MartianTom

The proximity of the States was a big one for me... though the short vacations may have worked against extended visits.

I guess you know how long winter lasts in Ontario! Not trying to put you off or anything! I have a friend out there who told me they got the last snows of last winter in June... and the first snows of this winter in early October!

The Sephora and Mac stores? Ah, now there's a draw! Don't take all the credit cards!!

jackie_w

Hey maybe I should put that one to my husband, might make him think twice about going over cos when I was in Sephora earlier this year it was love at first sight lol and eh the credit card got hammered, Imagine what it would be like if you could visit Sephora every month

Okay mind is made up im off lol.

Jackie

fledermaus

Sephora in Canada doesn't sell Chanel or Shisheido. Can you cope with that? Do you know why it closed in the UK? There used to be one in Milton Keynes and I seem to remember that at the time it was because of lack of customers. I know I was disappointed with the place and the Eaton Centre one just seemed the same to me.

BTW which part of Ontario would you be looking to move to? If shopping is important to you then this would be a factor.

What's your husband's line of work?

dboy

But what of people that move to Vancouver? The wages are much the same as the UK (and actually lower than Calgary) yet house prices are staggering and Vancouver has amongst the worst affordability in the world. Certainly challenges your argument.

dboy

Come to Vancouver you will be forced to donwsize

These are particularly difficult times to be moving. Decent jobs are few and far between, the housing market has not corrected as in other parts of the world and then add a weak pound into the mix. Timing they say is everything - perhaps now is not a good time to be moving here.

We do tend to view our personal circumstances as typical. While one person has a tough go of it, others do well. Problem is with moving abroad you are faced with a number of challenges in a short period of time. Finding work, a home, schools for kids, making friends, etc.

But while it seems many have struggled, there are those of us that have made a better life for ourselves.

martikaxx

I moved from Suffolk in the UK in 2000 to live in Red Deer, Alberta. I am moving back to the UK early next year. I have struggled with my happiness here in Canada. The winters are brutal and you hardly ever see anyone unless you get in your car and drive to the mall (which would be your main place to visit as its indoors!).
This is definitely not home for me and my two little girls. I want to go back to the UK to be with my family, friends, reasonable weather, food etc.
Its not "utopia"by any means. The welfare system here (if you had to use it is appalling). The health system is ok, if you have insurance, otherwise your stuck. This is just my, and some of my WOMEN ex pat opinions. I am not alone. Others will say its the best decision they ever made. Its all very personal to the individual.

AllyS

My husband and I are going into this with our rose tinted specs left behind in the UK. Only that we see what happens, keep our expectations as low as possible.

The job thing is a major hurdle to overcome. After all, what sort of life can you hope to have without a job? If you are a professional down and out, you'll be used to it, but we are not keen on joining the queue at 'Inn from the Cold' which my brother and SIL volunteer at in Calgary every fortnight throughout the winter months.

On that note, I am leaving the office to contemplate .....

dboy

I spent time in Red Deer a couple or years ago - I hear where you are coming from. I also lived in Regina for 6 months .... dreadful. Come to BC it's great, but alas very spendy

Lychee

I can empathize, but it makes me wonder - is Canada the issue here, or is it that you ended up in Red Deer? (And I am not singling you out - this goes for anyone moving to any rural community in Canada).

Red Deer, like other small prairie cities and towns, offers a particular rural lifestyle which is unlike anything in the UK. But it's a lifestyle that's not for everyone. Even born and raised Canadians from places like Vancouver or Toronto or Montreal, would feel like fish out of water in Red Deer.

Canada is a huge and diverse country, but the distances are so vast you really have to travel for hours if not days before you begin to see the differences. Have you ever met a Canadian from Nova Scotia who has moved to Alberta? Or have you ever met a Canadian from BC who moved to Ontario or Quebec? They too suffer from culture shock and homesickness and "things are different and strange here" - and they're still moving around domestically.

Alan2005

I've met a Canadian from Nova Scotia in Vancouver. He's always asking for money.

MartianTom

Regina was one of the first cities I considered going to. Out of interest, what didn't you like about it?

dboy

Yes you are quite right. We tend to refer to Canada and its short comings, when we really should be referring to exactly where we are from. Even in BC there is a huge difference between say, Prince Rupert, Kelowna and Vancouver.

I travel quite a bit across Canada for work and end up living in hotels in all sort of obscure places and to say I've experienced culture shocks is an understatement.

Southern BC is probably less of a culture shock in most respects, not including housing costs of course.

dboy

lets see - crap winters, hot, sticky summers and being eaten alive. Rough city, run down with few amenities, middle of nowhere, drunken natives all over the place. Boring with a capital B. This was over 10 years ago, so it may have changed but I doubt it. Real estate was cheap at the time - i mean silly cheap - average 4 bed detached was around 75,000 dollars - now probably a lot more.

pthom

I can empathize with this. After 7 years in Calgary we returned to the UK with our 2 young children as we were feeling homesick and fed up of the long cold winters, missing family and friends. 9 months later we were back in Calgary! It was a very expensive trip, selling house, shipping furniture back etc. All the reasons we left the UK were still valid and we realised that our friends here had become our family. We found that back in the UK our attitudes had changed, but everyone else still thought and did the same things they had done before we left. We had gradually moved on from that life, without even realising it. We missed far more about Canada than we ever dreamed possible and I even looked forward to the winter! Of course the added advantage of Alberta is blue skies and sun always makes me feel better. The grey and the rain in a UK winter was not for me anymore!
I know you didn't ask for this advice but maybe if you could take a long vacation "back home" with the view to staying permanently, without burning all your bridges here, it may be beneficial. I've heard of others who've made the same decision, usually referred to as "the cure". It certainly makes you realise where your heart lies.
By the way we've been back in North America 24 years now and most of that time back in Calgary. There's no way we would want to move back to the UK again. We still miss family, and keep in regular touch with old friends (skype is wonderful) but Canada is home.
Good luck in whatever you choose to do.

MartianTom

Yeah... I saw a fabulous place when I was out there 2 years ago - detached, huge yard, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 car garage, massive patio, hot-tub, all for about the equivalent of £80,000. Trouble is it was in a small town about an hour from Regina... and there wasn't much around, including employment.