# Help, Guidance, Direction and Crystal Ball needed!



## Rigsbyvw (Jan 16, 2014)

Hi all,

We are a family of four, my wife, son of 8, daughter of 11 and myself 40 years young!
We live on the south coast of England in the New Forest, a wonderful part of this diverse country. The forest is beautiful and we have close friends and family, the schools are great and my wife works at the local primary, you would think we would want for nothing and be happy where we are. But in reality life is short and things have recently changed regarding my work and we have all been discussing the possibility of moving abroad. Whilst we love it here the weather can and often is really depressing, the summers are often cold and wet and the winters are cold and wet, there is a pattern forming here! The summers are so short and sporadic that planning a UK getaway is difficult, holiday plans can often be washed (literally) away in a campsite in Devon and flying to Spain or such is commonplace to try and get that guaranteed sun for those overpriced school holidays. With wet and cold winters (that often have no snow much to the annoyance of us all), again means getting on a plane and going away to France or some other european expensive snowy destination. You cant help but start to think there must be a place that has real seasons out there, Sun and sun bathing in the summer and snow with skiing in the winter all with a good standard of living to boot! Asking to much? After hours on the net reading positives and negatives about everywhere, we all honed in on Canada. The wilderness is beautiful, vast and largely unspoilt the schools appear often on par with the UK (if you know where to go) and the majority of people speak English, but it is also very diverse with influences from many cultures, the economy is rated highly and above all else you can sun bath in the summer and ski in the winter! 

But.. there is always a but, thanks to the wonder of the internet, if you want to here good things about anything you can find it and equally the bad. We were all getting really excited about coming to Canada on holiday, to get a clearer perspective of what Canada is like we had planned to come when the snow has all gone and the sun has yet to burn its way through the clouds, a deliberate act to ensure we all had a reality check as coming in the throws of winter with everything covered in picturesque snow or summer and all in bloom would only give a view of the idillic life and not the reality of life all year round, a sensible choice we thought. Then we found a site that cast a dark cloud upon what was becoming a silver lining. Indicating that many cities have really bad air quality some bloggers blaming the steel industry in Hamilton for various cancers over a wide area, ineffective gun laws that have resulted in millions guns being in the hands the general public, cities with populations that are decreasing as people leave due to high crime rates, drugs, poverty and poor employment. I understand the UK has its problems and Canada is a very large place and it cant all be perfect but I want to get it right and if we visit Canada with the eyes of people who are potential citizens, we need to go to the right places and get the right advise.

If I was asked by a visitor to the UK where to go I would not tell them to go to London, I would suggest Devon for a cream tea or the New Forrest to see the wild horses and beautiful ancient forests or Scotland with its mesmerising landscapes and Whisky! People that come to the UK and see only London and fly out get a false impression of what the UK really has to offer, please do not get me wrong London has many positives, architecture, history the West end with the shows the list really could go on, but it is a city with millions of people and not all of the UK is covered in high rise buildings as was the belief of a Australian I met some years ago in Darwin, (he believed that with such a small country and close to 65 million people we must all live on top of each other! 
We are looking for a place that has a large enough population to warrant all the typical amenities you would find in say Southampton with suburbs that trail off into county side and then small villages, pockets of communities that have a school and a few shops and the "main" town is a 15 minute drive away, close but not to close. That is where we want to be, we are not city people but we don't want to have to drive an hour to get milk and three hours to go to the cinema. Asking a lot I know but if we get it right we could be skiing in Canada as residence next winter!

Any feedback positive or negative really is appreciated, many thanks


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

Then we found a site that cast a dark cloud upon what was becoming a silver lining. Indicating that many cities have really bad air quality some bloggers blaming the steel industry in Hamilton for various cancers over a wide area, ineffective gun laws that have resulted in millions guns being in the hands the general public, cities 
with pop
ulations that are decreasing as people leave due to high crime rates, drugs, poverty and poor employment. I understand the UK has its problems and Canada is a very large place and it cant all be perfect but I want to get it right and if we visit Canada with the eyes of people who are potential citizens, we need to go to the right places and get the right advise.

Yesterday I wrote a lengthy reply to your post. Somehow it got lost in space so didn't get posted. Suffice to say that after almost 50 years in Canada I refute most of the above comments. There are always those disgruntled who write negative reports about other countries.
I have never heard or read anything about extraordinary cancer rates in and around Hamilton. I'm sure in earlier years emissions from the steel plants caused concern just as I'm sure they did in The UK. It is no longer an issue as far as I'm aware.
Most guns in Canada are long guns owned by farmers and hunters. Handguns are generally not allowed without Police permits. Our proximity to the US border means smuggling does occur and involves illegal importation of handguns however, IMO, our Police have it monitored/controlled. It is certainly not an issue for me and my family.
So where are these decreasing populations. Canada is huge and people move around for employment and relocation. The country allows approximately 250,000 immigrants annually. If it had open borders literally millions would flood in each year.
Canada isn't perfect by any standard. Yes we have crime, poverty, employment issues. In today's world every country does at some level. In most lifestyle studies done Canada invariably comes out very close to the top. Good housing, education, healthcare, proximity to USA render it so.
For you I would recommend you stay in your comfortable life. However if Canada is still on your radar I would recommend you visit the Okanagan Valley area of BC and the cities of Kelowna and Kamloops. I think all or most of your lifestyle needs can be met there.
Much Good Luck.


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## luvcanada (Nov 10, 2011)

Rigsbyvw said:


> Hi all,
> Then we found a site that cast a dark cloud upon what was becoming a silver lining. Indicating that many cities have really bad air quality some bloggers blaming the steel industry in Hamilton for various cancers over a wide area, ineffective gun laws that have resulted in millions guns being in the hands the general public, cities with populations that are decreasing as people leave due to high crime rates, drugs, poverty and poor employment.
> 
> Any feedback positive or negative really is appreciated, many thanks


I don't know what country you are referring to but that is not Canada. Let me address the specific points above. Hamilton is no longer a steel town. Virtually all the steel companies have been bought out by US firms to reduce competition and then closed down. There is not much of any steel industry left in Hamilton. 

The gun laws are fairly EFFECTIVE. Sure there are guns in Canada, likely more per capita than in the UK but these are mostly illegal and are brought in from the US - the gun capital of the world. There are NOT millions of guns and they are not in the hands of the general public. Toronto, with a population of 2.5 million had 33 shooting deaths in 2012. In virtually everyone of these the victim knew the shooter, either it was a domestic problem or gang on gang violence. 

The populations of the major cities are not decreasing. The population of Toronto proper is increasing both from foreign immigration and from migration from the suburbs back to the city. 

A recent air quality report in one part of Toronto mentioned that the air was bad because of the cancer causing particles in the air primarily caused by car and truck emissions. This was hyped by the news outlets. However, what was not high lighted but was mentioned in the same report is that the over city air quality is better than it was in 2004.

Regarding places to live. I lived in Toronto since I moved to Canada about 35 years ago. Only recently I moved to the suburbs because I was retiring. I raised two children in Toronto and was happy to do so. There were many attractions, educational opportunities and interesting things to do that they could attend on their own while still in their early teens. I have met young people who lived in small towns who were exposed to more drugs than my kids were in Toronto. And because there is often not much to do in small towns, drugs sometimes become the recreation of choice.

It sounds like you want to live in a small town or village and be near a large metropolitan area. I cannot speak for the whole country but there are many areas like this in south western Ontario from the Windsor area to the GTA (Greater Toronto Area).

Canada is a great place to live and to raise a family. I love Toronto but currently there are more jobs in Alberta and Saskatchewan. But be prepared for very frigid winters.

Good luck and don't get turned off by those who have an axe to grind.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

Rigsbyvw said:


> Then we found a site that cast a dark cloud upon what was becoming a silver lining. Indicating that many cities have really bad air quality some bloggers blaming the steel industry in Hamilton for various cancers over a wide area


Your first mistake is listening to bloggers.

I live half an hour away from Hamilton and did my PhD program at McMaster University in Hamilton and I have never heard of Hamilton being some kind of cancer hotspot. Don't believe the crap these bloggers post, especially as they will likely have an agenda of some sort. And even if there was poor air quality in Hamilton, you wouldn't have to live anywhere near there would you?





> ineffective gun laws that have resulted in millions guns being in the hands the general public



This is a complete load of crap. Canada actually has _very_ strict gun control laws. The gun culture exists in the US, not in Canada. I have been here the majority of my life and do not know a single person who owns a handgun and only a couple who own rifles (and they were hunters so it makes sense for them to own rifles). Whatever blog you read was full of crap.

As I said, I have lived here most of my life and not only have I never seen a gun crime, I do not know anyone who has ever been a victim of a gun crime nor have I ever actually seen a handgun. Not ever.




> cities with populations that are decreasing as people leave due to high crime rates, drugs, poverty and poor employment.



That sounds like the US, not Canada. Are you sure the blogs were talking about Canada and not the US? Our cities are thriving and drugs, poverty, etc. aren't the big issues here that they are elsewhere (ie. the US). Besides, Canada is far far bigger than you realize (the entire United Kingdom would fit into Canada 40.98 times!) so things are not the same in Vancouver as they are in Winnipeg or Toronto or Halifax.

Seriously, you need to stop listening to the crap these blogs are spewing. Believing this ****e is like reading the _Daily Mail_ and thinking that it offers an accurate portrait of what Britain is like.







> We are looking for a place that has a large enough population to warrant all the typical amenities you would find in say Southampton with suburbs that trail off into county side and then small villages, pockets of communities that have a school and a few shops and the "main" town is a 15 minute drive away, close but not to close.



As I said above, the entire UK would fit into Canada 40.98 times (hell the entire UK would fit into just the province of Ontario 4.41 times!) so Canada is unbelievably diverse. You would need to narrow down what you want weather wise, employment wise, culture wise, etc. and the decide which provinces you might want to consider living in. Once you do that, you can narrow down areas to look at within those provinces.


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## Rigsbyvw (Jan 16, 2014)

Auld Yin said:


> Then we found a site that cast a dark cloud upon what was becoming a silver lining. Indicating that many cities have really bad air quality some bloggers blaming the steel industry in Hamilton for various cancers over a wide area, ineffective gun laws that have resulted in millions guns being in the hands the general public, cities
> with pop
> ulations that are decreasing as people leave due to high crime rates, drugs, poverty and poor employment. I understand the UK has its problems and Canada is a very large place and it cant all be perfect but I want to get it right and if we visit Canada with the eyes of people who are potential citizens, we need to go to the right places and get the right advise.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the time you have taken to read and respond, I appreciate the clarification you have provided regarding the few negative pieces of information we found... the web can hinder as well as help!! We are aware of the many positives and that is why we are looking to relocate to Canada. You recommenced we stay with our comfortable life, well life is short and there is so much to see and do, the last ten years have passed in a heartbeat and before we know it retirement will be on the cards. We are looking at the areas you have indicated and the short time you have taken to evaluate our predicament could well change the or at least influence the decision we make and ultimately our future.
Many thanks..


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## andrewsmith (Jan 25, 2014)

I would definitely recommend Kelowna. Have travelled through and lived in alot of areas of Canada and chose Kelowna for the scenery, weather (hot dry summers and fluffy snow in the winter) it is liacated on a 90 mile fresh water lake and the city has all the medical and education facilities you could need including a community college and University Of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO) Love it here in the Okanagan Valley!!


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

andrewsmith said:


> I would definitely recommend Kelowna. Have travelled through and lived in alot of areas of Canada and chose Kelowna for the scenery, weather (hot dry summers and fluffy snow in the winter) it is liacated on a 90 mile fresh water lake and the city has all the medical and education facilities you could need including a community college and University Of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO) Love it here in the Okanagan Valley!!




But according to Statistics Canada, the crime rate there is very high:


Crime rate spikes in Kelowna - The Globe and Mail


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