OK, let's do this!
 

Hello everyone.

We've been 'watching from afar', doing lots of research over the past six months, and have now taken the plunge and are applying for emigration to Canada!

We are family of four from Colchester, Essex. Husband police officer who retires in 2012 (at 50, yipee!!!). Same year he retires, son also finishes GCSEs and daughter finishes A levels. Great opportunity to make the move and I hope our timescales are realistic (?!).

We are looking to relocate to Ontario and are interested in the Georgina/Lake Simcoe area - does anyone know this area? Keswick looks nice.

I have found so much useful info and lots of laughs on this site. Will probably be asking stupid questions though (like how does cat get to take pee when landing at Toronto - cat litter as hand luggage? :confused: ). But hopefully not too many like that. Amazing what goes through your head at 3am!

Lara

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Hi Lara

Welcome to the forum and the best of luck with all the process of moving to Canada. We are moving to Calgary in the summer (not sure of the date yet, it keeps changing!) I am sure you will find answers to lots of questions on here.

Glad I am not the only one thinking of things like the cat - I was busy wondering the other day about whether we would have to go straight to a supermarket on landing to get cat food - if they haven't been able to eat for so long before the flight they will be starving, especially our huge lazy male cat who does nothing except sleep and eat. Having read your post I will have to add cat litter to that shopping list as well, as I hadn't been worrying about that one till now!!

All the best

Lisa

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Hi Lisa

... likewise I will have to add cat food to my list - didn't think of that! We have 'little fluffy kitten' now, so cute, so evil. Also 17-year-old who I doubt will be around when we go :(

Very best of luck with your move - you are at the end of your process and I am at the beginning. I envy you.

Lara

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Welcome to the forum. Lots of info and practical advise in here. You can also use the 'search' tool above to look for specific topics :D

Re cats - we got our realtor to shop for some cat litter and tray and deliver it to our temporary accommodation so it was ready and waiting for us when we arrived. Just hand carried some dried food. Wouldn't have tried to hand carry our clay powdered litter in our suitcases, apart from being heavy it may have been blown up in a controlled explosion :ohmy:

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Excellent advice, thanks, problem solved - Canadian realtors seem much more accommodating (pardon the pun) than their estate agent counterparts in the UK. :thumbsup:

Did you have trouble finding rented accommodation which allowed cats?

Lara

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for those with cats. we have been told that cats are not allowed out in calgary, and have to be housebound. has anyone taken their puddy tat and had problems. we are seriously thinking of leaving them behind as i dont think that at 4 years old they would adapt to being shut in all day and night.
also, does anyone know why there is a byelaw against cats and not dogs?

interested to find out if its easy to rent / temp accom with cats and a dog!!

bobster

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Hi Bobster

Have a look at this link - seems cats in Calgary are allowed out but only on your own property - not that of your neighbour.

http://content.calgary.ca/CCA/City+H...erest/Cats.htm

All cats have to be licensed too.

Lara

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... having said that, how on earth can you keep a cat on your own property? Guess it must be default end up meaning indoors or in a run in the garden.

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oh yeah mine are very good and do everything they are told! i dont think they do travel that far, but certainly over the fence into the neighbours. what a strange law!

thanks for the prompt reply

bobster

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One of our cats is a house cat anyway (The big fat lazy male one, strangely enough!!) :D But the other one does go out and although she usually does stay in our front or back garden, she has been known to set foot in the neighbour's garden! I suggested to my OH that we could perhaps get her a little harness and attach her to the end of a sort of bungee rope fastened to the house and if she attempted to jump up onto the fence between us and next door, it would just ping her back down again. Needless to say, he wasn't impressed:eek:

Lisa

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:rofl: :rofl:
Wonder if i could do that with my 4 year old aswell Lisa?
Welcome to the forum Lara,and lots of luck
Mandi :thumbup:

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If your four year old is anything like my 6 and 9 year olds, it'd take more than a bungee rope to contain them!! (I am thinking more along the lines of a cage in the garden for them) ;)

Lisa

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:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:thumbsup: good idea x

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http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/sto...t-licence.html
http://www.meowfoundation.com/health/bylaw.html

have a look at this re cat licensing

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We rented a 2 bedroom apartment at a motel during Jan/Feb. When we were looking at newspaper adverts on the web from back home we noticed lots said 'NO PETS'. I think it is still worth while calling if you have cats as they may not mind a moggie but perhaps wouldn't like the idea of a large dog.

Another thing we found out was that lots of house/apartment rentals here were unfurnished. Not much use if you shipping your goods over. We do live in a small town though and I would imagine that cities would have a better choice for you.

Here is how my cat is allowed out. She is a ragdoll and was not allowed out in the UK unless on a harness attached to an extending dog lead. A couple of weeks ago I let her out on the deck and although our deck is around 15ft off the ground, when I went to check on her she was gone :ohmy: I saw her scurry over to the woods........ cheeky little dare devil :eek:

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What a gorgeous cat, she is really beautiful! I had been joking in my earlier post about the bungee rope, but maybe that is the way to do it, if you used an extending dog lead - I suppose your cat is used to it though, I can imagine ours going bananas trying to get it off! My main worry is her shooting out the door when one of the kids goes out (knowing how hopeless they are at actually managing to shut the door behind them!):frown:

Lisa

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Ah bless haha (cat).
We had same problem,kids are going mad for a dog and all the rentals say no to them.
We,re shipping the furinture over and are gonna camp out on inflateable beds for a week or two ( thanks morwenna)
So i know how you feel,or atleast my back will :rofl:

Mandi

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Just wanted to say Hi and welcome to the site.

Don't they do nappies for cats! :lol: :rofl: :lol: (Sorry - not very helpful)

Anyway, all the best with everything.

:thumbup:

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They probably do sell nappies for cats - they sell everything else here for them, sunglasses, coats, shoes, leather caps I could go on & on & on.......

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Have been considering the lead thing over here. We are just starting to let our cat out - six months old - and she just runs, usually upwards. Last night she jumped out of the bedroom window (think decking broke her fall!) and when we found her she was on the roof of a house down the road and couldn't get down. Sure she's half monkey.

I suppose if we have to keep her in, in Canada, houses bit bigger so more room to roam.

Love the idea of a nappy! :lol:

Thanks for all your words of welcome.

Lara

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Hi and welcome,

I'm also a police officer, (female) with the MET, with nearly 22 years (pensionable)service. there are a few other police officers on the forum too.

My OH is a central heating engineer and we have 2 kids, a son aged 14 and a daughter aged nearly 9. We want to move to Vancouver Island where I have family.

You'll soon be really glad that you found this forum, it's a great source of info based on others experiences and research and flots of fun to be a part of.

Enjoy! :)

Robin

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They do for puppies and I have also seen sunglasses for dogs on a UK website. They are called doggles http://www.firebox.com/index.html?di...ogles&aff=1272 :rofl:

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Ah! I use to live in Wivenhoe. :) Hi.

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Ah, just across the water, actually Mersea Island but put Colchester as I thought no one would have heard of it. Know Wivenhoe very well - particularly the pubs - the druggie one (in the 80s) on the front where the witches used to go and The Black Bouy. Happy days. :D

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Measea Island! Nice...

The Rose and Crown is the pub on the river... I think it's tried to go a bit upscale... well, for Wivenhoe. ;)

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West or east Mersea? From Tiptree myself but spent a lot of time walking dogs at west mersea and cudmore grove.:thumbsup:

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Hi Polarbearmum, we're from SWF - what a small world!

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We're in West Mersea - it's gorgeous here at the moment, but too many tourists! I know Tiptree well - just love The Cheap Shop and The Factory Shop - bargains galore! :thumbsup: Didn't go to The Plume did you?

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What year did you leave the Plume? Not 1984 by any chance???

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Definately is, used to work with someone from SWF and in my previous role at APU actually attending a few events at the secondary school there.:huh:

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Nope not sure whether to admit this but I was a Thurstable kid. Left there after A-levels in 1991. I too love the cheap shop and factory shop also quite attached to the crusty loaf (my OH loves the hot sausage rolls) whenever we are back visiting we have to walk to the centre for a little treat. Not sure on the new Tescos though.:unsure:

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Oh I love the sausage rolls from The Crusty Loaf - my mouth is watering now:(
You must be brave, visiting the W de F school in SWF! Did you wear your pith helmet and carry a gun?:eek:

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had back-up and a fast car to get away in.

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:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

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No, some years earlier I'm afraid! Late 70s then went to Col Inst for A levels.

Is the Town Crier still in SWF? Used to go there a lot, and Shaw Farm. Dukes in Chelmsford was the place to be in those days. :thumbup:

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I used to work in Dukes - I was a cocktail waitress (made the cocktails - didn't have to wear the bunny tail suit) back in the late eighties when I was saving up to come to Calgary for a year!
Shaw farm is still there - my mum was there at the weekend, apparently the carvery is good!
The Town Crier is still there I think - lots of my mis spent youth was wasted in that pub:thumbsup:
Another coinsidence - I went to Col institute to get my NNEB, I was at the Endsleigh annexe, I think they turned that into luxury flats a while back!

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I had many a fun night at Dukes in the late 80s - our paths must have crossed!

Did part of an A level at Endsleigh - lunch time drink and sandwich at The Sun followed by lectures once a week. It is now luxury flats, plus a whole row of very attractive (and expensive) town houses. I think the lake is still in there somewhere.

(Sounds like I frequent all the drinking places - not a great drinker, honestly!)

Lara