cxx

That's rather generous.

Thank goodness they removed it from the licence plates. I once read that it was "Be ........ in this place" where you insert words like happy, however I can think of far more appropriate words

GC44

Compared to the bald ass prairies were we live now, a few trees wouldn't go amiss!

scrubbedexpat133

What are your reasons for wanting to move to NB and to leave where you are?

GC44

Various reasons in no particular order:
Lack of opportunities here for both myself or more importantly the OH.
Bored with the prairies.
Don't reckon there's much future in my present employment (oil).
Miss the sea.
Time for a new challenge.
Too many rednecks here.
I get itchy feet.
House prices cheaper out in NB.
Given it 5 years here this summer which I think is a good shot.

MillieF

I can't question that you may be bored with the prairies....but I've certainly got sick of trees!

We really are a "have not" province, it took me a couple of years to understand quite how profoundly that was true.

House prices are indeed cheaper, but you buy a house occasionally....you pay GST on stuff on a daily basis and ours is higher than anywhere else. Our minimum wage incidentally is lower than anywhere else in Canada, and was today! raised to $10:65!

Itchy feet never go away, you just get more frustrated by the smallness of the patch you have to use them on!

Tangram

Ditto

GC44

Don't want my itchy feet to go away, had them 50 years now and quite like them. Canada is a fair size patch to use them on however I can feel a possible itch starting for a move to the Mediteranian area for retirement.
As we said on our initial post, we are just starting to research the potential move. We have a long way to go yet but I am looking forward to a visit this Summer.

BristolUK

Well, ditto, sort of, but....

Not surprisingly I have a different perspective.

When I moved here, NB's minimum wage was higher than BC. And with this month's increase, that is again the case until September when BC will likely change theirs.

When the difference between a province like NB and BC is so marginal you have to wonder how useful it is.

Coast to coast (excluding the north), the difference between the highest and lowest MW rates is less than a dollar. That's around $40 or $160 a month. $120 after tax?

Even if you're a couple that $240 is of minimal use if your rent is $500 a month more in a province with higher MW.

And this will apply to those not much above MW too.

HST rates are about to go up but there's a new credit that has had little coverage. You need to be earning over $60k or spend a lot on things that attract HST for the rebate to be less than the additional costs.

A minimum wager will get $300 a year. By my calculations they will have to spend $15,000 a year on items attracting HST for the additional costs to outweigh the credit. Remember, that's only items for which HST is payable, so not groceries.

According to the information sheet a single person can be on $45k and they'll get $100 a year. They'd have to spend $5000 on HST items to incur extra overall costs.

A family on $65k will get $200 so they'll have to spend $10,000 a year on HST goods.

So, yes, the higher rate of HST is something on an ongoing basis, but unless you are a very high earner or you are replacing your household appliances a couple of times a year it's not a factor.

scrubbedexpat133

There is a chronic lack of opportunities here in NB and virtually none in the Oil industry. The best and brightest up and leave this province for points west for this reason. If you are lucky enough to find a decent job the chances are it pays a lot less and has worse benefits than the equivalent in ON or Western Can. Here its always done to the lowest standard. Life in NB certainly is a challenge for various reasons.

Too many rednecks and you are moving to NB????

House prices are cheaper yes that is true but they are and are falling for a reason. A lot of the very cheap properties are old and in need of demolition. The build quality of a lot of houses here is nothing short of dreadful. Again done to the lowest standards.

As for getting bored that wont take long here either. If you are looking to move to the Fundy coast thinking that you will find a small quaint seaside towns you will be sorely disappointing. Most of them are just a string of houses with no real heart or soul. Most of them stink due to fish plants or paper\fiber board mills.
Saint Andrews being the exception. From Saint Andrews to Saint John the commute will take about an hour. Providing the weather is clear which it seldom is - rain, freezing rain, fog and blizzards are common.

GC44

Not particularly looking for oil work.
Would be interesting to know the rate of rednecks per capita on the prairies compared to the maritimes.
At least we will have 5 years in the west to compare the NB area too. Most people can only compare it to there previous life in the UK.

BristolUK

Earlier in the thread I commented about cities of NB bucking the trend.

It's long been accepted that in England there is a north-south divide. You wouldn't necessarily judge whether you should move to London by some stats about unemployment in the north, for example.

I don't know if there's a north-south divide in NB but there is certainly a city-rural (or smaller community) divide.

National unemployment rate for Canada in Feb was 7.3%. For NB it was 9.9% which is quite a bit higher. (statscan)
But in Moncton it was 6.5%. Better than the national rate. Saint John 8.5% (CBC said 7%) and 6.8% (cbc) in Fredericton. As much as 13% in the north. So maybe there is a north-south divide.

Some other unemployment rates according to statscan: 6.8% for Toronto, Montreal 8.7%, Windsor 7.2%, Ottawa 6.5%, Winnipeg 6.1%, Calgary 8.5%, Kelowna 8.4%, Vancouver 6%, Abbotsford 8.1%

Maybe the cities in the south of NB are quite a bit different to NB overall and compare well to other areas where CBers live. It is after all where NB's Universities, hospitals, colleges, bigger schools, retail centres, finance houses, IT centres tend to be. And the populations are rising.

NB has a lot of poverty and high illiteracy rates. They tend to go hand in hand. But if you're not illiterate and not poor then unless you're the kind who gets head hunted the opportunities for a decent quality of life would appear to be at least fair in these cities compared to many places.

The days of people "flocking" to the west, for work, mind you, not to live, may be over.

Not sure statscan would have that.

GC44

As mentioned, one of the reasons for looking into a move is the lack of opportunity here abouts for the OH and for that matter myself. There's not many people round here still employed on the oil but I'm lucky enough to be one of them. How long my luck will hold out is anyone's guess. Being an extremely rural location then my only real option would be farm work which holds no attraction for me at all. Our nearest town of any decent size is 70 miles away. Neither of us are likely to be headhunted but we are flexible, experienced, ambitious with I think a realistic in our expectations.

BristolUK

The St Stephen website certainly makes the place sound appealing.

Probably need to travel for work though.

If 'the sea' was significant, there is Shediac, a 20 minute drive from here.

GC44

St Stephen is the home of Ganong, as I made chocolate for Nestlé UK for 14 years then that may be worth a shot as well. Does look like a pleasant place on the web, would definately be part of our recce.

MillieF

All of the St.'s along that coastline are very pretty and well worth a visit, St. George is most impressive a very lovely area for a recce...NB is very scenic. Fredericton, where I live has some beautiful architecture, and the cathedral would not be out of place in Midsomer Murder...a wonderful place for a recce.

It's just profoundly depressed economically and needs considerably more than a sticking plaster to fix it. There are initiatives (bunches of 'em) to help NB, regrettably little or none on the money money put in the big funnel at the top, will get to the bottom of the little pipe and benefit the average New Brunswicker...middle management government advisors will probably do quite nicely though