jp11

Hi, New to the site and the idea of leaving the UK..

So I'm looking at moving from the UK to New Brunswick province with my family. I'm planning on going out there to look and see how i find it but i was wondering if anybody had any advice out there for me.

The reason i'm looking to move to Canada is mainly because of future growth and its a peaceful country (compared to rest of the world). My parents have been out there a number of times and had even gone through all the immigration steps and were granted permits etc, had social securtity numbers etc etc but chose to come back to the UK because i was still here due to work commitments. I've recently got married and want to settle down in an area where i have stable income and have a safe and secure environement for my family. The UK has enough problems and i believe that the problems are only going to get worse.

anyway i'm sure what i should be detailing but i'd like help on the below..

What city's/towns should i consider visiting/potentially moving to? (so far i have woodstock in mind, Fredricton, and Moncton)

I'm a property developer by trade and would like more information on "zoning", how can i get that?

What difficulties would i need to prepare myself for?/what were your experiences when you first moved to Canada/NB?

How accepting are the locals? (i've read that to the first many locals are very very polite and friendly but eventually their true colours show and that they don't really like/accept people from other countries) - not sure how true that is, hence me coming here to ask.

healthcare? i know there is no NHS but how does their healthcare system work?

thank you in advance for your help, its very much appreciated. I have more questions but i'll ask in time.

sandylns

New Brunswick is a beautiful province. Population is less than one million. Fredericton is the capital and a fine city. Moncton and Saint John are more commercial. Woodstock is a bit off the beaten track.

I have no idae about zoning etc but I am sure there are some on this forum who can point you in the right direction.

Be prepared for the weather. Cold winters and fairly hot summers. Fredericton and Moncton do get a good deal of snow in the winter.

The locals can be very friendly. However, it does take time to be accepted. The stories of immigrants getting the cold shoulder are not especially true. If you can fit in in the UK you should have no problem here.

Healthcare is similar to the British system but without the drama. Basic healthcare such as doctors visits, hospitals, medical tests etc is free. You would be wise though to get private insurance to cover drugs, eye care, dental care and lots of other things not covered by Medicare. Each province has its own rules on what is or isn't covered.

The crime rate in the Maritimes is relatively low compared to many other places.

I live in Nova Scotia NB's next door neighbour. We have lived in Canada since 1968 and have found Canadians to be the friendliest folks on the whole. Just be prepared to work for a living and life here will be the most rewarding you can find.

Not sure about the job market in NB but a check with the provincial web sites should give you some idea.

To get a feel for the place try www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca

jp11

Thank you for the feedback. Woodstock is ruled out so its now defiantly between Fredricton and Moncton (more likely to be Fredricton). regarding work, at first it'll be more running a business (looking to purchase a commercial business of some sort) and then open on an IT related business.

just need to figure out how best to leave the UK (regarding current job etc etc). every day i think of something new. but deffo looking forward to moving to NB/Canada.

would be great to hear other peoples stories and especially people from NB of Nova Scotia.

scrubbedexpat133

Property developer?? Wrong province!! I would be looking at SK or NL!!

jp11

looking at it from a long term point of view, 5-10 years... wouldn't NB be a province that might need development? surely it'd go through expansion. not saying it it going to become the next VC or Toronto/Montreal etc but i think there is scope in NB more than elsewhere perhaps because it haven't been "tapped" into as much as other provinces?

I could very wrong here but that's just based on my research. The ship building contract $25b would trickle into surrounding areas, places to stay, places to eat, stores etc would be in demand wouldn't they? i don't know just my thoughts. so confused at the moment.. stick here in the UK doing what i do or move the herd into Canada for more future security, relaxed lifestyle etc etc and be more happier. i wouldn't rely on getting a job as i'd look into a commercial venture of some sort.

scrubbedexpat133

Its the opposite of what you think.... they have overbuilt quite substantially over the last few years giving an abundance of stock.

Just look at how many houses are for sale at any given time and how much new housing is available.

As far as the ship building contract goes that will be mainly in Halifax in terms of benefit (not saying some NB companies wont but in smaller amounts)

Im not trying to put you off NB I just think that another province might be better for your wants / needs as far as your profession goes.


PS moving to Canada wont make you happy lol

Atlantic Xpat

Property development always strikes me as one of those things, particularly in Canada, that you have to be a local, with a large pool of contacts, to be really successful at. Coming in as a "Come From Away", particularly into small town Canada. (i.e. NB), I think it could be a difficult proposition. Of course, it depends exactly what you mean by property development I suppose.

As an example, I have a colleague here, a Newfoundlander born and bred, who is so successful at property development that his day job is not something he really needs. He buys land, and uses his pool of contractors to build houses, lives in them, flips them and moves on. All very good. But as a new resident in an area, how do you gain access to that pool of contractors who you know and trust and who won't rip you off?

A challenge that I face here is my British accent. As soon as I ring up for a contractor or service, they here the accent, think "He's here working in the oil and gas business, has lots of money so lets double the price." As I don't make that kind of dosh, it can be a problem.

dbd33

Isn't the big problem going to be permits? If you're not from there you can't know who to bribe and how much to bribe them. You'd need a local with political connections to handle that end of things.

Tangram

The OP also posted about IT here

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=766792

scrubbedexpat133

Big +1 for NB. Lots of small towns and smaller minds to be found here as well. Anything that it profitable is tucked up by the locals.

jp11

Thank you for the advise guys.

Reason i asked about IT in another thread was because i also work as an IT consultant and develop property in my spare time. Going to consider buying a commercial property around Fredricton/Moncton and then see where it leads me to.

BristolUK

I'm sure IT around these parts has cropped up on these threads before...but a couple of years ago maybe?

Maybe do a search and start looking way back, going back further, rather than recently.

Maltese

Hello everyone,

I come from Malta and am currently living with my family in Paris. We are all strongly considering the idea of moving to NewBrunswick, as a matter of fact my wife already applied for the visa. Since we started discussing the idea I started searching for valuable information that could help us decide. I didn`t find much to be honest , except very for commercially well-written articles, and jittery youtube videos with cheesy background music filmed by people while driving. Reading this thread was already a very good start for me! as I am reading solid realistic info from 1st person experiences ;so thankyou all for providing the info.

So as I was saying, we are living in Paris and we would like to provide a better environment for ourselves and our little ones. I definitely don`t like the stress and live-to-work kind of vibe there is in Paris , and we are badly missing the ocean and good weather! when i say good weather I am simply referring to no rain and blue skies, we dont mind the cold, nor the mosquitoes , Malta (where i grew up) is full of them. We both speak french fluently and english is our mother tongue so I am thinking that NB should fit us well , especially professionally , but am still confused on whether my thinking is on the right track or not. I work In IT as an internet website programmer, and when I search for job opportunities I find very very little , but then again I read everywhere that 80% of the jobs are not advertised anywhere, but are gained through networking.. did anyone experience this first hand? I mean, did anyone discover that the more contacts you make the easier it becomes to find jobs?

I am interested a lot in Shediac , does anyone live there or know anything about it?

thanks in advance , looking forward to hear your thoughts

scrubbedexpat133

Shediac - full of Quebecois tourists in the summer and closed in the winter when the local hillbilly inhabitants run amok

Quebec city might suit you better?? Paris to NB?? Thats quite a downgrade in terms of culture

Maltese

I am mostly looking for an affordable place to live by the sea and close to a beach..when it comes to paris, culture is irrelevant here when you are forced to live in 30metres squared and working almost 14hours per day with workaholics.

@alex : do you live in moncton?

and what is amok by the way?