Lilipuddlian

Neighbour swears by Fredrickton. (spelling, sorry). She says it is a great city.

MillieF

It is. But if I were to do this adventure again I would favour Moncton. It isn’t pretty...the chocolate river is frankly horrid, but it is much more entrepreneurial in spirit and you have access to the coast. In Fredericton we drive for hours to have access to...much of the same...

Property prices in Fredericton have risen surprisingly...but they may well have in Moncton too. I love Saint John, but we don’t seem to have any posters from there...but it is very nice.

Good luck!

Lilipuddlian

Well I've never been anywhere in N.B. althought I have been to N.Scotia.

The lady next door is a Maritimer. They are in Ontario for work and the ski hills (long story) but they spend the summers in Nova Scotia and her parents drive back and forth from Nova Scotia as they also have a home here in Ontario. My husband won't entertain NB but will consider coastal NS. He longs to return to the UK, though. I think that's where we'll end up. He misses the ocean, Europe, decent bread, decent cheddar, decent beer, his mother, travel opportunities. I could go on. He does!

MillieF

Don't blame your husband in the slightest...somedays there is no place like home!

We do have two "Saint J's" here...we have Saint John NB and also St. John's NS...neither too far apart, by Canadianstandards, both having airports, and both I'm told quite nice! Good luck!

Tangram

That would be St John's NFL, which is indeed bloody far from Saint John NB lol

MillieF

Yes, that’s the one, the one to the left a bit...

BristolUK

Seems as good a place as any to post.

Province's population grew by 15,000 in 12 months, according to release

Kryten

As it is said in Toronto, there are only two seasons: Winter and Construction :-)

Lychee

Out here in coastal BC, the daffodils, plum, and cherry blossoms are already in bloom. Generally spring begins showing its face in February, or sometimes late January with snow drops, and it continues on until May when the last of the spring flowers (the late season cherry blossoms) bloom. However, head to other parts of Canada and they're 2-3 months behind. I remember going to Ottawa for the first time, for example, in early May and they happened to be hosting a tulip festival, but there were no tulips in bloom! Or heading to Montreal in May and none of the trees had their green leaves out. It just goes to show you how diverse Canada's climate is. The climate on Canada's Atlantic coast is quite different than Canada's Pacific coast. I know that the ocean currents heavily influence the weather on both coastlines (one has a warm current, one has a cold current).

One thing I do note is, regardless of the weather, moving to Canada will be culturally different than Ireland or the UK. Not only is Canada a vast country, but it has developed quite differently from Ireland and the UK in the way that the towns, cities, and amenities sprawl. You have to travel a fair distance to access what was probably much closer to you in the UK or Ireland. The default infrastructure in Canada assumes you will have a car to get around. The country developed differently than Ireland and the UK so you do not have the same sort of villages you'd find back in the UK or Ireland. Rural living is quite different in Canada than in the UK or Ireland - there's much less of a convenience factor compared to rural parts of the UK or Ireland, where cities and towns are always easily accessible nearby. Not so in Canada. In fact, in many parts of Canada, rural living is intertwined with wilderness, which most folks from the UK and Ireland are unfamiliar with. Trying to find what you had in Ireland or in the UK but here in Canada is a recipe for disappointment, in my opinion. Your entire lifestyle and what you take for granted in the UK/Ireland will change when you arrive in Canada. My question is always: are you looking to change every aspect of your life? Are you looking to relearn everything you took for granted? If you're craving change, great! But I question whether folks are really seeking the change they'll find in Canada.

dbd33

I met one of my daughters last week. She grew up in Toronto and emigrated a decade ago. "Do you miss anything about Canada?" I asked. Long pause "Wilderness camping. Paddle for two hours, pitch a tent, stay for a week and you won't see anyone. There's nowhere in Europe that you can do that.".

The rest of it's arguable. If you lived by McVeigh's you could think you lived in Kilburn, but the availability of nothingness is something different than one has in the UK or the Republic.

Partially discharged

McVeigh's. Now that is a blast from my past. One of the stopping points on my stag night. My uncle (from M/CR) was convinced he was funding Sinn Fein every time he ordered a Guinness. We also went to a place on the street to the south on Lombard that was a basement level pub on the north side. I think it has morphed into condos. This was in 1993 a lifetime ago in urban gentrification.

dbd33

Well, there's not so much to do in Canada that you would have lived here and not have heard of it. There was a poster on this board who worked there. Eventually she went home to Larne, lure of bright lights and excitement, I suppose.