Fairy Tales

Is it impossible to find a job in a smaller canadian cities?
Whay do people generally go for big places. How about Barrie or Peterborough or Thunder Bay. Do people immigrate to those at all?

dbd33

There are several posters on this board from Barrie, Peterborough and thereabouts, there's even one from Thunder Bay. There are also posters from Belleville, London and Cornwall so, although most people in Canada (or any country) live in big places because that's where the work is, I don't think it's true of posters here.

Immigrants in general go to big cities because that's where their language is spoken but that's less of an issue for Brits.

flashman

I started in Montreal then Toronto then Guelph and ended up in Napanee. There's more job opportunities in the big cities but tradesmen can usually get a job anywhere.

Souvenir

People commute to Toronto from Barrie and Peterborough. They're mad, but they do it.

jood

My OH and I live in a very small town - population just over 2200 - and we can't get any kind of work here, although there are one or two reasonably sized employers it is very much a closed shop. Until you've lived here 25 years you're a "newcomer". We have found work in Stratford, which is a larger town, but even then we've had to go through Manpower (nearest branch to us is Kitchener). neither one of us works in our own field of "expertise" - but, hey it's work.
It doesn't matter too much to us, as we're not looking for megabucks or new careers - we came here to semi-retire. The attitude of small-town people has disappointed us though , but we cope with it.

I know, I know - using all these little faces is very mature, isn't it!

snowgoose

Hi Jood!
I know you don't live too far from me - different town, but the same attitudes. I would love to work b ut am ahving no luck at all. I don't want to move to Kitchener, or Toronto - I couldn't afford to live there anyway. But the lack of work is frustrating.

Souvenir

We had a mini-break in Bayfield about five years ago. It must be very nice in the Summer. Don't think I'd go back again in March.

jood

We live about 15/20 minutes drive away so often go out in Summer to see the spectacular sunsets. It is a bit bleak in winter - especially when there's no snow......so I'm going out there today

iaink

Really depends what you do.

I live in the country near Belleville (Pop 45k) I work in town as an Engineer in rather a niche field. TBH there are not many other places in Canada that my main skills would apply, and I was head hunted from the UK to come here (I lucked out). For a while I worked in a rather different field, still as an engineer, and still in Belleville, and I worked with a couple of Mexicans and someother brits and a lot of Koreans so yes, there are jobs about for immigrants.

People head to the large cites cos A, they have heard of them, and B, they can guarantee some fellow country men and often family will be around, so its a snowball effect.

Although there are fewer jobs and perhaps less choice in the smaller towns, there are also fewer people, and far fewer newcomers fresh off the boat competing for them, although recently more and more people seem to be dissatisfied with the hassle and expense of city living, and are trying to get away from that by heading away. Average property prices increased 17% here last year, largely due to that effect I think. Its not like there is a lot of new industry springing up to drive demand.

For some fields like large scale IT, or corporate finance, then you effectively have to be near the large cites, bit for most other fields small town Canada has a lot to offer.

Souvenir

It was a bit bleak, not to mention deserted. The Little Inn, where we stayed, was very nice, though, and its restaurant was fabulous. I can still taste the rack of venison.

Chops

I've moved to Golden, BC (population 7,000) and I know of at least 8 other British couples/families that have moved here witihin the last few years.

Ian.

jood

Gosh - and after 5 years - must've been really bad!

burton bunch

Hi
We had the choice of Calgary or a smaller town - both woth work sources for my Hubby.

We considered everything before we went for the smaller town of Lethbridge Alberta - housing market, "ratrace"etc.

We decided that living around 8 miles from the centre of a large town such as Manchester UK where we are at the mo then we would opt for a smaller place as long as it offered everything in respect of opportunity, facilities and all we needed.

Lucky for us we found it

Gay

Rich_007

Yup and it doesn't matter where you are, Norfolk UK, Wales, wherever..... same old tired lazy mindset. Fear of change, paranoia, stuck in their ways, inbreeding, nepotism, closed shop, marginal illiteracy, fear of electricity and computers etc.

Rich.

jood

Hi Gay
Unfortunately a realistic comparison cannot be made between a small town outside Manchester (I lived on the outskirts of Hyde) and a small town in Canada.....obviously there are some similarities, but it's mainly in the attitudes of the people. I've known villages on the outskirts of Manchester with the same attitude....it just surprised us here, as this particular town boasts of it's "friendliness".
I could jump on a train be in Manchester within 15 minutes - on those days when the trains ran promptly! If I want to go shopping here, it's a good half hour's drive - albeit through lovely, peaceful countryside...but that's what we like..it's so open and spacious and clean. If I were younger (by many years!) I would opt for a larger town or city, but now now; I grumble about t his place every sooften,a dn I doubt we'll stay in it, but for now it suits us. It all depends on what you want out of life, and you have to be prepared for things to go pear-shaped occasionally