london to canada

[bustafarrell]

Hello all , my wife and i and our young son are thinking of moving to canada from london, we would like some advice on where is best to live , we are looking for somewhere nice and safe for our son to grow up . any advice on schools and jobs would be much appreciated. also are there areas where there are lots of expats ??

[oddball]

You need to be more specific on your requirements,as in type of skills,city or country living,would you like lots of snow as most provinces have lots in the winter,need public transport etc . Colin

[bustafarrell]

hello colin, we are thinking we would like to be not too far from a city and i think the more southern the better , the cold is not a worry but would prefer not to be in arctic coditions all year , i am a windscreen technician at the mo (for ten yrs) but have always been in butchery too so hopefully i can find something , we really dont know too much about any of this , we are planning to go on holiday next year and see a bit of canada but it does look so nice and we have just about had it with england now. for any advice or help in any way we would be grateful. thanks Paul

[oddball]

Originally Posted by bustafarrell

hello colin, we are thinking we would like to be not too far from a city and i think the more southern the better , the cold is not a worry but would prefer not to be in arctic coditions all year , i am a windscreen technician at the mo (for ten yrs) but have always been in butchery too so hopefully i can find something , we really dont know too much about any of this , we are planning to go on holiday next year and see a bit of canada but it does look so nice and we have just about had it with england now. for any advice or help in any way we would be grateful. thanks Paul

Hello Paul,I can quote you best where i have lived in general for 40 plus years,my last 20 some years has been south of the city of Hamilton about 1 hours drive from Niagara Falls , There are several windshield outlets in this area plus it is hog country,the smaller towns have homes at far less cost than the cities both for sale and rent,lots of open country-side,a provincial park,a huge river,various sports for children,hockey,soccer,baseball etc,if you live out of town the kids are bused to school and of course,the roads are not constantly congested .
The weather is good in the summer starting around May through to Oct/Nov when the degrees start to dive below zero, usually not a large amount of snow but we do have our times when we get more or less snowed in for a day.Homes have furnaces/air conditioners,double glazing,screened doors and windows for the summer bugs,not too many problems in this neck of the woods with most people being on the friendly side .Good stores for just about anything you may need without having to drive to the big city,express highways to travel to almost anywhere in Canada,plus of course close to the border with the good olé USofA.
This is somewhat typical of many areas across the southern strip of the country where most people settle so it will give you some idea of what to expect . Colin

[bustafarrell]

thanks colin, it sounds great , does hamilton have many ex pats ? its not that we are just looking for somewhere full of brits we just want as much info as we can get .

[oddball]

There are Brits just about everywhere you go and the British Legions in Oakville and Bronte were always full on a Saturday night . I lived in Oakville for many years until i found a country residence on about 3 acres not too far outside of town,i worked at generous electric at that time and wanted to live at 'The cottage' every day instead of the long haul up north on the weekends . It was great for the kids and we could have 'Corn Roasts' 'Bake Outs' and things of that nature without disturbing neighbours as you would in town,lots of parking space also .Colin

[bustafarrell]

thanks colin , we have been looking at nova scotia as it seems to be a place of interest at the mo , ( been in the papers and that ) have you any advice about nova scotia ?

[oddball]

Originally Posted by bustafarrell

thanks colin , we have been looking at nova scotia as it seems to be a place of interest at the mo , ( been in the papers and that ) have you any advice about nova scotia ?

Hello Paul,Nova Scotia,now that is a place i emmigrated to from the rest of Canada,I say that because Nova Scotians are a different breed of people than anywhere else i had been in the country . I purchased a century old house that once belonged to a famed sea fairing officer for about one third of what the price would be in Ontario,it sat on a rise overlooking the harbour in Pictou Landing,on the other side of the harbour was Pictou,the original settlement of Scottish seafairers .I was amongst the lobster fishermen who almost paid me to take my pick of one of my favourite foods,walk across the road and down the bank to the beach where i harvested mussels by the bucket load and some oyster , for clams i would walk around the headland to the Indian reservation beach where the clams were plentiful and easy digging .I went shopping in New-Glasgow(wonder where that name came from?)with its quaint old buildings and service to match,probably the friendliest people on planet earth . Halifax sits in the south of the province and was the hub of activity and location of the airport,about an hour or so drive from my place through picturesque,rolling country-side,it also sits on a very infamous harbour full of history . I drove most of the province and enjoyed it very much,made friends as i travelled who often came to visit me in the north,they liked my house as much as i did .
Nova-Scotia is considerd a poor province,i never saw any-one suffering as in Ontario for example,they look after each other and consider every-one else 'Outsiders', i was always treated with respect and consideration as a person,invited to parties,fish barbecues,had rabbit dropped of on my door-step with the occasional chunk of deer meat or a grouse,pheasant etc , you could not find better people to live amongst .At that time(in the 80's),work was scarce,so the last thing you were allowed to do was take work or a job away from the Nova-Scotians,you were shut out,so i finally ran out of funds after almost 2 years of fantastic living,called it quits and went back to Ontario .Things will have changed by now , if you can get work i can't think of a better place to re settle with your family,so it is important you find work before-hand .Oh,i forgot to mention the ice-fishing,huts are set up on the harbour and you are welcome to use them,no locks and bars there and the smelt were plentiful as well as tasty. Once again , good luck . Colin

[philgre]

Hi Colin, im flicking through this site to get as much information i possibly can, you replied to one of my questions. Iv never been to Canada, something i need to do if im about to fly out, im currently a Police officer and i hear many officers are transfering out there, Like i said in my other email iv had advise not to go to to highly French populated area. i forget now Ontario or Quebec. You have described Nova Scotia as being very nice and me and my partner like the sound of this, as its on the eastern side so trips back home wouldnt be too expensive, Also i have a sister living in the USA and it too is on the east side. Im trying to find out about an area in Canada first before finding out about the relevant Police force, A big decisive question for me is that my partner is a freelance make up artist, is there enough work in this field for women requiring make overs are they into the cosmetics out there? If she was freelancing or are there enough beauty concessions retail department stores. I would be in the Police service out there and my partner would hopefully keep in her line of work.
Once im sold the area of Canada il look into the pay and conditions of the Police, your advise would be of great help or if you know of any great contacts would be appreciated.
Phil

[bustafarrell]

hello colin , thank you very much for your input , we think it looks and sounds like exactly what we are looking for as long as i can find work , i have looked up windshield services over there and it seems there is a family outfit and autoglass are there i was informed today that i will have to get a job offer (sponsor) before i can get in as i have no qualifications at windshield fitting (when i started it was on the job training )as you say things may have changed since you were there but do you know if there is much demand for screens over there , ( mot`s) thanks again , Paul and family