

Any feedback on the relative merits of all these places and towns you'd recommend where one could find work (we aren't fishermen material !) would be greatly appreciated....we're just beginning our research on this one.

Squidlet :)

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

Hi, Atlantic Canada as a whole is having to re-invent itself -

It mainly employs persons in these industries -

Fishing, Timber, Oil refinement and in the summer months Tourism.

Atlantic Canadians are extremely friendly and aware of World issues (in comparison to US persons).

At present Alberta draws many persons westward - almost like a 19th century wagons west mad rush - Alberta`s economy has been boyd-up by the discovery of crude in sand deposits.

Consequently, a lot of homes in Atlantic Canada are empty - and it is a "buyers" market - in the west of Canada, it`s a "seller`s" market.

At present - the Atlantic Provincial Governments all run great Nominee Programmes for Immigrants to here.

Check them all out.

My wife and I came here - to NB - stating we would enter the tourism industry - we bought a house and it is a licensed B&B.

We also go out to P/T work - so we are set up here nicely!

We DO NOT regret coming here - although I will point out - a lot of our friends do live an almost "hand to mouth" existence, which is not terrible I know - but Canada is NOT the "Shangrala" - that it first appears to be!!!

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

Hi,
Are things really that bad for people in the area- ' hand to mouth existence'?
Why don't those people come up with solutions for their problems? Noone can possibly enjoy living like that!

Louise

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

If you do some research on Atlantic Canada, you will find that traditionally the eastern provinces were sustained quite nicely on the fisheries and logging. With the decline of the fish stocks in the Atlantic, a good number of those whose livelyhood depended on the seas is gone or very near gone. When there are no fish to catch, there are no jobs for fishermen. No fish no jobs for the women who worked in the canneries. Same with logging. Where things were done my men with saws, now machinery does a great deal of the work.
The people of the east coast (vast generalization here) are not as interested in the same things as those in western Canada. They are not as materialistic in there wants and needs. You see very few people in St. John's or Moncton driving around in a Lexus SUV. Not because they can't afford it, but because they don't care. The "hand to mouth" existance that steve of 5-0 wrote about is in fact not a terrible thing to have. For the most part the 'down homers' are happy, friendly people who would give the shirt off their backs to anyone in need. And yes, a lot of them do in fact enjoy living like that.
I think you would find a huge difference in the people from Alberta and the people from anywhere east of Quebec City.

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

Hi there, here's a good website about PEI immigration including jobs:
http://www.gov.pe.ca/immigration/
That's where we are very much looking forward to living!

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

Hi Squidlet
Well it sounds by your posting you are already in Canada. The east coast of Canada is a great place to live, very friendly people, moderate climate...close to the sea all around! The winters are great, damper than Alberta. Quite a few have chosen NS or PEI as there place to immigrate to. I have been here years and have lived in several other province but much prefer NS. You must remember it is smaller than the rest of Canada and doesn't have the population so you may have to look for the job you want or start your own. Not everyone is a fisherman! Check out the job site for NS or PEI.

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

Hand to mouth!!!!
Empty houses!!!

What can I say to that without being rude?

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

We are hoping to make the move to NB.
We have made friends out there who are NB born and bred. One is a lift and Fairground ride inspector (works for the govenment). Both his sons work in IT and his married daughter is going back to school to study accountancy. Another friend works in a call centre. Yet another has his own mechanics (mending cars) business and buys and does up houses to sell along with his wife as well.

I know very few people there but none of them are fishermen or loggers, but they all make a living.
People so often make sweeping generlisations about the Atlantic provinces, but they are definately worth a look.

Penny

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

Why not NB? Why does everybody ignoor it? :p

There are quite a few of us on this forum either there already or heading in that direction.

Penny

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

Hi Dotnron,
Thanks for clearing that up. I thought 'hand to mouth' existence was not knowing whether or not you and your family were going to eat tomorrow- poverty stricken. Pardon my ignorance. I need to come to Canada quickly! Oh, by the way, would you recommend the atlantic provinces? We are seriously thinking about settling there. We are both teachers.

Louise

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

Penny, sorry I missed the NB off.....I love New Brunswick and done alot of travelling there and would live there if I had to....it is a great place. I happen to think that the whole Atlantic Provinces are wonderful places to settle and call home, and if you can use a little brain power and some perserverance and I am sure most will find jobs or start their own. People are friendly.

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

I have lived in Canada all my life and have lots of family in the maritimes. I have visited New Brunswick too many times to count and can honestly say that if we weren't moving to Australia then it would be either NB or PEI for us. If relaxed lifestyle and friendly people are what you are after, then yes I would recommend the east coast. There is so much to do down east. In the winter there is snowmobiles and cross country skiing, etc. In the summer there are festivals and countless beaches along the coast. Mind, the water is pretty cold, but when we were there last we walked along the PEI shore for hours every day. If you get a chance to, drive up the NB coast to the Gaspe region of Quebec. Some of the most beautiful scenery in Canada is there. Not a great deal of English spoken, but if you can read a little french, you should be fine. My husband and kids don't speak a word of french, and when we stayed there last they were fine. Mind you, I was usually there to translate!

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

Thank you so much for all your advice so far everyone, the Atlantic provinces really sound fabulous and fascinating....we came to AB for a specific reason which does not apply so much anymore so we are free to head more in a direction that would suit us and everything you are saying makes us both think we would fit over there better than here.....

One way we have created a bit of income here is to take in foreign lodgers who are over here learning English (from Japan and Korea)...do you think this kind of opportunity exists in the Eastern provinces? Do you have a lot of EFL/ESL schools ?

Is there much of an artistic/music community in any particular town/city? Do you have Music festivals in the summer ? I am just sounding out the kinds of things that go on that would work with our skills....my husband is a rock n roll musician (not a fiddler, sorry I don't even know who Anne Murray is, someone mentioned her on another Post !)...

Do many people run Youth Hostels ? I am amazed at the prices of land and houses over there, it seems like it would be fairly easy to buy an 11 bedroom building (for us it would be with a biggish mortgage as we haven't made a lot over here in AB !) and then seasonally stuff it with visitors to help pay for it ! Am I living in dreamsville ?

Thanks folks, your replies have been really hepful to us.

Squidlet :)

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

I tell it like it is - compared to the great nanny state of the UK.

People need to be made aware that life here is wonderful - but NOT cushy!

To those who have yet to arrive -

Canada is a country where - persons and companies donate products to small town charity stores - people in a community register and are means tested - those who pass can enter and feed and cloth their family for free.

Just want people to know the things that go on here, that`s all.

It is a very friendly place to live, but to stand tall, you have to do it for yourself - more so then in the UK!

Canada may be (according to the UN) the best place to live, but the line between poverty and self sustaining - is more easily found/seen here, then in the UK.

Again, my wife and I are happy we are here - to all the newbies on the way!

It is very much a case of "Buyer Beware!"

If your plans to settle in Canada, involve immediately going into debt - then if you are outside a provincial capital city - RUN YA FINANCES WITH GREAT CAUTION - as the economy is very, very fluid!!!!

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

Sorry wasn't having a go, but sometimes it seems like the land that time forgot.

Thank you for your response. :D

Penny

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

Sorry for my ignorance but is Labrador an Eastern Province or one of the Maritimes ? I don't hear it getting a mention...whats is like ? Anyone live there ?

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

Labrador is a large chunk of mainland Canada that forms part of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It's sparsely poplulated and the most exciting thing about it is that planes to/from Europe fly over it.

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

Squidlet,

I can give you the gen on Newfoundland. Others can better comment re. PEI/NS/NB. I've visited all three, would love to live on PEI but little industry and can see us living in NS (Halifax area) at some point in the future.

Anyway, Newfoundland. Beautiful, wild, windy, isolated (even more after Sept4th when AC stop flying LHR/St Johns), deprived, dynamic, booming, collapsing, lots of snow, fantastic seascapes at every turn, excellent sailing, best ski resort in Atlantic Canada, St John's has more bars per capita than anywhere else in North America, highest provincial taxation of any province, and the best people in Canada. (I'm married to one.) As I've said before the rum is dark, the people are friendly and they have a town called Dildo. What more can you ask for?

Some more helpful information....

St John's and the Northeast Avalon area are booming with over 50% of the population of the island living here. (thats only 250k people). Largely due to oil and gas offshore but with a burgeoning marine tech sector, a bit of manufacturing, conventions and conferences, call centres & Memorial University. Rest of Newfoundland, pretty much in crisis. Fishery is in dire straits. Overfishing (not simply by Newfoundlanders, its way more complex than that), high fuel, low prices for shrimp & crab (staple fishery) and intense competition from lower cost processing countries. As the fishery goes so does rural Newfoundland. Outmigration, especially to Alberta is rife. Its a big deal here on the news nightly although truth to tell its the same thing that is happening in other rural areas all over the world. People move to where the work is.

Rural Newfoundland is beautiful and tourism is an increasingly important industry. (and still very much untapped IMHO). Opportunities to run a hostel or B&B? Sure, but reall need to be linked to popular place such as Trinity or the East Coast trail (world class hiking trails), whalewatching etc etc.

Cheap Housing? For sure compared to the rest of Canada but prices in the St John's area are on the up and have been for a while. Subdivision surburbia can be had from $160k upwards, downtown victorian places from $100 to $500k and 3-4beds in an acre anywhere from $250k upwards. Outside the Avalon apart from hotspots like Humber Valley & Trinity you can pick up houses for $20k upwards. For $20k you get an older house in a dwindling community some hours from St Johns with few services around.

Job opportunities? Yes absolutely in St Johns. Its a small job market, who you know and time served are important BUT if you can bring in skills that are not widely available locally you can do well. In 18mths I've worked in the Fish business at a senior mgmt level and now am back in manufacturing. Getting a job as a car salesman should be possible (2 dealers advertising in this weekends paper) but its a tough life of 100% commission. Arts admin? Well St John's has a well established arts/music/theatre scene so yes opportunitites exist I'd say but of course pay is probably crap. If you are a musician then most bars downtown have live music pretty much any night of the week. However you need to be in the folk/celtic genre to really succeed here!

Hopefully this thumbnail sketch is of some help. If you need more drop me a PM.

AX

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

And the fact that it contains vast deposits of Iron Ore & other minerals and more importantly the potential for xty million gigawatts of hydro power from the lower churchill river. The Upper churchill project already generates yty gigawatts but due to a spectacularly badly negotiated deal by the govt of the day, Quebec Hydro makes millions on the deal whilst Newfoundland and Labrador doesnt.

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

In St John's you'll see quite a few Lexus SUV's and the people driving them very much do care. As a sign of the times last weeks paper sought expressions of interest in opening a BMW dealership. (Something heretofore NL has survived without). Its that black gold baby.

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

Thanks very much for all your info Atlantic, I am not sure how to PM yet as I am relatively new here....will get back once I have figured it out.

Squidlet

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

Click on my username in one of my posts and you get a drop down menu. Select 'send private message' and Bobs your mothers brother. ;)

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

Sorry for my mis-speak (is that a word?). Last time I was in St. John's was a few years ago. But, I have to say the Newfies are probably the friendliest people anywhere on earth. To give you an example, I belong to a committee that meets once a year in a different city across Canada. In 2000 we were in Ottawa and in 2001 St. John's. In Ottawa, my friend and I ran into a guy from St. John's who we had only ever met before in passing. As a joke, we said we would have to come to his house for a cod supper when we got down there for the confrence. Of course he said sure; see you then. The next year at the conference in St. John's he found us and gave us a royal tongue lashing for not getting in touch so we could come for the dinner he had promised! Wonderful people and fantastic scenery.

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

Here's another useful website about jobs on PEI with links to the PEI job bank where you can search for vacant posts and links to some of the major employers too, you can e-mail a CV to many of them.

http://www.peiinfo.com/pei_jobs.php

This one for government and health jobs:

www.gov.pe.ca/jobs/

and one that covers all the maritimes:

www.careerbeacon.com/

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

This one is a PEI chat board where the locals will usually help with advice and you could ask specifically about the type of work you are looking for and also find out a bit more about the island.

http://www.peiinfo.com/forums/index.php

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

About 1% of global reserves, actually. And I can't find myself getting terribly excited about haematite/magnetite.

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

Thanks a lot for all the useful info folks.....

I know it may sound far-fetched but when we got out the maps the one thing that kinda stares me in the face is how uncomfortably close that whole area is to New York, a place an awful lot of people seem to want to nuke these days !! Do concerns like that ever bother anyone over your way ? :o

We also wondered how come rich Americans haven't bought the beautiful NS coastline up with their holiday homes ?

On the topic of buying homes.....a few of you mentioned hoards of people leaving for jobs out West...do you have a sense of whether the economy over there in the East will look up in some way ? Just wondering if one buys a house there and then needs to move on if one might find oneself stuck...

Many thanks everyone, its very interesting to hear what you all have to say.

:)

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

Oh for gawd sake are you serious? Even NS/NB is what 1000kms from New York. Safe from any fallout I'd say. (As any nuclear attack is likely to be a small suitcase IED not a 2 megaton nuke) Are you really so paranoid that you are scared to live that close to the US? If so most of Canada is probably not for you given that 80% or so of the population lives within a few hundred Kms of the US border. Iqualuit should be good and safe though except when they start fighting over the Arctic resource.

They are doing so. (Leastways in NL). So are 'rich' Brits, Germans and even Canadians.

Well put it this way, when the Alberta boom turns into bust.............. ;) IMHO property growth in Eastern Canada is more gradual and hopefully sustainable in the longer term.

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

Beat me to it. I don't think anyone has yet developed nukes with a 500-mile blast radius.

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

[QUOTE=Atlantic Xpat]Oh for gawd sake are you serious? Even NS/NB is what 1000kms from New York. Safe from any fallout I'd say. (As any nuclear attack is likely to be a small suitcase IED not a 2 megaton nuke) Are you really so paranoid that you are scared to live that close to the US? If so most of Canada is probably not for you given that 80% or so of the population lives within a few hundred Kms of the US border. Iqualuit should be good and safe though except when they start fighting over the Arctic resource.


No we aren't that paranoid, it was just something we noticed and we wondered if it was a topic of conversation out your way.....seems like not eh ?!

Anyways thanks for the advice so far and the links you sent Bethan, I will chek them out... :)

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

A mate of mine has a little plane. He can't really afford to run it so he racks up the required hours by ferrying people from Boston to their weekend homes in NS. If you search real estate sites for NS, you'll find prices in Euros and USD; that's not for Canadians.

The real excitement in Ladrador is the bugs. I've been there berry picking, we all wore suits like they have for toxic waste disposal. There's also some hunting and fishing but that's no fun in one of those suits.

Re: Eastern Canada....
 

Squidlet.........I think after reading the above...you should stay in alberta....I have never ever considered how close Nova Scotia is to New York.........New York is a beautiful city so why would I care....come on now get real!
As for the Americans coming up and buying lots of property.....well they do! We also had an influx of Germans that bought everything and that raised the property prices for the locals. Have look at the property prices on the mls web site...and look on the South Shore...loads of expensive property there!
It really depends on why you want to move here......why do you want to move to the East coast?