Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

If you're suggesting that people decide to move to Canada on the basis of stuff they've only read in the papers, I think you need to give yourself a shake.

My view is that one of the reasons people chose to leave the UK is often due to the problem with ASBO crime. In addition to what they read in the papers, it's also what they see with their eyes.
You see, there's a difference.

But of course, this is only one reason. Other factors being the high cost of housing, lack of space, rising congestion etc etc are all common responses too. None of these are perceptions caused by the media- they're facts, that people get to experience for themselves.


Anyways, I sense that we're not going to agree... :eek:

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

Can you post some links to some feelgood stories about cats rescued from up trees or whatever then;)

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

If you were still living on the glass filled street in Manchester, how would issues in Glasgow, London, Leeds, tel aviv, or Birmingham impact you? Or even elsewhere in Manchester possibly?

The main point is, if you enjoy the news and it doesn't alter any perceptions or your way of life, then great.

If your perceptions alter because of the news yet are not directly impacted, possibly take a step back for a while and recalibrate.

Nobody is saying to stop reporting or reading permanently.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

So move to a place without ASBO crime. I could give you a list based on the experience of family and friends spread out from Fife to Surrey. It will likely cost more, and you may have to find a new job, and there may be some rough areas within a 20 minute drive.... Hang on a minute, that sound a lot like moving to Canada doesnt it, other than the last bit:)

If you hate the cost and congestion of London, well, moving to Toronto or Vancouver is just more of the same isnt it? So you decide to move to say Belleville (to pick a place at random) instead, as its relatively cheap and has no traffic, how is that different to moving to somewhere small and sleepy in the UK, some village in Norfolk perhaps, other then the need for a government permit to do it?

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

I can't comment in Vancouver but Toronto is nothing like as crowded or congested as London. I'm not saying it isn't busy, but anyone who's tried getting onto a Central Line train going East any time between 7 and 9 in the morning on a weekday can tell you that the Yonge line is a walk in the park by comparison. Same thing goes for the roads.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

Well, almost: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18425472

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

My UK salary was 27,000 GBP.... a smidgen within the UK average income, and roughly the going rate for my occupation.

There aint many places you can move to and buy a house on that kind of salary.

And even if I'd moved to another place, I'd still be commuting back in to a city centre every day for work... it's not always that easy to get away from it.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

We may agree on a few things ;)

I would wager that most of the above is perception, not actual experience.

Canada, a country perceived to be full of happy smiling people who live simple lives with no fear, owning land enough for horses and a large house. All for a cheap price. Kids are kids and ever respectful to others, etc etc.

Most people believe what they read or watch. Or at least form perceptions in their mind.

In reality, Canada has crime, unruly kids, expensive housing, rising congestion, and lack of space.

The reality is, both countries have it all, and both countries have areas that do not. Most people choose Canada based on what they read or see when on holiday. That has nothing to do with true experience as such.

I don't need to shake myself. I read this forum and form an opinion which tends to lean toward many people choosing to move due to disillusionment brought on by either stagnancy in their lives, or false perceptions based on media. Granted some do live in terrible situations and are looking to escape. I would bet the majority who post on here are not in that situation but that's just a guess.

I would guess most who post on here haven't been involved or impacted directly with asbo crime, or wake up to glass all over the street. I would also guess those who can afford to move to canada for open space and limited congestion can also do the same in the uk.

The bottom line is, there's nothing wrong with living in either country. Both can provide a good life, education, opportunities, safe environment, space, etc.

And I repeat, if the media is impacting your thought process, take a step back, focus on your reality, and then reevaluate.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

A question for The OP, Alcat. You say you vilified the UK for so long, but you have a nice life where you are. Was the vilification based on daily experiences or mainly media driven? For example, was crime, immigration, violence, etc, a driect impact to you or mainly media stories?

Also how will your life be better on a day to day basis? What do you see?

Im actually Very curious because it could help form more direct, and helpfully realistic responses.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

Thats $43k canadian, so perhaps true here to some extent, certainly in most of the "big" cities anyway.

Presumably if your work is the kind of thing done in a city center exclusively then thats true in Canada too?

Anyway, Canada is different, but is it REALLY better? Horses for courses I suspect.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

No, its different.
Where I lived in the UK I wasn't aware of my local town ever being firebombed by the local drug dealers due to rivalry between gangs, one of the drug leaders being shot dead at point blank range on his driveway in a so called 'leafy area', local students rioting in the street and setting fire to cars, numerous homeless people on the streets.....so yeh Canada is different.:sneaky:
The summer riots last year in the UK, whilst shocking, did not have an impact on my life as it didn't happen in the town where I lived (a case of 'oh well not in my back yard'), however the events in the first paragraph happened where we lived/live (hubby still there) in Canada. Having driven through some towns in Canada some areas look just as run down and rough as some of the bad areas in the UK. So yes, it all depends on the immediate vicinity of where you live, which country it is in makes not one jot of difference, there's good and bad in all. Trouble is the UK is perceived to be all chavs, hoodies, street crime, riots, drunken yobs, murders etc etc whilst Canada is perceived to be safe, polite, clean, environmentally friendly and a near to perfect place to live.:unsure:

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

No. Next question?

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

I was just about to say, one-word answer to this question. But it would help if the OP had some idea of where they wanted to move in Canada.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

I doubt it. The answer's the same wherever. Don't get me wrong, I like (or rather have liked) Canada. But the title question has a straightforward answer. No.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

Does one really have to be "better" than the other? I like one beer, my brother likes another and my father a third. None of us is wrong, we just appreciate or like different things.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

No, it doesn't. And it isn't. Just trying to answer the OP's question.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

+1 No, it's different, not better, not worse.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

I agree with most of the posts saying that it's different but not necessarily better. I think it all depends on your circumstances. We've been here for 3 weeks and so obviously I still have my rose tinted specs on. For us as a family (two kids aged 3 and 1) it was a good move because back in the UK my OH commuted from Newbury to London every day and missed out on so much with the kids. In Toronto we are able to afford to live within 30 mins commute of the Financial District resulting in hubby being around for breakfast and bath time for the kids. It makes a world of difference to us. We had a very nice life in the UK but we fancied a change and the kids were at the right age to make such a huge move. My home is where my husband and kids are so it doesn't matter where in the world we live. Grass is never greener just different.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

Yes, it's much better...........................than Glasgow. Almost anywhere is.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

Exactly. So why bother with Canada?

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

For shame.

Huh?

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

If anywhere is so much better than Glasgow, as Auld Yin pupports, then why go to the rather extreme measure of moving to Canada when there are presumably many better places rather nearer and rather less financially and emotionally expensive to move to?

To the OP:

+1 on the different, not neccessarily any better sentiment.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

The greatest thing about Glasgow is the people.

The worst thing about Glasgow is the people.


There's also an old saying that Auld Yin etc will probably know: There's no Scots like Scots abroad.

And it's true. It can be applied to all you Limeys too!

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

For me living away from inner city UK where the scabs are is expensive. The villages in Sussex were pretty much out of our budget. It wasnt even a case of you have to pay for what you want, we wouldnt have been granted a mortgage to allow us to live a more charmed life in England.

We could have gone to say Wales to live a quieter life but from experience I wouldnt have gotten away from the rif raf element. The villages in S Wales are poor, there is not alot of work there. The kids seem to hang out at the only pub in the village and teen pregnancy is rife - gets one a council house up the "site"

Nova Scotia - we live 40 mins from Halifax in a gorgeous house in a lovely subdivision where people (kids and adults) say hi as you pass them.
Its worlds away from where I could afford to be in England.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

Its all about perception ask many Canadians what they think of when they think of the UK..They dont say its a shithole overun by chavs rife with crime unsafe for kids etc..most thinks its a great place often i have heard them say i would love to live in England beats living in this shithole of a town/city (insert your local community here).

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

Perhaps in many cases its just true that familiarity breeds contempt. People get tired of the same old thing and just want to try somewhere new. What used to be minor irritations you could brush off get more and more irritating over the years until you just cant stand the thought o them I guess. Its hard after 14 years here to not take things for granted, but thats one this forum does for me, makes me appreciate what I have here. When family and friends visit its good to have their perspective too, no one is twisitng my arm to go back, on the other hand they are not doing their CIC paperwork either...

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

i agree with this. How much of England's population actually lives in a quaint village or market town?

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

How many have actually been? Would they have the same sentiment after touring England's inner city areas?

My ex had a romantic view of England. On actually visting, she didn't want to return and never did. Granted we were largely in the north west....

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

I have no real desire to return, despite having moved here from a lovely village in the Cotswolds and not some shithole inner city or cardboard suburb house.

It's not better, it's just different. There are pluses and minuses in both places. Larger house here, less open countryside to walk the dog. Larger plot of land, more time mowing.... the list of contrasts with related + and - could go on.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

I love threads like these:lol: Slag off Canada, slag off the UK etc etc.
Oh look this site promotes a forum for ex pats who basically no longer live in the UK or are thinking of moving here and a few having lived all over the world moving back to the UK or even other countries.
If there was a gold medal for moaning at the Olympics then the Brits would win hands down.:lol:
Only you can decide which is better regardless of what others say and sometimes shit happens which can leave you with negatives of any country.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

Ain't that the truth....word :D

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

I suppose I still stand by my previous posts. (Negatives about the place)

Nah, it shouldnt be this difficult!! Canada / CIC are determined to dangle the carrot by saying "we need skilled workers"... but slam the door shut in genuine applicants with these skills...

Ha, that buckie might be just be swigged! This whole process will drive me to drink!! :p

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

It's funny cos where you live now sounds like where i lived in Yorkshire. I guess the main difference is i had 5 major cities within commuting distance and work opportunities :thumbup:

All very affordable for many many people. Plus you're in Yorkshire. Win Win :thumbsup:

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

Probably as many people live in them as they do chav infested hell holes ;)

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

I still stand by post #10. It's by far the best advice in this thread so far :thumbup:

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

I have said, or tried to explain something similar in previous posts , but was jumped on for sounding naive. In a nutshell, the move IS for my wife and I, but its also for our kids upbringing environment

Rightly or wrongly.. I feel, and from what Ive generally heard, the opportunties and surroundings ARE better for kids...

Basically I now have two baby girls.
I feel where I was brought up (west coast scotland) there is a pressure on the kids to either be 'wee hard men'... and the girls are no better!

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

So to follow the logic of your analogy you're basically suggesting that the OP goes out and get some brasses?

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

Yep, thats bonnie scotland for you!

My wife and I could get ourselves a nice house in a decent enough area (well nothing massive but better than the damp ridden council hole I grew up in)

But there is ALWAYS a sh#thole of a town / area near any semi decent places in scotland.
And im not a snob looking over the rail tracks thinking "what scum!"
Its on my 'reasons' list as to why Canada land is a tad better....

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

You'll be in good company. Loads of Scotch have moved to Canada. I think they find the long cold miserable winters and lack of cultural excitement familiar.

Re: Is it REALLY much better????
 

there are shitholes in Canada too.