the undutchables

After being in Calgary for over 5 years now, my wife and I feel we need a change.
I am a carpenter with my own contracting business here in Calgary, and I'm starting to get a bit worn down by the rat race here in Calgary, so we have decided to have a change of scenery.

We both love the sea, having previously lived in the Channel Islands, and have narrowed down our options to either Vancouver Island ( we both fell in love with the island on a recent holiday there) or Nova Scotia.

While I am willing to work for a company until I get settled, I will obviously be looking to start up on my own again, so the most important option is work opportunities, but also housing, lifestyle etc.

We would appreciate some insight into living and working from the good people of either place, just to help us make our minds up.

dbd33

I'm sitting on VI looking out the window at the, admittedly amazing, view to Salt Spring Island, and thinking that, if I had that choice, I'd likely go to NS. Both have high taxes and, I would think, limited employment opportunities. But it's cheaper to buy property in NS and it's nearer to the UK. The cider is, however, better in BC.

the undutchables

Cheaper housing and being nearer to the UK is part of the reason we are thinking NS. As both our parents are in their 80's, the journey to VI may be a bit too far. However, it may also put some people off from visiting, so it has it's pro's and con's!

Steve_

Yeah but the economy in NS is much weaker than in Alberta and Vancouver Island isn't exactly known for its thriving job market either.

Have you thought about living near a lake? E.g. Milo.

rivingtonpike

I'm just about to hop into the car to go to Cowichan Bay myself! I would say the employment market on VI is slow and challenging. However, once you're established, it seems to be pretty consistent and long term job security is good.

Atlantic Xpat

Ocean's and booming economy, particular in, new home construction & reno, you say? 4.5hr flying time to Blighty? Head to the Far East young man. www.newfoundlandlabrador.com

Hucards

Nova Scotia. Affordable housing, great people, great food and beautiful.

izzi81

We've been living in NS for 3 months and love it. Really friendly people, amazing scenery, no busy traffic. I'm sure you could find somewhere here to start a business, particularly outside of Halifax - less competition!

dbd33

In, or about, Cowichan Bay, we very much liked the Brig. Since they have a Newfie singer it's just like being in NS.

Another thought on the matter is that NS has four seasons of weather, bad features being lots of snow and lots of bugs. VI has year round damp. If you just can't deal with the cold then drizzle might look better.

the undutchables

A wee bit drizzle isn't a problem, we are from Scotland originally, and don't even mind cold and snow, but in Calgary, we can get snow on the ground for up to 7 months every winter, and weeks at -30. A novelty at first, but loses its appeal very quickly!

lostandconfused

My 2c... I live in NS, but without family ties to either area, seems like BC would be a very tempting proposition:

- better weather (NS is freeze-thaw in winter; humid in summer)
- better scenery/outdoorsy stuff (ocean + mountains)
- better economy (higher wages/rates)
- lower taxes
- has a couple of big cities (Victoria/Vancouver)
- closer to rest of the world (Asia/USA)

NS definitely has cheaper property, but it's cheaper for a reason - less people want to live here!

It's certainly closer to the UK, but it's not cheap to get there: can still cost $1000+ to fly home in the winter (1 flight a day; Air Canada monopoly).

Now, we love our life here in NS because of the people (lots of friends and family here), but without that, we'd move to BC in a heartbeat.

Almost Canadian

When have you lived through such temperatures? Certainly not in the last 5 years

dbd33

I think that's a wash. VI is passable near the cities of the western seaboard, Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco. NS is passably close to all the big cities of the eastern seaboard; Boston, NYC and so on. Asia, well ok, it's there but where are you likely to want or have to go? To Europe. Neither is ideally placed for visiting Europe but NS is a shorter flight, it may involve hubbing through the US so as to avoid dealing with AC but so does getting to Victoria.

I couldn''t live on VI, in fact I don't think I could last a week (this is day 5), driving is too difficult, waiting for crusties in shops makes buying anything an interminable process. There are visible signs of native people so the absurdly twee moss anf ivy covered houses of the English are interspresed by houses with cars on bricks and mangy unchained dogs. The buildings alternate; Tunbridge Wells, Reservation, Tunbridge Wells, Reservation.

Then again, everywhere smells of weed, with enough of that I might mellow.

Steve_

Well you're going to get a lot more than a "wee bit" of drizzle living on Vancouver Island or Nova Scotia. You can get Nor'easters and hurricanes in NS and Vancouver Island isn't exactly known for a lack of rain.

If you want decent weather year round, don't live in Canada. It's pretty much that simple. The Okanagan Valley is always put forward as having the best weather, but because it's a valley it's overcast for months during the winter and they often have forest fires during the summer.

At least in Calgary it's dry so you don't have much snow to shovel and it's also very sunny. Last winter was a bit on the long side I will admit but that was unusual. In fact it's the longest winter on record.

luvmeboys

Please be aware that its not a "wee bit of drizzle" this year has been almost 10 months of rain with grey sky's, it's mind numbingly depressing in MY opinion.