iaink

Do you get many tornados there? Never really worried about that in Canada, but here every time there is a thunderstorm I wonder why my house here doesnt have a basement. We have had at least 2 touch down "locally" in the last couple of weeks, one was on the ground for over 30 miles. People killed. Sobering.

Pulaski

Not that I've ever worried about. There was a fairly serious one in Charlotte, NC a couple of months ago, that caused some serious damage, but mostly only to trees, and seeing an 18" (45cm) pine snapped off like a matchstick is sobering to see, but mostly they're pip-squeaks. The nearest ones I know of to Pulaski Manor were one that ripped a few tree limbs off on a farm a few miles away, and one that wandered across a parking lot, remove some guttering from a supermarket roof and then drifted down the road and into a field.

Bizarrely we have a "cellar", which is only accessible from outside the house - it's not fully dug out, so it isn't high enough for me to stand along the whole width or lenght, and has a dirt floor, but the builder probably did about 75% of the work reuired to have a great basement that would have been the entire footprint of the house, but just didn't finish the job.

dbd33

The previous house on this site was carried away by a tornado. There's a pattern of newer houses and barns across the countryside along the path.

iaink

Typically though Tornados in Ontario are more of a "once in a generation" event, rather than an annual reality that you hope not to get caught up in. I don't recall ever doing a tornado drill at work in Ontario. Down here thats a real thing on the schedule now.

MillieF

NO

DarwinCharles

We're Brit Canadian but not lived in Canada yet. My brother in Law gets to go because of my sister but it's me and him with the passion for something different. We've been in Calgary and Edmonton only but the house size, space and nature was enough to put up with the cons of Calgary being stuck in the 90s.
Didn't find many greasy cafes which I'll miss or the amazing food choice we have here everywhere.. especially as I love the veggie choice here. Having said that for aroynd the same cost.. The space alone would be mentally healthier for all of us. We get a lot of rain in our part of the UK so we're stuck in Oct to end March anyway.

Darwen

cheeky_monkey

For me the number 1 reason was that i could earn lot more money in Canada doing the same job ...second was the myth that quality of life is better for kids/family etc.
i went back to the UK in 2014..then came back to Canada at the end of 2016 for the same reason as number 1..it was the best bet to gain financially security for when i finally retire and go back home in 20 years.

don't get me wrong i enjoy living in Canada but i equally enjoyed living in the UK as well

dbd33

It is snowing here. It won't settle but it is snow in May.

rivingtonpike

we wanted Cambodia but they misheard us

sharkus

"Many a true word is spoken in jest" Actually quite true for me, well, previous employer. Long story short, US didn't really want quite a few of us relocating to the US office. Canada seemed more than happy for us to open an office and relocate people there. So that's how I ended up in Canada.

carcajou

Well, if a one-hour flight for you is a long way away, distances in Canada will come as a nasty shock. Your definition of a "long drive" is also going to change.

When we were deciding where to live post-Middle East, my wife was open to moving there, but I was not. As others noted the equation changes if the US is also an option. I have relatives in Quebec but my wife does not speak French. I have lived in Seattle; Seattle > Vancouver. Toronto is just Buffalo or Cleveland on steroids. Denver > Calgary. The Maritimes are OK but too remote; I didn't want to be a 12-hour drive from the closest city with more than a million people. Now, take that, and throw in the lower average salaries than the US, and the obscene winters, and it's a no-go.

If it's a straight-up UK vs Canada pick, then treat it like a business deal. How much more money are you getting? Will moving there let you retire a few years earlier or buy a holiday property? Etc etc etc.

So in short money and lifestyle are the deal-breakers.

carcajou

Just say it. I am also curious as to the legal aspect of what you are describing.

You're not a racist.

Don't let a handful of extremist posters bully you off making a contribution to the thread.

iaink

Regarding US salaries being higher, although I am paid significantly more, I am not better off. Medical expenses alone here are stupendous, both my monthly insurance copay, and the amount I need to cover in deductables and out of pocket expenses before my in$$$urance starts to pick up all the cost. On a side note my employers contribution to pay for my family health insurance is significantly more then my ENTIRE federal and provincial government tax and EI deductions when I lived in Canada, which I find mind blowing. Then I pay $650 a month out of my check on top of that each month, and still have to cover over $6k a year expenses. And Im told by others that I have a very generous package!

None of which has much to do with Canada. Carry on...

Partially discharged

It was here in Ottawa this morning but it barely settled and it is all gone now. Pretty late in the year for it.

Moses2013

Good points though. I often say that it's not the country that makes the difference but more the timing, at least when it comes to employment and especially property. Example: A good job during the boom often means you pay more for eveything else, so every few years you see people move to higher cost countries, they end up buying and have a huge mortgage, they lose their job and the country is crap, or have high rents and can't save. Others move when the economy is not great, but they have a job and can save (low mortgage/low rents. Unless you love the country, it mainly comes down to what you can afford and then the "lifestyle" will be great. Of course personal things play a part too.