Winnipeg, Manitoba?

[Irish4]

Anyone living here? WHats it like compared to other states/cities in Canada? Is there a lot of work, esp in construction/carpentry? Is it a nice area?
Thanks
x

[Auld Yin]

Originally Posted by Irish4

Anyone living here? WHats it like compared to other states/cities in Canada? Is there a lot of work, esp in construction/carpentry? Is it a nice area?
Thanks
x

Yes, about 700k people live in Winnipeg proper. In Canada we have Provinces not States. It's like all lartge cities, it has both nice and not so nice areas. Verrrrrry cold winters and hot summers. Its nickname is Winterpeg. Why have you selected this city?

[Irish4]

Originally Posted by Auld Yin

Yes, about 700k people live in Winnipeg proper. In Canada we have Provinces not States. It's like all lartge cities, it has both nice and not so nice areas. Verrrrrry cold winters and hot summers. Its nickname is Winterpeg. Why have you selected this city?

LOL, thanks wasn't too sure if anyone lived there
Provinces not states.....thanks for that, Im gonna get a little notbook for these tips. We havn't picked anywhere yet, just looking at options and there is a job OH applied for there.

[LindaDoyle]

Hi, we live in Winnipeg. Moved here in July 2011. We did all the research possible over a two year period and decided on Winnipeg because we have three young kids and wanted to pick a province that was going to offer them a good lifestyle and Winnipeg certainly does that. Yes, it is otherwise known as Winterpeg but this year we have had the mildest Winter in many years and Ontario has had more snow and low temperatures this year than we have. We live in an area of Winnipeg called Charleswood and it is lovely. The people are soooo friendly, its hard to believe and I actually think they rub off on you cos it does make a difference when people are so friendly. Hence they call Manitoba the friendly province. You will read a lot of negative press about Winnipeg and I certainly would not want you to believe it. I have only good things to say about this place and it has indeed been good to us. Best thing we ever did. We left all our family and friends behind and moved here knowing absolutely nobody and I can honestly say people have taken us into their lives with open arms and are only too happy to support us. Its truly a great place to move to. And the cost of living is a little lower than anywhere else but unfortunately that is changing recently and the rental properties are going up all the time. I think its a sign of the times in Ireland cos when we were first researching Winnipeg I was constantly being asked why Winnipeg, and nobody seemed to want to come here and since we have arrived there has been a massive influx of Irish every other week. We are meeting at least two / three a week now. So good luck with you research and certainly dont rule out Winnipeg as a province to come to. And certainly if you are into the Winter sports and outdoor activities. Its certainly the place to be. Good luck.

[Irish4]

LindaDoyle, thank you so much for sharing with me your experience. So good to hear you and your family have settled in so well. And the Canadians at the RDS expo were so friendly as you say. I dont think Ill mind the snow as Im sure they are better organised for that sort of thing than they would be here
I'm not ruling anything out except Ireland unfortunatly

x

[LindaDoyle]

Your very welcome and like Ive said to others on the forum I am only too happy to help and offer any advice I can to anyone thinking of coming here. Its a huge step to take but one that is right in the current climate back home and particularly when you have children to consider. Their futures are the reason we made this massive decision. I will never forget my last day in Ireland and saying goodbye to my mother who was like my best friend, and that day was probably the worst day of my life but we have come a long way since then and thankfully we have made the right choice and she knows that too. In fact she is coming here next Friday for almost a month so we are very excited. Wishing you all the very best of luck and I sincerely hope it all works out. Keep positive and it will happen. Let me know if you need any other information.

[canbrack8]

hi Linda, we are moving to winnipeg in may my husband has landed a job over there,we are moing over there with four girls, could you give us advice on the best areas to rent? schools etc when we get there we are going to be staying in a hotel until we find a house to rent. we are interested in the st vital area? could you advice us on this!

[LindaDoyle]

Originally Posted by canbrack8

hi Linda, we are moving to winnipeg in may my husband has landed a job over there,we are moing over there with four girls, could you give us advice on the best areas to rent? schools etc when we get there we are going to be staying in a hotel until we find a house to rent. we are interested in the st vital area? could you advice us on this!

hi there, well done on the job, where is it located cos that may be a deciding factor on where you luve, i work in st vital and its a great choice, nice mall, nice houses and parks, good schools, etc. I live in charleswood and im very happy here which is why we stay, its on the expensive side but its beautiful, i would advise you to go on kijiji canada as soon as possible as rentals are very difficult to find at the moment, i can recommend st vital, charleswood and st james as good areas to live, steer clear of thenorth end of the city. If you need any other info let me know, how old are your daughters, ive a thirteen yr old daughter and two sons, five and ten.

[canbrack8]

hi linda my husband job is in the north end of the city. But they are relocating to the south end in july. near lindenwoods area of the city, there is not a lot of houses out there to rent. Im on that kijji web site nearly everyday ,rental market is very pricy in winnipeg! I know the area that you live in decides the school catchment area, so i want to make the right choice. MY girls are ages 9, 6,5, 19mths so I am hoping they adapt well to the winnipeg climate! How do you find the eduction system there is it much like home? Do you find cost of living high? Im just wondering could you get by on one wage packet or would we both have to work? thanks

[LindaDoyle]

Originally Posted by canbrack8

hi linda my husband job is in the north end of the city. But they are relocating to the south end in july. near lindenwoods area of the city, there is not a lot of houses out there to rent. Im on that kijji web site nearly everyday ,rental market is very pricy in winnipeg! I know the area that you live in decides the school catchment area, so i want to make the right choice. MY girls are ages 9, 6,5, 19mths so I am hoping they adapt well to the winnipeg climate! How do you find the eduction system there is it much like home? Do you find cost of living high? Im just wondering could you get by on one wage packet or would we both have to work? thanks

hi, to answer your question about whether or not one wage packet or not will be enough, the answer to that will depend on what your husbands earnings will be and how much your rent ends up being. We are paying 1,500 in charleswood and its a case of me having to work as my OH is an automotive technician and his wages depends on how much cars he fixes (kinda like a piece work system) some weeks he could get 40 hrs in and other weeks he might only get 25 but thats generally in the Winter months. Anyways like i say the earnings will determine whether you have to work or not i think if your husband is working in the South end of the city ( you mentioned lindenwoods) then you should look for a house in the River Heights/Grant park areas. House rentals are very hard to find alright but once you are here you will find something easier than from there cos you have to be ready to jump straight away once you see you. if you live in St. Vital thats also an option but when his job moves to Lindenwoods he will be stuck in very heavy traffic every morning from St. Vital to Lindenwoods. I travel the opposite direction and I see it every morning and Ive often commented that Im so lucky Im going the other way as its bumper to bumper the whole way.

I think River Heights or even Charleswood are the areas you should look at. And i only say that cos he will be in the lindenwoods area working. You will find it virtually impossible to find rental accommodation in Lindenwoods unless you are willing to pay 2,500 a month. i have seen one or two recently for that sort of money.

your girls are at a very good age to make the transition so if you live in River Heights you have an option of Montrose Elementary which is an excellent school, (its actually where I wanted mine to go but we were not in the right district). There is another school to chose from in that area too but i cannot remember the name but both schools are excellent. if you wish to send them to Catholic school there are options too but these are usually heavily booked and also you will have to pay through the nose. The public schooling here is excellent. My sons go to Royal School in Charleswood, my youngest is in kinder and my ten year old in grade 5. Their education has in fact improved since we came here cos my ten year old is doing subjects he is interested in like science and geography where he was bored stupid at home. My five year old had speech and language difficulties at home and we were told it would be a long time before he would speak properly and would need constant speech and language therapy. He went into Royal School and got all the help he needed and he is chatting away now just like any other kid. I cannot say enough about their schooling. I love it and i love the teachers and they way they take an interest in each individual child.

if you would like to send me a pm i can give you my private email address so that we can keep in contact and i can try help you once you have arrived. i got help when I arrived and I needed it so feel free to pm me.

in meantime my advise is to try Charleswood and River Heights for accommodation unless your husband is willing to be up every morning driving through bumper to bumper traffic for perhaps an extra hour each morning. Have a think about it. if you wanted to work you could work part time as your youngest is still very young so i dont know what childcare options are available for a child that age. My youngest was luckily ready to go into kinder so i was able to find work pretty quickly. We wouldnt survive without me working tho cos the cost of livin over here is not cheap. My mam was just here for three weeks and she couldnt believe the cost of living here. Cars are pretty expensive too so you need to weigh up everything but dont go looking at accommodation in north end. Thats one thing you dont want to do.

keep me posted and good luck.

Linda.