""The downside to returning to the UK is the M25, parking costs, govt. stopping green field housing development which helped to push house prices sky high, hostility against immigrants who come for the free UK social system(I agree totally with immigration (being an ex-immigrant), especially like the Polish who come here to work really hard for a living), stealth taxes""

Want to make a comment, its nothing to do with the actual thread. Agree with the M25, parking costs govt, BUt I dont agree that the Uk's Immigration, I live in an area where there has been a HUGE influx of Poles, and in my area of work I am being put out of work because the eastern european workers, they can afford to accept £7.00 an hour, I cannot afford to work for that, I have a mortgage and have to pay taxes, I dont live in a house where theres 8 adults and one child living in a rental 3 bedroomed house like my next door neighbours from lithuania so the Rents cheap!, its happening all over the UK, I hear it everywhere, my wife is half Polish decent, her father was an immigrant in the uk, but even she says that this huge influx is all wrong where are we soppose to put all these people?, If you dont beileve me, google it, theres been writes up about it, or look here its a site I read http://www.truckstopnews.co.uk/issues.asp theres other writes up in that edtion under "have your say" you need a PDF reader.

Its not just hitting the trucking industry, its hitting builders,painters etc

Our goverment says we NEED these people?, yet again only yesterday, unemployment has gone up, does that make sense ?, no wonder people are looking for a way out of this country

As an employer in the UK, I could not continue to run my business without "these people". 65% of my workforce are Polish or eastern european, as they are the only ones that apply for "meanial" but necessary jobs. We pay £6.50 per hour for cleaners, the "British" applicants never last more than a week as the work is "too hard", as they constantly remind me they can earn more on benefits. "These People" work harder and to far superior standards than any britsih worker I have ever employed.

When I emigrate shortly I will be starting at the bottom again, taking a low paid job to get by, living in shared accomodation, not by choice but it will be all can afford, and working my way up, I hope I do not encounter too many Canadians with such anti immigrant views or I will stand no chance

Rant Over!

We return to the UK for a number of reasons.


Education
Health Care
Cost of living/Economy
Govt investment in my industry.
Family
Weather

The economy in the UK improved over the years we were in Canada. Also we saw alot of inward investment in schools, hospitals and general infrastructure when we visited our family every few years.

Our experience in Canada was that it would take weeks to see a local doctor and you had to go to A&E at the local hospital or a walk in clinic. Recently my wife needed to see a doctor at the local surgery, she phoned up at 11am and had an appointment at 11.30am the same morning. All here records were electronic to the doctor, so any clinic in the UK can see your medical records.

The cost of living rise in Canada did hurt the pockets. Salary rises were struggling to met rises in costs. I was a manager in the power industry and had a very good income. What I can say we have noticed that on an income ratio, to pay for bills such as food, hydro, heating oil, insurance etc I had to work more than double in hours to cover costs in Canada.

We moved back when my eldest son was 11 due to him going to high school.
I recently asked both my 10 & 12 year old if the prefer schools in England or Canada as you sometimes get that nagging feeling have you made the right move.
My 10 year old said you do some much more at school here than in Canada. He off to Simbridge Wildlife trust today. Last month he was at an education outward bound camp on the Isle of Wight.

My 12 year old has been selected for the National Gifted programme at high school. We are very happy with his education as his teachers in each subject are qualified to teach in that Field and not a having a general teaching diploma/degree. His Biology teacher has a PhD and English Teacher studied English at degree level.

I agree going to Canada is a great experience, it make you a better person.
We found we got depressed in winter and very lonely especially at Christmas and family times. We had a few good friends, but it did not make up with not seeing our family.
Also our 2 sons missed their grandparents and cousins as their friends would talk about all the family get togethers. The hardest thing was that both my mother and mothering law died while we were in Canada and my wife felt that the boys missed that relationship.

We found the climate pretty extreme even after 8 years. Its fun skiing and sledging for a few weeks, but to have snow from Oct/Nov to April got a bit tiring for us. When we returned to England we joined the local tennis club had played tennis outside on Christmas eve. Its been very dry here in Oxfordshire and we spent the winter out in the garden and going for country walks on mild days and cycling.

As for the job side. I have found potential employers are impressed by that fact you have to guts to get up and move to Canada and work you way up the career ladder again. I think in 8 years I got more work and life experience in Canada than I would in 20 years in the UK.

I agree going to Canada has alot of plus points , lots of space, traditional culture, cheaper/bigger houses and huge cars/trucks. I am looking to buy land back in Canada as an investment, maybe for a Holiday home?

The downside to returning to the UK is the M25, parking costs, govt. stopping green field housing development which helped to push house prices sky high, hostility against immigrants who come for the free UK social system(I agree totally with immigration (being an ex-immigrant), especially like the Polish who come here to work really hard for a living), stealth taxes.

A big Postive is that Sainsbury's sells Maple Syrup cheaper than we paid in our local supermarket in ontario!(Boys love Maple Syrup)

MAH[/QUOTE]

great post

you'll upset some people by saying anything negative about Canada though

rant over?, so you have just admitted that you need CHEAP labour, its the likes of money greedy people like you that we have such problems, why dont you pay a decent wage? then maybe a british person could afford to work for you, will you enjoy seeing "britsh" people lose their homes and everything they have worked for because they cannot afford to take a lower pay, if it wasnt for the minium wage being set so low, people would be better off, thank you MR Blair, and as for your last comment about how you hope to not encounter too many canadians with anti immigtartion views is likely to cause offense on this forum, your out of order for that! as well as against many british people who you just tared as lazy basically!

so what's the going rate for an immigrant cleaner in Canada these days ?

About $7 per hour, no where near UK earnings

The post suggested that a couple would be fine if they both worked, but I emigrated so I could support a wife, some children and a mistress. It was the opportunity to fund more than I could in the UK that, for me, was the point of emigrating. I see it as a choice of culture vs. consumer durables (ok, wives and mistresses haven't proven very durable but they are expensive). If both partners are game to work one may as well stay in the UK and enjoy access to Europe, family and culture. To me, it only makes sense to move if an improvement in standard of living (expressed as more cars, a parent not working, older Scotch drunk, or whatever) results. If a couple has a child and they must still both work one wonders why they're out here.

Stall cleaners, mucking horse shit, get $30 for eight hours.

When I first came here I rented a Corolla. After driving it all over the place for a week or so I figured I should put some gas in it. The pump stopped at $12...I thought there was something wrong with it, even asked the attendant. Nope, 35l at 34c/l in early '98 here.

And I was really gob-smacked by the price of Aspirin in Canada.
Here in U.K. you get 16 tablets for about 20p in a Supermarket
In Canada a small box is 4 Dollars or more!

So if you are heading to Canada buy lots of Aspirin and get rich!

Eh! Dont know where you are shopping!

Are you looking at name brand asprin or the generic Acetylsalicylic Acid ("ASA")?

Name brand Tylenol extra is $10 for 200 at SDM, Generic Ibuprofin is half that.

Just the same here in Britain, some people buy Brand name Aspirin at say £2 for 16 or those with half a brain buy generic stuff at the Supermarket at 20p for 16 (same stuff, different packet). Some people actually believe the Brand Name is better when chemically it is the same and cannot possibly be better.

Also some people are prepared to shop around, others are not.

Go to Walmart - much cheaper to get shop's own brand!

Wow, where do you live - it's $1.21 a liter here!

I would guess you live in the sticks somewhere where there is no competition and I think Iain lives near to a big city where there is