Tirytory

Hi all,

So, our house has only been on the market a week, and is already under offer. Great but a little too quick. We are still waiting for my husband's temp work permit and medical to be sorted, and then three months notice on jobs to be given, which roughly takes us to moving December or in January. I have to admit I am a bit worried about not having chance to readjust to the cold and snow, moving to Bracebridge which I believe gets a fair amount of snow, and just being thrown into the deep end of driving on snowy roads and clearing drives etc.

Is this a daft time to move? Should we wait til Spring? Do you think there will be less opportunity for the kids and I to make friends? Feeling a little daunted by everything that needs to be sorted through and worried that the first impressions you get of somewhere can play an important part in settling. Some reassurance required I think.

Vicki.

Almost Canadian

We arrived on January 15, 2007. We survived

Piff Poff

Plenty of people do it. Canada doesn't stop like the UK when it snows unless it snows really bad then things may slow down a bit. Anyone with kids will still be out and about doing stuff, the kids will make friends in school and you will meet people that way too.

james.mc

Winter? Whats that then


I've read of a few people who move in Sep/Oct to cold parts of Canada (aka most of it!) and by March (6 months later) they have had enough of the cold weather to start wondering if they made the right choice. Moving in January at least gives you less time to wait for spring/summer and the feel good factor of nice weather to hit.

caretaker

Missleah moved from Ireland to the thriving metropolis of Kindersley, with kids in tow in the middle of a howling blizzard with windchill warnings and road closures all over for days; I mean really nasty nasty weather even if you're from here, and instead of refusing to get off the plane in Calgary or demanding to be repatriated she just got snow gear and skates for the kids and got on with it. Commendable!

Blossom23

Someone I used to work with arrived in Ontario from Swindon on one Sunday in the middle of winter. They settled into their temporary apartment and over night there was a snow storm... nothing serious, but a reasonable blanket of snow.

The next morning her husband, who was supposed to start work that day, called into his new employer to say he wouldn't be in because of the snow ....

Apparently they said nothing ... they just laughed at him..

Needless to say, he never lived it down ... yeah and they're not here any longer, packed up and went back after a few years !!!

Tirytory

Oh no, I'm looking forward to the snow....but we won't be used to it. Coastal Swansea in Wales gets a dusting and life on a hill grinds to a halt.

Should I get our snow gear in the uk or wait for heavy duty stuff from Canada, for the kids really? Husband and I are fairly kitted up already. I think I remember reading somewhere once about some sort of driving in snow course? Is it something newbies do or are you all going to laugh at me and tell me to man up?!

Vicki

Blossom23

Personally ... and this is just my opinion .. I would buy the kids gear here. More choice and probably cheaper.. also they'll fit in with all the other kids which was a big deal for my kids when they first arrived ... However I don't remember if you said how old your children are so maybe this is not such a biggy.

As far as driving is concerned, and again this is just my opinion ... I'm more nervous driving in the UK on ice and snow because it tends to be that wet slippery stuff. Here I've had some hairy moments but in 23 years I can probably count them on one hand. Generally with good tires .. better still winter tires you'll be fine ..Just remember to do everything more slowly and gently... brake slower, accelerate slower, corner slower etc. You'll be fine and they don't usually take very long to clean the roads.

I can't recall where you are going to settle but if you would feel happier getting some experience with driving in icy conditions there is a place in Oakville on Bronte Road .. They teach driving on a skid track using water I believe... alternatively you could go to a quiet parking lot on a snowy Sunday evening and practices some 'doughnuts' (skidding in circles on snow) ...

Mind you I am talking about Ancaster, Ontario ... and in the whole scheme of things, we don't get much snow ...

Yandros

I'd be more worried about selling up before the temp work permit and medical have been sorted. Unless there is absolutely no chance of something going wrong wouldn't you be better to wait until after they are completely sorted before making a committment like selling the house?

Tirytory

Yandros,

Wasn't the intention to get an offer so soon. Thought it would take months and then some to sell- housing market is soooo slow. But the offer is a good one, and offered exchange with long completion date to fit in with us. Too good to turn down really. Medical should be (theoretically) a formality, fit and healthy 40 something bloke. Needs one to work as a family physician, and so have a reasonable expectation of temp work permit going through okay.

However, we have discussed, in light of quick offer, what happens if we don't go, and we need a bigger house as we are now, so it's not terrible to sell this one. I would hope though that work permit is through before exchange, so hopefully not an issue. There are always so many variables in this sort of process.

vic

Collie

Don't come in winter if you plan to bring cats/dogs with you though!

ChrisCDN

Everyones experience will be different, and it will depend on where you're moving to.
We had friends who moved to Alberta in December when it was -40. For the wife in particular (SAHM) it completely ruined her experience. With no car, not being able to get anywhere, and not knowing anyone at the time, it was a very isolating experience.

Almost Canadian

We brought two dogs with us. They survived too

Almost Canadian

I can understand this. We lived very close to the school and my OH, as she did in England, planned on walking the kids to school each day. She thought it would help her meet people.

She found that, in winter, the kids of other parents were loaded into their minivan within the integral garage, garage door would open, car would reverse out, drive to school, door would open, kids would get out, minivan would drive home, garage door would open, car would drive in, garage door would close.

Had it not been for the fact that the kids told us that other kids lived on our street, we would have been hard pressed to realise this.

Spring came and, it would appear out of nowhere, our street was full of kids and other adults.

colchar

You'd have to figure it out when you experienced your first snowfall, regardless of what month that occurred in so why not just jump in head first? And yes, Bracebridge gets a good amount of snow but you'll soon adjust. Also Bracebridge is beautiful so the spring, summer, and fall more than make up for the snow in winter.



Nah, scores of people have done it. If you can arrive around Christmas so that schools are out and the kids can start fresh the first day back in January, even better.


The kids will make friends in school. If you will have access to a vehicle (I recommend snow tires for your first experience of it or, failing that, at least a set of very good all season tires) during the day you can make friends by joining various groups - whether a sport of some kind (recreational league), a special interest (art, crafts, music, or whatever), a mother's group (kind of depends on the age of the kids but these can be great for making friends and are often nothing more than social groups), a local gym, etc.



Completely normal and almost everyone goes through that.



Try to avoid letting any first impression cloud your judgement and give it a year before you really evaluate how you feel about being here. And just remember that winter doesn't last forever and that we here in Canada deal with it and get by much more efficiently than they do in Britain. Although it might not seem like it, winter will end and the spring, summer, and fall in Bracebridge will be glorious. And as you become more accustomed to winter it will become easier to deal with so your second winter will be easier to handle than your first. Personally, I hate winter but I have come to look at it more as a temporary inconvenience than anything else.

And you must also keep in mind that you will not have to be in Bracebridge forever - you can move to anywhere else in the country so long as you and your husband can find work in your fields (what is it that each of you do?).