Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

OH is dead set he wants to go to Canada (Obviously he won't go without us) and it looks like a really nice place. (He's been, I haven't yet)

I've been reading things on forums about people loving/hating Canada. I've read that:

• There's a lack of GP's
• The schools are better in the UK
• It's expensive to live in Canada (Ontario Region) on a day to day basis compared to UK
• Canadian People are two faced (Friendly to your face but horrible behind your back)

I'm from the Devon area and yeah it is nice here, but there's nothing to do. The school the kids go to/are going to are good and they are doing well.

I just want to know, what made you want to leave the UK to go to Canada?

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

Distilling an entire country down to those four bullet points is quite the accomplishment. If that's your sole impression of Canada then don't move here. Seriously.

To massively generalise - life in Canada is pretty much the same as life in UK. Somethings are better, somethings are worse.

You need to have a reason to move here. For the adventure, the kids, the climate, the mountains, doesn't matter why but a reason. You then need to temper that with real research about how you will do here. What job opportunities are there for you, what will you do if it takes you a while to get jobs, do you need to Canadianise qualifications etc etc. Being an informed consumer and moving with your eyes wide open and prepared for what you might find will make the process less stressful, costly and with a greater chance of success.

Looking back across the Atlantic, Devon sounds idyllic. It might be quiet but it is far more accessible to a greater diversity of cities, countries and experiences than Canada is. If you have a good life there, think very carefully IMHO before giving it up to move.

That being said, I moved because my then girlfriend now wife was from Canada and wanted to move home. Or in other words, I moved for sex.;)

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

Sorry, those weren't my points. They are things I had seen on other forums and they worried me if they were true or not. I was hoping they weren't true and the posters were just very snobby and nothing was ever good enough for them :D

Yeah, Sex is a good reason to move ;)

The climate would be a big selling point for me. I LOVE warm weather. I also love snow :) Also I think the girls would like it, being able to go hiking in mountains as opposed to hills.

But the big negative is the fact we'll be further away from the European countries I haven't visited yet.

I just wish someone would tell me what to do :D

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

I don't think concerns about finding a GP or cost of living are being snobby. Canada is a large country & there is variance in all things from province to province, City to city, town to town. We have an excellent GP for example but yes cost of living for certain things is higher than in the UK. For others it's lower.

Granted, it's 20something years since I lived in Plymouth but I always though Devon had a pretty good climate for the UK. Perhaps without the snow, the novelty of which wears off pretty fast.

As for Mountains, well that's great but most of the country doesn't have mountains, and a large part of it (The Prairies) doesn't really even have hills. So hiking in the mountains is great if you can live in the Rockies. You do have lots and lots of money don't you?;)

And family. If you have kids that's a real concern. For me, I lived here 5 years before I had kids. I'm now very very conscious that my kids don't get to see their family in the UK very much. And that's with kids being born here and not knowing any different.

Oh that's easy. Don't move. or Move. ;)

Seriously, you need to discuss with your family, research about jobs, areas to live, and all the other minutae of life and weigh up whether you are better off where you are or it's worth moving. (and thats without considering which immigration route you might take). I don't envy anyone this decision. Mine was much simpler - no kids at the time+a relationship where one of us had to compromise about where to live=worth giving it a try.

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

For me (I haven't moved yet, but it's why I want to). It's mainly the people/population, I cannot stand the UK it's too overpopulated & no matter where you go there's always that entitled breed about. I want to be somewhere where I can go out on a weekend & not spend hours in traffic then come home worrying if I'm going to be able to park the car anywhere near my house. I want to go to a restaurant without having to pre book a table. I need space & space in the UK comes at a premium I can't afford.

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

For me it was to attain a N American lifestyle - space, larger home, outdoors more.

I wanted to transact in Dollars, to leave behind small and crowded Victorian streets, to have the option of a pool, a hot tub, a deck.

To have 4 distinct seasons, which we certainly have here.

To be in a culture where a drive through coffee is part of your trip. To be able to drive to the US if I want to.

To eat poutine, donair pizza, cinnamon rolls hot for breakfast....

So many reasons.......

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

Do not consider Southern Ontario.

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

I came here because of a job offer out of the blue, and I stay because I dont think I can maintain the kind of life I have here in the UK. I dont need big city excitement all the time and we are happy to mooch about and do stuff together as a family. If we want city excitement Toronto is a couple of hours away, but I can live without the overcrowding and stress of so many people day to day.

There used to be a doctor shortage where I am, but they fixed it with an excellent recruitment campaign and incentives to bring in new doctors, most of whom stay because of the relaxed lifestyle the area affords them

My kids school is fine, the teachers are very good and pretty relaxed, and my kids are excelling. In the UK my brother and my best friend both send their kids to private schools, at no little expense.

Living here does seem to have become more expensive. Insurance in particular is maddening, but on the other hand I have a reasonable house on 3/4 acre in a beautiful spot by a large river, and I pay $640 a month mortgage on it, including the property taxes, so not everything is expensive...

Like anywhere else people are people, some are nice, some are not. The vast majority of Canadians I know are decent people, and some have shown extraordinary acts of friendship and treat us like family (in a good way).

I didnt come here for a better life, it was an oportunity that fell into my lap to try something or somewhere different. I guess I was lucky that I happened to fall into an area that was what I was looking for, even though I wasnt actually looking at the time! That was all 15 years ago or more.

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

Haha, don't worry I'm not

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

How come?

EDIT: More space is a big appeal to me, as I was originally looking at upgrading to a 4 bed, but a 4 bed in North Devon is stupid money. I like the sound of 4 different seasons and not just continuous rain.

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

Heavily populated

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

Lower Mainland BC too.

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

My reasons are probably unique.

My husband works for a company based in Los Angeles. He can work from anywhere with an internet connection, but the time difference between LA and the UK is horrible when you're basically living in a time zone that's 8 hours ahead of your work, and you're trying to juggle with family commitments AND you're a workaholic and work from home. It was really wearing us down. We started to talk about making a move over to North America, and because I'm dual Canadian/British, Canada was a no-brainer. Particularly as we much prefer it to the US anyway.

I was keener than my husband, so we have taken the decision process very slowly and gently really. We did lots of research, found a place which we thought we would like to live, and spent a month out there last year. We rented a basement suite (2 bed apartment) in the town we were thinking of, and tried to do as many things as possible that we might do normally. We looked at houses, bought 'normal' groceries and cooked at home, and our son went to football and karate training, and cubs while were there, so he could start to get a feel for things.

Anyway, we loved it, did more research, and eventually made the decision to go for it. We move in less than 3 weeks.

So for my husband, the reason is really that his hours will be more manageable.

For me, though, there is more to it:
- I get to go 'home' (I haven't lived in Canada for a really long time, and we are living a VERY long way and in a completely different environment from where I was before, but it still feels like going home)
- We are looking forward to having more space, especially with the working-from-home aspect. Where we are moving to, we can afford a bigger house with more space. This wouldn't be true all over Canada, but luckily we can afford good houses where we WANT to live, so that's fine.
- I think our son will do better in the Canadian school system than in the UK.
- More opportunities where we are going for snowboarding, fishing etc right on the doorstep.
- Where we are moving to is one of the most beautiful places on earth (in my opinion). I am looking forward to just looking at it. (Hopefully from a hot tub in my garden)
- We are looking forward to being closer to the US, partly just for husband's work, but also partly to explore more of it when we get a chance.
- And honestly? I just love change and adventure. I like where we live in the UK, but I am massively excited about doing something different now and living in a different environment.

In some ways we will gain, in others we will lose - that's the same with any sort of change really. But ultimately,overall we believe this will be a really great move for us (otherwise we wouldn't be doing it).

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

Yes, that has been an issue in some areas but it's not unique to Canada. Read about GP shortages in England:

GP numbers tumble in England as recruitment crisis bites | Society | The Observer

Not according to the OECD study in which Canada consistently tops the UK in reading, math and science among 15 year olds.

OECD education report: subject results in full - Telegraph

UK universities like Oxford and Cambridge are ranked higher but Canada also has some world renowned universities e.g. University of Toronto, McGill (Montreal), UBC (Vancouver), etc. Higher education is definitely more affordable in Canada - especially so after tuition tripled in the UK.

The 2 systems are comparable so I don't think it should be a factor is moving or not. At the end of the day, the top third of students will do well in either system. I judge education systems by how well the middle and bottom thirds do and I really doubt that there's a significant difference between the UK and Canada in that regard.

It's hard to compare the cost of living in 2 countries because there is so much regional variation. If you just convert prices using the exchange rate (remember to add in any sales taxes in Canada first since UK prices already include them), it can seem that Canada is more expensive at least for some things. However, that's only one part of the equation. When my wife and I moved to Canada, our salaries took a major jump and so our purchasing power was actually higher in Canada because we had more disposable income there. So much depends on where you move from/to, your field of work, your preferred lifestyle, and your particular financial situation overall.

Cost Of Living Comparison Between Canada And United Kingdom

I have certainly found that Canadians are friendlier overall. I've heard people describe this as being insincere but that's a hell of a generalization and not one I'd subscribe to. As for being horrible behind your back, I have no idea whether that's more common in Canada or the UK. I don't recall ever thinking that there is more backstabbing in one place or the other.

We got fed up with the UK for several reasons including:

- The weather in the UK sucked. We enjoyed the greater number of hours of sunshine in Canada. The cold winters were much more bearable because we would still often have blue skies (at least in Toronto). Even Vancouver, which has a reputation for being rainy and having UK-like weather, gets more hours of sunshine annually than almost anywhere in the UK.

- We got tired of dealing with aggressive people in the UK. Accidentally look at someone the wrong way in a pub and you could be in for a spot of bother.

- We got tired of taking kids to playgrounds and finding graffiti, litter, broken glass, dog crap, used condoms, etc. Often playgrounds were occupied by foul-mouthed, high/drunken chavs who had nothing better to do than vandalize playgrounds and hassle other people.

- We could see that things were generally going downhill. For example, services were coming under increasing pressure due to population density increases in England (particularly in the south east of England).

Now, I'm certainly not saying that any of the above can't also be found in Canada. It's just that we didn't find them to be problems to the same degree as they were in the UK. There are problems wherever you go in the world but sometimes you just need a change of scene to recharge the batteries and get yourself motivated to get out and about and do things. We embraced the cold winters and learned to ice skate & ski, played curling, watched hockey, etc. Other immigrants hated the winters and couldn't settle. Much depends on your own attitude, personality and preferences.

After living in Canada for 7 years, we actually moved back to the UK for family reasons. This was another change and living in the UK was a novelty again - particularly as we moved to London this time having previously lived in Manchester. We thought we might stay but then the same old feelings started coming back. We lasted about 2 years before moving on again - this time to the US.

We still miss a lot about the UK (food, beer/pubs, football, TV, history/culture, etc). Apart from friends and family, the thing we probably miss the most is its proximity to continental Europe. I could see us moving to continental Europe to be closer to friends and family in the UK, but I just can't see us living in the UK again. Although never say "never" because your priorities at one stage of your life are not necessarily the same at another stage.

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

Agreed, those were my reasons for leaving the UK too

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

I'm in the US but we expats often have motivations like getting a bigger house but then have to drive long distances to do anything. Could actually have moved to a bigger house out of town in the UK. Or feel bored and fancy a change, then realize there's actually just as much to do in UK/Europe, if not more.

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

As others have said, it's relatively heavily populated.

If you can find work outside the GTA, as I have, then it might work. In our case we're on 10 acres, next to many acres of conservation area, 30 minutes from a medium sized town (Orangeville) and 90 minutes, on a weekend, from the centre of Toronto (which I define as the Olympic cheese stand in the St. Lawrence Market). It's hard to see though what could be gained by moving here from Devon except cheap property and the consequent monetary benefits. It's a bloody long way to the Tate and farther still to Paris. You'd be giving up "culture", friends and family for a bigger bathroom.

In answer to the original question, we came because it's a bilingual country. In that regard coming here was an unequivocal success.

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

I agree with everything you have said, we live just outside of Toronto and I don't find it anymore expensive than the u.k.
I enjoy the 4 seasons and the outdoor lifestyle, it would cost a fortune for a day out in England, even a walk in the woods you have to pay for parking lol.
As far as not seeing all you want to see in Europe, think of all you can see in this Beautiful Country, not to mention trips over the border.

Ask yourself this, if you dont try it, will you spend your lifetime asking...what if....

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

For a change. Post uni lived 10 yrs in Yorkshire, 10yrs in Scotland and then came here. Live in rural part of York region (edge of GTA) and like it. But then I liked the UK too. Wouldn't have come 'for the kids', as they were happy and had a good life, but then they're the same here. But wouldn't have come if they'd have been worse off either.

GP - took us 18months to find one, but managed fine with walk-in clinics until then (GP is Sri Lankan and was surprised we'd emigrated, couldn't understand the reason to trade one 1st world country for another)

School- just like in the Uk kids have had mostly good teachers. Schools seem larger here, and classes are larger esp in secondary school than in rural Scotland

People- are friendly. I read the forums as saying Canadians are difficult to get close to, rather than two-faced. Don't know if this is true as I'm not interested in living in other peoples pockets.

I'll shut up now as this is a bit long! :p

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

Really? Things have changed I guess. On the other hand there are a lot more public rights of way to walk on in the UK...



There is no use shying from the fact that the weather is necessarily going to be a huge factor in this decision. You have to be happy with dealing with a large contrast between summer and winter in most of Canada. If you are outdoorsy then its either the we(s)t coast, or changing up your outside activities depending on what season it is. If you want to golf or walk year round, then most of Canada is not going to be for you.

As for the friends thing... I would think that if you moved one end of the UK to the other and started from scratch it would be no walk in the park to make a whole new circle of friends as an adult either. You may be looking for new friends, but the people around you have no great need, they have a group they are comfortable with already and are not necessarily going to be looking for new members, so I expect its hard no matter where you go. People will be civil of course, but its not easy to make lasting connections without some common experiences.

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

I agree with the theme of this post but where can one not walk year round and in which season is it not possible?

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

Its not much fun when its -20 and there is 2 feet of snow on the ground. At least two of the local conservation areas we normally walk are gated off during the winter.

Then again its not much fun when its 38°C and the sweat is dripping off you with the 98% sthumidity and a cloud of blackfly is chasing you around either.

Fall is nice though...:)

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

Oh yes, who would want to leave Devon for that?;)

http://www.visitdevon.co.uk/files/ga...kpoolSands.jpg

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

Well, yes, you can't go into the woods in the summer nor the fields in winter but, with route adaptation, there's always somewhere adequate to walk the dog. I suppose the major difference in regard to walking is that the UK has an extensive network of public paths whereas in Canada one is expected to buy the ground before using it.

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

That's subjective and many people would disagree. Many people enjoy that sort of thing.

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

:lol:

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

Have you considered moving to one of the European countries that you have already visited?

I'm visiting the Scottish Borders (Melrose to be exact) with my sisters and staying in a very nice hotel here. At dinner last night the conversation inevitably got around to comparisons between the UK and Canada. When asked the average house price in Canada it occurred to me to explain the vapidity of the question by asking in turn, what's the average house price in Europe?

Aside from the dubious advantage of Canada being a nominally english speaking country, you can find the warm weather, the cold weather, the wide open spaces the back country, the mountains and the big bustling cities in Europe, all much closer to each other than they are in Canada.

As AtlanticXpat said, you need to have a very specific reason (e.g. a much better paid job and a bullet proof way of getting a visa of one sort or another, before seriously considering Canada.

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

Not to mention that you dont need to go through the hassle and expense of satisfying CIC that you should be allowed in!

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

Name three:sneaky::lol:

I love the seasons here, but if Im going in the woods in February, its will be on X-C skis, and if Im out in July it will be on my bike to increase the chances I can outrun the insects!

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

Biting insects do cast a downer on summertime :(

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

We can't move to Europe as it wouldn't be fair on the kids education.

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

:confused: I'm confused, why would that be detrimental to their education, but a Canadian education would be ok?

I'd move to Europe in a shot specifically for that reason (and even more specifically, for the opportunity for the kids to have fluency in another language), I'm intrigued as to why you think schooling in Europe wouldn't be fair on their education?

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

Yep, Devon is lovely for about 3 weeks of the year. Most of the year its like this:

http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/...3554-large.jpg

Or just grey and miserable...

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

With the greatest respect, that's nonsense.

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

Because they wouldn't be able to understand the language straight away and the UK is in a much better position than any of the EU. The EU is ******.

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

So give them a couple of months and then voila, they're bilingual! Massive positive imo.

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

so what happens when they come home with homework and I can't help them as it's in french/german etc as i can't speak other languages. It's like they go in one ear and other other. My brain has an aversion to learning and storing languages :(

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

But they'd be learning a new one a hell of a lot faster than they would in a UK classroom.

That's debatable.

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

A colleague has just taken a job in Toulouse or, as he would say, "Toulouse, France", in large part so the children in the family will acquire French. I'm rather looking forward to hearing their revised accents as they speak southern State American now; they really will say "Bonjour, y'all".

Re: Why did you choose to move to Canada?
 

How do you know?