Moving to Canada – best places to live?

[Syzygy]

Any advice on comparing/choosing between the following three areas:

- Ontario (Toronto suburbs: Burlington, Guelph, Oakville, Waterloo)
- Alberta (Calgary)
- New Brunswick / Nova Scotia (Fredericton, Moncton, Halifax)

Any favorite neighborhoods, pictures, likes/dislikes, cost of living, pros/cons, etc?

 

[HeatherLassell]

You had an account on WeddingBells didn't you in about 07?

lol Yes I did! I got married 7/7/7 and divorced in June this year!

 

[cpbjgc]

Any advice on comparing/choosing between the following three areas:

- Ontario (Toronto suburbs: Burlington, Guelph, Oakville, Waterloo)
- Alberta (Calgary)
- New Brunswick / Nova Scotia (Fredericton, Moncton, Halifax)

Any favorite neighborhoods, pictures, likes/dislikes, cost of living, pros/cons, etc?

If you want to compare housing costs you can look at the multiple listing site what covers all of Canada. You can browse using the map function to see different areas.

Having only visited Ontario and Alberta, I can't help with any recommendations. Most of the people I know who lived in those areas ended up moving back to Winnipeg... (a fun fact!).

 

[pad406]

Hi

Been following the posts with interest.
I'd like some perspective in two areas in particular.

1. Healthcare...we hear that Canada has a very good healthcare system but I would imagine that this would vary across the country with it being so vast and each province?
However if anyone has any info on availability of services, access to GPs/Physicians and quality of care when needed that would be helpful.
If anyone has particular info as regards Spina Bifida care and multidisciplinary clinics that would be great.
Is public service much different from private?
I only have the Irish experience (which is a low starting point) to compare against.
2. I am also interested in the education sector. Again this is I have gathered likely to be different from province to province.
Is there any support available for very bright kids and for physically challenged kids? What is teacher motivation, professional developement and actual teaching practice like?

 

[ccudmore]

Hi

Been following the posts with interest.
I'd like some perspective in two areas in particular.

1. Healthcare...we hear that Canada has a very good healthcare system but I would imagine that this would vary across the country with it being so vast and each province?
However if anyone has any info on availability of services, access to GPs/Physicians and quality of care when needed that would be helpful.
If anyone has particular info as regards Spina Bifida care and multidisciplinary clinics that would be great.
Is public service much different from private?
I only have the Irish experience (which is a low starting point) to compare against.

Yes, health care accessibility varies. Basically, if you're in a larger city you'll have better access to specialized health care. Unfortunately I can't give you details on the any specific types of care. In most parts of Canada private health care services are not permitted to operate except for a very limited number of disciplines.

2. I am also interested in the education sector. Again this is I have gathered likely to be different from province to province.
Is there any support available for very bright kids and for physically challenged kids? What is teacher motivation, professional developement and actual teaching practice like?

Again, yes it varies from province to province with more services available in larger centres. Most schools are mandated to provide services for challenged children. However "enriched" programs are generally only available if population warrants. Again, having no direct experience with teachers (other than as a student many years ago) I can't really comment on the motivation and development.

 

[sandraB]

As someone who has lived in 5 states and as many provinces, there is no place like the East Coast of Canada. We live in Fredericton, and it truly is a gem of a city. Not too big, but lots of culture, two universities, low unemployment, affordable housing and great people. You can easily drive to the US, as we are a short distance from Maine, another beautiful place to visit.

I love the quality of life we have here, and could go on about all the wonderful things to do. I am a teacher, and even though our school system is not perfect, we have the latest technology in our classrooms, and dedicated teachers/staff.

Just thought I would put in a plug for the Picture Province

 

[Queenscoroots]

As someone who has lived in 5 states and as many provinces, there is no place like the East Coast of Canada. We live in Fredericton, and it truly is a gem of a city. Not too big, but lots of culture, two universities, low unemployment, affordable housing and great people. You can easily drive to the US, as we are a short distance from Maine, another beautiful place to visit.

I love the quality of life we have here, and could go on about all the wonderful things to do. I am a teacher, and even though our school system is not perfect, we have the latest technology in our classrooms, and dedicated teachers/staff.

Just thought I would put in a plug for the Picture Province

I agree with SandraB - there's no life like life in the Maritimes (New Brunswick)! You can work in an urban centre, and be in the country in less than 10 minutes! I literally have a 7 minute commute to work - and I work for a very large national company. Spring, summer, winter fall - the Maritimes have it all! I live in New Brunswick - Halifax is more metropolitan if that is your thing - but it's only a few hours' drive if you want to visit on the weekends! And PEI is so beautiful! Love the Maritimes!

 

[Cooljoe]

Here's my 2 cents.


Kelowna - A small city with big city traffic. Rich people live here, but they tend to be retired or work elsewhere. (Economy is heavily based in services and tourism.) Housing is less expensive than Vancouver, but more expensive than Calgary. Great skiing, wineries, and power-boating on Lake Okonogan. Most flights connect through Vancouver, Seattle or Calgary. Airport has only one runway, which can close for 2-3 days in severe winter storms. 8/10


Oh no no no. I have to correct this one. Yes there is a population of rich in Kelowna, since it is one of the nicest places in Canada to live, but it is a small percentage on the total population. The economy is now very diverse, and while tourism is very big still, construction is a good portion now as well and Kelowna has no put itself in the position of a shopping destination for the entire southern interior of BC. Having relatives in Calgary, there is no way Kelowna is more expensive in housing. The airport is now larger with continued expansions, resulting in less reliance on connecting flights. Now to the severe storms closing it for 2-3 days....maybe back in 1940. I have been in the area for 30 years and have never seen it close for more than a couple hours, and that is maybe once a year. The Okanagan region as a whole, where Kelowna is, gets less snow in the winter than most of the US does these days. We are lucky to have white Christmas'. The only part that is true is the traffic, which can get hairy throughout the Okanagan in summer when the tourism season is in full swing.
All in all tho, I have been around a good portion of Canada and the only places I would ever consider living would be the Okanagan and Victoria.

 

[Syzygy]

Thanks for all the input! I greatly appreciate it. Any advice on how might be the best way to visit the following three areas for comparison:

- Ontario (Burlington, Guelph, Oakville, Waterloo)
- Alberta (Calgary)
- New Brunswick / East Coast (Fredericton, Moncton, Halifax)

Any good/cheap flight options/airlines between the three areas? Any favorite neighborhoods, pictures, likes/dislikes, cost of living, pros/cons, etc?

Thanks again!

 

[ccudmore]

I can't offer you specifics abou any of the individual places, but if you want to see them all for comparison it's going to be quite expensive. It's a least 2-3 hours of flying time between each of those three stops so even with seat sales it'll be expensive. Plus Canadian airport taxes are very high so even a $200 advertised one-way fare will probably cost you over $400. Plus you'll have to rent a car in each stop to drive to all of the places you want to see.

 

[drag n' fly]

Since your thread was closed on the cb I suggest you skip all the drama and misinformed people and just move to Calgary. Toronto is a fantastic city....their mayor on the other hand is another story lol.

 

[Momloveshockey]

Go New Brunswick!!! Moncton is a great place to live and you can easily connect with wherever via the airport! If you want save a bit of $$ fly into Bangor Maine and then drive to NB...keep on the highway and you'll end up in NS or you can cross the bridge and see PEI...But being a bit biased...Moncton is awesome and we have English and French univ. Housing is WAY cheaper than out west.

 

[monkeyknuckler]

I think that the person who wrote the original list was probably the Mayor of Brandon Manitoba. Nobody else would have included that town. I spent a week there one afternoon.

 

[CdnCarrie]

I think that the person who wrote the original list was probably the Mayor of Brandon Manitoba. Nobody else would have included that town. I spent a week there one afternoon.

What's wrong with Brandon?

 

[hockeymomNS]

Living 30 minutes from downtown Halifax, I have to chime in.

No place like the east coast. Within 30 minutes, I can be on the waterfront in Halifax, relaxing on the lake, swimming in the ocean or skiing (not quite mountains, but enough for fun). We have 4 seasons, housing is reasonable and my youngest is 18 and is the last of the babies to take advantage of living within 40 minutes of 4 universities.....everyone has lived at home and graduated debt free because of it. On the "raising kids" note, we have excellent french immersion programs and all of my children are bilingual.
I could go on.......but research for yourself and see what is a good fit for you.

 

[Spritie]

I'll throw my hat in for Edmonton as well. Its a beautiful city with a gorgeous river valley running through it. Housing prices are quite low in comparison with other major cities (in fact I just bought my first house! ). Our summers are filled with festivals from Heritage Days, to the Fringe Festival and farmers markets throughout the city. We are further from the mountains but have an abundance of lakes and beautiful prairie scenery. Winters are cold, I won't kid you on that front, but the city averages more hours of sunshine than any other major city, even in the cold seasons. I absolutely love the west coast but I found the winters grey and depressing.

Alberta is a bit more conservative than other areas but Edmonton has always tended to have a more liberal bent.

If you're looking for something suburban, St.Albert and Sherwood Park are smaller and about 15, 20 minutes out of the city. There are also newer developments on the outskirts of Edmonton as well that are pretty affordable.

Personally I currently live in the Oliver neighbourhood which is beautiful - tree lined streets, historic houses, excellent transit, close to both universities and the downtown core. Unfortunately unless you are looking for a condo, there isn't much for housing. I just bought in a neighbourhood just outside of the core, near High Street which is a really nice area as well. The only neighbourhood I would strongly advise against is Alberta Avenue although the city is working hard to revitalize the area.

 

[monkey30]

Thanks for all the input! I greatly appreciate it. Any advice on how might be the best way to visit the following three areas for comparison:

- Ontario (Burlington, Guelph, Oakville, Waterloo)
- Alberta (Calgary)
- New Brunswick / East Coast (Fredericton, Moncton, Halifax)

Any good/cheap flight options/airlines between the three areas? Any favorite neighborhoods, pictures, likes/dislikes, cost of living, pros/cons, etc?

Thanks again!

Well I will say a few things about Calgary, I have lived there most of my life till we moved to Camrose (which is a great option it you dont mind the 40 min drive to Edmonton!!)


cALGARY zOO
Calaway Park
Calgary Stampede
Great paths and park ways
Science center (they just built a new one!)
There is lots to do or see. Cochrane is a short drive, but nice! We use to go for McKays Ice creame there. Elbow falls is just west of the city great place to have picnic or roast some hot dogs!

There is so much to do and see there. Now for living it all depends on the price you want to spend and what you want to be close to. down town areas you are looking at bigger $$$ out skirts of Calgary they are further away depending on the house you want is about 200k and up for a newer one. Most areas have great bus systems to get to and from downtown.

Your best bet is to go and look around find someone who is willing to tour around with you, and dont be afraid to ask people, I have found a lot of people that are willing to help you and anwser questions!

 

[Lady Elle]

Vancouver is so nice!

 

[shenaniganzz]

I'm was born in Toronto and live in Ottawa.

I would never even consider Toronto for a place to live. That city stresses me out! It's very busy, smoggy and the driving/traffic makes me want to down a bottle of Xanax. On the plus side, there is so much to do in Toronto and the surrounding cities and towns.

Ottawa is beautiful. I don't find it nearly as hectic as Toronto BUT it is on the boring side... great if you like that, but you won't find the variety and diversity of some other Canadian cities. It's very conservative being the nation's capital.

You will not find employment easily without speaking French. We're enrolling our daughter in immersion this year so she can avoid the struggle others in our family had due to lack of French.

I have family that lives in Barrie and it seems really pretty and clean and is reasonably close to the major hub of Toronto. I don't know about employment though.

As for health care, there are definite advantages to it being publicly funded BUT the quality has diminished and there are long wait times to see specialists. I rely heavily on RateMDs so I can request doctors that have a good reputation, rapport with patients, etc. and sometimes we have requested our doctor refer us out of city to be seen sooner.

I would disagree that better care is offered in larger cities versus smaller ones. That isn't always the case. In fact, often doctors with many years of experience will move to a smaller town with the goal of slowing down closer to their retirement. You cannot judge a doctor by the size of his/her town and this is why I rely more on what I read about them online.

Incidentally, we just took my niece to Kingston to see an ENT after being told she'd wait at least half a year here to see one. The ENT she saw has impressive education and experience.. as good or better than any doctor here. You'd be lucky to get an MRI in less than a year and that's even agreeing to be seen at odd hours (like 2 am!).

As with anything, there are pros and cons but I'll gladly work around the kinks and stick with our system.

 

[minnie56]

I live in Oakville so really can only speak to that.
It's a city of almost 200,000 people yet somehow for the most part still has that small town feel if that's possible? Very close to Lake Ontario, 45 mnutes to the border for shopping/travelling, 25 minutes into Toronto, great restaurants, great schools (many private), pretty main drag in old downtown Oakville. I love living here! That said, it's not the cheapest place to live but location wise, accessible to so many places!