dbd33

One of my daughters went to King's in Halifax, just for the FYP, after that she couldn't deal with the provinciality of Halifax and fled to Montreal. I believe it cost about $15,000 for the year because she was an out-of-province student (plus the cost of sending curry powder and falalfels and all manner of other stuff considered exotic in NS). Even the from-away rates in Quebec are nearer a third than half that.

Halifax harpie

Just wanted to add - we paid local rates for her to go to university here, as we are PR's, so costs are not for international student.

shasa

Oh No, sounds depressing, there must be some positives. Are the summers in NS poor too, thought it be better than scotland/ireland, not as humid as other provinces, but not as changable, all seasons in one day like here.

Sharon

Liana

There are lots of negative aspects posted about all places in Canada on this board, including myself- not sure why we aren't perhaps posting in the "Going back to the UK" forum.

However, obviously if people are unhappy, and others are not, it is not Canada that is the problem but all of us individually; we all have different aspects of life and sometimes it is obviously not working for some here.

There are many negative thoughts about Nova Scotia on this thread but having lived in 3 provinces and having children, who are now adults, having lived in 2 provinces, those unpleasant thoughts of Nova Scotia are no different to anywhere else in Canada. Some people like the system in each of the provinces and some don't.

Nova Scotia has crappy springs but better climate the other times than most other places in Canada. It has more history here and more culture but that isn't a great deal compared to European places unfortunately. It has a reasonable economy but nowhere near as good as Alberta- but climate and costs can be problematic there.

Healthwise-please check out the problems in the UK - not really any better but I do believe if we were in the US and on private insurance we would have a better deal. I don't like the healthcare system we have here in Canada and that applies to all the provinces I have had experience in. But my physicians are great- Ha! Ha! because they are not from Canada.

Newly trained doctors I find do not have the same empathy and caring that the older generation do and unfortunately I find with many of them not being Brits they have different responses because of their culture. This is everywhere in Canada though NOT just Nova Scotia.

If anyone is in any of the regulated professions there are plenty of good jobs around but unfortunately we all have to comply with the regulations and that applies all over Canada. There is a great deal of trade work available too.

I do know that lots of kids leave the province to work elsewhere but partly that is because of the isolation here in a large country. Bright kids- professionals and trades, need to get out and test their wings - they need to see other places in the country or the world but I do know of many who ultimately return to Nova Scotia after a few years because, like many of us, they do have an attachment to their home and family and perhaps miss it and see the positive parts of Nova Scotia compared to the rest of Canada.

I do feel sad for you Halifax Harpie- have you considered moving or why, as a nurse don't you get a job in the hospitals. I am sure you would have no problem getting that. It is a shame you are not happy also in Bedford but I can understand that too- I would not live there either but there are posters here who love that area and have lots of good things to say about it.

But all of the negative things we will hear can equally apply to elsewhere- it is up to us all to decide what to do and we have to experience it ourselves.

Liana

This is not the first discussion we have had over this dbd but may I ask why, when there are such good universities in Ontario, did you send your daughter here? Was she in the year when she graduated in Grade 12 instead of 13 and couldn't get in to the good universities down there because of the large number of graduates that year? Not that you have to answer but you could have always chosen elsewhere and please stop grumbling about you not finding curry powder- nobody who does good Indian cooking uses that. Do you know that or not?

shasa

Hi Liana,

Thanks for that, no-where's perfect, as you say, we all have our own reasons for where we choose to settle. We personally choose the maritimes, because of the quieter pace of life, safer for our younger ones to growup, and i fully expect my daughter will want to leave when she grows up, to experience and explore other parts of the world, like i would hope she would, even if we stayed in the UK.

Like NS, PEI has people leaving, but then coming back for the same reasons as we want to go in the first place, or so i have heard. Looking forward to experiencing it for ourselves real soon.

I did wonder what took Halifax Harpie to NS in the first place, they sounded so sad and fed-up. Is that how the whole family feel ? Have you considered going back to the UK? There must be some plus's to your move.

dbd33

I didn't send her anywhere, she chose and billed me. That said, I would always encourage children to go away to university, you can't really grow up while living with your parents.

She was in the double cohort year but was lucky in being in the older year, she got offers from everywhere she applied; McGill was one and there were several foreign ones. I don't think she applied to any in Ontario. Presumably she got the offers because she'd had the extra year's education and had good bac and SAT results. She wanted to go to Halifax because her big interest in life was, and is, tall ship sailing, though in the end she sailed out of Denmark while technically resident in NS. I actually wanted her to take up an offer in the US so as to fulfill my "penniless, uneducated immigrant to Ivy League in one generation" fantasy but, in the end I was just glad she didn't go to the Sorbonne, as the costs looked crazy. That said she's done undergrad now and is looking at the LSE for her masters, another expensive option. (This stuff changes day to day of course so that may be last week's idea).

Lack of curry powder is just an example of the relentless whiteness of Halifax, one could as well use roti as an example, there's just no diversity to speak of. (Note that I see multiculturalism as a mixed blessing, however Halifax is a bit extreme for me, nevermind for someone who went to school at Jarvis and College in Toronto).

Cookie

You daughter will be really pleased that the Tall Ships will be in Halifax between 13th to 27th July. Will she be part of a crew?

I have seen them once back in 1994 in Aberdeen. What a spectacular sight. All the of festivities that go along with it were fab too. Think that some of the ships are headed up to Pictou which is very close to us so will definitely head there and perhaps down to Halifax too.

dbd33

I don't know. Last I heard she was sailing all summer as first mate on a ship out of somewhere in Michigan but a former lover of hers is the captain of a ship that'll be in Halifax so I'm sure she can find a berth if she wants it. They did go one year, a while back; they were paid to deliver the ship from somewhere south, Miami iirc. One of the better jobs I've heard of. My child is actually something of an oddity among serious tall ship people in that, despite the tats, it's not her whole life, she also does school. They're mostly as fanatical as Morris dancers.

Liana

Fair enough - such choices can be our children's and as neither of you liked Halifax OK too that 's fine because neither of you live here.
I must say though if you, as GTA resident, are happy with the visible minority population percentage you will feel very happy about living in an area that has the highest such percentage in the world- over 50%. Nothing wrong with that but there is nothing wrong with all the other cities in the world not having such a high percentage including Halifax and London with only 25%.
Lots of people leave the UK because they are fed up with the immigrant status there BTW, so, from your opinion, Halifax might be a good place for them to be

Liana

It is very distressing for people who are in places they do not want to be - that can be seen on the posts on this board too.
However sometimes we just have to put up with our lives because there are certain things we cannot control- that's life

BTW unless we are going to a ski resort in the winter there are not many tourists around but certainly museums and restaurants, historical places etc here downtown and waterfront are open - so not sure about the comment about that.

Kids leave places in the UK too- especially university students but fortunately living away from the family is never too far. Canada is really big- that is a problem we have to deal with anywhere we live.

Beaverquest

I have seen them once back in 1994 in Aberdeen. What a spectacular sight. All the of festivities that go along with it were fab too. Think that some of the ships are headed up to Pictou which is very close to us so will definitely head there and perhaps down to Halifax too. [/QUOTE]


am sure i saw them twice in the 90s in Aberdeen, 2nd time being around 97 ?

great advert for the town ; even the hookers at fittie had marquees set up.....

good result for the dandies last week ; straight into first round , have an eye on a euro trip in september, mrs bq has been warned

stan free

Cookie

I was heavily pregnant when I saw them in 1994 that's why I remember that year. Rest of the decade was a blurr though

Great news about the Dons. We are hoping to watch some of their games on TV here. Hope they go all the away

Beaverquest

1991 and 1997 just checked on the net

i seem to remember a man utd game at pittodrie 1-1 draw (Theo Ten Caat goal) to mark the occasion; must have been the first tall ships
(also a city centre cycling race - marshall street covered in sand for uphill climb)

sarah_matt

hi, my husband has 2 sisters in new zealand, just a bit interested in which part of new zealand you are in at present and your reasons for ns, as this is the area we are looking into. one of my sister in law were looking into canada or new zealand approx 5 yrs ago and decided on NZ and they have been there now for 4 yrs also.
sarah