frankieforehead

I ask this, because recently there appears to be a lot of people wanting to move there...I find this bizarre, as I know a lot of "Nova Scotians", or as Newfies like to refer to them "Non Swimmers" have left that province for work in the oil filled provinces of BC,AB and SA.

And you can't tell me it's because you like living by the sea...I've seen the photos, and actually visited Halifax many moons ago.

Sooooo What is it? What brings you all to NS? I as well as many others would like to know...is there a fountain of eternal youth...or are there bucket loads of jobs because everyone is over here.

Share the News Guys.

nikki dreaming

Everyone in life has their preference, seems you have a bit of a chip on your shoulder about to be expats/newbies

Every area has something to offer, the west perhaps the buzz of a big high flying job, big house etc and the east I believe something to offer in terms of value for money, jobs are still there believe it or not and a family friendly environment to live in.

This is I suppose one of the great things about Canada it has something for everybody

val50

For us it was seaweed - lots of lovely, smelly seaweed in NS. Our PR application only took 8 months from start to finish when we moved there, but we did apply in France, not UK. One of the things they did keep saying to us at the PNP office was that they had to make sure people applying to go to NS weren't just going there for a short time and then heading out to other parts of Canada, as this apparently is a problem they frequently have.
If you don't have to live in Halifax, housing is pretty cheap, although you do have to be careful of those that have been standing empty for years, not to mention the one's used for harvesting certain interesting substances
Tax is pretty high though, especially when you compare it to other provinces, health care facilities are also not up to par with other areas, and, of course, it has Dalhousie University

Poppy2

And nearly all of those coming have been on recces and want to live here because of the place and not because a job dictated where they live.

What has Cochrane Alberta got? Apart from you. Whinging.

Mikey B

Haha! Good one! Friday night pre bar entertainment at its best

Homegrown

What has NS got To offer?

See www.thestar.com/business/article/458479

Despite job losses in many parts of Canada caused by the downturn in the US economy/high fuel costs, and currancy exchange rates NS has gained 6200 full time jobs in June compared with Alberta which gained 10,000 jobs and Ontario which lost 45,000. NS has a population of only 940,000 so 6200 new full time jobs is a good number. One of the reasons for the upturn in the economy in NS is that we had the rug pulled from under us 30 years ago. That's when the steel mills, coal mines, and ship building went down. All the old heavy industries. Then in the mid 90's the fishing went. The 80's and 90's were bad around here. We are now past that and looking forward. I have the sense that people are accepting the fact that we are a post industrial society and are more readily adapting to the new reality.

There has never been a net population loss in NS. Just a turnover of people.
A changing of the guard so to speak. Those who used to mine coal and work
on fishing trawlers have gone to rough it in Fort MacMurray. That's the last place in Canada where grunts can earn a good living. There is plenty of opportunity here for adaptable people with good educations and I mean good practical educations not the thousands of English Lit. majors Nova Scotia's 9 universities churn out every year. ( a job in retail anyone?)

So if you are a little older (past the whooping it up stage) and are looking for a nice place to raise a family then NS is for you. We have an excellant climate (by Canadian standards), some of the finest scenery in North America,
and ground floor opportunities for the right people. That's why a few Brits are interested in moving to NS.

Poppy2

When was the last time someone did a poll to see where the majority of regular members were living or heading towards? I must be biased, but I see a huge collection of Nova Scotian BE'ers and that says it all.

I lived in NZ for 4 years before coming here and NS has it all as far as I am concerned. We love it here and the reasons why are hard to explain, so I wont. Its home, friendly, not landlocked, temporate, close to the UK, historic and beautiful.

dbd33

I visited Halifax several times and quite liked it. However, my daughter who went to King's described it as "hicksville" and "the back of beyond" and, while there, required constant mailing of food parcels containing curry powder, nan bread, cous-cous and the like.

I suppose it's rather like Alberta in that regard. Dullsville or commendably unicultural depending on your degree of affection for the Daily Mail.

sheli0508

Is it possible to move to NS when the main wage earner works in Heavy Industry. He's an apprentice served fitter in the UK - I think he would be classed as a heavy duty mechanic in CA.

I ask the question as that is where my heart lies (visited in the 90's and ca't get it out of my system) but when we consulted with an immigration lawyer 2 year ago he kept pushing the prairie states, which just isn't for us.

Would appreciate any advice - good or not so good...

cheers,

Shelley

Judy in Calgary

Heavy duty equipment mechanics are listed amongst the Occupations under Pressure in Nova Scotia. That suggests to me that it would be feasible to get a job offer in NS and a temporary work permit that later could be upgraded to a permanent residence visa (and expedited at that). That may not have been the case a couple of years ago. I don't know whether it was or not. But, regardless of how things were then, this is how they are now. I recommend that you read the Wiki section of this website. There's a link to it in my signature, below.
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sheli0508

Thanks Judy.

I've had a look and it is in demand but when I search for jobs there don't appear to be any out there. I think we just need to now save to come out and hopefully get him to meet with potential employers.

Thanks again,

Shelley

Judy in Calgary

Job Bank is advertising a job for a tractor mechanic (truck and trailer). The employer is Fitzmorris Fleet Maintenance Limited in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The advertisement specifically states that it's NOC [National Occupational Classification] 7312, which is the code number for Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics.

I have never set foot in Nova Scotia. I found the job by going to the Wiki article called Finding Job Opportunities-Canada and taking a wild stab. Please read that article. And please understand that Canada has a large hidden job market. You have to find out where the jobs are by networking. The first step in networking is phoning people. Yes, it's a good thing to do a recce trip, but that can come later, when you have built up your network by phoning. The phone is much cheaper than a plane.

Please see the discussion thread entitled Job Hunting - internet vs in person to understand what I'm going on about.
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Caimas

Hi everyone

Just a quick question (and I would appreciate your thoughts on this Judy, if you don't mind).

My husband (a finishing carpenter by trade) has been offered a job in Vancouver. However, Nova Scotia is where we feel drawn to and I am wondering if anyone has experience of obtaining a WP in NS for a job not on the OUP list? I know that getting on the 'phone to these companies to gauge the situation for ourselves will be a logical next step but before we do, wondered what other's experience was?

My OH is wondering if he can work in BC on a WP and then move over to NS & look for work. I understand that his permit will expire with his employment but his rationale is that, might be easier to obtain work in NS (in a not-so-buoyant employment market) with some Canadian work experience. There appears to be a considerable work available even 'on the surface' for carpenters in NS, so I think a few 'phonecalls to prospective employers might enlighten us further.

Before we do, any thoughts anyone?

Jo-Anne

(p.s I know of one family who have done something similiar but would like to find out if there are others).

One last thing. Should this post be moved to the immigration forum and how do I go about moving it? - sorry!

AmyDavid

We did this Jo-Anne - not purposely, but we started in BC and ended up here in NS.

In my opinion, if you came here and visitied a few carpentry companies your OH would find work.

Am not sure if Carpenters are unionised here in NS like my OH's occupation is. That worked out great for us because the job doesn't have to be advertised to get your LMO - word from the union that they have no Canadian's to fill the positions is enough.

Homegrown

dbd33 mentioned that her daughter who went to King's College did not like Halifax. Nobody in their early 20's likes Halifax unless they're born and raised here and even many of them want to get out. It's normal for young people fresh out of school to want to move to a large exciting city. I did it myself
and moved back when I was old enough to appreciate Halifax for what it is.

We make no pretentions about NS being the cosmopolitan centre of the universe. As I stated in my earlier posting NS is a great place to live for those
who are past the whooping it up stage of their lives. If you are past 30, have kids and want to own a property that requires a lawnmower then this place is for you. For those looking to climb the corporate ladder or live in a large
multi-cultural city then Toronto, Calgary, or Vancouver is the place. For those who want to rough it on the frontier try Northern Alberta. Nova Scotia and similar places like Eastern Ontario and New Brunswick are just fine for those of us who have been there, done that, and bought the tee-shirt.
If you are of a right mind you can have a good life here.

BTW - It's Saturday morning, sunny, the expected high temp. today is 28 degrees and were're headed for a beach which is about 20 minutes away from our location in Dartmouth. (across the harbour from Halifax) "Oh did I mention I have to paint my sundeck first?" Mowed the lawn last night.