SANDRAPAUL

OK. You seem to cover the last point each time.

Thanks anyway.

Paul

iaink

I'm canadian (when it suits me of course) and I would have to agree that compared to the US economy "International Shipping Lane" Canada is indeed a backwater. If the US economy sneezes, Canada gets pneumonia requiring hospitalization. There is no escaping the fact that Canada is very dependent economically on our neighbours to the South, but with the natural resources and energy up here they are also dependent on us to some extent, so its a win win situation. Kind of like those fish that hang out with the whales cleaning up the parasites! Most of the canadians I talk to realise this and dont rock the boat.

dbd33

Sorry, I thought I was answering a direct question.

iaink

Actually car factories are being located here partly because its a way around NAFTA tarrifs, but also in a large part because the canadian workforce has proven itself to be more productive and more quality oriented than the US counterpart. Even in the CAW / UAW unionised plants.

Even the assembly plants in the US are utilising a very high % of canadian made components, and Auto makers moving at the geological speeds they do would be extremely resistant to having to qualify and replace there entire supply base on a political whim. Mexico is i suppose a factor in the equation, with some production heading that way, but to date it has not really competed in terms of either productivity or quality.

I guess it hasnt been a long term prospect since the thirties when the first plants started up in Windsor?

dbd33

More productive, I'll agree. That is, they produce more cars for n dollars but that's because the US workers get health benefits and the cost is crippling. I deal a lot with a US based MNC that makes things, not cars but any good things that need bringing to life. They've moved their computing to India, their factories to China and their accounting to Mexico. The driving force for this relocation is healthcare premiums, not salaries. People who have no, or state funded healthcare, are dramatically cheaper to employ. Car manufacturers face tariff barriers at the moment so Canada's a better bet, for some, than the US. Eventually though I think the Hispanic lobby in the US will become powerful enough that the government will shift policies so as to move more jobs from Canada to Mexico and south. As with most things economic, I don't think it much matters what Canadians want, "sleeping with an elephant" and all that.

ontres

Some say there are only two seasons in Canada - winter, and July 1st!

flashman

It looks like this situation is going to change in the future though. India and China are now showing an interest in Canadian resources so the US may not be the only customer.

SANDRAPAUL

Perhaps I am being naive. I have been thinking about this for some time. From a laymans terms Canada seems to have better long-term prospects than many westernised countries being that the economy has a broader base and more variety as relates to options to create an income. As you all may guess from my 'rubbish' the UK in particular has become transfixed on finance as being the main breadwinner for the country. Huge amounts are made from Mortgages, Loans, Credit Cards and to a certain extent controlling and investing in other countries finance sectors - particularly third world ones. On top of this unless you are prepared to work for very low wages individuals need to be skilled with the head rather than the hands. Large numbers are leaving school with little or no qualifications and remaning on state aid benefits adding to the burden of those who are working. Perhaps this is common in all countries?

We are but one couple and have perhaps another 20-25 years to find an income. Our children require more like 40-45 years. As regards grandchildren who knows.

My wife often reminds me that we decided to try somewhere new for many reasons other than money. But...it always lurks in the back of my mind - are we doing the right thing for our children?

Thats all...hence my questions.

I guess its suck it and see...

If we get accepted the acception is a two way thing. We might like our new life but will Canada like us?

great46

It's seems we have gone a little off track from my original post , however I am very interested in all of your comments.

Obviously I want a better life for my family now but also a better future for them too, the future prospects of the Country we settle in are very important.

Our experience of the UK is that my husband worked for 16 years in the car manufacturing industry (prototyphe vehicle technician) and took voluntary redundancy last year as yet another FORD plant closed It was a very hard time, my husband had thought he had a job for life with good pension etc....he could have been transfered but we felt that it was only a matter of time before that came to and end too so we took the MONEY while there was some left!

I wanted him to work for himself as he is brilliant at all aspects of DIY and had completely renovated our 1930's home. He was very nervous of this idea so searched the net so see what job opportunities there where and for him it was bleak, there are hundreds of very low paid jobs! everyone has the idea that you can earn big bucks in the UK and some people can but not everyone!
My husband was a Fitter Turner by trade (no call for that anymore in the UK) and had a specialised job in car manufacturing for 16 years (no call for that anymore in the UK) Fortunately he listened to me in the end as all men should listen to their better half......................ha ha. and does earn very good money fitting kitchens, bathrooms etc. However as I mentioned previously I work for Ikea and we have an awful lot of University kids with degrees working there, I don't want my boys to go to University in the UK and then end up working in a shop! No offence to anyone working in a shop (I do ).

The employment situation in Canada is something that I am trying to find out about and reading most stuff on here seems not so good. However given my husbands experience/trade would that alter the perspective a little????

Souvenir

I'd never heard of these people until I read this post yesterday. Then my brother called to tell me that he's looking at getting a cheap flight with them. Hidden away in the FAQ section of their website are brief references to Servisair and Zoom. I don't think the former flies to the UK, not to LGW, anyway. The Iglu flights my bro mentioned are indeed Zoom flights (I cross-checked).

Just thought I'd mention it.

flashman

Personally I think that tradesmen seem to do quite well in Canada compared to white collar jobs.

deeana

Hello
I feel I want to add my 2-cents worth to this long thread as it has got (interestingly) off topic a bit!

You said: My dream is to live in a friendly neighbourhood in a nice big house, with a nice big car, to be able to afford to go out at weekends, for the children to have lots to do, clubs, sport etc. for them to be happy at school, to be able to afford a dog and be able to take it for a walk without having to pass teenagers spitting and swearing, my 8 year old gets very afraid when he sees a group of yobs even if my husband is with him at the local park...and for the local paper not to be full of stories of people being mugged and held up at knife point.

You can definitely have all of this if you live in Canada, but you have to choose the right place, one where your husband will be able to get a job and you too, and one that is experiencing a positive economic climate (ie Alberta).

I am sure you are both very hardworking - this is vital in my opinion to succeed in Canada. My husband was an executive at the top of his field and when we emigrated 15 years ago he had to start again literally from the bottom as a shift engineer and work his way up. We went bankrupt, but recovered, and now are much better off than we would have ever been in the UK. But it has been very hard work indeed, and we don't live there now.

It was a great disadvantage to us that we knew no-one in Canada at all when we went. We had to learn everything the hard way, and believe me, it was hard, nothing is the same as in England.

I would be happy to email chat with you, as I can give you honest answers to pretty much anything you want to know about raising a family and a dog in Canada.

Meanwhile I would suggest that without any doubt, assuming you can deal with some cold, Calgary would be the best place for your husband's work prospects.

Hope I can help, and don't hesitate to email me ([email protected])
if you have any questions.
Good luck
Deeana

I know nowhere is perfect and having a job is crucial no matter where you live, but my husband and I are so fed up with where we live we want to find somewhere better, there must be somewhere better. We have about £200,000. My husband is a qualified, hardworking skilled (and very clever) tradesman.
B]COULD MY DREAM COME TRUE IN CANADA????[/B]
[/QUOTE]

great46

Thanks Deeana! I will email you, if you don't mind I am sure you will be able to answer a lot of questions for me.

I must say I am curious as to why you are no longer there?

One thing (of many) my husband is concerned about is how I will cope with the cold weather and Calgary I thought was one of the coldest, although one of the sunniest too????

deeana

Hi
Very happy to answer any questions by email. Reason we aren't there any more - my husband was working for Canadian Pacific Hotels and he got promoted - to a hotel in Bermuda! So we exchanged serious cold for serious hot! Life just takes you places sometimes, not necessarily planned! However, we will probably retire to some part of Canada, but we will try to spend some of the wintertime elsewhere, because it certainly is a long winter in Canada.

ANYwhere in Canada is going to be colder than you can imagine if you haven't been there before, except perhaps Vancouver and Vancouver Island. Problem is it is very grey and wet there in the winter, more than in the UK, trust me!
To give you some idea of what Calgary is like for cold, our first winter shocked us. We were almost housebound for 6 weeks at one point over Christmas because of the snow and cold. Our car froze solid on the highway and we couldn't thaw it out until the cold lifted, so my husband was going to work on the bus, and every night when he came home his glasses were frozen solid with ice so he could barely see out, and his hood (he had to wear a minus 50 deg parka with a hood like a huge funnel) was covered in icicles. I'm deadly serious here. Don't believe anyone who tells you it isn't really that cold. Calgary and Edmonton can be fatally cold. You have to carry a blanket, food, candles (for heat) a sack of sand and a shovel in the back of your car in the winter in case you get stuck in the snow. My feet froze to the ground once, my daughter's hair froze stiff when she came out of the swimming pool with it slightly damp, and the deck was always colder than the freezer. In the mornings on the radio they have warnings for children going to school as to whether the cold is hazardous and they need to wear hats - they say things like "skin will freeze in ten seconds..."

Best to be forewarned. For anyone reading this who doubts it, these things happened in the winter of 1992, I swear on my mother's grave.

As to whether you will be able to cope, only you can judge! It's not as cold as that all the time, some winters are much less extreme, there are always Chinooks to alleviate the intense cold, and the summers can be very reasonable.

I don't want to put you off, but it's best to know the worst. I wish *I* had!
Deeana

great46

WOW! That sounds incredibly COLD! I don't think I would be able to handle that to be honest. I have read a lot of post about the weather and I am finding very mixed opinions, a lot of people say that although it is cold, because the sun shines and it is not grey,dull and damp like it is here in the winter that it feels better in Canada? I have been skiing a couple of times (not in Canada) and tried to liken it to that, but that was nothing like you have described so am I well of track?