Snort

Hello first things first replys to this thread have been mostly negative,let me see if I can turn the opinion around a little.

We lived in Goose Bay for 3 of the happiest years of our lives, from 1998 till 2001. We were based there with the RAF and as such had all of the support we could ask for, cheap accomodation, good medical facilities fantastic social life etc etc. Goose Bay is definetely remote, it has a great deal of winter, both in length and in depth of snow, (above door height occasionally) The summers are hot, with blue skies to die for, the scenery is stunning. Infrastructure is mediocre, but they have all of the facilities of a small town in the UK. Air fare is expensive. Boat travel is summer only, the trans labrador highway is an adventure, this is not a destination for the faint hearted. Things we did for the first time in a lifetime. Saw a real moose, snowmobiled accross a frozen lake. Ice fishing, Fishing by float plane. experienced -70. Saw the Northern lights, every night in the winter. Tasted Caribou, experienced the culture of the native people, most of whom are good people, met the local people who are as elsewhere in Canada some of the friendliest people we have ever met.

So far nothing much positive has been written about Goose Bay, but I can tell you they are some of the nicest people you will ever meet in Canada, please PM me for further details, Whilst we lived in Goose Bay for 3 happy years, it was not the place we wished to settle permanently, we now live in the subberbs of Halifax NS.

The negative aspects, Very remote, only way in or out from Nov to May is by plane, apart from trucks on the trans Lab Highway, retail is better than trading post but not as good as a small town. Prices are more expensive as all products are shipped in, (up the Highway) There is no higher education.

Good Points, You can see Bears, Moose, Caribou, Wilderness. If you like the outdoor life this is the place, you can ski, skidou, snow shoe, water ski sunbathe, Rock climb, Hunt, hike (probably where few have trodden before), PARTY, make your own entertainment, find peace and quiet.

Goose Bay is not for every one, it attracts the outdoors type, we know a lot of locals who have moved to our area for better prospects. But it is an adventure.

Please PM me for more details.

qwerty06

I hate pointing out negative aspects, I am sorry I can not point out very much about every day life in Goose Bay as I have not lived there; to me, it probably would be fun for a year, but I would rather live in St John's or Lab City than Goose Bay, just my view.

All I can say, one gets the impression it was a *very* different place when the airbases were there. The last airbases (Germany and Italy) closed in 2006, which probably explains the difference between my impression in 2007 and what others have reported during 1990s and early 2000s. Obviously, ultimately, you should check out the place yourself before committing to moving there.

I hate to say this, but the common sight of drunk/high natives at all hours in Goose Bay is too much for me, I would not let my children alone anywhere in Goose Bay.
I agree with previous posters that locals in Goose Bay are very nice.

I will add I have much appreciation for labradorians, they are tough hard working guys (and ladies, the ones I know target shoot better than me); I am afraid I can not include the majority of natives in the Goose Bay area; the Innu and Innuit further up the coast are a much nicer bunch, same for the guys by Cartwright and Port Hope-Simpson, nice guys.

Snort

Just as a footnote, dont buy winter clothes until you get there as the right type of clothing is cheaper than you will buy it in the UK, (Sorrell Boots are the best thing since sliced Bread) It is also fairly bulky to pack in suitcases.

The Hospital was opened in 2000, and is fairly modern. I imagine that the airbase closure will have had a severe impact on the local economy, but there are other ventures localy and in Labrador that should offset this somewhat, Voiseys Bay and the Churchill River Hydro Project. I still have contacts in Goose Bay who may be willing to give you an insight, PM me for details. http://www.happyvalley-goosebay.com/ is a good site to look at.

If you have PR when you get there your Student fees will be much less than if you dont, Canada seriously penalises international Students financially (my daughters fees were inflated $5000 per semester). So check out what you want to do before you get there.

Goose Bay is the type of destination you realy need to do research on before you get there. I would advise you dont arrive in the winter months to give yourselves a chance to addapt before it hits, if you get there in May, you will find last years winter clothing on sale so its the best time to buy.

pacepeter

my wife got offered a nurse job, what a nighmare it has taken 12 months so far for her CARNA then they sent a letter thet she has to take a SEC assesment before she can work she has been here with me for 6 weeks she rang to beek the sec they said 4th may then 3 to 5 weeks for the results, there is just so much red tape i hope you have more luck than us, she has an open tempery work permit but not found any work yet,
peter

Caribou

First off, i wanna mention i found this forum by accident searching around one evening and felt compelled to defend my little hometown and the native community we have here.

This is a pretty racist statement that is bred out of ignorance (in qwerty's case, being uninformed).

You will see drunk/high people around town, they are not all natives but how different is that than seeing a drunk/high homeless person anywhere else in the world? They are the people who don't work for the money they have, have no use in life. You get that kind of personality trait in every single race of people on this earth. Nobody really stops to help that drunk hobo besides throwing him a quarter or two to make themselves feel like they made a difference.

I'm an Inuit person (eskimo, for those who don't know). we have Inuit, Innu (i think the subject of this unfair generalization) and Metis here in Labrador, so a distinction needs to be made.

How many bars and places have you been where you haven't been asked for a beer or a smoke (or money!) at least once during the evening? I used to live in Halifax (downtown) and i couldn't go for an evening stroll around without having been asked for beer/smokes/money at least once per square block.

This place is extremely remote, i will give you that. Besides the opportunities i've made here for myself, i'd be very happy being somewhere else. I lived the good life here and i had a great time living in the cities (i'm a young person, 24) but coming back to home for me is something special in itself.

In the cities it was so hard to find any actual nature. Here i can drive 10-15 minutes in any direction outside of town and you have hundreds of kms of untouched, beautiful nature to bask in no matter what the season.

I would like for you to keep these kinds of statements to yourself or at least come with a disclaimer. I bet the amount of those people you have met were a minuscule fraction of the kind, generous, happy, funny aboriginals we have here.

I've worked for the Labrador Inuit Association (our own small government) and i work very closely with those involved in the Innu Band Council(there own government) and my brother happens to work for the Labrador Metis. Within all these groups are a very strong, rich culture with as much to offer as any other group of people. It's sadly like trying to pinpoint african americans by only looking at the inner city ghetto's. You'll see the absolute worst and will leave a sour taste in your mouth, regarding them.

But is that fair?

Don't misinform people, you never spent enough time there to make such statements. I've lived for a large part of my life and mostly within happy valley and although we do have some issues with drunken people walking the streets, the only real trouble is the young people, those who cross every single skin colour. Just the young man macho BS that you see in every culture.

As of right now, there is very little future in the rest of town, you will only see growth within the "Valley", as there are a lot of new housing going up, new subdivisions, etc.

I make good money and i don't work for the government. Anyone could have the job i have now, it's just that they would have to work hard. It seems there is a big problem with people nowadays who just want to sit behind a desk and make money. In this world you gotta get your hands dirty to get good money. I'm not rich, but i make more money than alot of my friends and former classmates who pursued a higher education outside of high school.

Labrador is much more exciting than you or anyone would know. I know only a small fraction of the resources we have here, but what i do know about, is extremely exciting. Big things will come from this place, it's only a matter of time.

I'm sorry but you're obviously limited view of native culture here in Labrador should stop you from saying such broad statements. I'm not calling you a racist, it's just that i don't want your words to be a deciding factor in anyone ever choosing not to live here.

The Metis are actually a Inuit/settler mix, which has nothing to do with "indians". The Inuit (eskimo) and the Innu (indian) are 2 seperate groups that inhabit the same land. Just as your broad generalizations have proven to be narrow minded, this factual error also proves you have yet to learn exactly what group you are trying to target here.

Again, there is no hard feelings, i am just trying to defend my culture and the cultures of others. They deserve that kind of attention at times and in this case, i felt it was unfair as no one would be there to defend them (that's why i'm here )

Most of the Innu i know, run their own businesses, work along side of me and generally very smart people once you get passed the language barrier.

You're uneducated statements (based on limited scope of this area, not intelligence) are just the same to our cultures as saying the same about African people, Mexicans, Chinese, etc. Just because we are a small culture, does not mean this will be tolerated. It certainly wouldn't fly in their faces now would it?

I'm not here to offend or hurt anyone, just wanted to stand up for my people and the people of Labrador. We never get the spotlight unless it's negative, so the world may see us in an unworthy light.

Piff Poff

www.eddiebauer.com

Caribou

Here in Goose Bay, we are one of the hottest places in Canada at given times during the summer. Every year you can hear it on the Weather Network. it's a dry heat though, but temps of 35-40 degrees is not uncommon temps for a good few weeks during the summer months.