Originally Posted by JimandBettina (Post 10862180)

Having just arrived in Canada in January this year, I feel I am qualified to comment on the relative cost of living in both countries

Originally Posted by Aviator (Post 10862289)

Unfortunately, many compare the cost of living in the UK to Canada and this in my view is unrealistic, as it is dependent on the FX...When we arrived it ranged from $2.25 to $2.60 to GBP, so Canada seemed really cheap. It makes no difference once here.

Originally Posted by JimandBettina (Post 10862316)

..... but comparing is inevitable when one is living on a UK pension paid in £ or by a UK company in £.

Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 10862155)

In Ontario there are four publically funded school systems:

- Catholic English
- Catholic French
- Other English
- Other French

FI operates within the Catholic and Other English language systems and is unrelated to the French systems. Practically, the difference is that, in a FI school only the lessons are in French, in a French system school the school operates in French and it's not uncommon for the staff (and pupils) to be new immigrants who speak no English.

The French school systems are very well funded. I don't know about the general case but the school my children attended, Le Collège français in Toronto, provided an ib program and cramming sessions for the SATs. I don't think pupils at English language schools in Toronto are routinely entered in SATs, nevermind coached for them. The school operates sports teams that compete against privately funded English language schools such as UCC, thus the students are exposed to a side of Canadian life (that of the pampered elite) that they might not even know existed had they attended English language schools.

It seems to me that the school, and I believe other schools in that system, offer their brighter pupils opportunities that would be available to them elsewhere only if they had affluent parents commited to funding their academic lives. All this and drugs and prostitution right on the front steps!

Originally Posted by YoshiPal2010 (Post 10862429)

Sounds like you really want the UK!

Originally Posted by Piff Poff (Post 10862916)

Erm not necessarily, we are not discounting the possibility, but it is very low on the scale. We used to drive US muscle cars in the UK, Mustangs, challengers firebirds and the like, thing is you go to a US car show in the UK and there is untold amount of stuff, from your tin lizzy to the latest cadillac, and all manner of hotrods and custom vehicles, we've not seen one tot rod since we've lived here. Then you can to places like the Enfield Pageant etc and see a whole different set of cars, not the same 1/2 dozen you get here.

One example I can give you, mm it was sort of our epiphany, out of interest in April I Googled show and shines Ontario and already 356 were advertised, I Googled the same for Alberta and there were 12. That's a huge difference.

Originally Posted by Jsmth321 (Post 10862940)

What about BC? Not sure what the culture is like for your hobby though.

Originally Posted by Jsmth321 (Post 10862700)

No idea Thrifty's was sold...lol

They are a small player in the lower mainland, I think they have 7 or 8 stores in total, with the rest being on the Island.

If you catch their sales in the flyer, good deals can be found.

Originally Posted by CanadaJimmy (Post 10862439)

I have to say that's what would worry about living somewhere like Calgary, it's just too cut off from the rest of the continent.

Originally Posted by Shard (Post 10862852)

Thanks for this, but am not sure if I fully follow. Are the school systems "Catholic French", "Other French" Ontario's FI system or is there a also a "fully French" system in Ontario (as in Quebec)? :confused:

Originally Posted by Steve_ (Post 10862963)

Well I agree that southern Ontario is near a lot of other places but the Fraser Valley? Obviously there are more people there in a smaller area so maybe it doesn't feel as cut off, but the only other major city anywhere near is Seattle. In Calgary you've got Edmonton just a bit further to the north than Seattle is to the south..

Originally Posted by Steve_ (Post 10862963)

Well I agree that southern Ontario is near a lot of other places but the Fraser Valley? Obviously there are more people there in a smaller area so maybe it doesn't feel as cut off, but the only other major city anywhere near is Seattle. In Calgary you've got Edmonton just a bit further to the north than Seattle is to the south.

Spokane is 35 miles closer to Vancouver in driving distance from the search I just did. Portland is over 300 miles from Vancouver and isn't that big.

BC has a population of 4.4 million and Alberta has a population of 3.6 million, so not an enormous difference.

I'm not saying Calgary isn't isolated, but on the other hand you don't have much in the way of traffic problems. (And there will be even less once the ring road is completed, try building one of those in Vancouver).

Originally Posted by Jsmth321 (Post 10862940)

What about BC? Not sure what the culture is like for your hobby though.

Originally Posted by Jsmth321 (Post 10862982)

From the Fraser Valley your not really cut off, your actually less cut off then Vancouver since the major city's in the Valley are on the border, Abbotsford, Langley, Surrey are all less then 2 1/2 hours from Seattle, and only an hour to Vancouver area. You are within 1-3 hours of a major city depending what direction you go.

I don't think the Fraser Valley is cut off at all from anywhere.

Edmonton and Calgary are further from one another then Seattle is from the Lower Mainland city's.

Other then Edmonton is there is any major city to Calgary within a 2 1/2 hour drive?

Originally Posted by Piff Poff (Post 10862987)

Carefully considered BC, absolutely loved Victoria and we will take a look at the Okanagan to, but our concern with BC is it's even further from Europe, so Ontario is still in the lead. Strangely enough it was Ontario we first visited and our application destination was Ontario, maybe Alberta came up in the interim so we could make some money lol. Firm believer of everything happens for a reason.:thumbup:

Anyhow back on topic, OH bought some block paving today, the seller had them advertised at $1 a piece, he pointed out you could get them cheaper at regular price in Home Depot so they dropped their price to 50c a piece. I am about to look for a side table, wish me luck lol

Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 10862977)

FI is a feature of the English systems. There's no need for French Immersion in a school where everything is already in French. French Catholic and French Other are two school systems entirely seperate from the English systems and from each other. The only common thread between the four systems is billing the taxpayer.

Originally Posted by Angelkinz11 (Post 10863431)

Just wanted to say....hubby is in Saskatoon and myself and my girls are still in uk.. and the FB pages have been amazing.. second hand stuff seemed pretty expensive.. but when I put an ad up saying we were moving over and because of container fee's were only bringing 5 suitcases with us etc.. we had a fantastic response and ended up filling our new home for less than $300... every thing was pretty much given...that's just something that wouldn't happen where we are from in uk lol

:thumbup::thumbup:

Originally Posted by Shard (Post 10863407)

I see, so there are two wholly French school systems in Ontario (in addition to the FI offerings within the two English systems). You wouldn't happen to have a good link to the "non-Catholic" one, would you?

Originally Posted by Aviator (Post 10862405)

It is what it is.

Originally Posted by Jsmth321 (Post 10862982)

From the Fraser Valley your not really cut off, your actually less cut off then Vancouver since the major city's in the Valley

Originally Posted by Aviator (Post 10863114)

I have lived in Calgary, South Surrey and Fraser Valley and have not felt cut off in any of them. I can get to and from everywhere I want to easily, get what I want without difficulty.

Originally Posted by Shard (Post 10862984)

+1

If you look at a topographical map, the Lower Mainland is actually quite a small area (about the size of Norfolk), and totally hemmed in by mountains.

Originally Posted by Steve_ (Post 10864233)

There's nothing of any real value on that land, other than the value of the land itself.

Originally Posted by Steve_ (Post 10864233)

And the border, just another example of how badly drawn the border is, they should have followed the Skagit River from the 49th Parallel, then the border would end opposite the southern tip of Vancouver Island and Point Roberts would be in BC. The map they used didn't show the Skagit River apparently.

There's nothing of any real value on that land, other than the value of the land itself.

Originally Posted by Siouxie (Post 10864248)

Going back to the subject (lol), I was just perusing the wiki and came across this handy bit:

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Frugality-Canada

It has links to freecycle and other websites with free or 2nd hand items.

:focus:

Originally Posted by Steve_ (Post 10869147)

I was in a Wal-Mart in the US yesterday

Originally Posted by Steve_ (Post 10869147)

...hot pockets were $2 for a pack of two, here they're called Stouffer's Crustini or something stupid (made in the same plant though, just different packaging). I seem to recall at Loblaw's they're about $3.50 here.

Originally Posted by BristolUK (Post 10869226)

. They're even regularly available for that at Shoppers DrugMart; an under appreciated place for good value.

Originally Posted by Steve_ (Post 10864233)

And the border, just another example of how badly drawn the border is, they should have followed the Skagit River from the 49th Parallel, then the border would end opposite the southern tip of Vancouver Island and Point Roberts would be in BC. The map they used didn't show the Skagit River apparently.

There's nothing of any real value on that land, other than the value of the land itself.

Originally Posted by Jsmth321 (Post 10869240)

Shoppers deals are awesome, 3.99 ice cream, 3.99 cheese, etc. Every week they have something on sale, cheerios for 1.99 a lot of times as well.

Its a good place to buy certain things and save money.

Originally Posted by Atlantic Xpat (Post 10870707)

Bananas. $0.95 /lb in Loblaws/Sobeys. $0.79 /lb in Irving Gas Stations.
Buy your bananas when you fill up. Oh yes, and milk is cheapest at Irving on a 2fer deal.

Originally Posted by Atlantic Xpat (Post 10870707)

Bananas. $0.95 /lb in Loblaws/Sobeys. $0.79 /lb in Irving Gas Stations.
Buy your bananas when you fill up. Oh yes, and milk is cheapest at Irving on a 2fer deal.

Originally Posted by Steve_ (Post 10864240)

Well one thing is for sure, I bet the bridge over the Skagit River wouldn't have collapsed recently if it was an international bridge.

Originally Posted by Jeraboam (Post 10870981)

I loved the "international bridges" which people in houses bordering Point Roberts had created out of single planks of wood. Only a drainage ditch at the end of their gardens separated them from the United States and the piece of wood enabled them to cross over (illegally). Building cost: about $5 plus HST!:)

Originally Posted by AllyS (Post 10854403)

Discuss :lol:

Originally Posted by Supermum1 (Post 10871160)

Even worse is buying a second hand car from a dealer, now that's a rip off.