Halifax, Nova Scotia

[emma329]

Hat do you all think of this area? Any good for carpenters? Are there many shops and parks there? What is the weather like?Also is housing reasonable? X

[peted813]

Originally Posted by emma329

Hat do you all think of this area? Any good for carpenters? Are there many shops and parks there? What is the weather like?Also is housing reasonable? X

There are quite a few parks in and around Halifax. Weather is like the UK but a lot colder in winter. Housing, when I left, was getting more expensive due to a recently won shipping contract.
Nova Scotia is also the most expensive province in Canada to live. There is only one electricity supplier, two internet, phone and TV suppliers. Both seem to have a price fixing agreement. Supermarkets are also expensive. Along with Canada having the most expensive mobile prices in the world you'll have to be extremely careful with your money if not earning more than $70k

[MKRUNNER]

Originally Posted by peted813

There are quite a few parks in and around Halifax. Weather is like the UK but a lot colder in winter. Housing, when I left, was getting more expensive due to a recently won shipping contract.
Nova Scotia is also the most expensive province in Canada to live. There is only one electricity supplier, two internet, phone and TV suppliers. Both seem to have a price fixing agreement. Supermarkets are also expensive. Along with Canada having the most expensive mobile prices in the world you'll have to be extremely careful with your money if not earning more than $70k

The parks are small in comparison to the UK - as the outdoorsy types, my husband and I were very disappointed. And with the beaches too - small, crowded and no facilities. We left NS afer 18 months, not just for those reasons but for a multitude of negatives. Ultimately too expensive for very little return and a$45k salary is deemed generous! Traffic is bad too - no infrastructure to support the volume - worse getting into Hfx than we experienced in the UK somedays!! Parking costs a fortune too and house prices are definitely on the up.
Since leaving some 7 months ago we've and lived in a couple of different places in Canada we've realised just how little the Maritimes had to offer. House prices may be a little more elsewhere on the face of it (but dig around, you'd be surprised at how little there really is in it - try mls.ca for starters), but the general day to day cost of living is significantly less outside of the Maritimes, the choice and quality of day to day items is better and if you head to somewhere like BC (Okanagan Valley, Vancouver Isdefinitely land, plus many more) you'll definitely get far better weather. It rains soooo much in NS it's untrue!! Hope this helps.

[emma329]

Thanks guys.We have been looking into Okanagan Valley to live and hubby is going to look into Fort McMurray to work-maybe.He is a carpenter xx

[MKRUNNER]

Good luck with Fort McMurray - there's a multitude of jobs there - all really well paid from what I can see. Apparently people go there with a 3-5 year plan, make their fortune andthen relocate to their ideal area - Okanagan is a popular choice!! Check out the weather and living there. It's quite hard to beat. One thing I have come across re Fort Mc - better to rent than be possibly stuck with a house, makes relocation thereafter so much easier. People tend to fall into a dream day-to-day lifestyle while there and eat away at what was to be their savings and end up having to stay for much longer than they originally planned!! Summers look wonderful although short (3 months, mid 20's) and winters long (5 months or so), but they are very geared up for it in every sense so shouldn't be too much of a worry. Facilities are excellent by all accounts from shopping to dining and sports and recreation. Good luck!!