I live in Moose Jaw and my husband is a trucker, we're originally from the UK and our experience has and is wonderful, it's the best things we ever did. We've now got our Permanent Residency and life couldn't be better. I work for the company that brought us over and my husband is still with them. Out of 13 families that have come here only 4 have gone back, all of whom only gave it 3-4 months, which in my opinion is not long enough, plus you need to do lots of research, perhaps the families in question never did !!
Also I've read that eating out just for pizza costs $100, what a load of rubbish, we eat out every week and the most we've paid is $60, oh wait a minute I tell a lie, we did once spend $120 in Calgary but that was for a curry and well worth it.
The cost of living is cheaper over here and my shopping bill is on average $200 every 2 weeks, you have to learn to adapt to whats in the stores here and for goodness sake stop harping on about the food in the UK and the fact that you can't get certain things over here.
Also for truckers working 24/7, again what a load of rubbish, there are various shifts with the company , 10 on 4 off, 7 on 3 off and the one my husband does 6 on 3 off. Yes the work is hard but there's no stress and very little traffic compared to the UK, plus the bonus system with the company is second to none, 4 throughout the year and 2 at Christmas, where would you get that in the UK.
Moose Jaw is a small but very friendly place to live and everyone is really helpful and there's lots to do and see. We couldn't have picked a better place to settle.
My advice to anyone thinking of making the move is research, research and more research. Plus don't keep converting back into Pounds, you're not getting paid in pounds but $ and that's how you spend your money be it on bills, food eating out ect etc. And as for the GST & PST yes that does take some getting use to but it's no big deal.
I get really fed up listening to people that obviously in my opinion haven't really done their research or given it enough time, you have to give it at least the length of yuor work permit, which is 1 year and experience both a summer and a winter here in Saskatchewan.

well said and it is so true.

when askin a question on a forum remember members do not know you or your tastes.

So filling the details as much as possible

I make infrequent visits to this forum ... you've just hit the nail on the head for the reason why!

I'm in SK right now ... very nice people here!! To be honest, much friendler than Calgary too ...

Fair post Moose Jaw Ladies, anywhere you live/move to will have ups and downs, just need to do some research and decide if you can live with them

As for the pizza... I lived in Montreal 16 years and never heard of a $120 for pizza... unless your feeding a party of 30 people maybe? Even then, you can usually strike a bargain with the Pizza joint to give you a deal on them like a free pizza or two if you're feeding that many, thats what my ex work place used to do when we had staff lunches.

I used to order a pizza once a week (large 16" ham & pineapple, unless I was being greedy & wanted leftovers to reheat the next couple days, in which case 18" ) and with tax & tip, a $20 note would usually cover it, unless I got soft drinks as well, in which case I'd add on another couple of dollars. I know inflation is very quick to go up, but surely in 3 years it can't have gone THAT high?

Nice to read about your experience, I'd give you karma but don't have enough posts yet from what I understand (need 100), so have a beer instead

Excellent post! Have some karma.

Great post! You know what I think? The people that complain about how expensive it is to live here are the ones that have been out of the UK for more than 5 years. We also find the cost of living much of a muchness, cheaper in some ways and more expensive in others but all comes around as about the same outgoings to incommings as we had before - only now we don't work the hours we used to and we have more time for our family life. I also agree that you have to give it time, I could have gone back after 4 months on occasion (and that was because Mum was winding me up), but made up my mind to stay a year before I started to make any decisions and low and behold after 6 months I had no desire to get on any airoplanes anywhere, 15 months here now and I don't even want to go back for a visit! Yeah I miss some foodstuffs but it's not the end of the world and lets face it if I went back i'd still miss foodstuffs that you can get here but not in the UK. Just remember........If you have always lived in a village and you move to a honking great metropolis or have always lived in a city and move to a one horse town you could well have problems eh!

Great post very informative although I never pay more than $25 for my pizza and that includes the tip
Although I would like to add that the majority of ppl on here arent complaining about missing food, we are merely being nostalgic.

I sit on a Sunday and eat crumpets, watch corrie and then all day watch Brit coms while cooking my roast with all the trimmings including yorkies. That doesnt make me a moaner or someone who wants to go home.

I moved here for a better way of life and I found it, but it doesnt mean that I have leave behind everything i liked in the UK, I dont mind the UK really id go back there if i had too. But i choose to live here and bring with me the things I loved from back home. you cant live somewhere for x amount of years and then leave it all behind to merely eat kraft dinner and moose!!

Superb post, there have been several post recently scaring people away who were predicting only earning $50,000. That's way over the average wage in the UK and as you rightly said living as a Canadian is not as expensive as living in the same style in the UK.
Please try and keep an eye open for posts on both forums about HGV Drivers/Trickers/Class 1 drivers as there have been a few of late from families thinking of heading over to Sask and Alberta and looking for info on it. If you have time maybe use the search facility for recent ones and give them your tuppence worth
Stuarty

Those warning about these things are also the ones who have been here a while and seen the ups and downs too, so by definition they have been out of the UK a while.

Living on $50k in Moose Jaw is a very different proposition to living on $50k in Vancouver, the GTA or Calgary. Especially if you dont have a lump sum to buy property with. I would still have great misgivings about recomending anyone come live in a major urban area here on "only" $50k, if they expect some great quality of life.

Its a great big country (both great, and big) and generalisations dont work very well.

Agree totally with iaink, $50,000 won't go far in London or Edinburgh either, like for like lifestyle is the way to compare, here in Dumfries £25,000 is a good comfortable living wage. Its all down to research and getting educated answers.
I would be interested in how much a young family would need to set up in Calgary from scratch, no private schools or fancy cars/house, just a getting started scenario. After all we all started somewhere and I know that in the same situation here, housing would be the biggest issue with starter houses into 6 figures in some areas.

I would be interested in how much a young family would need to set up in Calgary from scratch, no private schools or fancy cars/house, just a getting started scenario. After all we all started somewhere and I know that in the same situation here, housing would be the biggest issue with starter houses into 6 figures in some areas.[/QUOTE]

6 figures in some areas? I wish I could find one in Edmonton or surrounding that was a stater-mid size for 5 figures...

I would also be very interested to hear about a complete starter family without the huge chunk for mortgage, like over 40% or paid outright (sigh, I can dream)

It's just a question of adapting to new lifestyles and cultures - I suspect for a short time most people will do the GBP conversion but it will wear off, especially when you notice it's doing you no favours! LOL

Apart from the obvious things like missing people it's the learning new things over that will be the initial thing for me, like buying a damn car which is really doing my head in - even tho there are great threads on here

Moose Jaw ladies...... fantastic post... thank you. It's great to hear it's worked out for you... cheered me up no end.

My OH is truck driver too. We're off to Emigrate show next month and hope to get some applications filled in. He's also trying to line up enough interviews to make a trip over in the near future worthwhile. (looking at both Alberta and Saskatchewan).

Any helpful tips or contacts?

Just watched an interesting documentary on the History Channel on "Ice Road Truckers". So if your husband is reall adventurous he might want to try this.

http://www.thedieselgypsy.com/Ice%20...3B-Denison.htm

Course he might get Arctic Fever!

I would like to echo the thanks to the Moose Jaw (great name ) ladies.

Some recent threads have been slightly depressing and, whilst I am aware that some posters have more experience of living in Canada than I have, it should be remembered that we all have differing expectations, life experience and resources at our disposal.

What I mean to say is that we all approach this process in different ways and from different standpoints and that this should be remembered when giving and receiving advice.

Perhaps it is the more pessimistic amongst us who have the time to contribute....everyone else is busy out enjoying themselves

“A pessimist is an optimist with experience”

I'd love to be out enjoying myself. Unfortunatly I'm at work right now.