May (specially the 10th-30th) is a very good time of year to tour Niagara (this is the correct spelling), because it shouldn’t be too busy with tourists, yet it will be very green. The temperatures likely will be pleasant and not too hot or cold. Bring jackets just in case it is cool. Right now, I doubt if the leaves are even out on the trees yet – although they will be soon.

This photo was taken from one of those hotel rooms:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/...78401926QFPdHd

For your information, it was Marilyn Monroe (bless her soul) who popularized Niagara Falls as a tourist destination.

The Niagara Region sits below the Niagara Escarpment (which is a cliff that extends through southern Ontario from the falls to Tobermory) between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Because of this geography, Niagara has a milder winter climate than cities such as Kitchener. In other words, Niagara has a “microclimate� due to the geography of the area. It is one of the finest places in the world to grow grapes and some types of fruit trees – such as peaches, cherries, and pears to name a few. In Kitchener/Waterloo (at the same latitude) we really couldn’t grow peaches worth a darn, but in the Niagara Region you definitely can. So if you were to buy a home in that area you could have fruit trees on your property, where in most of southern Ontario, it would be difficult to do because it gets too cold in the winter (damages the trees) outside of apples or sour cherries. Windsor is another area were you could grow fruit trees since it is far enough south. Windsor has a casino by the way, and soon Niagara will have two.

Info on Niagara Region's economy:
http://www.ontario-canada.com/ontcan...ed_niagara.jsp

Just been looking at house prices here-quite cheap!
Thinking about what Taira advised about living close enough to the border to work 'stateside' and commute. Would this interfere with applying for citizenship a few years down the line after living in Canada but working in USA? After all won't I be paying taxes to the States and not Canada? I won't be contributing to the Canadian Government will I? Perhaps I should work in Canada first.
Also has anybody done one of these 'House-Swaps' to have cheap holiday. It occurred to me this may be a good idea to see what it's like to live in Canada. On the web site there's plenty of Canadian families wanting to come to England too!
Would love any ideas or experiences of this.

Working in the US (while residing in Canada) should not impede your qualifications for Canadian citizenship - at least not after you are granted permanent residence. Canada immigration may not like the idea of you working in the US. They would expect you to work in Canada before they let you reside in Canada in the first place. You ought to ask about that issue on the immigration board on this forum to make sure - some people there are experts (I'm not one of them). The problem (in my mind anyway) is will the US make it hard for you to get through the border until you have Canadian citizenship? Canadians have an easier time going through the border than any other nationality - this is what you should be concerned about!

Regarding taxes, as a Canadian resident you must report your entire world-wide income on your Canadian tax return. So, you will have to first pay income taxes to the USA, then to Canada. However, due to the US - Canada tax treaty, whatever income tax you pay in one country may be use as a tax credit in the other. This is done to avoid double taxation. In other words, working in the US has no tax advantage for you, but it's not a tax disadvantage either. At least that's the way the law worked a few years ago - it likely hasn't changed. However, you must refer to a tax practitioner for a definitive answer on this. You will end up paying lots of tax to the USA, and some tax to Canada - assuming that the income tax rate is higher in Ontario than in New York - I'm not sure which has the higher income tax rate.

Regarding house prices, think of Toronto as "ground-zero" for the highest housing prices. In general (this may be a bit of an oversimplification), as you get further away from Toronto, the lower the prices.

i must admit i was a tad disappointed with niagara though the housing around the area is awesome. we are hopefully moving back to the area in 2 years as my husband is from port colborne and is here in halifax in the navy. i found the surrounding towns around niagara very old fashioned more like the 1950's. by this i mean in welland, thorold and st catherines but dont get me wrong still a nice place to live.

cant all be bad there though as hubby proposed to me under the niagara mist 2 years ago so it will always hold a special place in my heart.

I believe that the Niagara Falls area is in a renaissance due to the huge new casino (and other new investments) going into the area. Instead of just a summer resort, Niagara Falls is being transformed into a year-round resort. This will have an important affect on the economy. In recent history, the population of the Niagara Region has grown very slowly - the slowest growing major region in southern Ontario. That in turn, is why you don't see a lot of new housing. This I feel, is about to change and the area will grow somewhat quicker.

I'm partial to the Niagara Region for a number of reasons:

1) the natural beauty of the area with all the parks, golf courses, vineyards, fruit trees and flowers.
2) the new casino with the buffets, and entertainment that it will host.
3) the culture of the area with the Shaw festival and whatnot.
4) the history of the area (where we defeated the Americans militarily) with the forts at Niagara-on-the-Lake and Fort Erie (war of 1812-1814)
5) all the restaurants that the area is attracting from the US and other parts of Canada due to the huge tourist industry. Okay, I love chain restaurants like "Boston Pizza", "Swiss Chalet" and "Applebee's".

Check this out (click on "culture and lifestyles" under community profile):

http://www.city.niagarafalls.on.ca/e...omprofile.html

I mentioned the "Shaw Festival" at Niagara-on-the-Lake in my last post. Here's a little more about it:

The Shaw Festival is one of the largest repertory companies in North America, and the only theatre in the world that specializes in plays written by British playwright Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries (1856-1950

http://www.thecopperleaf.com/shawfest/

And check this out:

http://www.niagaraparks.com/planavisit/peoplemover.php

What is it about people from the Wirral wanting to move to Canada. I grew up on the Wirral & only moved to Bolton 3 years ago to be with the other half...ahhh.

I lived in Eastham and went to South Wirral High School.

Is Cheggar Road the one that got knocked down?

Grace x

We used to do exactly the same!!
Copper Grill on a Sunday
Parkgate in the Summer for the ice-cream...mmmm
Chehire cat for family get-togethers!!
Back in the days....

Hi Balesy,
My husband and myself are in the same position. He is in electrical maintainance and I am a registered nurse. Going in October for a look around ontario. How is it going? what area have you decided on? We are thinking of hiring a car when we go any ideas?