Pros & Cons of moving to Canada
Aug 16th 2004, 12:09 am
#46
Guest
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Re: Pros & Cons of moving to Canada
Scotland's largest prison - Bar-L by some chance?
Crime and drugs go hand in hand in the UK - it's the same here.
You're right about the drug problem being inescapable. I live in the commuter belt, so you don't always see your neighbours very often, especially in winter.
Our inventive villians have started BUYING houses and converting them into cannabis grow-ops - the entire property is converted into a large hydroponic lab - if they don't get caught, they then sell the houses on. How do you spot an ex grow-op? Lots of power outlets and mould growth - the interior of the house needs ripped out and completely redone, if it's repairable. Lake Chestermere is probably the most active cannabis growing area - it's just outside the city and very commutable - ideal for a grow-op.
There was a serious fire in a condo block a few months ago - two quiet young men who had rented an apartment were boiling cannabis resin when it ignited.
There are drugs EVERYWHERE - the SW of Calgary is nice and quiet, but there are drugs here too. We have bored kids with too much money to spend, nuff said.
The Canadian answer is to get them into sports - there's a limit to what teenagers can get up to if they're commited to a hockey team with regular 6am hockey practices. Plus it also increases the chances of that they'll get a sports scholarship. Steroids are an issue I'll worry about later.
Living in the ocean probably won't help - somebody would just start smoking seaweed to see what happens .....
Crime and drugs go hand in hand in the UK - it's the same here.
You're right about the drug problem being inescapable. I live in the commuter belt, so you don't always see your neighbours very often, especially in winter.
Our inventive villians have started BUYING houses and converting them into cannabis grow-ops - the entire property is converted into a large hydroponic lab - if they don't get caught, they then sell the houses on. How do you spot an ex grow-op? Lots of power outlets and mould growth - the interior of the house needs ripped out and completely redone, if it's repairable. Lake Chestermere is probably the most active cannabis growing area - it's just outside the city and very commutable - ideal for a grow-op.
There was a serious fire in a condo block a few months ago - two quiet young men who had rented an apartment were boiling cannabis resin when it ignited.
There are drugs EVERYWHERE - the SW of Calgary is nice and quiet, but there are drugs here too. We have bored kids with too much money to spend, nuff said.
The Canadian answer is to get them into sports - there's a limit to what teenagers can get up to if they're commited to a hockey team with regular 6am hockey practices. Plus it also increases the chances of that they'll get a sports scholarship. Steroids are an issue I'll worry about later.
Living in the ocean probably won't help - somebody would just start smoking seaweed to see what happens .....
Aug 16th 2004, 12:15 am
#47
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2003
Location: Vancouver Island
Posts: 298
Re: Pros & Cons of moving to Canada
Originally Posted by Voyager970
Cheers for this.
I take it Port Coquitlam is not he nicest smelling place to live in then,
I take it Port Coquitlam is not he nicest smelling place to live in then,
They probably do, although the reason why I said that was because of a man called Robert Pickton who is currently on trial in Bc for murdering 15 woman from downtown Vancouver, and feeding them to his pigs. There are other missing woman who still may be attributed to him. They are saying that he may be the worst serial killer in canada`s history.
He owned a pig farm in port coquitlam.
Bit of trivia for you.
Aug 16th 2004, 12:41 am
#48
#include
Joined: Jun 2004
Location: Calgary since 2001.
Posts: 274
Re: Pros & Cons of moving to Canada
Originally Posted by Glaswegian
There was a serious fire in a condo block a few months ago - two quiet young men who had rented an apartment were boiling cannabis resin when it ignited.
Aug 16th 2004, 12:41 am
#49
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jul 2004
Location: Victoria, BC Canada
Posts: 61,698
Re: Pros & Cons of moving to Canada
Europe is so incredibly ahead of their time concerning drugs - "streets ahead" of North America - the sooner that North America takes the "glamour" out of drugs the better it will be for everyone. Let's face it.....the States has long since lost the war on drugs....and need to handle the situation in the same way that Europe does - safe injection sites, needle disposals, safe sites for these people to get medical attention. We now have a safe injection site in Vancouver East Side much to the anger of the States - when it was established we had the FBI, and other seniorlaw enforcement people come up to Vancouver to look at what was going on. The States then sent a formal letter of protest to Ottawa telling us to "cease and desist with the plan.
You are absolutely correct that we need to protect our kids as much as possible and immerse them in sports and so many other activities that they don't have time for trouble.
I'm probably the most anti-drug person around - but to be truthful.....after seeing a movie about the addicts in t he Vancouver East side - I gave 3 cheers that these people were finally getting 'some kind of help'!!
You are absolutely correct that we need to protect our kids as much as possible and immerse them in sports and so many other activities that they don't have time for trouble.
I'm probably the most anti-drug person around - but to be truthful.....after seeing a movie about the addicts in t he Vancouver East side - I gave 3 cheers that these people were finally getting 'some kind of help'!!
Originally Posted by Voyager970
Hello Peeps,
I have had a good look about everyones opinion on the drug culture in BC. My wife and I will be starting the ball rolling this month in our quest to gain PR in Canada. We will hopefully be hoping to settle in the Maple Ridge, Port Coquitlam area where my wife has family there. Does anyone have any views as to what these reas are like with regards the drug culture.
On the subject of drugs. I am from Glasgow UK. I work for the Scottish Prison Service in Scotland largest prison. I have first hand experience of the drug culture in Glasgow. Example, The prison runs a methadone programme, to hopefully get the addicts off hard class A drugs, ie heroin.
This prison is the second largest dispenser of Methadone in Europe, I believe it is second only to a prison in Barcelona,
[B]Now does that not tell you something about the drug culture in Glasgow.[/B]
Drugs are everywhere, they are part of society, they are in our schools, in our streets, next door to us. If we were all to worry about where we were to live due to drugs I think the ocean would be the best place, beside Captain Nemo.
As I have said drugs are everywhere and there is not a lot we can do about it. All we can do as responsible parents or adults is to minimise how the drug culture will impact on our own lives. You may move to beautiful area within BC or Calgary, into your dream home, only to find that your new neighbours that move into the house next door to you, that you had just bought 6 months previous are in fact drug addicts. Worst case senario of course. Take if from me, as someone who does work with drug addicts on a regular basis, drugs are here to stay. !!!!!
And always remember DRUGS ARE FOR MUGS !!!!!!!!!
My Tuppence today
I have had a good look about everyones opinion on the drug culture in BC. My wife and I will be starting the ball rolling this month in our quest to gain PR in Canada. We will hopefully be hoping to settle in the Maple Ridge, Port Coquitlam area where my wife has family there. Does anyone have any views as to what these reas are like with regards the drug culture.
On the subject of drugs. I am from Glasgow UK. I work for the Scottish Prison Service in Scotland largest prison. I have first hand experience of the drug culture in Glasgow. Example, The prison runs a methadone programme, to hopefully get the addicts off hard class A drugs, ie heroin.
This prison is the second largest dispenser of Methadone in Europe, I believe it is second only to a prison in Barcelona,
[B]Now does that not tell you something about the drug culture in Glasgow.[/B]
Drugs are everywhere, they are part of society, they are in our schools, in our streets, next door to us. If we were all to worry about where we were to live due to drugs I think the ocean would be the best place, beside Captain Nemo.
As I have said drugs are everywhere and there is not a lot we can do about it. All we can do as responsible parents or adults is to minimise how the drug culture will impact on our own lives. You may move to beautiful area within BC or Calgary, into your dream home, only to find that your new neighbours that move into the house next door to you, that you had just bought 6 months previous are in fact drug addicts. Worst case senario of course. Take if from me, as someone who does work with drug addicts on a regular basis, drugs are here to stay. !!!!!
And always remember DRUGS ARE FOR MUGS !!!!!!!!!
My Tuppence today
Aug 16th 2004, 12:57 am
#50
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Pros & Cons of moving to Canada
The yanks are clueless idiots when it comes ot drugs, although to be honest, they're also clueless idiots when it comes to most things.
As far as I can tell the US 'solution" is to bottle drugs up in poorer areas, so it has less effect on nice white middle class suburbs.
Canada, as always, is represented as the liberal threat to the north in every drug related discussion in the US.
Alberta is COLD and not the best place to grow cannabis - I'm sure our exported cannabis production is barely the tip of the iceberg in terms of what's home grown in the US.
Unfortunately we can't lock all drug users up, although it would be nice to do so - I personally don't have a problem with blood testing at work - chances are a proportion of the people we all worth with use is on a regular basis if you believe the statistics.
The only answer is be responsible parents - KNOW where your kids are and what they are doing, ALL the time. And it would be rather good if you didn't use drugs yourself ..... I'd like to think that everyone on this forum doesn't.
As far as I can tell the US 'solution" is to bottle drugs up in poorer areas, so it has less effect on nice white middle class suburbs.
Canada, as always, is represented as the liberal threat to the north in every drug related discussion in the US.
Alberta is COLD and not the best place to grow cannabis - I'm sure our exported cannabis production is barely the tip of the iceberg in terms of what's home grown in the US.
Unfortunately we can't lock all drug users up, although it would be nice to do so - I personally don't have a problem with blood testing at work - chances are a proportion of the people we all worth with use is on a regular basis if you believe the statistics.
The only answer is be responsible parents - KNOW where your kids are and what they are doing, ALL the time. And it would be rather good if you didn't use drugs yourself ..... I'd like to think that everyone on this forum doesn't.
Aug 16th 2004, 1:14 am
#51
#include
Joined: Jun 2004
Location: Calgary since 2001.
Posts: 274
Re: Pros & Cons of moving to Canada
Originally Posted by Glaswegian
The only answer is be responsible parents - KNOW where your kids are and what they are doing, ALL the time. And it would be rather good if you didn't use drugs yourself ..... I'd like to think that everyone on this forum doesn't.
I've not spent too much thought on how to parent my daughter when she gets into her teen years, but I'll probably give alot of the same freedoms as my parents afforded me - I think I turned out quite well, so maybe following their lead would be a good thing.
I found independence at a young age - I left the nest at 17 and moved to London. My young sister in-law is 17 and is still not allowed to stay in the house alone without supervision. Strikes me as weird, but that's two extremes.
Aug 16th 2004, 1:21 am
#52
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Re: Pros & Cons of moving to Canada
OK, alcohol is a drug and it ruins a lot of people's lives .... but only ~6 cans per week? How do you cope with life in Calgary? 
Looking at my 5 and 7 year olds I have no idea how much freedom to allow them when they are teenagers. I'm sure my parents didn't have the faintest idea of exactly how much in the way of drugs were available where I grew up in Glasgow, even in the early 80's.
Set a straight head on thier shoulders, try to lead by example, hope for the best?
That deep level of analysis has spoiled my evening .....
Looking at my 5 and 7 year olds I have no idea how much freedom to allow them when they are teenagers. I'm sure my parents didn't have the faintest idea of exactly how much in the way of drugs were available where I grew up in Glasgow, even in the early 80's.
Set a straight head on thier shoulders, try to lead by example, hope for the best?
That deep level of analysis has spoiled my evening .....
Aug 16th 2004, 1:40 am
#53
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jul 2004
Location: Victoria, BC Canada
Posts: 61,698
Re: Pros & Cons of moving to Canada
But that level of analysis is all in a good days' work for a "stats'" prof.......(ok I'll try to stop teasing you I promise......but I want you to know what misery you stats profs made of my undergraduate/graduate years at university. Never understood how physics, chemistry, calculus, etc were easy compared to stats......
Seriously, though, I had a very strict up-bringing between the "nuns" and parents.....going to a private nun school for high schoolI didn't ahve much contact with boys, drugs, or anything else.
My husband are very strict with our kids 2/4 (I know a little young). How they will be treated is up to them - if they show us they are responsible young people - they will get privileges - if they act irresponsibility - then privileges are pulled.
But in the end all a parent can do is set the best example possible for their kids, and hope for the best.
Believe me the nuns that I was going to end "up in hell" for sure"!!!! and I turned out ok......
Have a greatevening!!!!
.http://britishexpats.com/forum/images/icons/icon10.gif
http://britishexpats.com/forum/newre...ply&p=1601908#
Seriously, though, I had a very strict up-bringing between the "nuns" and parents.....going to a private nun school for high schoolI didn't ahve much contact with boys, drugs, or anything else.
My husband are very strict with our kids 2/4 (I know a little young). How they will be treated is up to them - if they show us they are responsible young people - they will get privileges - if they act irresponsibility - then privileges are pulled.
But in the end all a parent can do is set the best example possible for their kids, and hope for the best.
Believe me the nuns that I was going to end "up in hell" for sure"!!!! and I turned out ok......
Have a greatevening!!!!
.http://britishexpats.com/forum/images/icons/icon10.gif
http://britishexpats.com/forum/newre...ply&p=1601908#
Originally Posted by Glaswegian
OK, alcohol is a drug and it ruins a lot of people's lives .... but only ~6 cans per week? How do you cope with life in Calgary?
Looking at my 5 and 7 year olds I have no idea how much freedom to allow them when they are teenagers. I'm sure my parents didn't have the faintest idea of exactly how much in the way of drugs were available where I grew up in Glasgow, even in the early 80's.
Set a straight head on thier shoulders, try to lead by example, hope for the best?
That deep level of analysis has spoiled my evening .....
Looking at my 5 and 7 year olds I have no idea how much freedom to allow them when they are teenagers. I'm sure my parents didn't have the faintest idea of exactly how much in the way of drugs were available where I grew up in Glasgow, even in the early 80's.
Set a straight head on thier shoulders, try to lead by example, hope for the best?
That deep level of analysis has spoiled my evening .....
Aug 16th 2004, 1:45 am
#54
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 558
Re: Pros & Cons of moving to Canada
Wow, everyone is painting such a bleak picture of Calgary and Vancouver!
I had heard that some parts of Van do have a drug problem, but surely that doesn't mean the rest of the city sucks!? Doesn't it have the highest standard of living in the world or something?
Toronto is great to live in.....I'm not sure how bad the drug problems are here, but I've never seen any used needles! I guess you do smell weed occasionally, but I smelt that all the time in the U.K!!
Int.
I had heard that some parts of Van do have a drug problem, but surely that doesn't mean the rest of the city sucks!? Doesn't it have the highest standard of living in the world or something?
Toronto is great to live in.....I'm not sure how bad the drug problems are here, but I've never seen any used needles! I guess you do smell weed occasionally, but I smelt that all the time in the U.K!!
Int.
Aug 16th 2004, 1:50 am
#55
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Pros & Cons of moving to Canada
Originally Posted by Interested
I guess you do smell weed occasionally, but I smelt that all the time in the U.K!!
I don't think many Canadian cities have drug problems that in any way resemble anything in the good ole U (whatever) of K ....
Aug 16th 2004, 2:38 am
#56
#include
Joined: Jun 2004
Location: Calgary since 2001.
Posts: 274
Re: Pros & Cons of moving to Canada
Originally Posted by Glaswegian
OK, alcohol is a drug and it ruins a lot of people's lives .... but only ~6 cans per week? How do you cope with life in Calgary? .....
.....Put that violin away!
Aug 16th 2004, 4:43 am
#57
Cynically amused.
Joined: Oct 2002
Location: BC
Posts: 3,648
Re: Pros & Cons of moving to Canada
Originally Posted by Voyager970
Hello Peeps,
I have had a good look about everyones opinion on the drug culture in BC. My wife and I will be starting the ball rolling this month in our quest to gain PR in Canada. We will hopefully be hoping to settle in the Maple Ridge, Port Coquitlam area where my wife has family there. Does anyone have any views as to what these reas are like with regards the drug culture.
On the subject of drugs. I am from Glasgow UK. I work for the Scottish Prison Service in Scotland largest prison. I have first hand experience of the drug culture in Glasgow. Example, The prison runs a methadone programme, to hopefully get the addicts off hard class A drugs, ie heroin.
This prison is the second largest dispenser of Methadone in Europe, I believe it is second only to a prison in Barcelona,
[B]Now does that not tell you something about the drug culture in Glasgow.[/B]
Drugs are everywhere, they are part of society, they are in our schools, in our streets, next door to us. If we were all to worry about where we were to live due to drugs I think the ocean would be the best place, beside Captain Nemo.
As I have said drugs are everywhere and there is not a lot we can do about it. All we can do as responsible parents or adults is to minimise how the drug culture will impact on our own lives. You may move to beautiful area within BC or Calgary, into your dream home, only to find that your new neighbours that move into the house next door to you, that you had just bought 6 months previous are in fact drug addicts. Worst case senario of course. Take if from me, as someone who does work with drug addicts on a regular basis, drugs are here to stay. !!!!!
And always remember DRUGS ARE FOR MUGS !!!!!!!!!
My Tuppence today
I have had a good look about everyones opinion on the drug culture in BC. My wife and I will be starting the ball rolling this month in our quest to gain PR in Canada. We will hopefully be hoping to settle in the Maple Ridge, Port Coquitlam area where my wife has family there. Does anyone have any views as to what these reas are like with regards the drug culture.
On the subject of drugs. I am from Glasgow UK. I work for the Scottish Prison Service in Scotland largest prison. I have first hand experience of the drug culture in Glasgow. Example, The prison runs a methadone programme, to hopefully get the addicts off hard class A drugs, ie heroin.
This prison is the second largest dispenser of Methadone in Europe, I believe it is second only to a prison in Barcelona,
[B]Now does that not tell you something about the drug culture in Glasgow.[/B]
Drugs are everywhere, they are part of society, they are in our schools, in our streets, next door to us. If we were all to worry about where we were to live due to drugs I think the ocean would be the best place, beside Captain Nemo.
As I have said drugs are everywhere and there is not a lot we can do about it. All we can do as responsible parents or adults is to minimise how the drug culture will impact on our own lives. You may move to beautiful area within BC or Calgary, into your dream home, only to find that your new neighbours that move into the house next door to you, that you had just bought 6 months previous are in fact drug addicts. Worst case senario of course. Take if from me, as someone who does work with drug addicts on a regular basis, drugs are here to stay. !!!!!
And always remember DRUGS ARE FOR MUGS !!!!!!!!!
My Tuppence today
Aug 16th 2004, 4:47 am
#58
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2003
Location: Vancouver Island
Posts: 298
Re: Pros & Cons of moving to Canada
Originally Posted by Glaswegian
Alberta is COLD and not the best place to grow cannabis - I'm sure our exported cannabis production is barely the tip of the iceberg in terms of what's home grown in the US.
.
.
The vast majority of cannabis exported to the US comes from BC. I imagine it is at least a billion dollar industry.
There are grow ops eveywhere in BC, from houses to plots out in the sticks.
We have lots of them on the island. We even have a dedicated team that travel by helicopter everyday and spot them out for the RCMP.
People are constantly smuggling BC bud over into the states by any means possible. You would be surprised by how large the industry actually is.
I am not surprised why the USA is not too happy.
Aug 16th 2004, 9:00 am
#59
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Kent, UK
Posts: 49
Re: Pros & Cons of moving to Canada
Ok so getting back to the subject of life in UK compared to Canada (BC for example).
I was rather hoping that although my husband is still going to have to commute to work if we are to fulfill our dream of living in the country, in Canada i understand the prices of houses are a lot cheaper than here. We live in Kent, heart of commuter belt and although my husband earns a decent salary in London we can still only afford a smallish 3 bed semi.
OK so he's not likely to be earning what he does now in London if we move to BC (he's contract, paid by the hour and he'd have to go permanent if we emigrated to BC) but hopefully we'd get the chance to live in a nice house in the "country" (we are about half hour drive from any countryside here!) even if he did have to commute to work. That's what i mean by a better standard of living for us as a working family and for our children to be in the "great outdoors" and experience fresh air (without city/town pollution), mountains (we love skiing), lakes (my 13 year old loves watersports).
So basically, has anyone who's emigrated to Canada (preferably BC) experienced a LOWER standard of living in those respects than they had in UK?
ie, more expensive lifestyle, more crime, not having anything to do in spare time other than shops, pubs and more shops, lower standard of education for their kids etc.
It seems that the CONS of moving to Canada are the more simple things in life such as open spaces, mountains, scenery etc the things in life that are FREE and good for families and a higher standard of living than you had in the UK. Am i correct?
I was rather hoping that although my husband is still going to have to commute to work if we are to fulfill our dream of living in the country, in Canada i understand the prices of houses are a lot cheaper than here. We live in Kent, heart of commuter belt and although my husband earns a decent salary in London we can still only afford a smallish 3 bed semi.
OK so he's not likely to be earning what he does now in London if we move to BC (he's contract, paid by the hour and he'd have to go permanent if we emigrated to BC) but hopefully we'd get the chance to live in a nice house in the "country" (we are about half hour drive from any countryside here!) even if he did have to commute to work. That's what i mean by a better standard of living for us as a working family and for our children to be in the "great outdoors" and experience fresh air (without city/town pollution), mountains (we love skiing), lakes (my 13 year old loves watersports).
So basically, has anyone who's emigrated to Canada (preferably BC) experienced a LOWER standard of living in those respects than they had in UK?
ie, more expensive lifestyle, more crime, not having anything to do in spare time other than shops, pubs and more shops, lower standard of education for their kids etc.
It seems that the CONS of moving to Canada are the more simple things in life such as open spaces, mountains, scenery etc the things in life that are FREE and good for families and a higher standard of living than you had in the UK. Am i correct?
Aug 16th 2004, 9:20 am
#60
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 73
Re: Pros & Cons of moving to Canada
Take a look at www.mls.ca for prices of the houses in the areas you are interested in. It's amazing to compare the prices with the UK market, my 3 bedroom terraced tiny shack is worth £200,000 but In most of Canada you can get a mansion for that price.