HELP!!!! Moving to Canada.... still confused which province

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 19 August 2013 - 22:38

Angel Joy, having moved from Dubai to Calgary last November, I would like to enlighten you on some Calgary 'quirks', which may assist your location decision making. Firstly, they don't call Calgary 'cow town' for nothing, unless you live in the inner city (down town area) there is little to do and next to no culture. It's also extremely expensive, to the point that certain baby items are cheaper in Dubai. This is an oil and gas town, the cost of living here is high for that reason. A Toronto friend of mine said a loaf of bread costs twice as much here than Toronto. So unless your husband or you are in oil and gas, then your salary's will be much lower and hence it's far more difficult to live. If you both work then child care is almost impossible, all the registered well run professional child care centres are booked out years in advance. So from a budget perspective you would have to consider a full time nanny ( children attending school is not quite as bad ... I am told) and for that you need to look at 2k to 2.5k gross a month or one of these unlicensed/ unregulated day homes. Leasing a car is not simple, nor do they cater to expats like us, no Diamond Lease etc. Unless you have a residents visa, getting a car loan is almost impossible, so if you will be on a 2 year visa initially, keep this in mind. This may may apply to all of Canada.... Rents have gone up 40% in Calgary this year ( according to a real estate document I read on the weekend), every one here owns, rentals... Well quality rentals are hard to find, especially on a budget. In a nutshell it's expensive. Vancouver I am told is expensive re rent, but from what I understand you can 'live' cheaper. Most people enjoy their time in Vancouver. I have met 2 British ladies so far who have been here over 25 years (in Calgary) and they still hate it. Winters here are loooong...pretty much 9 months. Though at least it's sunny in winter. Summer has been a complete bomb here, with flooding and swarms of insects in biblical proportions. Though I am reliably informed this is not the norm... Just bad luck on our part. If you ski, then great, Canmore and Banff are just up the road...as long as the road doesn't get washed away again! Oh and don't expect the driving to be any better... The Deerfoot trail ( otherwise known as the 'other SZR' in our house) is just like driving in Dubai. Cowboys in giant trucks, tailgating and bullying, road rage ... And this even happens in the snow. 20 car pile ups and multiple deaths are common ... Frankly it's safer to drive to Al Ain! It does have some perks, most people speak English, and if you have children the medical system is not bad and free... Though don't expect to get a family doctor with ease, the doctors office near my house hasn't take on patients in 8 years! Though they do have fairly good walk in clinics, so it's not the end of the world. Needless to say, come with your eyes wide open. Don't expect a better life immediately, it takes ages and people in Calgary aren't your typical 'friendly Canadians'. We thought we were doing the right thing, and frankly, the sooner I am in the departure lounge at Calgary airport heading for The Middle East the better.

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Lolacat

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EW EXPERT

Latest post on 19 August 2013 - 16:14

Hi, Maybe if you can tell us a little more about what kind of lifestyle you want to have then the advice can be more focused. I think both places are very nice but quite different too. For example, Vancouver is typically warmer during the winters but is often rainy... Toronto is colder in the winter but more sun and still easy access to the outdoors. Both places are very multicultural, Vancouver feels more fresh and exciting, Toronto has much more of a "stable" feeling to it. I've lived in both places before and although I enjoyed both, I would say I enjoyed Vancouver more. People get out more and the lifestyle is more active and enthusiastic. Both places are easy for young children... Hope that helps you somewhat :)

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