Geordie Lass

If it makes you feel better our rent has gone up a year to the day we moved in. I said we would stay longer if he kept it the same. He told me to do one. We moved onto a periodic tenancy so we can give a months notice once we get PR as we are going to buy.

Landlords are landlords and not many will keep the rent the same year after year.

Jingle

Jaye944 - sorry to hear that you are having such a rough time.

Can anyone explain why, when someone comes on the board to express their unhappiness, we argue how wonderful our bit of Canada is whilst trying to convince them to persevere?!

If you are unhappy then ....

If you can move on .... go back to UK

If you can't move just yet .... make the best of a bad job. Nowhere (not even Mississauga) is all bad. Take up a new hobby; take a training course; spend time planning how/when you can move back to UK; remember the planning that we all did before coming to Canada - just do it in reverse.

I have spent about 30% of my adult life outside England. Nowhere is the same; each country has its positives and negatives.

I'm sorry Jaye944 your list is superficial at best - although I concede that the niggles are probably important to you. If you like making lists why don't you make a positive and negative list of both countries to fairly compare - if England still wins then pack your bags and good luck to you and your family.

J

ArthurBrit

There are a number of reasons, heres a few from me.

Firstly Canada is a huge country and perhaps that by moving one province over you will find the happiness you are looking for? We all know that MB is different from NS which is different again from AB.

Secondly we all know how hard it was to get over to Canada in the first place and if you can hold out until citizenship then you will never have to go through those hurdles again.

Thirdly there are those that "ping-pong", they bounce back and forth because they are now inbetweeners not feeling at home in either location.

I have the same logic as you if you are genuinely not happy then you should move back but before you do, you need to put as much thought into it as you should when you initially emigrate!

There is truely no 'one size fits all' approach with this.

Almost Canadian

Bear in mind, s/he can terminate the tenancy too.

Geordie Lass

Oh I know... He has to give us 2 months I think? He'll keep us in here as long as he can. We are good tenants - keeping the place immaculate which is more than I can say for the last lot!

Almost Canadian

3 months. See section 8(1)(b) of this: Residential Tenancies Act

ninaDGBCA

Our landlady increased the rent as soon as she could and as much as she legally could.

Are you sure you only have to give a months notice? We went on a periodic tenancy after our lease expired, same reasons, to buy soon after getting PR and we still had to give 60 days notice. Stated in the tenancy agreement!

Just did that and moving in our own Canadian house in the end of May!!!

wolstie

That's Ontario law, they're in Alberta.

ninaDGBCA

I'll never get used to "one country but 13 different everything"

Geordie Lass

Thanks AC!

notageordie

It's really sad you hate it so much, and I'm not going to berate your list of niggles - what is important to one person isn't to another and whilst some may think it's all trivial a lot of little niggles build up to one big one. If you're really that unhappy then move back to the UK - but beware it's just as easy to wear the old rose tinted's when remember the UK. Everyone is different, you could try another location as there's huge differences between provinces, but if you feel so negatively about Canada, this might be expensive and not worthwhile since most of your personal issues will remain regardless of whether you're in Halifax or Vancouver or anywhere in between.

I've only been here 7 months but I personally love it. Don't get me wrong, England will *always* be home, I miss friends and family, I miss joining everyone for house parties and other shenanigans, I miss UK tv (although we all know there are various ways and means of still obtaining BBC Iplayer, 4OD etc - we don't bother with TV here really but we have enough dvd's etc we could set up our own Blockbuster video if they still existed), I miss driving on the proper side of the road and get irritated with how pig ignorant Canadians are once behind the wheel of their oversized truck and their lack of ability in negotiating a simple roundabout, I miss how cheap my car insurance was back home (although not having to pay for MOT's etc and escaping the ever escalating fuel and tax), I even miss some aspects of UK banking (like direct debits and free banking and not being charged at ATM's). I also miss the green of the UK, everything is very dull and brown here because of snow and dry weather (although I know the likes of BC are more like the UK)

However there's aspects of canada i love, maybe because I've always wanted to move here I don't know. I've ne ver felt like an outsider trying to fit in, I immediately felt at home. Many places have been far far more helpful and accomodating than you'd ever get in the UK. It took a while finding work because not everything is recognised over here (luckily my bsc is, but none of the other quals), but I landed a job at a college pretty much doing what i did back home and get paid more than twice the money for it - plus i work with an amazing bunch of people. And I will add that it wasn't a case of who you know, I came across the job advert sent in my resume and impressed them at interview (just like in the UK - if you could actually *find* a job int he first place). I like the fact there is a distinct summer and winter, I've experienced better weather here in 6 months than in the last few years in the UK. I also love turning onto a road and getting a view of the rockies in the distance, I can't help but grin everytime i see that view.

Yeah some of the language things are annoying, I still refer to things as I would in the Uk and sometimes have to correct myself but half the time they know what I'm on about - I even educate my friends and work mates on Uk and more specific northern England colloquialisms (I do get infuriated by certain things like the use of the word "gotten").

The UK will always be my home, but I don't think there's much that would drag me back there permanently. But that's just me. I hope you find your peace wherever you end up.

rugbymum

Dear Shelly,
What a lovely supportive message. I too completely understand this posters dilemmas. Good luck, but try not to wish your life away until you retire!! He He - perhaps you will win the lottery.

rugbymum

Sorry - no you are wrong, WE speak the Queens English, Canadains have bastardised quite a bit of it. Or am I speaking garbage? xxx
Seriously though, we speak the same language (ish), but the culture is completely different in my humble opinion. I miss all that stuff too (except I never owned a Porsche!) and I never thought I would ever say it as I worked for the NHS, but I miss my job too!

rugbymum

Hear hear, what you said about jobs is SPOT on, in fact I think your 2-3 yr estimate is extremely generous.

rugbymum

Fantastic reply, well said. Stupid site would not allow me to post you some Karma. xx