Re: Motivations for emigration
 

I'm not sure the teenage thug thing is as generic to Britain as people make out. There is certainly a problem with this sort of rubbish (at least personal experience tells me so) but everywhere across the whole nation? What Britain does have is a media intent on selling their rags to all the chinless guppies out in suburbia who like to read this crap. Someone earlier mentioned sensationalism, etc.

It's not just Britain. I read the other day that in 2003 (I think) nearly 60 teenagers in Canada were accused of murder. Also, last autumn in Ontario some kids sprayed a girl with lighter fluid and set her on fire, in another case a teenager killed a woman when stealing her car (he got 5 years) and so on. So Canada is not some haven from youth crime for the British to hide away in.

Other than that I would agree with most of your points, although my experience of Canadian winters is that they are a lot more beautiful when you're viewing them from afar and you're not actually in them. I recall a previous poster describing clearing snow off her driveway (she offered great advice: don't by a house with a long driveway) in the dark, early in the morning in something like -30. I got a blast of -25 one afternoon and that was quite enough. The thought of such weather lasting several months did concern me a bit, but it wouldn't be enough to switch the Canada idea off completely. The first Canadian winter would be fun, and the second might be exciting, but I'm not sure about winters 3 - 50 whatever; I'm sure the novelty might wear off. The fact that so many rich and famous Canadians move to California as soon as they are able, and millions of Canadian pensioners spend every winter in Sarasota, FA, speaks volumes to me.

I suppose the British vision of a Canadian winter, i.e., in a log cabin with a roaring fire, snow-capped mountains in the distance, snow-whitened pines leading off down the drive, dean martin rambling about Christmas on the stereo and a glass of single malt in the hand, is highly idealised and a long way from living in a country in the northern latitudes with a vast interior. Another way to put it is what is the perception of most people about the weather in southern Siberia and Kazakhstan? It's the same latitude as many Canadian cities. I would guess there would be a generally negative attitude when asked about these places, because they don't come wrapped in North American cultural history.

If I end up in Canada it will be lower coastal BC for this reason, but then there's the rain.

Re: Motivations for emigration
 

Not just Florida, our neighbours spend half the year in Texas. I was surprised to find that, for ten years, they took their horses down with them.

We did the roaring fire/deep snow outside thing this past winter. It's inconvenient and entails some expense as you need a tractor, or a 4x4 with a blade, to get to the road and you need to be passably fit for all that log carrying. Still, it does look very nice.

Re: Motivations for emigration
 

Wanderlust. Canada may just be a stepping stone to somewhere else, or I may live out the rest of my days there. It doesn't matter which right now, because (subject to good health etc.) my boyfriend and I could live and work in a large number of countries, so we'll take things as they come and see what happens.

I don't feel a push factor just yet. Ok, maybe a desire to put some distance between us and our families, but I wouldn't be emigrating if that were the only reason. I like Britain and it will be hard to leave (IF they ever take us of course).

Re: Motivations for emigration
 

I agree- lots of trashy kids hanging out here too. Though kids' politeness in general is much better here than the UK

The majority of Brits that we know from Canada have either left Canada permanently at their retirement age- 55- 65 or moved to Vancouver- the cold weather and clearing snow is too much at that age. We will do that too and actually our kids have had enough of cold weather. Some have gone to Europe and have great lifestyle there and one is going to US. Sitting out in a street cafe drinking coffee on the way to work in Paris is much more exciting than anywhere here and you can always pop in on the way home for a glass of wine.

Mm- buy a little property in Spain - the market there is declining so you would get a bargain now and then you have somewhere else to go that doesn't get bitterly cold weather or lots of rain.:) I don't know though, the climate is changing we are all getting terrible weather lately including mainland Europe and Australia with its droughts. I suppose we all have to make our lives and then be positive always about moving on to anywhere.

Re: Motivations for emigration
 

I know one couple who retired to NFD, but this is positively subtropical compared with the interior where they had spent most of their working lives. They were from NFD originally. Other than that I see the same thing you do - people retiring to Vancouver en masse or the island of course. But this is pushing property prices up in these areas like there's no tomorrow so that might not be an option for future generations, unless they're selling up in a good part of TO maybe.

The earlier comment about wanderlust was bang on: keep moving while you're able (if it appeals) and experience as much as possible. I could live in the UK happily. It's got great access to mainland Europe, great access to historical doodahs of all description, great links with practically the entire world, etc. Also Australia appeals to me because of its climate and access to places like NZ and Fiji, etc. And in Canada you're lucky because you can access so many great places in the US. I guess we can all thank those guys who spent the last few hundred years spreading English to all these places.

Re: Motivations for emigration
 

Me personally - the OH wanted to come back home and I fancied a change of scenery.

Simple as!