Why Canada?
 

This is going to be a bit of an odd question, but if you live in the UK or moved from the UK, why do/did you want to move to Canada?

I'm Canadian, married to an UK ExPat... we are working towards moving to the UK, and I'm curious why those in the UK are leaving. Might help us make some decisions, consider factors we haven't... and those that have made the move, do you feel your life is improved having moved to Canada? What do you like most/hate most?

Just curious...
Blessings!

Re: Why Canada?
 

I married a Canadian, and 17 years later...after many visits, he said "I want to go home". By this time we had a ten year old child, and things just weren't working out for us in Europe. I met my husband in the Middle East, and in my heart I will always be nomadic. I think I could learn to like Canada. Many of the people are caring and giving, and I believe that if I work hard enough I could become part of this community. What do I love: ultimately, people are nice here...scratch under the surface, and there is a very decent layer. Hate: 30 years ago, I left the UK, but prior to my going I worked for a woman's clinic, and shouted "not the church, Not the State, women must decide their Fate" and now I am a "marshal" at the local women's clinic, and am there for the pro choice group at 7am when the pro life group gather to block their pathway....it's a big step back in time...the opposition spit at us and throw salt at me, and it's been a big shock. I've been at it a few months now, and I just cannot understand the mental step back in time. I fought before, for something that I thought was important....but it just doesn't matter here. I just can't sit and see basic very basic women's rights swept away. That's why I tend to feel a bit tepid at the thought of Gay rights...that's a big battle here...a looong way to come. We can't say in a warm and fuzzy way, that it's years behind Britain, without thinking that also has negatives.

Canada, is a new country, it's all for the making. Every sentient being can make a positive difference. I want my son to live in a great country, so I'm prepared to fight for the few odious bits. I feel like I've found life and a purpose again.

Why the devil do you want to go to the UK?

Re: Why Canada?
 

i got a job offer and fancied trying it out...

i might stay, i might not!

Re: Why Canada?
 

Actually, Millie, for the exact same reason - Canada is a young country, no history (or much) to speak of, no grounding, no sense of self. The Brits just seem to know who they are more... they know their history, where they've come from, there they're going... and they have that "Keep calm and carry on" attitude. I like that. ;)

(Even if it's over here in Brits like yourself! :) )

Re: Why Canada?
 

I got fed up with everything back home,and managed to land a job over here that I have 8 years experience in,looked into it all,took the job,and now I am here.
I wouldn't go back to the UK if I can help it,for lots of reasons.

Re: Why Canada?
 

What? Let me at 'em. :frown:

They have a group that stands across the street from one of the hospitals here. I always think of them when we have bad weather. :sneaky:

Sometimes the people of this province are so damn contrary. There's no doubt that people support each other here.

I was wheeling my wife home once and as we got outside our home, she came over a bit ill. The driver of a car going by noticed me bending over her and stopped to offer help. She wasn't to know we'd stopped because we were home.

We've experienced things like this a few times and there's quite a lot of heart warming stuff that makes the paper.

But then the other side. I read what a pittance Social Assistance rates are and that they have their first rise after rates have been frozen for about 7 years. And it's phased over two years.

And the newspapers, radio phone-ins, CBC website are full of anti welfare comments complaining about this big rise (ignoring the phasing and the freezing) all these lazy good for nothin' folk have coming to them.

I don't know how people can be so caring on the one hand and so heartless on the other.

Re: Why Canada?
 

I hated all the middle class people. Canadians are so refreshingly white trash.

Re: Why Canada?
 

Yet you are the living definition of middle class yourself?

Re: Why Canada?
 

i hardly meet any Canadians :lol:

Re: Why Canada?
 

:wub:

Re: Why Canada?
 

For myself, since a kid I've had a fascination with Canada for some reason! Anyway, got tied up with starting my own company, woke up one day last year and decided that I need to go and see a bit of Canada. Did about six weeks travelling around North America. Stayed in Vancouver for about four weeks, travelling to AB from there. Absolutely fell in love with the place. So I'm looking to at least try a year out there, take my work with me.

I dunno, just felt homely. Generally, people seem a lot friendlier, better aspirations, pride in the place they live. Beautiful scenery of course. I did drive through East Hastings so I've seen the ugly side of Vancouver, but hey, I live near Birmingham - there's poverty everywhere.

Re: Why Canada?
 

UK:
-------
expensive
quality of food for the price is poor
weather is middle ground, not enough heat, not enough cold if you like winter sports
quality of housing is poor for the price
quality of rental housing is poor for the price
every high street looks the same, only a few areas have independent shops
outdoors wildlife / wilderness if you like that sort of thing is non existent compared to Canada

in what way? Probably less middle class but maybe that's just how people are in Canada. You get people working in all sorts of jobs out there independent of background/upbringing and everyone talks to everyone.

Re: Why Canada?
 

That's what's what I meant. A lot Canadians drive around in pikey cars like pickup trucks and American cars and they don't seem embarrassed, you don't see too many Volvos. Plus, how many Canadian children are called Tarquin or Guinevere or eat organic kumquat, nettle and garlic salad? They're just really down-to-earth people who don't worry about their children's education. Its refreshing.

Re: Why Canada?
 

Absolutely agree with this and others. The lack of the obvious class structure which is so engrained into UK life and culture is very refreshing. That said, I'm pretty sure most Canadian parents DO worry about their children's education!

Re: Why Canada?
 

Aww Millie you're one of my favourite people on this board...seriously.

Can't say I've ever experienced that here - though, an abortion clinic I visited once was like Fort Knox to get into, with cameras etc...and legally speaking, there is no law about abortion thanks to Morgentaler, so it's not that Canada is behind, it just sounds like your piece of it is. Still, fight the good fight! Go Millie!

Re: Why Canada?
 

this must depend on where you live in the UK...tbh that has been my experience of Canada.

Well, excepting the weather comment, although it takes me the same amount of time to drive to the Rockies as it would have to drive to Aviemore back home!

Re: Why Canada?
 

It's refreshing but having lived in the UK, it takes some time to get used to!
Someone posted this a while back based on accents (not a fan of musicals but this explains the English class structure):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhninL_G3Fg

seriously? most people in Canada have houses with pools paying the same as as someone pays for a small 2 bed flat in the UK :)

Re: Why Canada?
 

Ah but here they get called 'Metro' and 'Satchel', what's that all about?

Re: Why Canada?
 

My wife is a nurse. She went to a job fair in Manchester along with a friend who was interested in working abroad. Toronto General Hospital was there recruiting UK nurses. After the friend told the TGH recruiter she wasn't interested, he turned to my wife (who was only along for the ride during her lunch break) and said, "What about you? You want to come work in Toronto?" My wife just looked at him and, for some reason she still can't quite explain, she muttered, "Er...ok."

This was 1989 and there was no internet to help us understand how things worked. The day after we arrived (my wife on a work permit and me on some type of visa that allowed me to accompany her), I was interviewed and offered a job as a software developer. So I go into some government office in downtown Toronto and tell them "I now have a job. Can I have a work permit please?" The agent serving me just looked at me and said "It doesn't work that way, sir."

Anyway, eventually I got a work permit a couple of weeks later. We only intended staying for a year but we loved it so much we ended up staying 7 years, had 2 kids and bought a house.

I loved the blue skies and hot summers. I loved the friendliness of the people. I loved Toronto and the ability to travel around to see other places in Canada and the US. We visited many places including Montreal and New York which we also both liked. I learned to skate and ski and even played curling. I became a huge Maple Leafs fan and was lucky enough to see the Blue Jays win 2 World Series. It was a great time to be in Toronto and we both enjoyed it.

We returned to the UK for family reasons. After 2 years in London, we decided to return to Canada. However, my IT skills were outdated and no longer in as much demand. I was working in a dying technology that still had a relatively strong presence in the UK and US at that time but not so much in Canada. I found a job in Maryland instead and we've been here ever since - 15 years.

I still miss Canada but I still get to visit there a lot due to work. Also my oldest daughter now goes to college there so I'm up and down visiting her a lot too. My IT skills have since been upgraded so a move back to Canada is a possibility but it's harder now to convince the wife and 3 other kids to do so. I still think I'll end up retiring there even if I don't move there beforehand.

Re: Why Canada?
 

That's just some people who grew up in some bum***k little rural Canadian town and now they've moved to one of the "big cities" and have bought a couple of pairs of naff shoes from Gravity Pope. They then make a beeline to some version of Vancouver's Commercial Drive in some desperate attempt to shake off the dandruff of parochialism.

Re: Why Canada?
 

:rofl:

Re: Why Canada?
 

Well my wife is Canadian. So we had a choice of UK or Canada.

Really there isn't even competition.

In Canada I've found jobs, higher pay and a better quality of life. I find the weather generally better. I live close to Toronto and Niagara so there are lots of things to see and do.

Back home in my part of the UK (Northern Ireland) there was high unemployment and fewer skilled positions. I found myself unable to get even full time work in low skilled roles. Even if you did find one you became subject to "are you the right religion for this?" and often I was not.

It's refreshing to live in a country that has it's own parliament rather than one that is just spoon fed by the EU.

I also believe in the coming decades Canada will be far better off as a result of immigration policies that, in the main, bring people with skills and work ethic to the country rather than the UK version where it's a free for all for any "benefit tourist".

Really besides my friends and family (and some food stuffs you can't get here) there is little I miss about "home".

Re: Why Canada?
 

yes seriously...i'm wondering if you're being serious...

i'm probably paying double on rent for my 2 bed townhouse (with no pool) here than i would be paying on a mortgage for a similar place back home

my grocery shopping is a fair bit more expensive when buying fresh foods and fresh vegetables...and the quality/selection is very poor unless going to specialised places

and your comment on the streets/shops...where in Canada do you live? Every neighbourhood is a carbon copy of the last one in Calgary with the exception of the oldest ones

Re: Why Canada?
 

I don't know of anyone that has a pool in Canada and I know some very wealthy people;)

Re: Why Canada?
 

I think he's mistaking pool for skating rink. ;)

Re: Why Canada?
 

It depends where you live, in NS we have a 5 bed house with a pool for less mortgage than our 3 bed house back in the SE of England. We are 40 mins outside of Halifax

Re: Why Canada?
 

Or one like this

http://www.splashandrelax.co.uk/cust...2000/56972.jpg

Actually, to be fair, we could have bought a house with a pool when we were looking to buy. And if we could.....

Re: Why Canada?
 

It was the reference to "most" that I took issue with. I accept that some can afford to purchase properties with pools.

I doubt many could afford to purchase a house with a pool in Vancouver, and certainly not for less than the price of a small 2 bed flat in the UK

Re: Why Canada?
 

When I was in London, a Canadian colleague, who grew up in Toronto and had lived in London for 10 years, said she hated to live in a place where everybody only talked about hockey even when the world was going to end.

For myself moving here, the most appealing to me is space. In the UK, I could either commuted a long way or lived in a noisy and packed semi or terrace house.

I could buy a 2-bedroom tiny flat in London (Zone 3 maybe) where I still had to commute 45 minutes to the central London to work. Here with the same amount I bought a 5-bedroom with one acre land and an Ocean view. I only need to commute 20 minutes to the downtown to work. It is just much better life here.

If I had enough money (£1-2 million) to buy the same size house in the UK like here, I would just stay there.

Re: Why Canada?
 

When was that going to happen then?:p

Re: Why Canada?
 

When the Leafs lost in the play-offs, most likely :rofl:

Re: Why Canada?
 

There is not one single Premier league football ground close to where i live..so in terms of sport and history Canada doesn't do well:thumbdown:

Re: Why Canada?
 

i'm lucky that i was into Ice Hockey when i lived in Scotland :lol: albeit the Benson & Hedges Superleague (as it was at the time) isn't quite as high a level as the NHL...

Easier to watch NHL games over here, being that there's a local team and it's on at a decent hour :D

Re: Why Canada?
 

Maybe when Clinton had an affair with Monica!:rofl:

Re: Why Canada?
 

Only between August and June.

Re: Why Canada?
 

Really? I know quite a few people in Canada that have pools.

For kicks I took a quick look in Brampton, Ontario and found quite a few pools on Google maps:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=neptun...3,+Canada&z=17

Re: Why Canada?
 

So cold in Canada even in Summer. Only when the temperature goes above the human body temperature, it is a joy to jump into a pool. Unless it is a heated pool, I think people won't use their pools more than 10 days a year in Canada.

Re: Why Canada?
 

I was in mine nearly every day from end May to end September last year. Shame this year the weather is so rubbish so far.....

Re: Why Canada?
 

Where?

Re: Why Canada?
 

We came to Canada for the bilingualism. That worked out better than having a pool, we didn't make good use of the pool due to the weather. A pool in Canada isn't really much use unless it's at your winter place, in Arizona.