[Closed] Canada, anyone went and not enjoyed it?

Pablo Escobar apparently.

His brother mentions in his book that Canada was the only nation his cartel tried to crack which proved to be impossible. Allegedly it was because the couldn't corrupt one single official!

HTH.

lol, thanks for the input bud.

It's such a vast place that it really depends on what 'somewhere in western canada' means. BC or Western Alberta then pack your bags. Mid-Western Canada, though, that's a tough sell. I mean it might be a 4 yr contract in Saskatoon.

yes, we need to get more info tbh.
it will be somewhere with a mcdonalds, as thats who my wife works for.

I just bought a car off a Brit who'd moved out here along with his phillipino wife and child to work for the Canadian division of the bank he worked for in the uk.
He managed 4 years before deciding to move back as he wasn't impressed with what Canada offered them.
Sadly, they lived in a big faceless town up the Fraser valley and hadn't travelled far from home.. Wife preferred shopping malls to the immense natural beauty on their door step.
I see why it wasn't everything he expected, so when you do come, 'grab the experience by the balls' and do as much as you can.
The fact you're a mountain biker is a great start.

Selecting where you want to be is key... Skip the east and south Vancouver suburbs and either do small town bc or downtown/north/west van.

to be fair, if all the poor bugger saw was shopping malls and the centre of a city its no surprise he didnt enjoy it.
if we can make it happen, i fully intend to see as much as possible, stuff shopping malls, ive seen those already.

In a corporate position or as a sandwiches artiste?
Corp maccy D's is Burnaby but I'd want to commute into Burnaby, not live there.

shes currently a store manager.

Canada is awash with fast food restaurants. She'll have ample employment opportunities.

my sister went in '82. Came back briefly in the 90s but couldn't settle here.
she now lives in Calgary, having spent most of the time in either Edmonton, High Prairie or Peace River. She wouldn't come back to the UK again other than to visit

I'm pretty sure it rains more in BC than it does in the UK, so the weather might not be the improvement you were after.

I'd imagine the climate in Vancouver, Victoria etc in particular to be very similar to the UK climate, being as they're both on the eastern edge of a big amount of water, fairly high latitude.
FWIW when I was over there for 2 weeks in 2009 the weather was as good as, if not better, than anything we've had here since, other than that week in March last year...

1 week in Canmore - well it's in the mountains, got to expect [i]some[/i] weather. Mostly dry, partially cloudy with 2 days when it rained [i]a bit[/i]
2 nights in Calgary. Sunny & dry
1 night in Kamloops. Sunny, dry and very hot (38degC at 6pm)
3 nights in Vancouver. Sunny & dry
1 night at Lake Louise. sunny & dry.
all the time spent driving between Calgary, Vancouver & back - sunny & dry.

Although the requirement for winter tyres and/or snow chains from October to April might hint at another kind of weather 😉

Oops

Canada generally pretty nice

Canadians generally complete rhymes with tankers

If I didn't know exactly where I was going I definitely wouldn't go

However if its Nelson BC or rossland BC I'd be prepared to give it a shot

Canadians generally complete rhymes with tankers

Quite the opposite of my experience, maybe you were just unlucky or maybe you need to take a look at yourself...

Love Canada. Would move there tomorrow if I could.

I lived there so I made my own judgement

Perhaps when you have lived there you can let me know how you found it

I'm pretty sure it rains more in BC than it does in the UK, so the weather might not be the improvement you were after.

Micro climates everywhere here. Vancouver is a temperate rainforest so gets nearly double London's rainfall but 4 hours drive away into the interior is a desert.

Been to Ontario ,Manitoba ,Saskatchewan,and Alberta all very different loved Ontario and Manitoba , Saskatchewan didn't see enough to make an opinion but wassnt a fan of Calgary ,Alberta much different vibe than central and eastern Canada IMHO

Walleater offa here has been there 10 years(ish).It's hard to work out whether he likes it or not because he's such a miserable shyster all the time.

I've got family over there so have spent quite a bit of time in Vancouver. Always found the folk warm and friendly.

I've lived in a few different parts of the UK and have never had such a bad experience whereas I would generalise all the residents of a particular area as ****ers.

Examples plumb?

'somewhere in western canada'

Not quite the same but I did a summer in whistler and it was incredible, didnt want to come home but I couldn't get a job. In hindsight I dunno whether I could've stuck out the long winter anyway, but the summer was better than any British summer I've known - one day of rain in August! Friendly people though at times it could feel a bit cliquey in Whistler.

Would love to live there and being a mountain biker youd be daft not to imo. Gonna try to get more experience in my field and try to figure out some way of securing a job out there (would prob need to be van rather than whis for my industry) before moving, rather than flying by the seat of my pants like last time!

My brother and gf spent 12 months over there loved it being into his biking helped 😀 His daily commute was up and down Whistler Bike Park lift in the morning ride down in the afternnon, used to watch the bears from his office window 😀

He loved it BUT where he was, cost of living was crazy! Tourist town and all of that. He and his gf were on 12 month work visas so had to come back regardless once it was up. They really enjoyed it over there though.

note of reference _tom_ they found finding work very difficult and nearlly jacked it but his gf found a job just to keep them going my brother really struggled though.

I'm here in Vancouver, mostly enjoying it but still see myself returning to Scotland in a year or two.

The weather is an improvement, at least its properly seasonal over here and I enjoyed 3 months of sunshine with literally only two or three days of rain last summer. Even when it does rain its still relatively warm and there's not much wind.

Biking is awesome, this goes without saying. I've had a pretty bad run of luck personally, bike being stolen, injuries etc. but if you choose your location well then you could be biking awesome trails any evening of the week. Be expected to have an opinion about trail maintenance though, its quite a divisive topic depending on who you speak to!

Road biking looks pretty tedious, its either in the city or along the side of super busy highways. I'm sure there's good stuff out here but I prefer the sheer wealth of winding hilly singletrack roads we have back in Scotland. I've not even bothered buying a road bike out here and I probably won't.

I think owning a car is the secret to really making the most of things here. I don't, and don't intend to buy one, but that limits me a lot as the public transport infrastructure outside of the city is almost non-existent. I don't really blame them, the country is too big to try and maintain the service we have in the UK, but I miss being able to plan hllwalking/biking trips around convenient train or bus stops and regular service.

Oh, and its expensive out here, but I'm trying to juggle expensive sports and an expensive girlfriend in one of the world's most expensive cities, so I shouldn't be surprised!

because im sick of the weather here in uk.

Garry_Lager - Member
It's such a vast place that it really depends on what 'somewhere in western canada' means. BC or Western Alberta then pack your bags. Mid-Western Canada, though, that's a tough sell. I mean it might be a 4 yr contract in Saskatoon.

They have since moved down to Mouse Jaw which is a much nicer town 😆

Like a lot of other countries if you are Scottish then doors seem to open ❗

Oh,and its expensive out here, but I'm trying to juggle expensive sports and an expensive girlfriend in one of the world's most expensive cities, so I shouldn't be surprised!

[i]Canadians generally complete rhymes with tankers[/i]

I went in 2000 & everyone I met without exception was warm & friendly (most actually said 'welcome to Canada' once they found out I was a Brit on holiday) This was Alberta.

Maybe It's not them who are 'tankers'?

Examples plumb?

Lets go for a beer I've got loads of stories I could bore myself to tears with

Although generalizing I know where plumber is coming from, it makes a big difference if you work in Canada you get to see how 'they'are a bit more then, you have to hear them speak about someone not in the room to understand it which you aren't privy to visiting, it's part of the culture to be extremely nice to your face even if they don't like you

That being said I love it here and the opportunities are incredible, what do you do? My misses has found it hard as you have no qualifications or experience here if your not the one being imported

note of reference _tom_ they found finding work very difficult and nearlly jacked it but his gf found a job just to keep them going my brother really struggle though.

Yep it's all customer service/bar work in Whistler, neither of which I have experience in, so I really struggled. I had an interview for a job I do have experience/degree in and still got turned down due to a more experienced candidate being available - would've been amazing if I could've done that job (cameraman/editor for resort tv stuff). Like I said hoping theres some way I can sort a job first, not really sure how I'd go about doing that but I have way more experience now!

I think owning a car is the secret to really making the most of things here. I don't, and don't intend to buy one, but that limits me a lot as the public transport infrastructure outside of the city is almost non-existent.

Not sure if you've read this article but may be useful for you?

http://www.nsmb.com/4005-car-free-freeriding/

I lived and worked in B.C for a year and I would have to say I found Canadians a bit odd. Alot of them grow up in quite small communities and have pretty bad social skills and can be quite small minded.

But the landscape and opportunities for sport are amazing and the few open minded Canadians that I did meet where pretty cool.

Speaking as an expat in Oz at the moment I don't think the problem is usually the people or the locations you choose to go to, it's the fact that, no matter where you are, you still have to work for a living. If I can find a way of shortening my working week when we go back to the UK than I'll be a happy man. As it is, if we settle here it would mean a big mortgage and a long working week.

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😉

You've got to go, otherwise you're going to spend the rest of your life wondering "hmmm, maybe we should have gone..."

I've been here for over 10 years now and living in the Whistler and service industry bubble for a good portion gets you into the service lead mindset and most people in the service industry are outwardly happy and interested.
Its extremely rare that you would share a chairlift with a rude or ignorant Canadian... however, I've lived in Squamish for 5 years now and I've absolutely started to notice that older generation small town Canadians are often both rude and ignorant.
I was brought up to hold a door open for the next person or open the door and let people through.. not so in small town canadia..Perhaps theres a resentment from old time residnets on having their town taken over by ex pats. however, those people that are active, enjoy to recreate and work to live as opposed to living to work are genuinely superb people and their outlook on life is refreshing and positive.

I'm certainly in a fortunate and relatively unique position as far as the lifestlye that I (just about) manage to afford for my family and there is 0% chance of me being able to provide that for us if we were living back in the UK.

There are places in BC that I wouldn't contemplate living or even consider to offer any tangible lifestyle improvement over what life would be like if I hadn't moved out here. I also think there are some absolutely stunning (and real life) places that are worth considering as a permanent move.
For us, Squamish is an almost perfect balance...
Surrey BC (Vancouver's Mosside) would be a complete nightmare.

PS, Squamish's MacDonalds just had a dual lane drive through and extensive reno.. aim for that location! Happy days 😉
[url= http://www.squamish.ca/ ]squamish - Canadas adventure capital[/url]

As above. You need to narrow it down a bit.

I'm in Calgary, have been for almost 4 years and can't see myself coming back.

But it started snowing in October this winter and only stopped towards the end of April. That is a long winter if you do not ski or simmilar. I like the people but I mostly mix with bikers, skiers and climbers which is no different to the UK.

Any specific questions though feel free to ask. There are threads on here as has been done before.

Spent 12 months working in burnaby and Vancouver in 2011-2012. Would go back as soon as either me or the mrs could get a proper job there. No idea where you guys have found unfriendly Canadians! Everyone we met was super helpful to the point we stopped asking questions as we were so embarrassed at the generosity!

If I had complete freedom I would maybe go to Vancouver island for the more rural lifestyle, more rain, and some of the most stunning mountain and coastline views anywhere in the world. The riding isn't bad either!

No idea where you guys have found unfriendly Canadians! Everyone we met was super helpful to the point we stopped asking questions as we were so embarrassed at the generosity!

My experience also.

Work travel in ths sticks you will met them.

Plus one on moving to Squamish's close to Vancouver but not in nofuncouver and close to Whistler. Good mtb, rock climbing and snow on your doorstep.

thanks guys for all the responses, ive been at work and didnt get in til 1am, and im going back to work in an hour, so im not ignoring it all.
my wife has registered an interest for more info, its an internal position with mcdonalds.
we will find out more info soon, but as long as its not a total s**thole i think we will go for it, as mentioned above, if we dont, we will spend the rest of our lives wondering what if.
both of us are into mtb, both of us love (and used to play) ice hockey, and we are more interested in winter sports than lying on a beach somewhere.
i had never been abroad before we went to ottawa last year, and it was an eye opener for me to find that the kind of lifestyle i want to lead is considered normal over there ie: biking everywhere when the weather is good, playing pond hockey when its winter etc.

the kind of lifestyle i want to lead is considered normal over there ie: biking everywhere when the weather is good,

The video job I interviewed for allowed for flexi time so you can get a few bike park laps in the morning if you fancy working a bit later in the evening, or vice versa get in early to leave in the afternoon to make the most of the extended summer evening bike park hours 🙂

I never felt any of the people I met at the bikepark were unfriendly, I usually got to share a "funny" cigarette on the lift up with the randomers I'd go up with 😛

lol, i vividly remember, way back in the early 90s, i was driving my mates car and he rummaged around in the glove box for a bit before producing a lump of hash the size of my fist.
him: so, what you think?
me: great.
pause for a few seconds
me:what is it?
i just didnt know.
really not my scene tbh, ive never tried it and see no need to, i rarely drink alcohol either.
however, 6 red bulls and im whizzing my tits off.

Anyone have any experience of retiring to Canada, in particular health insurance issues?

Chic Scott stayed at my house in Liverpool he is The Man. Spent 3 days drunk in Montreal which was nice but not very helpful to you. Go and have a looks you can always come back.

My Uncle lives in Vancouver. He's been there 40+ years and enjoys it. I gather the weather there can be pretty shoddy - it comes straight off the Pacific.
The Economist reckons they're about to have a massive housing bust tho, which may or may not lead to less favourable economic times. I would def do some research around the state of the economy on that basis...

_tom_ that was a good link, I'm already well versed in the buses to/from the North Shore, but hadn't considered a link to the SSC!

Rorschach - Member
Walleater offa here has been there 10 years(ish).It's hard to work out whether he likes it or not because he's such a miserable shyster all the time.

Yes, I had to get up early to get driven up Mt Seymour in order to ride a bloody bicycle down a hill in order to get the dog some exercise. Then I had to drink over priced beer (that the in-laws bought...) at 2.00pm on a patio, and the sun was waaaaaay too bright. Now I've got to go out and drink more beer in a pub that is 20 minute walk from our apartment. 20 MINUTES!!

There's certainly a lot of self centered people in Vancouver. Good luck pulling out of a junction on to a busy road, and if you are following someone through a door way, get ready for the door to get slammed in your face. We also have no shortage of stupidly rich people, and yet have a full on slum area with people dying on the streets. I certainly don't regret coming here, but there's no shortage of dicks here!

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The Economist reckons they're about to have a massive housing bust tho,.

LOL! I wonder if the Economist realises the estate agents out here have offices in Beijing with an inexhaustible supply of buyers willing to pay 100k over asking without even seeing the property in the flesh.

mamadirt - Member

Anyone have any experience of retiring to Canada, in particular health insurance issues?

I hope you are incredibly rich

I'd do it for a short term work posting. I'd try pretty much anywhere on those terms. It's a great way to see the world.

If only, eh plumber? Been doing a bit of homework and permanent residency is out of the question - I seem to fail the immigration questionnaire on all counts 😥 , but health insurance for visitors goes through the roof.

sweaman2 - Member
As above. You need to narrow it down a bit.

I'm in Calgary, have been for almost 4 years and can't see myself coming back.

But it started snowing in October this winter and only stopped towards the end of April. That is a long winter if you do not ski or simmilar. I like the people but I mostly mix with bikers, skiers and climbers which is no different to the UK.

Any specific questions though feel free to ask. There are threads on here as has been done before.