Nova Scotia
 

My husband and I are waiting for our PR to come through, but we are thinking of settling in Nova Scotia (probably Halifax). For those of you who have already taken the plunge and moved there, what do you think of it? What are the positives and negatives? What is the school system like, homes etc.

We've previously lived in BC on a temporary visa, and have had time in Winnipeg too. We've enver been to the atlantic coast before though, obviously we will do a recky before hand. I just wanted to hear some first hand experiences though.

Re: Nova Scotia
 

You have enjoyed the more modern style of Canadian cities in the past.

Halifax is a 200 yr old city - when you get into the centre - it shows in places - a bit like the rundown London Docklands in the 60s and 70s.

There are a limited number of nice suburbs in Halifax and Dartmouth - but - a lot of areas are poor - and feature every night on the TV news for the area - with another crime incident or dozen! :scared:

Re: Nova Scotia
 

Don't listen to him above, he is just jealous cause more people are arriving in Nova Scotia than drab old New Brunswick!

Re: Nova Scotia
 

WTF?!?!?!

You should get together with VAL50....

Now that would make for a good night out - NOT!

Re: Nova Scotia
 

Cant comment directly on the education but as far as housing, communities, opportunities and the climate etc there is something for everyone.

2 years ago when we landed in Canada we were open minded having looked throughout BC, Alberta, GTA and the Maritimes on previous scouting trips and although they all had pro's and con's it was the Maritimes that won through.

Now 2 years on I still wake every morning looking for those Rockies but to no avail (Ski Martock and it's 600 vertical feet are fun for an hour or two) But what it lacks in altitude it more than makes up for in terms of openings, attitude and the type of lifestyle we were longing for.

PM me for further details on specific areas, housing and any other info I can share

Re: Nova Scotia
 

As Corky said....Jealous!!

Halifax is a thriving urban centre with lots to offer. The most populated centre north of Boston and East of Quebec city. Other people (no name mentioned) live in the middle of nowhere with a village idiot and a cat..... Oh by the way, say hello to "whiskers" for me.

Re: Nova Scotia
 

You cant call his wife the village idiot...... can you?

Re: Nova Scotia
 

I have to agree with ya ma. This guy sounds a bit crackers! :eek: I love NS and can't wait to come home I wouldn't live anywhere else in Canada. And there are lots of great places to live in and around Halifax/Dartmouth. Schools are great people are great. I LOVE NOVA SCOTIA!!!!!!!! :D :D :D

Re: Nova Scotia
 

Like a scratched record...

We've been here six months and it's been brilliant, everything you could want in a small area, live in or out of town and still have quick access to all the amenities. Contrary to what the above gent said when I asked the same question, my imported car is not a burnt out husk, I am not knee deep in beggers and I haven't seen any groups of unruly youths roaming the streets.. well actually that's not true, 9 hoodied "youths", some in full ski masks came to my door a week or so ago, with trepdation and fear of "Halifax mobbing" I opened the door to find a bunch of bored kids who were keen to spend their snow day, outside, in the fresh air, clearing my driveway.... LOL.

Yes, there are one or two less desireable areas, but by and large most residential areas are fine.

Trouble with NB is there are a lot of lonely people there... :D

PM if you need any help (or sensible answers to questions)

Re: Nova Scotia
 

Thank you all for making me laugh with your replies. There are definitely people in NS with a great sense of humor!

It sounds like most areas you can live in, there are the areas you want to avoid, and the "nicer" areas. My husband and I lived in East Vancouver, so I'm sure not too much could shock us!

What are the nicer areas in Halifax/Dartmouth? Has anyone experienced/know anything about lower sackville? Do you feel insecure in terms of the economy re:employment etc, or is the economy on it's way up now? How much is annual car tax/insurance etc, how was the dreaded driving test?

PM me with replies if you want!

Re: Nova Scotia
 

Yes, I am waiting for another comment from him on the potholes on Nova Scotia Roads :D

Re: Nova Scotia
 

Exactly Woodworm.

Of course what we all haven't worked out yet if its "potholes" or "roads" that they don't seem to have in the wilds of New Brunswick.

Re: Nova Scotia
 

I too am interested in Nova Scotia so would be grateful to an answer to the questions that luvmykids asks.

Re: Nova Scotia
 

Crime incident or dozen every night? Maybe, I guess, if that includes the underage drinkers being thrown out of bars. I suppose some people have a lower tolerance for "crime."

The nicest part of Halifax would be the south end and Northwest Arm, however you will be looking at $500,000+ for the lowest end homes there. Lower Sackville has a reputation of being a bit down-at-heel, but I really couldn't give you details. I grew up in Dartmouth and could count the number of times I went to Sackville on both hands - it has a main drag with malls and stores on both sides, a bit like driving through a strip mall. I know the housing is certainly affordable there, though. Bedford is a nice area, however can be a pain to commute into Halifax as there is a two-lane road going around the harbour, so if there is an accident that's it, you are stuck until it gets cleared up. I believe they are seriously looking at a high speed ferry from Bedford to Halifax which would improve things immensely. Clayton Park in the west end of Halifax may be worth looking at. It is fairly new, nice houses, and is close to Bayers Lake if you like big box shopping areas. I'm afraid I know nothing about the outer suburbs like Fall River, Tantallon, St Margaret's Bay, etc.

Car insurance has been skyrocketing all over Canada in the past couple years due to insurance companies losing money on the stock market and making their customers recoup their losses. I don't know precisely how much it would be - never owned a car.


In terms of how secure I found the economy/employment scene, well, I live in Toronto now. But I moved when just starting out on my career and it is more difficult for people fresh out of school to get a toehold in the labour market - after all, Halifax is awash in recent graduates, it has 5 universities. What industry are you looking at? I might be able to give a more informative response.

Re: Nova Scotia
 

I'm a nurse.

Re: Nova Scotia
 

Here are some posts by andy_sheila, who recently moved to Nova Scotia. Sheila is a nurse. They don't answer your other questions, but address some issues related to nursing in Nova Scotia.

Re: Nova Scotia
 

Hee Hee Hee.....

Re: Nova Scotia
 

tut tut tut....

Re: Nova Scotia
 

what a load of rubbish. Halifax is great, if I could have found a job there we would have definately moved back there (we lived there for 2 years). Downtown is great in the summer and point pleasant park!! We lived downtown (Springgarden Road), perfect. If we were to move back would probably live in Bedford

Re: Nova Scotia
 

Sheila recently started a full-time nursing job in Kentville hospital (Annapolis valley) and she is loving it, they were desperate for her to start and from what we have seen and heard, there are more vacancies than nurses.
If you need some specific information, just PM and i will get Sheila to answer them for you.
HTH
P.S. As far as we can find out, there hasn't been a single admission to hospitals in NS due to "pot holes" and the A & E departments are not overrun with victims of crime

Re: Nova Scotia
 

To add my 2 cents....

NS is the next place we would live after NL. We have friends and family in the Halifax area and are frequent visitors. I also have a number of business acquaintances in Halifax and imagine in the longer term there is a distinct possibility that we might live there for a while.

Besides they sell Marstons Pedigree and Fullers London Pride in NSLC stores, thats almost reason enough to move initself!

AX

Re: Nova Scotia
 

thank you all so much for your help :)

Re: Nova Scotia
 

Thanks for your response. I am a town planner and my husband is a management accountant. He would require an area with some manufacturing. He has lots of experience in the manufacturing food industry so this would be his ideal. I can join the Canadian planning institute really easily so would be one step ahead of the graduates and my husband can become part qualified with the CGA. Any advice on the economic status of these two fields in Halifax would be really great as I'm a bit dubious of the advice given by employment agenices.

Re: Nova Scotia
 

I agree - with the post that Halifax and associated towns in the area are the next largest metropolitan area after Boston and Quebec.

Along with that comes the urgent need to "pick ya spot to live" like any other town / city, just like the UK.

New Brunswick is more quiet and semi-desolate - but is that not what most people leave the UK for - the "shan-gra-la" effect.

The lovely thing about NB is that it has not been disturbed by events etc. that have come to some parts of NS, from over the seas.

As I always state, budget for - no mortgage and money for gas/cars and NB is the greatest!!! :D

Re: Nova Scotia
 

The old adage rings true, "you get what you pay for"
Pay nothing in NB, You get nothing.
Pay quality prices in NS, you get quality

Re: Nova Scotia
 

We're also looking towards NS, can any of you throw light on Hammonds plains/Kingswood/Haliburton hill area for family life, it looks good on google earth, plenty of space to loose the mother'n'law in when she would come over :D :D

Re: Nova Scotia
 

Hi Swoops,
we, thats me hubby and three kids are moving into our house in Hammonds Plains on Friday..we looked at many areas in and around Halifax and found many which ticked all the boxes...The schools are great in the area and
the close proximity to beaches and lakes also appealed...as did the close commute to Halifax/shopping outlets....well you can take the girl out of Essex...








wood/Haliburton hill area for family life, it looks good on google earth, plenty of space to loose the mother'n'law in when she would come over :D :D[/QUOTE]

Re: Nova Scotia
 

NS is great for us. We just moved into our huge house and lots of land for the price of a one bedroom or a studio flat in Brighton. People are really nice over here. Just today, I was at the petrol station (sorry gas station, I still struggle a little) and the woman was giving some direction to somebody. It was quite complicated, so the next guy in line just said, I'll drive you there, follow me! Our experience over here has been full of stuff like that. I haven't regretted once our move. NS is beautiful, people are nice and we have a wonderful life. On the work side, I just got a well paid job, not even looking for it and I'm starting on Monday (6 months earlier than planned!). So I can recommend it!

Halifax like everywhere else has is good areas and less desirable ones. We had the local paper delivered everyday for a while but it was quite boring as not much was happening. You see on the front page the main article is about a guy who has insulated his house. Or a resident that has suffered some flooding. There is the odd bad crime but nothing like I've read before on the front page. No news is good news.

Good luck and don't hesitate to PM if you need anything.

All the best

Re: Nova Scotia
 

you are all giving me so much helpful information, thank you so much :)

Re: Nova Scotia
 

Great thread all!. I'm seriously looking at NS area as well. For a single person, fairly youngish who likes cinema's, shops, things to do and the conveniences of life but with a modest budget, in Halifax, Datmouth or Bedford which one would you say was the best to live?. My professions are (Design / IT ) work wise or are there other places in NS I should be considering.

Thanks

Re: Nova Scotia
 

If you are looking to buy, i would suggest areas just outside of Halifax/Dartmouth. There is a morotorium on building new developments in those 2 areas and people are moving out towards Windsor and even as far as the Annapolis valley. We are in the "heart of the Valley" and i can make it to Halifax in 40/50 minutes, Dartmouth is 30/40. There are still bargains to be had here and it will be a sound investment as prices will continue to rise as long as the moritorium continues.
There are a few members on here who can advise you on the Dartmouth/Halifax area better than i can.
HTH

Re: Nova Scotia
 

Are you buying or renting? I would recommend Halifax's south or west end to start if you are renting. You will be able to walk everywhere, thus cutting out the expense of a car, and there are some nice apartments once you filter out the student housing. Spring Garden Rd has the shopping and movie theatre, and Argyle, Brunswick, Hollis, etc streets have lots of bars and restaurants. You will also be close to the Halifax Farmer's Market in the Brewery on Hollis St., grocery stores and of course, Pete's Frootique on Dresden Row - one stop shopping for the British immigrant! If you plan to get a car, you could also consider the new apartment buildings near Bayers Lake/Clayton Park, as you will be able to make it downtown within 20 minutes and will be close to the ever-growing Bayer's Lake shopping complex. The apartments will also be larger and perhaps better maintained, if somewhat characterless.

Re: Nova Scotia
 

I would agree with everything except the cost of living in HRM, the OP stated he was on a "modest budget" and with decent apartments starting at $7/800 he would be better off living out of town.

Re: Nova Scotia
 

Hi everyone on the board, we are Andrea, Mark & Freyja from Gloucester and have just registered.
It is great to see threads obout Nova Scotia as we don't know anyone who has moved there or even considering moving there except us!.

We applied in June last year and have been to Alberta and BC so far. We are now considering Nova Scotia as there are more employment opportunities for Mark (He is in the Naval and Defence Industry) but we don't really know that much about the area. :confused:
We have a 2 1/2 year old daughter so are keen to move somewhere where there are good schools etc.

We are hoping to come over for a week in May or June this year for a little research trip and then a longer one next year.
What is the weather like at that time of year? we have read so many things about the harsh weather!

Any tips on where to look or avoid, any help or info would be greatfully received.
Thanks
Andrea :)

Re: Nova Scotia
 

Many thanks AnyaT and andy_sheila.

I'm going to be renting at first until I get to know the area (Not been to NS before). I'd like to start off with a 1 or ideally 2 bedroom place.

One additional question I would like to ask is that I have a limited diet I need to follow (Gluten and Wheat free), can you recommend any places that could sell some of these products (Gluten free meals/bread, rice cakes, soya milk and butter etc) or have good / helpfull product labelling that I can work things out from. I eat veg and fish, potatoes, rice etc, it's just for when I like to try something different. Also would the local restaurants be able to cater for me ?.

In andy_sheila's repsonse they mentioned that out of town would be a little cheaper. Could any body recommend some of the better places to consider. I am wanting to live a close to the ammenities as possible as not looking to get a car straight a way and when the winter comes I don't want to get issolated (transport links will be very important).

Many thanks.

Re: Nova Scotia
 

For the diet, Atlantic Superstore has various specialist stuff though I haven't looked too closely.

Transport-wise, as previously mentioned, I'd say you'd have to be around Spring Graden not to get isolated, living in Canada without a car is not something many people attempt in my experience. Living outside the city without car would be very tough.

Re: Nova Scotia
 

My daughter worked at Great Ocean, a health food store in Halifax. They had all of the foods listed and are at 6485 Quinpool Rd (902) 425-7400.

Re: Nova Scotia
 

If you won't have a car you will have to live in penninsular Halifax. Anywhere outside of that either will not have public transport period, or it will be so limited it won't be worth taking. Even living across the harbour in Dartmouth will be a pain. Many bus routes run only once an hour to suburban areas so you would have to schedule your life around the bus system - I know, I did it for years! So I would still recommend looking for apartments in the south and west end of Halifax. As andy_sheila mentioned, apartments there can be expensive, but not as expensive as owning a car so try to think of it as saving money that way. The north end is cheaper but is considered the rougher part of the city. Try looking at www.southwest.ca for a preliminary idea of apartment costs and availability. (Note - there is a massive influx of students in September, so finding an apartment then can be tough).

For the gluten-free foods, Great Ocean is the only store that comes to mind immediately, though maybe some more health food stores have opened in the 2 years since I left. There are a few stalls in the Saturday Farmer's Market as well. I don't think you would have a huge problem with restaurants, though your average pub might not be able to adapt their meals. There are a couple vegetarian restaurants you might want to investigate, Satisfaction Feast is supposed to be excellent though I have never been.

Re: Nova Scotia
 

Thanks Ziggy8080, dbd33 and AnyaT for your help. It's good to know about "Great Ocean" and "Atlantic Superstore " as my foods / diet are always at the forefront when I go somewhere new. I tried contacting the Celiac soiety in Canada to get a list of appropriate brands / foods, but not received anything back as yet. I'll try the NS branch to see if I can get any more information.

I think I'll probibly go for the city centre option (even though more expensive) as all things considered while I'm only renting it'll make things a little easier in the short term to settle in before I start thinking about more permanent things.

Re: Nova Scotia
 

As a Scotsman (now resident in Canada since Dec 2002) .... i must visit Nova Scotia some day!