AdynLucyC

Hi all,
After a bit of advice. We might have the chance of moving from Devon, UK to Ontario as hub could have a job offer!
We are possibly looking at the North Bay area or somewhere nearby.
We have 2 daughters, 14 & 8 so schooling etc is a big factor for me as to if I want to take the plunge.
If anyone has any advice recommendations etc about schooling or a nice area to live id love to hear your experiences or advice xx

dbd33

There was a poster here a while back who moved to North Bay, with a family, and stuck it out for, maybe, a couple of years before giving up. I expect the relevant threads are still here somewhere but, iirc, the major snag was that one of them had a job to go to but there was no chance of the other one ever finding work.

dbd33

Search for posts by lcar. YMMV, of course.

Tirytory

Aren't the bugs meant to be awful up there? They're pretty bad here... I was asking the hubbie on Saturday if he would have moved if he knew how bad they were..

christmasoompa

I just remember somebody (could have been Novo?) saying that for a couple of weeks every year a certain type of fly hatches and it's like a plague of locusts have descended on the town! Shudder.

OP - if your husband has a job offer as a truck driver (I think that's what he does?) then one major thing you'd need to consider us that he'd have no way of applying for PR as a trucker in ON. So fine if you just want to go short term, but you couldn't stay permanently unless you have another route to PR. I'm sure you're already aware of that but thought it worth mentioning just in case.

Good luck.

AdynLucyC

Thanks for the replies everyone. ill try and find lcar.
...first ive heard of the bugs but then I guess, near a lake, gonna get things like that....
Anyone live in North Bay?

AdynLucyC

... oh what the low down on the weather through the year please?

Novocastrian

It was. You have a memory like the internet!

Shadflies.

@OP North Bay is possibly the worst place in Ontario (aside from tiny hamlets elsewhere in the north) for a first time immigrant to choose.

You'd be unlikely to last the year out.

Novocastrian

My son did. And I visited.

lcar did. And she went back home.

AdynLucyC

Our plan was to do a year possibly 2 and then try to get transferred to BC as the job covers that area as well. Its just that the chance we have is Ontario, not in North bay its self, so any other recommended towns would be fab as my hubby would be away for the week and then home for 4 days so wont have a daily commute.... its simply the person who offered the job is in North Bay so that was our first thought...

Novocastrian

This all sounds a lot like lcar's first posts.

You can read her by putting her username into the search box at the top right.

MarylandNed

Just mid May to late June at worst. Maybe early July.

I remember being up in Muskoka my first June in Canada before I knew about the black flies. My wife and I drove by a "pitch & putt" (par 3) golf course. Usually these places are busy in the UK but this one was empty. Hardly able to believe our "luck", we stopped for a game. It didn't take us long to figure out why we were the only people on the course. The black flies feasted on me in particular - I was later told that I was wearing the wrong shade of blue. I had blood running from the bites on the back of my neck. We didn't finish the course.

Novocastrian

Black flies and mozzies are endemic to northern Ontario and most other parts of Canada.

In North Bay you also have the shad flies.

I've experienced them, a plague of locust like buggers which stink like decaying fish.

AdynLucyC

They sound awful! I have been on the City of North Bay website and must say it looks and sounds fab, although I know that's what they want us to think..... Think the sensible thing will be a reccy visit with the family recommendations of places to stay??
Think it would be holiday time when the Shad flies are about, but does this mostly apply to the coastal areas?

Novocastrian

Holiday Inn Express is well located and no worse than the others on offer. Howard Johnson's is cheaper and nearer the lake.

Which is NOT a good thing in shad fly season.

A recce, either in early July (shad fly time) or in February (reality check time) is recommended.