Ray51

Doomed , we all are , anyway ;
but , as the Nobel-prize winner John Maynard Keynes pointed out :
in the long run , we'll all be dead !
So ?
Just last 2-3 days , we lost Maria Schneider ( 58 ) and guitar-genius Gary Moore , ex-of THin Lizzy , the Parisian Walkways hymn ( also : dead , at 58 ) , both of whom looked muuuch better , then most of us , survivors , both : died in Paris , City of Lights and Lovers ;
and Marlon ( Brando ) is long gone already , after all his too-many troubles , so , that 's The End of The Last Tango in Paris and : what are we to whinge about ?

hrt2fnd

@Assanah

I'm curious... So Alice, what the gelobte land/wonderland without any flaws?

Assanah

There is none except inside of oneself

Menschlein

Having lived in Canada for many years there are numerous factors which must be considered before moving. Unless you have a rare profession, wish to become self employed, have connections or are financially well endowed, getting established in Canada can be tough. People move frequently, from house to house or job to job. Layoffs from jobs just before Christmas are also factual as our family and several friends have discovered more than once. While B.C. has milder but rainy winters the remainder of the country has basically just two seasons mostly with about 7 months of lingering cold, snowy, sunny or not, icy, sub zero winters, a couple of humid summer months with some very pleasant weeks in between. Distances to anywhere are just vast. Several friends have actually left Canada for England for this very reason. A great number of new home devisions are built without foot paths, so a car is not a luxury but a necessity. Summer tyres must be changed (by Law) to winter tyres. School is in session for roughly 191 days per year or less (due to blizzards). Many better paying jobs require French as a second language, Germans would now have to become tri-lingual. Minimum wage has only recently risen to $10.00 per hour. Flower gardens die off during long winters and actual song birds, as those found in Germany, are absent. Scenery is harsh but grand. From east to west, from B.C. through The Rockies-Glaciers, Alberta-Drumheller, Sask. Man. Ont. Que. etc. all the way to Newfoundland Canada has much to offer. Just ensure that your job or work, money is able to sustain you. Many people have no medical coverage or even doctors and dentists are extremely costly, with a root-canal often costing $1000 plus. Taxes are said to be the highest in the Northern hemisphere if not beyond. Every single price tag you see will have another 13% of HST (Harmonised Sales Tax) added to your bill. An annual Earning of $60 G's puts you into a 60% Tax Bracket.

Ray51

Thanks , for a really decent posting !
Well , mates , there's always Cape Town to re-consider
( more troubles , but....)
IF you can get into SEffrika , as it nowadays is...

Menschlein

Oh yes, In Canada nobody is sent off to a KUR as is the case in Germany where Health Care appears to be quite lavish to many over here. Another point to consider is this....unless you are protected by UNIONS and many people are not, you get only two weeks vacation after one years work. In many cases you still get only two weeks even if you have been with the same company for 6 years or more. It is also a commom practice to hire people for full-time/part-time jobs (32hrs per week max.) thereby avoiding benefit payout which is usually paid only to full time (35-37 hr.) workers.

Novocastrian

* = depending on the province in Canada

@ = simply not true.

Cheers

Menschlein

Glad to hear that you are among the few truly settled into a permanent, well paying position therefore probably by-passing the desire to return to your roots. However, speaking from experience and that of many with whom we are in frequent contact and those encountered in line-ups, Emergency Dept. bus stops, pubs, etc. the prevailing theme, especially among the earlier immigrants, is the vollatile job market. We have been in our latest house for 23years, a far cry from the many moves across Canada in search of work due to lay-offs, strikes etc. Frequent out-of-province contract jobs kept our family apart and the additional taxation for a second abode, one for us and one for my husbands rented room while away from his family did not make us feel settled either. People around here do move frequently, usually into large houses, and up and up. Unles you are a minimum income Senior guaranteed health care coverage and Ontario Drug coverage is only partial. While we are blessed with good health, no doubt due to my life long home cooking we do worry about the lack of dental and eye care coverage.

Novocastrian

Guten Abend, Frau Menschlein,

I have no intention of commenting on your personal experience in Canada (is it in Ontario or Quebec, as I had earlier guessed?). But your last post made a number of statements which are either only true in some places in Canada, or not true in any of them. It seems only reasonable to point that out.

Indeed, I have no desire to return to my roots (on Tyneside) but within 2 years I'll be retiring from my position here and moving to France.

Leb' wohl und viel Glueck.

Menschlein

Be aware that residents of France are liable for tax on their worldwide income, so a pension being drawn in another country would need to be declared in France. France does have a double taxation agreement with a number of other countries, including EU member states and the USA, so that tax paid in one country acts as a tax credit in the other.
Wohl auf in Gottes schöne Welt, lebe wohl, ADE.

Novocastrian

Merci bien pour votre sage conseil, but as you know, the worldwide income thing applies to Canada as well. I've no problem with paying taxes as it happens. I agree with them.

Und danke fuer die Wohlwuenschen.

Ray51

And I have ,
in Transvaal and Cape , on many an occassion !
( Usually , at BBQs ...)

Hey :
Tassie is a popular , well-beloved nickname for a cheap-thorougly drinkable red wine , sold in SethEffrika , in 3 l boxes ;
usually named "Tassenberg' , give or take...

sueffun

I emigrated to South Africa from the UK in 1980, my husband is German but has lived in SA since he was 5yrs old.
Berlin is my favourite capital of the world, I have been there twice 1972 and 2009.
I also love Montreal and Quebec, but we went in August so the weather was lovely, not sure what it would be like in the winter, bit cold i should think.

The public transport in both Germany and Canada are amazing, well compared to the non existent transport we have in SA (Durban in particular)

I have relatives in Australia, but have never been.

My conclusion to your question. Living in SA i would move to any of the above. On reflection I would move anywhere in the world other than Africa and Middle east.
Oh I don't like the heat and the sun either, so I guess the first two.