no good name

Costs? The prices of the majority of things here, from the basics of food, to the most important such as a roof over your head - in relation to the 'Living / Minimum' Wage - is nothing short of scandalous in my humble opinion

no good name

....

carolg2712

Whilst I can sympathize with your situation, I am wondering if you are now looking back at the UK with rose colored glasses and a 'grass is greener' way of thinking. The UK is not the country you left 3 or 4 years ago; Brexit has completely divided us, the status of the union is on a knife edge, and whilst politics has stabilized since the election in December there is still a lot of uncertainty about what our future might hold outside of the EU and with the rest of the world. I'm not sure if there are the quality of jobs available that you may have left behind (my husband has had to do short term contracts for the last 5 years as no permanent job offers forthcoming despite his best efforts and the gaps between contracts are getting longer). I can only get fixed term contracts of one and two years here and there, so a little more secure but still not ideal. One of the main benefits of the UK, however, is leave entitlement, (holidays, sick leave, paid maternity/paternity leave ) but that may have the potential to reduce following Brexit, as much of it was legislated by the EU and we could end up with a more Americanized system in time. I really hope that the NHS survives everything though as that is an excellent resource despite people complaining, especially when compared to other international health systems.

I have also lived in the same Yorkshire town for the last 18 years and don't feel that I really fit in, despite getting involved with the community wherever I can (parkrun, girlguiding, air cadets, sea cadets). I'm not sure if I can make Canada work in the next couple of years but I really want to try, and after 20 years of marriage, my husband is finally coming round to the idea, but who knows what hurdles we'll have to jump through to get there (although as a Canadian citizen, I do have one less hurdle, which is a blessing).

I hope you figure out where you should be and make a success of whatever you end up doing. Life is too short to let the world get you down and I am a firm believer in "life is what you make of it", but also that some things need a lot of work and sometimes feel like it isn't worth the hassle!

Good luck!

DMajor

Never ceases to amaze me the number of people who claim this as fact..

On paid maternity leave..Currently, EU legislation means workers are entitled to paid maternity leave for a minimum of 14 weeks. It is mandatory to take at least the first two weeks. This was introduced in 1992. This leave must be paid at “an adequate allowance subject to national legislation”. In the UK, you can get maternity pay for up to 39 weeks. You get 90% of your average weekly earnings (before tax) for the first six weeks, and £148.68 or 90% of your average weekly earnings (whichever is lower) for the next 33 weeks. Maternity pay is taxed. There are some conditions, you need to have worked for the employer for 26 weeks and be on at least £118 per week. Those that aren't can claim maternity allowance.

On holiday pay..The EU enforced a minimum of 4 weeks paid holiday leave in 1993. This was put into UK law in 1998, before there'd been no general regulations although some had it written into their contracts. Then in 2009, the UK increased paid holiday pay to 5.6 weeks (or 28 days based on a 5 day week) This was done to stop the employers from including the Bank holidays in the 4 weeks. So today, UK legislation guarantees the workers the EU minimum of 4 weeks plus the 8 Bank holidays (England and Wales)

On sick pay..The UK has set a maximum period of 28 weeks for those too sick to work (some exclusions apply for agricultural workers) to claim statutory sick pay.
The EU doesn't set a minimum sick leave or sick pay legislation for member states.

On the NHS, it's never received more funding than it currently gets. It needs improving for sure but it's like putting water into a bucket that's got a hole in it. First you need to fix the hole.

Pulaski

The biggest "hole" is that the number and range of cures keeps on increasing, and there is no reason to expect that pattern to end.

AFAICT when the NHS was created there was an expectation that within a few years all the hernias would be fixed, all the decayed teeth filled, and everyone with poor vision would have their horn-rimmed NHS spectacles, and then the costs would fall. Obviously the opposite has happened with an almost continuous stream of new treatments and procedures becoming available. Now expensive surgery like hip replacements and heart bypasses is commonplace, and there are incredibly expensive treatments for many cancers. Then there are the massively expensive scanning machines of several types that can search out more diseases and ailments to fix. If only there was unlimited funds to pay for all this!

CanadaJimmy

Interesting you bumped a 7 month old thread for this!

A lot of the driving etiquette issues come down to collectivism vs individualism. In the big cities in Canada people act very individualistic, people drive thinking "I need to get from A to B" not "I am joining a road and using a highway system full of other drivers also trying to get where they need to go." - it's why getting transit systems improved is always such a fight and why everyone wants to live in a detached house. The UK has an element of this too but I think the fact there are also so many smaller towns and villages peppered around the country, combined with a pub culture, creates a more collectivist culture overall.

BristolUK

I think you are rather missing the point. Two points actually.

The difference between the UK and Canada is the main one and as has been well documented the UK is streets ahead of Canada in respect of leave. Only the privileged few get what they would have got in the UK.

In terms of the EU, it doesn't really matter whether the UK has better minimums than the EU - some things are better some aren't. The fact is that where the EU guarantees a minimum, EU member states cannot go under those minimums.

If no longer bound by those minimums, the UK may well fall to or below them. There's already legislation regarding workers rights on the horizon.

Paul_Shepherd

I do 100% agree with this, I am happy living in Canada....but the standard of driving in the GTA in particular the 401 is a disgrace.....its a pet hate of mine - dangerous undertaking, tailgating, swerving across three lanes of traffic, motorists not letting you in the next lane when you have nowhere to go in the lane you are in

...... and then as you say the stop signs many seem to want to have a picnic there! My ex girlfriend (Canadian) used to say about me, "Oh yes Paul thinks stop signs are a suggestion"

An then all the police bang on about is speed! Speed is not the problem!!! its bad inconsiderate driving thats the issue!! The Autobahn in Germany proves that.

Now you have started me! lol

DMajor

Not missed anything..when carolg2712 said 'that may have the potential to reduce following Brexit' she is merely speculating. Pretty much the same way as you have done when saying 'the UK may well fall to or below them'..

I may go to the bar tonight for a couple of beers, then again, I may not..

DMajor

Classic example this morning on the 401 Eastbound, coming up to Trafalgar exit. I'm on the near side lane pulling a horse trailer and saw this car steaming up the inside of me doing about 140kmh, his lane is exit only but he comes straight across me into lane 2 just missing me and nearly clipping the car in front who was braking!! Very close call, but he'll probably do it again on the way home to someone else..!

BristolUK

Apart from the already announced aspect.

carolg2712

Th thread was updated by the OP I think, hence the bumping

i simply replied to his updated comments.

carolg2712

There have been a few announcements around workers rights and stuff. I just have the dubious honour of studying the Withdrawal Agreement for work

DMajor

No, still don't know what you're on about.
Try again.

dbd33

Wasn't the ability to reduce workers' rights central to the Brexit campaign? I thought Johnson wanted out of the EU so he could create an island maquiladora; paying the peasants little and feeding them poisoned chickens.