Karate Kev

So the average worker just gets about 2 weeks plus Canada's equivalent of around 8 bank holidays..... unless you stay with the same employer for 5+ years.

Well, it ain't great holiday entitlements is it - but as far as for's and againsts go, i'm sure that's one of the very few againsts. Am i right??

Also, what's the average working week out there? at the mo, i'm doing 37 hours a week.

(Hear the way i'm talking - i'm going on as though i've already got my visa!!!!)

Kev.

iaink

Both the companies I have worked for here offer 11 days stat holidays (the 8 national hols, the ontario civic hol and 2 non discressonary floating days to fill the gap between boxing day and new years)

Both companies have a standard 40 hr work week. This is the norm in manufacturing here as far as I can tell.

Iain

Karate Kev

So, are you saying that there are actually 11 National holidays - 8 standard ones, 1 civic one, and 2 non-discretionary over Christmas? or do you mean 8 in total?

Don't get me wrong, i'm not overly worried about holiday times (,though none of us would turn down more time off!!), but if the holidays are so minimal, why is everyone so in love with Canada? I've heard absolutely nothing but good about it - that's why we wanna be there..... right now! But with such relatively little time off, how can you enjoy the place you live?

Kev.

ukjo

because the standard of living and the standard of jobs here are so much better than the uk that you dont care!!!

Karate Kev

So i've heard, and so i'd imagine. But let's speak specifics - how has your standard of life improved? I know you're gonna say 'everything - work, friends, weather, etc.', but i wanna hear it in someone's own words who's actually there right now.... please.

Kev.

ukjo

well i wouldnt say my friends have improved cos id probably get my head kicked in by all my buddies back home plus i miss them terribly.

weather wise...the weather is shitty at the moment so ask me again in a couple of weeks

cleaner air, cleaner enviroment(my asthma has almost dissapeared!!), better housing, quieter (and im living the same distance out of a city as i was in the uk), can leave my door unlocked all night and all day without a care, can send my kids out to play and let them walk about on their own without any worries about them...the list can go on. its one of those things that you have to see for yourself to understand it. i think no matter where you live in the world you'll think its one of the greatest places to be or you wouldnt be there would you.

what part are you thinking of settling in? sorry havent kept myself upto date on your threads

iaink

No, there are 8 holidays that are common across canada, and most provinces have one or two province specific ones, in the case of ontario that is the "civic holiday" Then some companies award a couple of extra days that have to be taken when they say, this is to cover the gap at Xmas / New years. Total holiday before I take my ten days alowance is 11 in my case, although the minimum in Ontario is 9.

Youve seen pics of my house and yard. Couldnt afford that in the UK anywhere near a town with jobs.

Love the weather here, especially the seasons.

Love the cost of stuff, I can afford to live OK on my salary, could not do that in the UK.

Love (most of) the people, very laid back, and despite what some others have said, they have a good sense of hunour IMO, very open, not cynical like in the UK (Sweeping generalisations!)

Love the feel of security, not many yobs. Not a lot of crime.

Could go on (Have done in the past)

There are negatives...hard to get a job in some fields, lack of holidays (you get used to it) winter can go on a bit too long...mosquitos, expensive insurance, government incompetence, but the pluses outweigh the negatives for me.

Iain

mickj

Quite a few in here will tell you that for sure, but depends on where they came from in the first place, and where they used to live

I don't know about leaving the house door open though, am sure we can if we wanted to where we live, but that is not one risk am willing to take. We live the car unlock and running outside sometimes.

I miss my brick lane curry houses, shopping on oxford street, free admittance to museums and galleries, theatreland on charring cross rd, soho, and uk tv. Family and friends of course is top of the list.

Don't miss the rip offs, tv licence ( never bought one anyway ), and crowdiness

ukjo

when i first came to canada on holiday i was shocked to see how we got into my in laws house....basically its never locked up!! thinking it was a one off i went to my step daugters moms house and again wide open!! we will walk to the beach and so we dont have to worry about keys getting buried in the sand we leave the back door unlocked. ive even woken up in the morning to find we didnt lock up the night before. coming from the uk where crime is so high i expected it to be like that here but people are either too trusting or the crime rate is genuinely lower.

oceanMDX

Regarding the mosquitos, have you tried burning citronella oil from a citronella lamp? You can get these metal lamps (they sit on the ground) at Canadian Tire. Use 3 or 4 of these lamps - placed around your yard and they will keep the mossies away. Let them burn for a few hours before you go out. They sure work for me in Mexico, and it's a very inexpensive method.

oceanMDX

I wouldn't recommend leaving your doors unlocked in an urban area - where you don't know many of your neighbors.

In a rural area (out in the country), where you know all of your neighbors and look out for each other, locking doors is optional.

iaink

I've found citronella useless around here. Just doenst work with the local type i guess. DEET is effective, but unpleasant and perhaps not safe for kids.

I caved in and got a "Skeeter Vac" from Walmart. Only had it a few days, but it caught hundreds of the little buggers in the first few days, and is still catching a lot now. Positioning seems to be the key.

Hopefully it will impact the breeding cycle. I think psychologically it helps too, as at least we are doing something, and it seems like I get bit less often now (even if its not actually true), so I am prepared to stay out a bit longer and enjoy the yard. Was still a lot of money to spend! I'll let you know if it makes a real difference in a month or two.

Iain

FWIW, I still keep the doors locked, house and car. Its a hard habit to break after living in Leeds LS6!. In rural areas it is not unknown for theives to come with a van and take literaly everything, especially if the property is remote from the neighbours (like a farm house) and they know the owners are away.

oceanMDX

The weather has a big affect on mossy populations, if you have standing water around (even a small can of water) you will have lots of them.

DEET, from all that I have read, is very safe. But it is always even safer to spray it on your clothes rather than on your skin. Spray shoes and socks, shirt collars, and the like, rather than on skin where you can.

You are right regarding locking the door even in the country. I was thinking more of a situation where your neighbor(s) can see your place. That's how it was with my motor home in Alberta. My neighbor (who I was on good terms with) would go after anyone like an angry bull dog who even approached my motor home. We had adjacent quarter sections of land (160 acres).

ukjo

how much was the the mossie trap? im thinking of getting one but wondering if i will waste my money

Karate Kev

Just getting back to ukjo about where we're planning to settle. By now, all the guys - Ocean, Calgary, Mickj, Iain, and so on - probably know that i think i'm gonna opt for Calgary, Alberta.

Haven't really heard any bad points on it really - but checking real-estate, it would seem that properties on the Eastside tend to be more reasonable than on the other side of the city - possibly cos the Westside is closer to the Rockies and the ski-resorts.

Kev.