Winnipeg 6 months in
#16
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2012
Location: Winnipeg MB
Posts: 7
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
We looked on kijiji before we moved here at rentals and it is quite expensive to rent but you can get some really nice places, if you want to live just outside the city you can get rentals a lot cheaper and amazing big places.
We also looked in the crime but as others have said its no different to anywhere else, there are good and bad areas, downtown is somewhere i wouldnt go alone at night, we live in St vital and we love it its close to everything, the forks, assiniboine, the malls etc.
it was very easy to change driving licences a ten min job and a few $ cant remember how much.we were lucky in that my husbands work paid for him to visit for a week before we all came and he rented a new apartment from broadstreetproperties they do a month by month rental in brand new houses and apartments so we knew it was a nice place we were going into and also we could move with a month notice anytime id look into them.they are in south st vital an some town houses in Transcona.I run at night so i know what you're saying about dark streets but its all good, they are lit enough to feel safe!summers amazing here , well it was last year so your good till 10pm!hope this helps, feel free to ask any questions and if you are coming over we'll gladly meet with you and swop stories!
We also looked in the crime but as others have said its no different to anywhere else, there are good and bad areas, downtown is somewhere i wouldnt go alone at night, we live in St vital and we love it its close to everything, the forks, assiniboine, the malls etc.
it was very easy to change driving licences a ten min job and a few $ cant remember how much.we were lucky in that my husbands work paid for him to visit for a week before we all came and he rented a new apartment from broadstreetproperties they do a month by month rental in brand new houses and apartments so we knew it was a nice place we were going into and also we could move with a month notice anytime id look into them.they are in south st vital an some town houses in Transcona.I run at night so i know what you're saying about dark streets but its all good, they are lit enough to feel safe!summers amazing here , well it was last year so your good till 10pm!hope this helps, feel free to ask any questions and if you are coming over we'll gladly meet with you and swop stories!
#17
Forum Regular
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 173
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
We moved here about a month before you, but we are about 40 mins North of the city. We too have enjoyed it and have no complaints (apart from the cheese- which is one of the things we all notice quickly!!!) But we can live without nice cheese! We didn't have jobs when we arrived but have had no problems getting them. I agree with you totally the only thing I miss about the UK is family/friends. I had a brief spell of homesickness after we had family over to stay but it didn't last long!!!!Congratulations on your first 6 months and I hope you continue to enjoy it!!!
#18
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2011
Location: Somewhere between Vancouver & St Johns
Posts: 19,847
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
We moved here about a month before you, but we are about 40 mins North of the city. We too have enjoyed it and have no complaints (apart from the cheese- which is one of the things we all notice quickly!!!) But we can live without nice cheese! We didn't have jobs when we arrived but have had no problems getting them. I agree with you totally the only thing I miss about the UK is family/friends. I had a brief spell of homesickness after we had family over to stay but it didn't last long!!!!Congratulations on your first 6 months and I hope you continue to enjoy it!!!
http://bothwellcheese.com/
#19
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
Have you tried Bothwell cheese? There is also a fairly decent cheese variety at one of the shops located in the Forks Market but pricy.
http://bothwellcheese.com/
http://bothwellcheese.com/
2yr creamy
3yr slightly salty taste that is like Cathedral back home.
5yr strong cheddar.
3 yr is the hardest to find but Walmart and Superstore stock packages.
IGA/Sobeys use to stock blocks for tasting and that was great but 1 by1 the stores we stopped it. IF anyone finds in their local store can you let us know please.
We brought a $124.00 chunk an the deli work escorted my wife to the cash register. To say she was livid would be an understatement.
We contacted Balderson and they told us we could ask the stores to order but the 2 stores we asked to say no head office wouldn't let them.
#20
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 750
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/
#21
BE user by choice
Joined: Oct 2010
Location: A Briton, married to a Canadian, now in Fredericton.
Posts: 4,854
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
I couldn't find Winnipeg either - till a moment ago when I looked it up. You sound so happy it's infectious, and a delight to read. I hope you and you family continue thriving and that you let us know. I'd loooove to see the geese migration.
#22
BE Enthusiast
Joined: May 2005
Location: Winnipeg, MB
Posts: 308
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
I've been in Winnipeg for a year now, having moved from NS for work, and loving everything about it. I was dubious at first but it was the best move I could have made.
Always loads of things to do, wonderfully friendly people, great wages, all in all a huge improvement over NS (apart from the drivers ) Never looking back now, would highly recommend it to anyone.
Always loads of things to do, wonderfully friendly people, great wages, all in all a huge improvement over NS (apart from the drivers ) Never looking back now, would highly recommend it to anyone.
#23
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
I've been in Winnipeg for a year now, having moved from NS for work, and loving everything about it. I was dubious at first but it was the best move I could have made.
Always loads of things to do, wonderfully friendly people, great wages, all in all a huge improvement over NS (apart from the drivers ) Never looking back now, would highly recommend it to anyone.
Always loads of things to do, wonderfully friendly people, great wages, all in all a huge improvement over NS (apart from the drivers ) Never looking back now, would highly recommend it to anyone.
John
#24
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Joined: May 2005
Location: Winnipeg, MB
Posts: 308
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
I was told by 3 prospective major employers, come back when you are Canadian. That is illegal I hear people scream, you should sue them for discrimination etc...but is it really worth it, that would have only damaged my reputation in a very small industry, and would have perpetuated the stereotype that NS locals have built up of CFA'ers.
One very well known public figure, high up within the NS education system, said to his wife infront of me while I was serving them. "see we open the doors and foreigners come flooding in, but I suppose its ok so long as they are only allowed to work in service jobs and serve real people like us...."
Bottom line is I find Winnipeg to be far more multicultural and accepting, it has far more culture, with 46 art galleries, the WAG, Ballet, wonderful nature and wildlife, beaches, lakes, 1 hour to the states, the list is endless.
NS provides a lot of expats a great lifestyle and it is all down to personal experience and tastes, but my life is now in Winnipeg and I would not change that for the world.
Good luck with wherever you end up, so long as its in Canada it will be an improvement.
#25
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
I spend 5 years in the HRM in NS, hold it very dear to my heart, and would be very happy to retire there. It has beautiful areas, is historic and loads to do if you look hard enough. However, I found it to be very insular. I found people to be very suspicious of folk from "away" or CFA'ers (come from awayers) as we are known. They will welcome guests with open arms, but so long as that is all you are, guests, and so long as you leave again.
I was told by 3 prospective major employers, come back when you are Canadian. That is illegal I hear people scream, you should sue them for discrimination etc...but is it really worth it, that would have only damaged my reputation in a very small industry, and would have perpetuated the stereotype that NS locals have built up of CFA'ers.
One very well known public figure, high up within the NS education system, said to his wife infront of me while I was serving them. "see we open the doors and foreigners come flooding in, but I suppose its ok so long as they are only allowed to work in service jobs and serve real people like us...."
Bottom line is I find Winnipeg to be far more multicultural and accepting, it has far more culture, with 46 art galleries, the WAG, Ballet, wonderful nature and wildlife, beaches, lakes, 1 hour to the states, the list is endless.
NS provides a lot of expats a great lifestyle and it is all down to personal experience and tastes, but my life is now in Winnipeg and I would not change that for the world.
Good luck with wherever you end up, so long as its in Canada it will be an improvement.
I was told by 3 prospective major employers, come back when you are Canadian. That is illegal I hear people scream, you should sue them for discrimination etc...but is it really worth it, that would have only damaged my reputation in a very small industry, and would have perpetuated the stereotype that NS locals have built up of CFA'ers.
One very well known public figure, high up within the NS education system, said to his wife infront of me while I was serving them. "see we open the doors and foreigners come flooding in, but I suppose its ok so long as they are only allowed to work in service jobs and serve real people like us...."
Bottom line is I find Winnipeg to be far more multicultural and accepting, it has far more culture, with 46 art galleries, the WAG, Ballet, wonderful nature and wildlife, beaches, lakes, 1 hour to the states, the list is endless.
NS provides a lot of expats a great lifestyle and it is all down to personal experience and tastes, but my life is now in Winnipeg and I would not change that for the world.
Good luck with wherever you end up, so long as its in Canada it will be an improvement.
However as you say I am sure I will find Canada more appealing then the UK
#26
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
NS is a lovely place but it is true that for as long as you live there you are a "come from away"! Saying that here in Yarmouth there are a lot of them/us so we're generally accepted.
Based on comments above it is amazing how your perspective is altered depending on the experience you have of a place.
I was told Yarmouth was all things evil before we moved here and yet I'm getting to like (been here 6 months too!!) and finding friends amongst the "come from aways"!
Based on comments above it is amazing how your perspective is altered depending on the experience you have of a place.
I was told Yarmouth was all things evil before we moved here and yet I'm getting to like (been here 6 months too!!) and finding friends amongst the "come from aways"!
#27
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2012
Location: winnipeg
Posts: 2
Re: 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!!!!!
#28
Re: Winnipeg 6 months in
Your offer of help is very much appreciated, but this is a really old thread! The OP hasn't been on the forum since February, so is unlikely to see your post.
You can check the thread date on the top left of each one, thx.
Last edited by christmasoompa; Dec 17th 2012 at 8:59 pm.