dbd33

I would say that those impressions of places are pithy summations based on repeated visits rather than "creative" or "crap". Are you making a case that Ottawa is exciting or Vancouver Island dry?

Danny B

Wherever you decide upon, please make sure you go for a visit in the middle of January beforehand.

dbd33

On reading "We also love the countryside." I thought of last evening. I was riding and looked around, the view was bucolic, verdant even. Then I saw that the woodpile needs two cords, the hay barn isn't full, the snow blower wants servicing. "Oh dear" I thought, August already, snow's coming, get on those jobs. I considered pointing out that the countryside in most of Canada is buried for six months of the year. I didn't post because I didn't want to seem negative.

scilly

Ottawa is a government city, but like Canberra in Australia, it is city built specifically in a certain place to be a government city. That's quite unlike London, or Paris, or most any other European capital that I can think of.

I've been to both Ottawa and Canberra for short visits, and both have lots of concrete buildings, Ottawa is older than Canberra so there are some rather lovely stone buildings 150 years old or more, that being very old for Canada.

It is bustling with self-important politicos when Parliament and Senate are in session, but also pretty dull, as dbd said. There are a couple of universities, so students liven up the scene during term time. However most people I know live in the outer suburbs or nearby towns in preference to Ottawa. Weather is hot in summer, and often bloomin' cold in winter. Skating on the Rideau Canal is a major winter pastime.

Vancouver Island has only had 1 major tsunami since 1964, but there are often warnings which either result in nothing or a less than 6" surge. You must appreciate that the West Coast is on the same earthquake belt as California. That belt stretches all the way from Mexico up to Alaska. Most of the activity that results in a tsunami warning happens either north off the coast of Alaska or west of the Island, out in the Pacific.

I worry much more about earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on the Mainland, from Vancouver north and to the east. That's because one branch of the earthquake belt is between the mainland and the Island, and there is also the ring of volcanoes all the way from California north through Alaska and down the coast to Japan. Most are extinct of course, many have not erupted in 100s of years, but some are still active. Seismic centres in Victoria and on the mainland register up to 20 very small quakes every day, with quakes that people may feel as a gentle shake about every 6 months. or so. I can tell when we have had a small but unfelt 'quake because paintings on the wall in the living room are crooked ............... it's at least once a week. Victoria seems to have more than Vancouver, but then there are plates on both sides of the Island, out in the Pacific and through the Salish Sea.

Halifax is a nice city, small by European standards, easy to reach the country, lots of provincial and national parks within say a 1 to 5 hour drive, if you like camping. Which reminds me ........... if you have dogs, be warned that dogs have to be on leash in ALL National and Provincial parks throughout Canada, and most everywhere else as well, except in specified off-leash areas. No letting your dogs run wild as you hike, or even walk in the city/town/village.

Those rules are largely for the protection of wild animals, and for the pets (and their owners). Bears, coyotes, cougars, etc are a darn' sight more dangerous even than a stag in rutting season. Sensible people living in even places like Vancouver, do not let cats run wild, and carefully dogs but especially small ones in their own gardens. Coyotes abound even here, someone sees one in our neighbourhood once or twice a month, which probably means s/he lives around here and has a regular "route". Let your cat run loose and the odds are it will go missing within a few weeks.

My daughter has lived in Halifax since she married in 1999, found it boring after Vancouver, and quite clique-ish, even some members of her husband's family took time to accept her. There certainly isn't as much going on in the way of entertainment, clubbing or what have you., although it is in a beautiful setting, and there are many even more beautiful areas around. Plus fresh lobsters in season! The downside to Halifax is the weather. In winter, there are the legendary nor'-easters, with icy gale force winds, sleet, etc. The heavy snow falls that occurred during the first 8 or 9 years my daughter lived there seem to have become non-existent, for now at least. In summer through fall, Halifax can get lashed by the tail-end of hurricanes coming north from the southern US and Mexico. Most times, they have been down-graded to Tropical Storm, which means torrential rain and wind like you haven't seen before! About every 2 or 3 years, they still have hurricane status, level 1 or 2, and much damage can be caused. There have been 3 hurricanes hit Halifax since 1999, plus one "snow" hurricane in February 2004 (5 months after Hurricane Juan had devastated the area) an unusual event that did tremendous damage. In essence, summers are now generally becoming hot and humid, while winters are wet, lots of icy rain, and very icy street, with snow occasionally. Currently, this summer is incredibly wet!

Mind you, every province has weather that you will never have experienced. Do you want hot summers (30-40C) and cold winters (below -20C), or milder temperatures with humidity, plus risk of earthquakes or hurricanes. Remember though, that Canada is used to these extremes, people know how to live and work in all but the most extreme for that area, houses are centrally heated and mostly airconditioned, except on the coasts (new houses are an exception). Streets, major and minor, are quickly and efficiently cleared after snow fall, everywhere but the West Coast and Vancouver Island. Halifax and other centres even have little Bobcats that can clear sidewalks and lanes. Places like Montreal and Toronto have "underground cities" ........ malls below ground joined by walkways that also have entrances in to major office buildings and are intended for use either by shoppers or people just wanting to move around the downtown areas without having to go outside.

Natural events that seem to bother people not used to them, or not expecting them, are the very long winters and short summers across vast areas of Canada. Spring may not come until May, the traditional planting time for farmers in the Prairie provinces is May 24th, as that is considered the time when no overnight frosts are expected (a fallacy!!). Summer can end and winter weather start as early as late September. Thus you're looking at possibly 8 months of winter and 4 months of summer. The exceptions to that are on both coasts, with the West Coast being considered the Banana Belt, the southern end of Vancouver Island has the mildest weather. Halifax's seasons are between Vancouver's and the Prairies. My daughter reckons that spring begins in April to early May, and camping comes to an end at Thanksgiving (October 11) at the latest., with the garden finished before that.

BristolUK

And might only last a week on the Atlantic side. I often find the air conditioning is needed a week after I just turned off the heating Fortunately not permanently until heating is needed.

It's worth remembering that although you may see some snowflakes in 6 months of the year that's not the same as being buried in it for 6 months of the year.

We're one of the more snowy places but we've had green Christmases for something like 3 of the last 4 years, the pre-christmas snowfall having been so small it melted away on it's own.

We have a guy clear our snow and my list of when needed last winter shows 18 December for the first one and the last one on 23 Feb.
The previous winter, first one was on 31 Dec and the last one 2 March. Of course there's still snow around beyond that but it's generally where it's been 'put' as a result of the cleared roads and sidewalks.

Buried might apply if your home is surrounded by fields and your neighbours are a tractor ride away. Luckily there are things called cities east of Toronto.
Small cities but cities nonetheless with normal city activities available.

dbd33

A tractor ride in summer. In winter one needs a snow machine.

Former Lancastrian

OP think outside of the box and go for the centre of Canada. You will be equal distance to the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean although not too many prefer the Arctic Ocean. You would be about 15 hours from any mountains (not hills). Think Winnipeg.

scilly

..................... and go and stand at Portage and Main???????????

scilly

Anyone mentioned the insects yet?????


I'm not trying to deter the OP, but these are all things that are realities in daily life across Canada.

caretaker

Famous for being the windiest corner in Canada.

jackinthetree

Hey there, I will respond later OK? There are great people on this thread who have given great advice. I personally love the level of detail eg. scilly has given and Lychee's realistic spin. I also love dbd33's posts - he is a little creative in his writing, but captures the "essence" quite well in my opinion. Cheers. and Yes I understand the desire to try out and not regret.

BTW if Canada is on the "I wish" list then absolutely give it a go because otherwise, you'd feel regret. In Vancouver, the place buzzes and there is construction in many places. That's why I'm not sure here is great. On Vancouver Island, it's more laid back and nature-y but it's still an island and I personally don't like the tsunami risk.

Others can share more about the other places. Ottawa has always sounded boring to me, and other posters who live out those ways will be more accomplished in pointers.

PPS ... I guess the other thing to think about is once you are settled in one province, you can also visit others, or you can do a recce trip to get a sense of things before deciding where to settle.

(I GUESS I DID MY ANSWER NOW!!) Good luck - best of luck,

jackinthetree

Youtube often has good videos - I sometimes watch Youtube if I want a sense of a city.

scilly

Indeed. The first train trip across Canada that we took back in 1972 was The Super Continental, it stopped in Winnipeg for the usual crew change, we'd heard so much about Portage and Main that we got off the train and walked over to it.

It was mid-June, and yep, windy

We went back to Winnipeg in 2015, stayed at the Fairmont which is at Portage and Main, in early October.

Quite changed from 1972, pedestrians couldn't cross the road, completely blocked off. Had to use a weird looking underpass instead. We didn't venture down there, but took loads of photos of a fantastic statue of caribou crossing a river in northern Manitoba that has been installed.

I heard somewhere that the underpass has now been removed, and pedestrians can cross the road again.

abner

Yes, Winterpeg is a lot more like what the OP expected from Ottawa, a large city (for Canada), that is culturally more like an overgrown farm town. A quite pleasant and welcoming one mind you--I spent a year there once, and have never since found an easier place to make new acquaintances--as long as you learn to enjoy winter, curling, and beer. Oh, and the beaches at Lake Winnipeg have occasionally ranked in Playboy Magazine's "10 best beaches in North America list", for whatever that's worth.

Paul_Shepherd

I think it all depends what you both do for a living, many times you have to go where the work is..... (although its seems the work at home thing may solve that for some)

However that aside, you mentioned lakes could substitute for the ocean.... Ontario has many many lakes and some beautiful countryside....(you find ways of dealing with the bugs!) I was lucky enough to settle in an area 1-1/2 to 2 hours north east of Toronto.... the town was big enough to have everything I needed, but an hour north and you were in the middle of nowhere with more lakes than you can shake a stick at and all the outdoor lifestyle that goes with.... the if you need a dose of the city then Toronto was hour and half 2 hours max drive away, (which is a short drive here! lol)

So I would imagine you would want a decent size town in the countryside, (with lots of lakes) but close to a city too. Take a look at the South west Ontario....its a huge area (as is Ontario) but it may narrow things down a little, again depending on what jobs you both have,