Winnipeg 6 months in
Jan 7th 2012, 2:38 am
#1
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Joined: Jan 2012
Location: Winnipeg MB
Posts: 7
Winnipeg 6 months in
My husband landed a job in Winnipeg, we moved here in July 2011 with our 3 month old son and 2 year old son, we knew nothing about The Peg other than what we'd seen on here and researched on the internet.
I rarely saw a good thing said about Winnipeg on here, it was mainly warnings about mosquitos and the cold winters, but we decided to go for it anyway and we are so glad we did.
We arrived to an amazing summer, yes we know we have been lucky as we saw very few mosquitos and all we heard was this is very unusual and how lucky we are, summer continued throughout the fall and as a runner i was so pleased and now in Jan i am still running outdoors, although again im told its unusually mild for a winter here,its been minus 20 and i still ran outdoors that day,it was fine just dress for it!So thats enough about the weather, its all good, yes ive plugged in my car cause its so cold, yes ive felt the windchill but so what, i have embraced it so far.
We have all (except my baby boy)learnt to ice skate and we have free iceskating in a community centre at the bottom of our road until 10pm every night, the lakes and ponds are everywhere to ice skate too, we are going tobogganing, we are members at the y (gym) as a family they have so many actitivities on for us all, i go almost everyday with my kids to do gymnastics, on the playstructure,swimming,basketball,soccer you name it its great for kids of all ages.The parks are great St Vital and Assiniboine are my local ones where i have ran through summers and winter and spent time having picnics, theres firepits bbq's duck ponds playparks, sports and restaurants to name a few things. I see familys enjoying outdoor life, Fort Whyte alive is great for walking trails,snowshoeing, skating or eating out, the geese migration was amazing to watch. I have tried to live like a tourist and i find that there is so much going on here, for familys especially. My mom visited for 2 weeks and everyday we went somewhere new, theres lakes galore to go to Birds Hill park, Museums, the Forks, Red River boat trips to name a few.
And may i add its all very cost effective, i am a member of the childrens museum and i won an annual membership to fort whyte although its so cheap in anyway and the zoo is very reasonable.
All positive things, if i had to be negative i'd say the food shop seems alot things like cheese,meat and alcohol can cost alot and ive found that Winnipeggers like to beep the horn ALOT when driving and its not just that im a bad driver ha!!ive heard thats the way it is here!!
The only thing i miss about the UK is my family and maybe some hills to run up but i miss nothing about the British way of life.
If you are considering a move to Winnipeg and you have kids go for it, there are so many sports here and activities for them, there are numerous day camps all year round and they are not expensive i cant wait till the summer when my son turns 3 theres loads for him to do.
But also as an adult kids or not, people are nice here, theres lots of activities its an up and coming place to live, dont let the weather or mozzies put you off,yes ok so its not the prettiest place , there isnt the rockies in the background and after the snow goes i hear it can be very grey and dirty looking but when i arrived in july it was clean,green and a lovely place to be!
you are also only an hour or so drive from the border so trips to the states can be easily done if you want to road trip or just get some cheaper food/alcohol!we went to Minnesota Mall of America and had a great long weekend, plus Albertsville outlet stores were very cheap for clothes,shoes, sports stuff etc..
What can i say i like Winnipeg!!!!!
I rarely saw a good thing said about Winnipeg on here, it was mainly warnings about mosquitos and the cold winters, but we decided to go for it anyway and we are so glad we did.
We arrived to an amazing summer, yes we know we have been lucky as we saw very few mosquitos and all we heard was this is very unusual and how lucky we are, summer continued throughout the fall and as a runner i was so pleased and now in Jan i am still running outdoors, although again im told its unusually mild for a winter here,its been minus 20 and i still ran outdoors that day,it was fine just dress for it!So thats enough about the weather, its all good, yes ive plugged in my car cause its so cold, yes ive felt the windchill but so what, i have embraced it so far.
We have all (except my baby boy)learnt to ice skate and we have free iceskating in a community centre at the bottom of our road until 10pm every night, the lakes and ponds are everywhere to ice skate too, we are going tobogganing, we are members at the y (gym) as a family they have so many actitivities on for us all, i go almost everyday with my kids to do gymnastics, on the playstructure,swimming,basketball,soccer you name it its great for kids of all ages.The parks are great St Vital and Assiniboine are my local ones where i have ran through summers and winter and spent time having picnics, theres firepits bbq's duck ponds playparks, sports and restaurants to name a few things. I see familys enjoying outdoor life, Fort Whyte alive is great for walking trails,snowshoeing, skating or eating out, the geese migration was amazing to watch. I have tried to live like a tourist and i find that there is so much going on here, for familys especially. My mom visited for 2 weeks and everyday we went somewhere new, theres lakes galore to go to Birds Hill park, Museums, the Forks, Red River boat trips to name a few.
And may i add its all very cost effective, i am a member of the childrens museum and i won an annual membership to fort whyte although its so cheap in anyway and the zoo is very reasonable.
All positive things, if i had to be negative i'd say the food shop seems alot things like cheese,meat and alcohol can cost alot and ive found that Winnipeggers like to beep the horn ALOT when driving and its not just that im a bad driver ha!!ive heard thats the way it is here!!
The only thing i miss about the UK is my family and maybe some hills to run up but i miss nothing about the British way of life.
If you are considering a move to Winnipeg and you have kids go for it, there are so many sports here and activities for them, there are numerous day camps all year round and they are not expensive i cant wait till the summer when my son turns 3 theres loads for him to do.
But also as an adult kids or not, people are nice here, theres lots of activities its an up and coming place to live, dont let the weather or mozzies put you off,yes ok so its not the prettiest place , there isnt the rockies in the background and after the snow goes i hear it can be very grey and dirty looking but when i arrived in july it was clean,green and a lovely place to be!
you are also only an hour or so drive from the border so trips to the states can be easily done if you want to road trip or just get some cheaper food/alcohol!we went to Minnesota Mall of America and had a great long weekend, plus Albertsville outlet stores were very cheap for clothes,shoes, sports stuff etc..
What can i say i like Winnipeg!!!!!
Jan 7th 2012, 8:37 am
#2
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Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 240
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
ah so lovely to read, we are tossing with winnipeg and toronto and it really is lovely to read stories like yours thank you
Jan 7th 2012, 1:50 pm
#3
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Joined: Jan 2012
Location: Winnipeg MB
Posts: 7
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
If you are moving from Ireland definately come!We have visitied County Mayo a few times as my husbands parents are from Clare morris and have a house there which they go to often, if you have kids...go to Canada!I dont know anything about Toronto but as you can see, Winnipeg has a lot to offer in my opinion. Ireland is a lovely place but theres alot of opportunity here, for you and especially the kids, if you have the opportunity to come, go for it.
Jan 7th 2012, 4:54 pm
#4
Account Closed
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,063
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
Nice to read another positive post about a new family to Canada
I may need to research Winnipeg a bit more
I may need to research Winnipeg a bit more
Jan 7th 2012, 5:08 pm
#5
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Joined: Mar 2010
Location: GTA
Posts: 196
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
What a great post! Best wishes for your future in Canada!
Jan 7th 2012, 10:19 pm
#6
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 591
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
Hi beckylou, I love your post and congratulations on your successful move 
. We had an exploratory visit to Winnipeg in September and loved it. I too saw lots of negative things people said before I went (and some positive also) but I think its a place you have to go to and drive and walk about to see what its like and get an idea of all the different things going on there. We really liked all the parks and the shopping and absolutely loved Grand Beach, its so beautiful. We are hoping to move there later in the year assuming PR goes through not too slowly and hoping to get work quite quickly.
I was wondering if you found renting/buying somewhere to live quite easy or had you set that up before you went? Also, were there any problems with swopping over your driving license? Sorry to ask some questions, I hope you don't mind too much.
I am Irish and have lived in both Ireland and England and love both. I cant think of a city in either Country that you could say is like Winnipeg and thats grand. I think you are right when you say Winnipeg is a really great place for children. I noticed lots going on and the impression i got from 'forcing' people to talk to me
, (I have been known to talk a little too much and just strike up a conversation about anything or nothing) was that its a very laid back, easy going and friendly place.
Great to hear its going really well for you and your family. Good luck for the future
. We had an exploratory visit to Winnipeg in September and loved it. I too saw lots of negative things people said before I went (and some positive also) but I think its a place you have to go to and drive and walk about to see what its like and get an idea of all the different things going on there. We really liked all the parks and the shopping and absolutely loved Grand Beach, its so beautiful. We are hoping to move there later in the year assuming PR goes through not too slowly and hoping to get work quite quickly.I was wondering if you found renting/buying somewhere to live quite easy or had you set that up before you went? Also, were there any problems with swopping over your driving license? Sorry to ask some questions, I hope you don't mind too much.
I am Irish and have lived in both Ireland and England and love both. I cant think of a city in either Country that you could say is like Winnipeg and thats grand. I think you are right when you say Winnipeg is a really great place for children. I noticed lots going on and the impression i got from 'forcing' people to talk to me
, (I have been known to talk a little too much and just strike up a conversation about anything or nothing) was that its a very laid back, easy going and friendly place. Great to hear its going really well for you and your family. Good luck for the future
Jan 7th 2012, 10:37 pm
#7
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Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 240
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
Hi beckylou, I love your post and congratulations on your successful move . We had an exploratory visit to Winnipeg in September and loved it. I too saw lots of negative things people said before I went (and some positive also) but I think its a place you have to go to and drive and walk about to see what its like and get an idea of all the different things going on there. We really liked all the parks and the shopping and absolutely loved Grand Beach, its so beautiful. We are hoping to move there later in the year assuming PR goes through not too slowly and hoping to get work quite quickly.
I was wondering if you found renting/buying somewhere to live quite easy or had you set that up before you went? Also, were there any problems with swopping over your driving license? Sorry to ask some questions, I hope you don't mind too much.
I am Irish and have lived in both Ireland and England and love both. I cant think of a city in either Country that you could say is like Winnipeg and thats grand. I think you are right when you say Winnipeg is a really great place for children. I noticed lots going on and the impression i got from 'forcing' people to talk to me, (I have been known to talk a little too much and just strike up a conversation about anything or nothing) was that its a very laid back, easy going and friendly place.
Great to hear its going really well for you and your family. Good luck for the future
. We had an exploratory visit to Winnipeg in September and loved it. I too saw lots of negative things people said before I went (and some positive also) but I think its a place you have to go to and drive and walk about to see what its like and get an idea of all the different things going on there. We really liked all the parks and the shopping and absolutely loved Grand Beach, its so beautiful. We are hoping to move there later in the year assuming PR goes through not too slowly and hoping to get work quite quickly.I was wondering if you found renting/buying somewhere to live quite easy or had you set that up before you went? Also, were there any problems with swopping over your driving license? Sorry to ask some questions, I hope you don't mind too much.
I am Irish and have lived in both Ireland and England and love both. I cant think of a city in either Country that you could say is like Winnipeg and thats grand. I think you are right when you say Winnipeg is a really great place for children. I noticed lots going on and the impression i got from 'forcing' people to talk to me
, (I have been known to talk a little too much and just strike up a conversation about anything or nothing) was that its a very laid back, easy going and friendly place. Great to hear its going really well for you and your family. Good luck for the future
Jan 7th 2012, 10:40 pm
#8
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Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 240
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
If you are moving from Ireland definately come!We have visitied County Mayo a few times as my husbands parents are from Clare morris and have a house there which they go to often, if you have kids...go to Canada!I dont know anything about Toronto but as you can see, Winnipeg has a lot to offer in my opinion. Ireland is a lovely place but theres alot of opportunity here, for you and especially the kids, if you have the opportunity to come, go for it.
Jan 8th 2012, 12:01 am
#9
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 591
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
Hi Irish_Eyes good to hear from you. The negatives..... well, being a positive person I tried not to see any , however a couple of things I noticed were the following, not sure if they are negatives or just observations.
Its dark!! I don't really know how to explain this, a lot of residential streets we looked at by night were quite dark (I know it was night), the streetlights seem to light the road but the pavement/walking area seemed very dark especially on the tree lined streets - but there were people walking about so Im sure it was pretty safe, just very dark to us.
The North End is apparently not the best area and we did drive around there and looked at some houses there but the area was not somewhere we would be comfortable living however I think things like this are down to the individual to decide on themselves.
There are reports of crime as in any city but we did not see any and like many others Im sure, would not choose to live in an area associated with certain problems - there are stats on crime/types of crime/areas for Winnipeg online.
Usual things like homes seem more expensive in sought after areas, cars seem a little expensive but that might not be just a Winnipeg thing.
My daughter is 21 so what we were looking for is very different from people with young children. We did see that there is an Irish club and Irish dancing but did not go for a look this time however did have a look in the Irish pub - of course!!. Hope some of this helps - I don't think any of this is different from any other city really - except for the dark pavements maybe .
, however a couple of things I noticed were the following, not sure if they are negatives or just observations.Its dark!! I don't really know how to explain this, a lot of residential streets we looked at by night were quite dark (I know it was night
), the streetlights seem to light the road but the pavement/walking area seemed very dark especially on the tree lined streets - but there were people walking about so Im sure it was pretty safe, just very dark to us. The North End is apparently not the best area and we did drive around there and looked at some houses there but the area was not somewhere we would be comfortable living however I think things like this are down to the individual to decide on themselves.
There are reports of crime as in any city but we did not see any and like many others Im sure, would not choose to live in an area associated with certain problems - there are stats on crime/types of crime/areas for Winnipeg online.
Usual things like homes seem more expensive in sought after areas, cars seem a little expensive but that might not be just a Winnipeg thing.
My daughter is 21 so what we were looking for is very different from people with young children. We did see that there is an Irish club and Irish dancing but did not go for a look this time however did have a look in the Irish pub - of course!!
. Hope some of this helps - I don't think any of this is different from any other city really - except for the dark pavements maybe .
Jan 8th 2012, 8:24 am
#10
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 240
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
Hi Irish_Eyes good to hear from you. The negatives..... well, being a positive person I tried not to see any , however a couple of things I noticed were the following, not sure if they are negatives or just observations.
Its dark!! I don't really know how to explain this, a lot of residential streets we looked at by night were quite dark (I know it was night), the streetlights seem to light the road but the pavement/walking area seemed very dark especially on the tree lined streets - but there were people walking about so Im sure it was pretty safe, just very dark to us.
The North End is apparently not the best area and we did drive around there and looked at some houses there but the area was not somewhere we would be comfortable living however I think things like this are down to the individual to decide on themselves.
There are reports of crime as in any city but we did not see any and like many others Im sure, would not choose to live in an area associated with certain problems - there are stats on crime/types of crime/areas for Winnipeg online.
Usual things like homes seem more expensive in sought after areas, cars seem a little expensive but that might not be just a Winnipeg thing.
My daughter is 21 so what we were looking for is very different from people with young children. We did see that there is an Irish club and Irish dancing but did not go for a look this time however did have a look in the Irish pub - of course!!. Hope some of this helps - I don't think any of this is different from any other city really - except for the dark pavements maybe .
, however a couple of things I noticed were the following, not sure if they are negatives or just observations.Its dark!! I don't really know how to explain this, a lot of residential streets we looked at by night were quite dark (I know it was night
), the streetlights seem to light the road but the pavement/walking area seemed very dark especially on the tree lined streets - but there were people walking about so Im sure it was pretty safe, just very dark to us. The North End is apparently not the best area and we did drive around there and looked at some houses there but the area was not somewhere we would be comfortable living however I think things like this are down to the individual to decide on themselves.
There are reports of crime as in any city but we did not see any and like many others Im sure, would not choose to live in an area associated with certain problems - there are stats on crime/types of crime/areas for Winnipeg online.
Usual things like homes seem more expensive in sought after areas, cars seem a little expensive but that might not be just a Winnipeg thing.
My daughter is 21 so what we were looking for is very different from people with young children. We did see that there is an Irish club and Irish dancing but did not go for a look this time however did have a look in the Irish pub - of course!!
. Hope some of this helps - I don't think any of this is different from any other city really - except for the dark pavements maybe .
Last edited by irish_eyes; Jan 8th 2012 at 8:44 am. Reason: just adding to my comment
Jan 9th 2012, 1:33 am
#11
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Joined: Mar 2010
Location: Winterpeg
Posts: 771
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
Great to read your loving Winnipeg, we have been in SW Manitoba since August and have got to say that it is the best decision we have ever made. Can't understand why so many potential immigrants from the UK ignore or dismiss Manitoba and head off blindly to the Brit magnets of Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto. Their loss .
.
Jan 9th 2012, 12:47 pm
#12
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Joined: Nov 2011
Location: Somewhere between Vancouver & St Johns
Posts: 19,846
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
A lot of them ignore or dismiss Manitoba as they couldnt even find it on a map 
Manitoba is now one of the Provinces to emigrate to as they have one of the highest employment rates in Canada.
http://www.immigratemanitoba.com/cho...opportunities/
Manitoba is now one of the Provinces to emigrate to as they have one of the highest employment rates in Canada.
http://www.immigratemanitoba.com/cho...opportunities/
Last edited by Former Lancastrian; Jan 9th 2012 at 12:53 pm.
Jan 9th 2012, 6:08 pm
#13
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Joined: May 2007
Location: MB rural.
Posts: 1,001
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
dr iver licence swap in mb is no problem...wont give the m/bike part though ,lol..
dont forget holiday mountain for skiing .between morden and la riviere .
then you will see some hills
wi wind turbines on..its no all flat.
jimmy.
dont forget holiday mountain for skiing .between morden and la riviere .
then you will see some hills
wi wind turbines on..its no all flat.jimmy.
Jan 10th 2012, 2:14 am
#14
Scottish Canuck
Joined: Aug 2006
Location: Auld Scotia > Nova Scotia > Calgary
Posts: 3,703
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
Great to hear you are all settling in really well. Immersing yourself in your new community pays dividends for sure
Jan 10th 2012, 2:23 pm
#15
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Joined: Oct 2009
Location: Rossburn, MB
Posts: 853
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
great to hear all the good things about Wpg. lol.. it's just in me..have to point out the Riding Mountain National Park for the more hilly side of Manitoba and off course the Asessippi Ski Resort between Russell and Roblin, just got international recognition as place for slalom competitions.
