Southcote

I have been over to Canada a few times now, and our AOR is July 05. We have fallen in love with the place, but have not spent longer than 3 weeks at a time there, and are conscious of the 'holiday effect'.

To ensure we are going through with the move with our eyes open, can anyone let me know the things about Canada that aren't good. We've had a think about it and can only come up with the following:

1) Not having family around (although some may say this isn't a bad thing !)
2) Price quoted exclusive of taxes
3) Finding a job / salaries
4) Erm thats about it

Any views / thoughts would be appreciated

iaink

Winter might drive you mad

Employment rights are non existent

No History and not much "culture" in the European sense

Missing lots of individual trivial things that add up to a heavy burden

No Friends around

No real pubs

Its still worth it though, well, it has been for me, but you wanted the downside. Missing family, especially now we have kids, is the biggest one.

Of yeah, next to no holiday!

You get used to the tax thing pretty quickly FWIW.

Southcote

I forgot about the lack of holidays. I currently get 6 weeks (with the option to 'buy' another week), so I'm really going to notice that

H143

Things that annoy me are little things such as bank charges, and cell phone charges etc., but it's not exactly a big deal. Workers rights isn't something I've dealt with yet but I could imagine that would annoy me. Having 2 weeks holiday SUCKS! I can't understand why they are so mean with it.

Whistler and Vancouver are fantastic places and I love them. It's MILES better than living in England. Only one thing about BC bugs me and that is the number of people who smoke pot, and the number of addicts on stronger stuff in Vancouver - it's a bit like the walking dead in some parts of the city. I find it both sad and disturbing.

You might find at first it's not just family you miss but close friends. You will meet loads of great people, but there's no one around who's known you for a long time, no one you can call if you need a sympathetic ear etc. This, of course, changes the longer you have been there!

I think you will be fine because you are approaching it in a very sensible way and acknowledging that it's not all rosey just because it's another country. And you already love it loads so that helps!

Best of luck

Posidrive

We've been in Calgary as a family for the best part of a year now and generally love it. Can't really say that there are any real bad points, although we were lucky enough to come here with an arranged job.

Just had 2 1/2 weeks holday in the UK and Germany and this brought home a few points that made us feel a little homesick but nothing major enough to want to go back.

- Licensing laws here are in the dark ages. We would kill to be able to find the equivilent to a UK or continental pub where you can sit outside on a terrace on a sunny evening having a beer with your kids (no beer for them of course).

- Calgary is an architectural waste land. Most non residential areas look like a typical British industrial estate.

- I still think Calgarians should not be allowed to drive , especially large trucks

- Compared to Europe, Calgary is an expensive place to live.

- Canadian bacon is a joke

- Brown lawns even before the dogs have peed on them.

Sean Boxer

1) Four Way Stops
2) Music Radio
3) Having to add tax to the sticker price.
4) That's about it for me.

Purley

I complained about the stupid way of adding taxes - so that you never can really predict what you are going to have to pay. My son tells me, and I guess I have forgotten, that it used to be the same way as England, what you saw was what you paid, but apparently WE voted to have it this way at some point in the past.

So I guess we only have ourselves to blame. I wouldn't have voted for it - but I guess enough people did and so now we appear to be stuck with it unless some bright spark in government thinks of voting to put it back the other way - which makes infinitely more sense to me - but then - what do I know?

Steve&Tanya

Still quite new to Calgary (been here 5 months) and the worse thing is finding things aren't as cheap whe you live here as when you have been spending your GBP here on hols. Also what makes it worse for me is that when I phone home my dad will say "but that's only x pounds that's well cheap!" No it aint for me!!!!!!
Apart from that am loving here and have no regrets.

dbd33

Canadians. It'd be fine but for the Canadians. They're insufferable.

oceanMDX

Although employment rights in Canada's provinces (employment standards come under provincial jurisdiction as I'm sure you know) may not compare to those in the UK, to say that employment rights don't exist in Canada is pure hyperbole. For example, if an employer fires a "manager" without just cause (a very difficult standard for an employer to meet), he may end up having to pay one year or more of regular wages to his former employee. Employees in Canada not only have rights under each province's employment standards act, but they are also protected by human rights commissions. I found this interesting:

http://www.albertahumanrights.ab.ca/...%20in%20employ

This is also interesting:

Fired employees are winning their cases in Canadian courts - so obviously they have rights - here are some prominent wins:

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/na...c2&k=31956

oceanMDX

You told us in another thread that you are a Canadian, eh?

dbd33

So I am. Would you say that that disproves the point?

oceanMDX

Hell no, if anything your status seals the deal by providing incontrovertible proof!

dbd33

Voila, nous sommes ce qui sommes nous.

oceanMDX

Mais nous devons être les meilleurs que nous pouvons être.