Babsyclooney

All really great points to consider, and I appreciate your comments.

BATS-
I worked for a non profit hospice in Somerset, which we were fortunate enough to have our own allotment, and all food was homemade for the patients.

BristolUK

Not being a driver I never thought of that before. It makes sense. Similar with the conditions of road surfaces with the freeze-thaw business.

As I keep reading, we have four seasons. Nearly winter, winter, still winter and road construction.

sparksman

Hey,

I get it! Me and my husband will be heading back to the uk next year! Decided that Vancouver is just not for us.

Really miss my family, friends and lots of other things.

Am glad we have tried it and have no regrets but I guess you just have follow your gut feeling.

Hope it alls works out what ever you decide to do.

Take care

Jodie x

Hucards

Get out of the city. Nature, slow pace of life, quietness and space is what Canada offers. Alternatively you can leave. If you truly don't like it then that's the best. One person can't change an entire country. When I first moved to Japan I loved it but then everything wore off. I realized most people are prejudiced. everything is overpriced. every conversation with the locals is about japan and how great it is (can't ever say anything negative). the tv shows are for people with learning disabilities. there is zero privacy. no insulation or central heat/AC in the houses. The nature is shockingly destroyed and ugly (with a few exceptions for post cards). the list just kept growing. I kept trying to adjust and live there but couldn't. The problem is that I spent too long trying and realize I wasted the one thing we can't get back...time.
Live where you are happy. Happiness is just too important in life that it can't be ignored.

MillieF

The jury is still out for me emotionally, and its been one year now for me too. There are aspects of Canadian life that drive me nuts, but many more aspects that I like and approve of completely. I think I will be like Bats, I will settle but it won't be fast. Some days I wake up and think what the hell but quite often now a good day comes along too

I do think that Piff Poff might have a good thought....perhaps where you are living just doesn't suit you...I know that I couldn't cope in a big Canadian city with lots of traffic problems. Perhaps a move of province might be the best for the both of you, and then restart you timer to day one and give it another shot?
It took you a long time to get here, perhaps you just need a new start?

The main body of your post I would broadly agree with, but then so would a hell of a lot of Canadians too, it isn't for the faint hearted, lots of aspects of this country suck...but there are lots of good sides too. Very best of luck.

Zoe Bell

I often wonder if the tag line for Canada should be
"Canada - It's different"

for soem people those differences are good , for some people not so much and I think , for the vast majority, just different.

I broadly agree with the idea of trying a new place before scooting off back to the UK. It would be a shame to judge an entire country on one small ( perhaps non representative portion)

We've been here 6 years now and even now some things still make me shake my head but generally I am MUCH happier here than I've ever been in the UK, for various reasons.

In the interests of balance , all you people condemning city life as "hell". I beg to differ. Living out in the 'burbs would be my idea of hell. I actually find city living makes life easier not harder. But of course it depends on what you are looking for in life.

The only thing i would caution to anyone considering going back to the UK, is the question " going back to what?"

Your jobs are not there, your house has sold. Your friends have probably moved on. It may not be possible to pick up where you left off.

not2old

that's interesting

labelled whinging poms find or look for anything to moan about even when they;re living in the UK & when they emigrate they can be even worse.

Any immigrant I think will always keep the best memories of 'back home' & quickly forget the not so good stuff or bad things.

After 2, 5, 10, 20 or more years away you'd think there be no chance of going back - depends on the individual - some will forever rock back & forth - others will move back & be happy to be home, others will not & what about those that NEVER go back.

Folks can be away a lifetime and still return home

jeannie in a bottle

I understand your pain! I lived in Ontario for 3.5 years, and never settled for one moment. Every day I just wanted to go home, back to the place where everything felt normal, and I knew where I fitted in. I missed my family and friends and my old way of life far more than I thought possible. I hated everything, the drivers on the 401 especially, the terrible telly, the weather was so harsh, and I was completely miserable.

Luckily, we had the opportunity to move provinces, and are now living in Vancouver b.c. Life is very different here, and while I am not for a moment suggesting that everything is perfect, i seem to have found a little piece of Canada that I feel comfortable in. Three months ago, given the opportunity, I would have moved back to the UK in a heartbeat. Now .... Well I am happy to be here, and more than happy to stay for another year or two.

The provinces are so different, maybe you would be happier in another area?

Just for fun, maybe this attachment would help you with your decision!

All the best in whatever you decide to do

humanist

Everyone's different I guess.

I've lived in Toronto for 5 years and absolutely love it here. I haven't missed the UK once, only some of the people there.

jaysangha

Hi Barb. My family and I moved to Mississauga nearly five years ago. I worked extensively across Europe and always wanted to experience life abroad having heard so much about Canada and what it had to offer. We moved out here with two very young kids who settled very quickly.

We faced the same challenges with regards to extortionate insurance, expensive essentials (food and clothes), finding a competent GP, pricey and lengthy mobile phone contracts, rip-off TV and internet services (especially when compared to what SKY offered back in London) and higher property taxes (eventhough I can see the money actually being put to work where in London it just went into a black hole). Plus emmployers didn’t want to accept my extensive experience in financial services. I work in Marketing, the principals of which are pretty standard the world-over. I got fed-up with hearing “no Canadian experience” and basically landed a job when I told them not to offer me any BS about Canadian experience when I come from a much more mature financial service market and its more “aware” customers.

Anyway, we settled, found a home, bought cars, got jobs and thought this is a great country. But the yearning to be near family has been ever-present. If anything, it has been growing. We have no direct family here and no matter how well we justify our lives here, it all pales into insignificance when measured against the void left by not being around our loved ones. My parents joined us here on extended visitor visas and I see the restrictions the Canadian lifestyle has forced upon them and it saddens me.

We constantly reasoned that we moved here to give our kids a better future (we have had added to our brood since we arrived). But it now feels that we are using that as an excuse to remain. I enjoy the many things Canada offers, we live in a great neighbourhood, I work with fantastic people but no matter what, the heart still cries for England. We have decided that we will move back in the next couple of years once we have citizenship. However, with citizenship, it means the door remains open for a return one day or even if the kids wanted to come study here.

There are many reasons to remain and plough through the downs but at the end of the day, if your heart is no longer in it, you’ll make it harder to get out of bed everyday.

Yes England has its issues but they can be mitigated by that uplifting feeling of being in familiar surroundings, with loved ones and knowing how everything works.

Can’t wait for the day I can say “Lovely Jubbly” and everyone knows what I mean!!!

Good luck

Londonuck

Don't bother with the pros and cons list cos it tends to tip in the direction you really want to go anyway.

Only you know what makes you happy.

We went back and had a right laugh and a load of crap as well. We've come back here and really enjoy here again.

That's life, as Mr Sinatra once said. Actually he said quite a few times.

Good luck what ever you choose.

Oink

Dear Mum,

Canada is not what we thought and we should of listened to you before we came. Canadians smile too much and you can’t get Tescos potato waffles in the supermarket. I haven’t made any friends here and Jim says the prostitutes at the truck stops aren’t like the ones back at home. The snow was colder than we thought and we didn’t realize you weren’t allowed in the vast open spaces. Still, can’t wait to see you again and tell Tina I’ll need my purple dauber back. Love me.

colchar

Missing family and friends is perfectly natural and is, of course, something that must be taken into account when deciding whether or not to stay but some of the other things you list come across as if you are nitpicking and are looking for reason to go back.




You think our license plates are hard to read and are including that in your reasoning? That, to me, seems like a huge stretch. How, exactly, do our license plates actually affect your daily life? And how does the government's method of issuing them adversely affect you? And why would you let something as minor as that influence your decision on whether or not to stay in a province/country especially when a license plate only has to be issued once?

And you think we should have a surveillance society similar to that which exists in Britain? If so, then you will never be happy here because whenever cameras are brought in the push back is such that they are done away with (photo radar in Ontario being a prime example) because we tend not to like being watched constantly. We do not need Big Brother watching over us constantly and our police seem to do a good enough job solving crimes without surveillance cameras everywhere. I am actually quite surprised by how people back in Britain seem to accept the constant surveillance and invasions of privacy such as taking DNA samples when arresting someone for something as minor as being drunk and disorderly or the local council snooping through garbage to ensure it has been sorted properly. I, for one, am glad that Canada is not like that.

I listen to the talk radio station LBC (London's Biggest Conversation) almost every day and a few months ago they had several shows, or portions of several shows, devoted to the story of a guy who was attacked and beaten up on the street somewhere in London. Not only was nobody charged, but the police didn't even bother to investigate because there was no CCTV in the area. In other words, they couldn't do their job unless the evidence was handed to them on a silver platter.

And even when they have CCTV, they don't seem able to use it properly:


http://www.lbc.co.uk/policeman-spent...-himself-50826


http://www.lbc.co.uk/watch-cctv-of-t...t-charge-75235



Then there is the issue of massive invasions of privacy with CCTV:

http://www.lbc.co.uk/schools-using-c...ng-rooms-59778




That is because you are new here and this should be expected. You cannot expect to have the same insurance rates here that you did in Britain because you do not have Canadian/Ontario driving experience. Your rates will come down as you gain experience and could easily come down immediately if you used an insurance broker.





Get a new doctor. My experiences with the Ontario medical system have been mostly positive and I have had some excellent care over the years. If I was ever referred to a doctor who I didn't like I simply had myself referred to another one.



If neither of your employers offer health insurance to cover prescriptions just take out private insurance. There are plenty of companies who offer private insurance (Manulife springs immediately to mind) which will cover prescription drugs. An insurance broker might also be able to help with this.



Just tell them that you aren't interested in whitening and leave it at that. I've never once had a dentist push whitening on me so I think it might just be your particular dentist. The simple solution is to find a new dentist.





Our telecommunication industry can stink but, having previously been one of the managers in the technical department of a competitor to Bell and Rogers, I might have some insight into this issue.

I think part of the reason for slow internet might be that you live in a building and that there are a lot of people accessing the web via the same hub. If you have neighbors in the building who download a lot, or stream a lot, that will cause everyone else's connection to slow down. Things would be different if you lived in a house because there are fewer people connected to each access point on the street. Another issue would be the age of the building and the age/quality of the wiring inside it. If they are older that will adversely affect the signal but that isn't the communications company's problem, that is down to the owner of the building - the communications company is responsible for getting the signal to the building, anything inside (ie. wiring) is up to the owner.



You're letting a politician, who would only be in office for a few years (and what are the chances he will actually be re-elected next year?), influence your decision to move out of the country? That seems particularly silly to me. Political careers don't last forever, and most are actually quite short, so you shouldn't let this influence your decision. Again, I think you are looking for reasons to leave and using Ford as one of your reasons is as nonsensical as someone saying they want to move out of London because they don't like Boris as Mayor. And you are not forced to live in Toronto, you can move somewhere else, including many places close by, where Ford is not Mayor.





Good jobs and infrastructure are scarce outside of Toronto? I think you need to get out of the city more and learn what other areas are like. You don't even have to leave the GTA as there are plenty of other places in that area (Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Newmarket, etc., etc.) that have jobs and infrastructure.

If you think jobs and infrastructure only exist in Toronto then I would say that you are more settled here than you think because you sound like many Torontonians who think everything north of Bloor St. is the hinterland, which couldn't be further from the truth.




First, unless you are in law enforcement you are not qualified to judge whether the officers were sloppy or not especially as you were not there to witness this for yourself. Second, you complained about about the cost of officers being in court but don't seem to realize that to have an investigative team show up for a workplace accident would cost considerably more than the officer on scene taking the pictures themselves. And there is another factor that you might not be aware of - workplace accidents like that are not usually handled by the police, they are handled by the Ministry of Labour which has its own investigators. It wouldn't be necessary for officers to take pictures because the MoL would do that when the incident was handed off to them.




Go to work for another company. And I have never heard of not being allowed to take vacation for two years so either he misunderstood something or the company is pulling a stunt here (even though you claim it is the best in Toronto) and a quick call to the Ministry of Labour would sort that out and likely see the company fined. And he wouldn't even have to give his name, he can remain anonymous.






As I said above, it seems like you are nitpicking and are looking for reasons to go back. I know it is tough to do, but you need to find a way to detach and look at things more objectively. Maybe making up an objective list of pros and cons might help, especially if you take your time doing that. If you do that and decide that you do not like it here then you could move somewhere else in Canada (even in Ontario) or you could return to Britain. But at least then you would have a more objective basis for your decision rather than the reasons you listed above, many of which seem rather inconsequential and also make it seem like you expect Canada to be exactly like Britain just on the opposite side of the Atlantic.

dbd33

What, besides exploitable natural resources, exists north of Bloor St. that doesn't exist south of it?

Londonuck

I think you're nitpicking their nitpicking