hi all
looks like i will be going to NS in april for a recce and have arranged to meet a few house builders to discuss work , wages etc .. but NOW,:curse: my friend in Halifax has informed me that the best place for building work at the moment is winnipeg and surrounding areas. according to him there has been a few recruitment days recently were companies from winnipeg have been trying to get people to go and work there,,, so here we go again,, HELP ,, NEED INFO ON ALL THE USUAL, is it right that they are struggling for tradesmen there, what is the place like, what is Manitoba like (sorry if its spelt wrong), what is the quality of life like compared to NS. hope you can all help.. i have done my usual thing i have e-mailed our resume to all the house building companies in winnipeg this morning but need some info before they hopefully get back to me...

I can't speak to the construction industry employment situation in Manitoba vs rest of Canada but from a quality of living perspective I would personally choose Nova Scotia over Manitoba any time. Some (many) Manitobans would no doubt disagree but of all the regions/Provinces in Canada it would be close to the bottom of my list. NS has a much more interesting landscape, surrounded by ocean, reasonably easier access to the eastern USA/UK and all-in-all, a good place to live. It is regarded by many on this site as giving them near Nirvana.
Manitoba is slap bang in the middle of the country and extremely flat. Very cold winters and, in my opinion, generally unattractive.

Hi Steve,

Winnipeg and Manitoba are not being as badly affected by the Recession as other parts of Canada, so craftsmen are still in demand.

Winnipeg as a City offers all the usual diversions that you would expect.

Its a friendly place, and a good City to bring up children in. Most areas of the City don't have a city feel to them, where I live in Charleswood it feels like a large village.

Some people are put off by the weather, it can be very cold in winter but the sunny days make-up for that. Summers are hot but there are lakes and beeches near.

Do you have a family?

Winnipeg is not the most attractive city, though it does have its pretty features, it looks much the same as most north American cities. But it is a great place to live and work day to day, with the added advantage of a lively cultural life, rock, jazz, ballet, opera, 900+ restaurants, theater, clubs of all descriptions etc.,etc.etc.

Manitoba offers lots of lakes and great beeches for the Summer. Though the area around Winnipeg is flat, it does have its own beauty. The rougher country of the Canadian Shield is 2 hours drive away, along with the whole area of natural beauty known as Lake of the Woods. The rolling hills and valleys in the south west of Manitoba are very attractive.

The Rocky Mountains are a days drive away, as are the major cities of Minneapolis & Chicago.

We don't have the damp cold and the grey days you get on the coast.

I heard a quote on the radio the other week to the effect that " Winnipeg is hard place to move to but even harder to leave".

In other words people have to overcome the ill informed, negative view that most who haven't been her have been perpetuating - but once people have moved here they don't want to leave

Winnipeg is ranked 7th best place in Canada to live in this list http://list.canadianbusiness.com/ran...&df=bestcities

Been here 4 years (today!) and we are now Permanent Residents so could live anywhere in Canada.

We are staying put

hi all
thanks for the info, we are bringing with us a 20yr old who in his own words needs loads of humans not somewhere to remote . would it be ok for him and when you say the winters are cold, what exactly does that mean, would we be able to work outside in it. and does anyone know what kind of wages carpenters are on in winnipeg and what is the cost of living and house prices like, etc etc

Ideal for a 20yo, lots of clubs to meet people in.

Don't worry about the cold, its all a matter of dressing for it. Also -20 here on a nice sunny day with no wind is about the same as +5 in the UK, as its a dry cold.

I dont know what a carpenters wage is, but the cost of living and affordability of homes is better here than most any other place in Canada.

Here's a bit about Manitoba carpenters:-

http://mb.jobfutures.org/profiles/profile.cfm?noc=7271

hi stewart
thanks for your help , i definitely think i need to visit winnipeg whilst on my recce, lets hope i get some job offers.. will let you know how i get on..
thanks again..
steve

If you do decide to come, give me a call, I'll happily show you around.

^^sums it up nicely, winnipeg isnt a great looking city in the montreal sense of the word, but it does have nice bits.

Culturally it is rich and according to the media is doing relatively well economically (whether it will be in 6-12 mnths time is another question) theres lots going on for folks with festivals almost weekly in the summer,

So you should check it out its worth a visit

whether you can drive to chicago in one day I'm not sure! but minneapolis is cool to visit

You can, it`s a long day, but you can do it. An over night stop makes it easier.

thanks for the offer stewart, i will definitely take you up on your offer when i come over,,,
thanks again.. speak soon