British Expats - Halifax Nova Scotia

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- - Halifax Nova Scotia (https://britishexpats.com/forum/canada-56/halifax-nova-scotia-765972/)

Re: Halifax Nova Scotia

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Originally Posted by GregnSam (Post 10205355)

Thanks for all the replies!!!

The mrs is planning on doing a PR and Marketing course at Halifax Community College, the fees are cheaper than Toronto.

Really? What a couple of hundred cheaper?

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Why NS? Tbh we want somewhere east coast ish with good links back to the UK for when we need to visit or want people to come out to visit.

See above comment. It may be closer as the crow flies, but crows don't take passengers.

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We also have an almost 2 year old son and I will do anything in my power to escape the london education system ;)

Weird, but hardly an argument for Halifax over Toronto.

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I have read that Halifax also has a growing IT sector which is always good.

Starting from nothing, growth is easy. Toronto beats all comers for IT.

Re: Halifax Nova Scotia

A few k cheaper, about 12/13k in Toronto but only 8 in ns, even cheaper in toon but we decided that was too backwoods for us :)

Re: Halifax Nova Scotia

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Originally Posted by Lychee (Post 10205433)

I haven't been to Halifax, so I know I shouldn't be commenting, but is this a reality or a misconception? I know that there are some flights from Halifax to London, but it was my understanding that most fly Halifax-Toronto-London, so you end up spending more time in flight than if you had flown out of somewhere further west, such as Calgary or Vancouver.

There is a daily, year round AC flight, plus charter flights in season. Granted there would be more choice in routeing and carrier from Montreal, Toronto and major points west.

Re: Halifax Nova Scotia

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Originally Posted by GregnSam (Post 10205523)

A few k cheaper, about 12/13k in Toronto but only 8 in ns, even cheaper in toon but we decided that was too backwoods for us :)

$8k for a Community College course in marketing & pr? What qualification will that gain her and have you checked whether it will be useful in the Canadian employment market? $8k would fund a University degree @ Memorial in St. John's. A degree is, rightly or wrongly, a pre-requisite for many jobs in Canada. Just sayin'!

Re: Halifax Nova Scotia

yes be careful of the course chosen. Higher eductation is more important here and a degree seems to be everything

Re: Halifax Nova Scotia

Yeah, she already has a degree in Law but doesn't want to go down that route anymore.

I was really hoping that Linux Sys Ad would pop up on the job list in July but was gutted when they said it was suspended for now :(

Re: Halifax Nova Scotia

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Originally Posted by Atlantic Xpat (Post 10205739)

There is a daily, year round AC flight, plus charter flights in season. Granted there would be more choice in routeing and carrier from Montreal, Toronto and major points west.

Is there a big price difference between direct and indirect these days?

I remember looking to book flights to visit a friend in Cape Breton and just flying to Halifax from London was crazy expensive unless we wanted to travel via elsewhere. If i recall, the total travel time for the indirect flight was much longer than travelling to Vancouver :ohmy:

We didn't bother in the end.

Re: Halifax Nova Scotia

Not much difference in price, tbh we hate flying so will be happy to subsidise or pay outright for people to come visit us rather than fly back and forth ;)

Re: Halifax Nova Scotia

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Originally Posted by el_richo (Post 10206799)

Is there a big price difference between direct and indirect these days?.

No, not on AC at least. It costs me roughly the same to fly direct from YYT to LHR or via YHZ. Well, when I say "me", I mean my employer.;)

Re: Halifax Nova Scotia

Halifax is a good choice to come to. It not a big city by Toronto standards, or Vancouvers either but is does have a great feeling. Having lived here since 1974 and previously in Montreal.

There are a number of drawbacks by not owning a car. Transit outside the city limits is pretty poor. If you want to go to the beach for instance, Metro transit doesn't go there. Intercity travel is also by bus. The railway is confined pretty well to inter provincial travel.

The Province is a beautiful place to visit. Lots to do in both the summer and winter. Great beaches within a short drive of the city.

The city is not particularly biker friendly. There are some cycle paths but, for the most part, its every cyclist for himself.

The crime rate, at least by the bigger city standards, is fairly low and confined to either drugs and gangbangers or mindless petty vandalism.

Halifax does have a good night life, an excellent theatre and also a world class orchestra. Lots of eateries, cinemas etc. Shopping is good and most centers are well served by Metro transit.

With twelve universities in Nova Scotia you shouldn't find it too difficult to get a place. As someone said, tuition is more expensive than other provinces.

As to taxes, yes, we do have a problem Houston!! Personal income taxes, sales tax, property tax etc are all higher here than almost anywhere in Canada. Having said that it is still a great place to put down roots. The pace of life here can be pretty laid back.

Getting back and forth to the UK is easy as there is a scheduled flight everyday year round. In the summer there are additional choices via the charter route.

Schools can be pretty good or pretty awful. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground. You just have to ask lots of question of the folks with kids in the system.

Halifax also has some pretty crummy areas to live in as does every city. Do your homework and you won't be disappointed.