chuff

Hello everyone. I'm a 44 year old shopfitting site joiner,with a wife who works part time in administation,a son who's half way through an electrical apprenticeship and a daughter who finishes school in 18 months.
I also have a great sister-in-law who moved to Calgary six months ago with her husband and little boy. She has spent virtually every day since she moved telling us how wonderful it is.
I'm self employed and spend a lot of time away from home working long hours for a decent income,but as you'll probably know more and more of it is vanishing in tax. The lifestyle too is nothing great, don't seem to have time to do anything but work.
Right, to the point! What's it really like over there? Should i just up sticks, sell the house and everything else and see if the grass is greener on the other side? HELP !!!!

G586

Hello & welcome!

This is best asked in the Lifestyle Forum of this site plus you can search it for specific things that are important to you.

Also read the Wiki if you haven't already as there are many articles written by BE Canada people to help you. Particularly as you need to have an idea of who you would emigrate as there are different ways, each with different timescales.

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Catego...dian_Lifestyle

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Catego...an_Immigration

Giggles2080

Hello!

Personally, I think the lifestyle is much better here in Canada. I've been here 4 years now and I have never looked back! Although, I did enjoy living in the UK I always knew it wasn't the place for me...most of my friend's up sticks and moved (not just to Canada but to other countries too!).

Everyone is going to give you different advice, but only you and your family can decide what is best for all of you. Are you able to take a trip out here to experience "Canada Life" for a few weeks? It's well worth the trip...I can't really say I have had any kind of bad experience since being here, I find that everything is wonderful! Canadian people are super friendly too! LOL The only difficulty I have come across is the language barrier; as I am in Montreal, QC. It was strange at first, but now I am totally use to it and even speak some French myself! (Which is something I would never have done in England! LOL).

Anyway, that's my 2 cents! I love it here!

Definately check out the links that G586 gave, lots of good info!

Good luck and keep us posted!

Ontheboatout

Yes.

MikeUK

honest opinion

when its all added up and averaged out and rose tinted specs are off

Not much difference in lifestyle, just a different location

Almost Canadian

I'll second that but add that it very much depends what you are after. One still has to pay the bills and deal with the usual crap on a daily basis both here and in the UK. It seems that if you are the sort to get off your backside and participate in activities (outdoors or indoors) then Canada probably has an advantage over the UK. If you are a "go down the pub/sit at home playing video games etc type of person, then the UK probably has a slight advantage. If you are a typical ex-pat that just wants a larger house, most of Canada is likely to win hands down no question.

daft batty

That sums it up for me. We dont do the sports thing, we miss being able to go for walks in the countryside, but the provincial parks are numerous around here so thats an alternative. Not better, just different. We miss the seaside but obviously we knew that before we moved here, we like the many many lakes though. Different again. In the summer I swam in the river a couple of times a week.

I'm never sure what people mean by "the lifestyle" Ours is much the same, except MOH works longer hours for less money.

I think you need to define what you mean by lifestyle, ask why your sister inlaw likes it so much, whats better?

I tell people in the UK how wonderful it is. After all that time prattling on about how great it would be when we got here I'm ashamed to admit to them that its been an enormous strain, that its not so rosy. One day maybe I will feel settled here but this mythical lifestyle isnt here everyday.

BristolUK

Providing you drive, the lifestyle should be better in Canada. Ill health (or even managed medical conditions) may make a big difference. Prescription costs can be enormous.

What I miss most are cheap trips to Europe...beach type hols or city breaks.

daft batty

What does driving have to do with it? Surely thats depends on whether or not you live in a town or city compared to the countryside with no public transport?

What is this mythical lifestyle? Can someone define it?

iaink

More wide open space. Less (almost no) crime. Far less stress. No Fighting traffic. A house where I cant smell my neighbours farts and can afford the mortgage on one salary so my wife can stay home while the kids are still small.

Thats pretty much it for me.

The main differences I think come down to the lower population densities...all the good stuff springs from that I think. Whether that applies if you choose to live in a major city is perhaps questionable, but it works for me here.

Driving is important because with the lower population density everything you might want to do is spread out a lot more, and being north america, public transport is pretty much an afterthought and largely restricted to the major cities. Besides, who wants to wait for a bus when its -30°C with the windchill like today anyway? Driving makes everything a lot easier to do.

Frankly the "canadian lifestyle" doesnt really exist, its whatever you want it to be, although you can safely rule out sunbathing in February I guess unless you are going to jet off to somewhere a lot warmer. The two key enabling factor in the "lifestyle" thing are to improve your work / life balance, and to reduce your housing costs relative to your income...if you can do that then there is more money left for other things, and although money wont buy you happyness, it can certainly reduce your unhappyness! The work life balance though is something we all have to work at, and too many canadians work too long hours if you ask me. Both things should be possible with a move to canada, especially if you bring significant equity from your UK house sale, or choose your new part of canada carefully.

Jay Bird

Hi Chuff....have a look at this link............

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...ions+of+canada

I work in a large office for one of the big banks and know quite a few people who hold down two or three jobs to pay for all the "necessities", which can include summer cottage, cars for each family member, or just day to day living. Many people over here struggle just as much...........we just have more space in which to do it!

BristolUK

Certainly there are lifestyles that can be followed in many cities without the need for driving - although shopping is easier by car than bus or backpack.


But many people mention the out of town things. Skiing for example. One needs to get there.

ATVs seem to be popular.

We have a lovely beach that's a 20 minute drive away. There's a bus that goes there - almost. By the time one adds up four bus fares from home to bus station and then the other bus, the cost is virtually the same as a taxi. That's $40 each way.

$80 is a bit expensive for an afternoon at a beach that's only 20 minutes away.

Elaine B.

Neither myself of my OH can drive and most of the time that's fine as we life in Toronto close to the subway. However sometimes it would be nice to get out of the city and see a little more of Canada than the GTA. I never really saw the need for a car before but now with 2 kids I do feel a little trapped at times. At least if we had learned to drive we could hire a car every so often. I really wish I'd done my test before I moved here now I don't have any spare cash to be able to learn.

BristolUK

My wife has an eye condition that prevents her driving. She is from Montreal where transport's pretty good. Her dad also drove when that was needed.

Before we met I lived in Bristol just on the edge of town. Never had the need to drive, nor the finances really.

Did everything on foot, by bike or bus.

Do it that way now too - supplemented by by a taxi for the monthly 'big' shop. But there's not that much available to us leisure wise.

burton bunch

Hi there

We live in a smaller town, Lethbridge Alberta, and find that we are really happy here - hubby been here just over 12 months and me 8 months -although I do realise we are in the "honeymoon" period.

I think that our lifestyle is much better here for the following reasons:

* Hubby doesnt have the huge commute he had in the uk - total in the UK was about 3 hours per day here in Alberta he has 1/2 hour if the traffic is busy.
* We have more space - our home is much bigger so we arent falling over each other as we were in the UK.
* Plenty of places to go and visiting and more importantly the time to do it.
* we find our town much more family orientated with easy commutes up to Calgary and down to the USA.
* we both had full time jobs with plenty of money in the UK and "Worked to survive" whereas as I have now gone part time and we now "work to live".

The down sides are of course missing your family and friends and certain things that you buys in shops and fashion - etc etc etc.

All in all this move has been the best thing which we have ever done but there again we came to a town which we already knew and had a base of both canadian people and British Expats too which although I wouldnt say has been a life saver it does give you someone to sound off at and have a natter to.

Hope this helps

Gaynor
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