we are seriously thinking about moving to PEI...can anyone give me any information about the best places to live and the pros and cons to living on the island..at the moment we live extremely rural (no neighbours) and i would live to live semi rural...also what are the winters and summer like there?..we will be doing a recce and going to other places too like new brunswick and nova scotia...we would like to live by the sea too...i have been looking at properties which seems that we can live like a queen and king ..any reason why??..also what is the job situation like..or do most people drive into the bigger cities for work?..my partner is a flooring installer would he find work easy enough?? any further info i would appreciate maybe newspapers or websites that would help to answer any of my concerns. thanks

Think logically: cheap means lack of demand, usually driven by lack of work opportunities or a bad neighbourhood.

Has you partner contacted flooring suppliers/contractors in and around PEI to see what the demand is like?

not as yet..we are just doing some research right now..but as a job is the most important thing for us i guess we should look into that ..thanks

When you get there, if you meet a guy called Gary with 2 kids and a Great Dane, tell him he owes me $1200, thanks!

Hi

Work opportunities could be hard to come by in PEI, its very much linked to tourism in the summer months and can be quite remote in winter. The ferry only operates for part of the year, which limits you to the bridge to get across to NS or NB other times of the year.

Charlottetown is the biggest town/city, I havent personally been there but have heard its beautiful, but like you say the key to being able to settle and make the move work for you is that you are going to be able to secure employment successfully, so would recommend you look at this.

here is a link to PEI current jobs on Career Beacon

http://www.careerbeacon.com/search/en/-1/2/62/-1

as a comparison NS

http://www.careerbeacon.com/Nova-Scotia

wiki info on each-

Economy
Fisheries form one of the major industries of Prince Edward Island.

The provincial economy is dominated by the seasonal industries of agriculture, tourism, and the fishery. The province is limited in terms of heavy industry and manufacturing. Although commercial deposits of minerals have not been found, exploration for natural gas beneath the eastern end of the province has resulted in the discovery of an undisclosed quantity of gas.

Agriculture remains the dominant industry in the provincial economy, as it has since colonial times. During the twentieth century, potatoes replaced mixed farming as the leading cash crop, accounting for one-third of provincial farm income. The province currently accounts for a third of Canada's total potato production, producing approximately 1.3 billion kilograms annually.[14] Comparatively, the state of Idaho produces approximately 6.2 billion kilograms annually, with a population approximately 9.5 times greater.[15] The province is a major producer of seed potatoes, exporting to more than twenty countries around the world.[14]

Nova Scotia-

Economy
Lobster fishing boats in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia's traditionally resource-based economy has become more diverse in recent decades. The rise of Nova Scotia as a viable jurisdiction in North America was driven by the ready availability of natural resources, especially the fish stocks off the Scotian shelf. The fishery was pillar of the economy since its development as part of the economy of New France in the 17th century. However, the fishery suffered a sharp decline due to overfishing in the late twentieth century. The collapse of the cod stocks and the closure of this sector resulted in a loss of approximately 20,000 jobs in 1992.[20] Per capita GDP in 2005 was $31,344,[21] lower than the national average per capita GDP of $34,273 and less than half that of Canada's richest province, Alberta.

Due, in part, to a strong small-business sector, Nova Scotia now has one of the fastest-growing economies in Canada.[citation needed] Small business makes up 92.2% of the provincial economy.[22] Mining, especially of gypsum and salt and to a lesser extent silica, peat and barite, is also a significant sector.[23] Since 1991, offshore oil and gas has become an increasingly important part of the economy. Agriculture remains an important sector in the province. In the central part of Nova Scotia, lumber and paper industries are responsible for much of the employment opportunities. Nova Scotia’s defence and aerospace sector generates approximately $500 million in revenues and contributes about $1.5 billion to the provincial economy annually.[24] Nova Scotia has the fourth-largest film industry in Canada hosting over 100 productions yearly, more than half of which are the products of international film and television producers.[25]

The Nova Scotia tourism industry includes more than 6,500 direct businesses, supporting nearly 40,000 jobs.[26] 200,000 cruise ship passengers from around the world flow through the Port of Halifax, Nova Scotia each year.[27] Halifax ranks among the top five most cost-effective places to do business when compared to large international centres in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific

Hope this helps, a recce will help to give you some further insight and dieas as to where you could settle over here

Good luck

While the Maritimes are not Toronto or Montreal, cheap actually means normal. It does not have to mean anything negative...it is usually just normal for this part of Canada.

There are cities with plenty of job opportunities (perhaps fewer for the highly qualified or 'elite') and the housing is still cheap compared to other parts of Canada.

Pri is lovely in the summer but desolate in the winter. The winter last about 7 months of the year and a large amount of the inhabitants are on EI for most of it. Move to ns or nb and holiday in pei.

thanks for replys...after looking a little further into this ..the job thing is oviously important so i think we would take winston's route..would appreciate anyone elses views and help on this

So you've lived here then. This is not my experience. Winter does not last for 7 months. Most of the Summer we live in shorts & Tshirts here. About half of my friends return to places like Ontario & Ottowa & New England, so they can file their taxes there. Thus depriving this Province of much needed taxes. And they don`t give a shit!!

No I haven't lived there the response came from the two Brits standing next to meat Work. They both lived in pei one for four years and left to move to ns because they were fed up with the place closing for the winter, their words, not mine. I only go there for the holidays. Yes some of the places are lovely but it is no good if you can't make a living!

You can't eat sunshine!

Lived there for 3 years, went a little bit insane and then moved to Nova Scotia where I reclaimed my sanity! You can have rural in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick, but you can also dip back into "life" when you want to....this is only my opinion of course, but I know a fair few Brits who moved there, only to leave shortly after. On the flip side there are many who love it, and it all comes down your own personal taste and needs in the end. Good luck with your search

To the OP - I think your best bet would be to contact companies who do the work your hubby does and see if they are hiring, an idea of wages etc.

All this nonsense about no jobs (and I often see it posted here for all of the Maritime provinces) is usually written by people who don't live here and don't know what they are talking about

We live in rural NS - I have a good job managing one of the largest turnover businesses in the valley, hubby has a good job as a welder, all my neighbours have decent jobs - except for the retired people next door!

We don't earn big bucks like in the cities, but we do fine and the cost of living is quite a lot cheaper than these areas, so it's as long as it is broad.

I went to Charlottetown in November just gone, bridge was fine, it is a lovely place, quite open and moorland-y as opposed to NS which is filled with trees and a lot more forested.

C'town is a great place - all the shops you could want, really friendly people, not expensive, and my hotel window overlooked the sea, it was beautiful. Loads of people about too - not closed for the winter! In fact, it was a lot more populated and more amenities than my part of NS.

I wish you well in your reccie, and good luck

I accept that properties are cheaper than they would be in the big cities as a result of which mortgage payments are likely to be cheaper. That aside, how is the cost of living cheaper? I am not trying to argue, I am curious as I hear this alot but can't understand how it would be. One would assume that groceries, gas, utilities etc are comparable with cities.

Thanks