Moggies

We are hoping to move to Canada in the near future and at the moment doing our research with a view to having a Recce to BC and Alberta next April.
As I am a 50 year old,Fully qualified Carpenter/Joiner/Technician I gather that I can land a job easily!..but time is running out!!!!
My questions tonight are as follows.
A big negative for me is the thought of just two weeks holiday a year!!!! Is this fixed in stone or can you take unpaid leave?How on earth do you all go on coming from the UK.This year I have had 6 weeks paid leave,but next year I am back to just boring old 30 days!
Another question that I have is as follows. We are mad outdoor and wildlife lovers and the thought of people shooting animals makes our blood boil!
If we lived in Alberta or BC would we encounter many people hunting or is it a matter that you need to go and look for these people.
One of our reasons of wanting to come to Canada is the amazing environment and wildlife and it is beyond our comprehension why people wish to kill your beautiful animals as a so called sport!

Atlantic Xpat

Might one suggest that BC would be more in the sandal wearing, tree hugging line for you than Alberta? Or to put it another way, moving to Canada & complaining about the poor vacation time & hunting is unlikely to endear you to the locals. Leastways not in Alberta. Or in severall other places.

What have you got against mooseburgers anyway?

MikeUK

Two weeks is not fixed in stone
You can negotiate but find a corresponding drop in pay

As for hunting and fishing well its part of Canadas tradition and in certain parts as you head out of the cities it becomes part of normal day to day life
So it might just be a little hard to avoid unless you choose city life

dbd33

I don't shoot the raccoons for sport. I shoot them because they're vermin.

R I C H

Answers below for you....

Moggies

This is the reason for us joining your wonderfull forum and asking the comunity our questions.
The questions that I am asking, are what concerns me now, in our early planning stage.IF I am going to get two weeks holiday a year then I accept that before I leave UK soil and set up a new home in your Country.I only had 2 weeks for my first 15 years of working!
In no way am I complaining about the Canada lifestyle that anyone has,I am just crossing out the negatives that we have come across.
The fact is,that the Emigration people at the Fairs and in the Magazines paint this amazing Glossy picture of all the Countries that you can attain a Safer and nicer Lifestyle!BUT I find the honesty and sometimes a little grumpy comments and threads give a truer picture of what is going on in reality!!!

dbd33

R I C H, here horses have orange blankets, "not a deer" blankets. Is that also usual in the west?

Moggies

Many thanks for your reply.
When I have visited the Emigration Fairs the people their have told me that my skills are like gold dust and I can be fast tracked through with a job offer,which I have actually had.They have said that after 52 my points will really drop off.
Once I have eliminated all the negatives that we have and decided to make Canada our home we are willing to move very quickly.

Judy in Calgary

God forgive me for rising to the bait. If you want a bruising, just go to a vegan / animal rights forum. But, since you raised the topic, Moggies, I suggest you steer clear of Alberta.

I know a guy in Alberta who won’t touch store-bought meat and who provides meat for his family by hunting. He’s somewhat unusual, in that he hunts only with a bow and arrow, not with a gun.

Now get this. The reason that he hunts is to minimise cruelty to animals. That may sound ironical to you, but it makes sense in a weird sort of way.

Most store-bought meat comes from animals that are raised on factory farms. Think of feedlots in which there are 100,000 cattle and barns in which there are 10,000 chickens.

By comparison the hunted animal’s life is sheer heaven. The wild animal lives in freedom. If it suffers at all when it’s shot, it’s only for a few seconds or at most a few minutes.

Factory farms can be excused, up to a point. At least the argument can be made that people need food, and factory farms provide it.

One runs out of justifications, in my opinion, when one puts animals in harm’s way for the sake of human entertainment. Do a Google search for the Calgary Stampede.

dbd33

Not so much, I know several people who live here (in Toronto proper) who hunt with crossbows. I trust they hunt outside the city limits.

R I C H

My wife's purchased several dear blankets and we board several horses I'd happily paint targets on.

Haven't come across the orange blankets you speak of though.

dbd33

Perhaps people there aim before firing. Perhaps there's just more space.

scimdarren

Hi

Dont put bloodsports from England in the same vein as Hunting in North America.
I despised Fox Hunting etc in England. I also dislike some redneck elements of hunting here but most people who hunt here are responsible and ethical, hunting a deer here for example is far more natural than going to a supermarket and paying someone else to kill and butcher your meat.

I hunted for the first time last year, the only deer I saw in 3 trips was roadkill on the journey home- that is why they call it sport- they have a chance whereas farm animals dont.

Darren

dbd33

Where are you on fox hunting in Canada?

daft batty

We are archers, and on our field/3D shoots meet many archers who hunt with a bow and arrow, most use Compound bows so its much more accurate but some use traditional style bows. The archers we have seen are good and rarely miss the "kill" area on the target. We dont hunt as we are a)squeamish and b) only average archers. When we talk to the hunters about hunting we talk about technique, style etc. They have no problem accepting our point of view and we, after talking to them, respect theirs. Many/most of them are disparaging about those who shoot for fun and who dont use the shot animal for food. I agree with Judy that its in essence a more humane way of using an animal for food, and I too know a couple of families who only eat hunted meat, fowl and fish. The wife complains about the taste at times!