# Family moving from ireland to regina



## sengland (Jan 13, 2014)

Hi am just wondering if anybody could let me know some information about Regina ? we are hoping to move from Ireland as my husband has been offered a job and all of us are going to make the move , I am just wondering what is the best area to rent a house in? we have 3 children and are really looking for a quiet neighbourhood, with schools close by. I am just really looking for some advice on the move as we are very nervous thanks :fingerscrossed:


----------



## Wexford_Ireland (Mar 6, 2012)

Hi

General advice seems to be stay away from either of the hospitals and surrounding areas or the stadium.

North West corner is good and shops are walkable, south east anywhere off grant road is nice. People rave about the cathedral quarter, I didn't like it. I thought the houses looked cramped, on top of each other and in a lot of cases in poor state of repair. My tuppence.
If you want to spend money go out to Harbour Landing areas.

Use kijjjjjjjjiiiiiiiiiiii thingymajiggy to look at houses for rent and the open google maps and use the little yellow man for a street view of the area. Be warned Canadian architecture is a lot different to ours, houses on top of each other, appear to be dilapidated, no front fence or walls around gardens etc. The weather takes a toll on painted sidings of houses so they appear worse than they are. Remember house sizes ignore basements so a 900 sq. foot actually can be 1800 sq. feet if you include basement. Interiors seem to be dated somewhere between 1975 and 1980. Don’t expect to see many built in ovens, integrated hobs. Do expect to see a standalone hob and oven that your mother used. Lots of wood on the interiors as well. Nothing wrong with any of that, different strokes for different folks and once your eye gets dialled into it you’ll be fine.

Apart from the above mentioned areas there aren’t good areas bad areas like Ireland. You can’t drive into an area and say that’s good or that area looks like they sleep with their horses in the front room. Very mixed up socially, so doctors live next to mechanics, mechanics live next to bin man etc. One row of similar houses will have a huge range of people.

Have a root around here and do a search for Regina, lots of good info.

Rents are very expensive, you could rent in Oakville Toronto for the same price. Figure 1200 up to 1800 for a decent 3 bed or smaller four bed. Houses – utilities are usually extra, condos (apartments to us) utilities included. If you or your husband are going to be working outside then factor in buying good quality winter work wear, under clothes, yes even long johns. Expect your employer to provide you with the bare minimum to allow you to function outside and that you’ll top up with high quality layers of your own. Also learn how to use tools with gloves on 
Population is about the size of Cork but a bigger place, more spread out. Dead flat, no traffic to speak of, their idea of a traffic jam would make you giggle if you’ve ever negotiated Dublin or Cork. Budget to buy a car, cheap runabouts are there but you need to keep a close eye on the classifieds. Insurance and road tax/licence plate is all combined. Figure about 1100 to 1300 dollars all in per annum (700 to 850 euro) which is a bit less than you’ll pay here for tax and insurance. Everybody says the public transport is poor.

People very friendly, place is very clean compared to Ireland. No graffiti, no dog poo in the parks, no play parks vandalised or the plastic half burnt off. Very dry almost semi-arid, very sunny; comically sunny. Mosquitoes and noseeums in summer for a few weeks, buy shares in DEET products and shower every day in DEET and you’ll be ok. 

Mobile phones expensive, ESB and heating dirt cheap, in fact utilities way cheaper than Ireland. Petrol cheaper but bigger cars and longer distances. Flying out of Regina anywhere is expensive, 7 hours nonstop driving will have you in Calgary or Edmonton (largest N. American mall there) Prices don’t have tax included but food( or at least ingredients, meat etc) are tax free. Everything else has federal tax and provincial tax at 5% and 5% percent. Compare that to 23% VAT and you keep on smiling.

US border is a few hours south but then you’re in the middle of nowhere in the US so a few more hours’ drive to shop etc but I’ve been told you can make Yellowstone National Park north East entrance in under 10 hours driving . Get used to everywhere else being x number of hours away, Estevan 2 hours south east, Saskatoon 2 hours north, Qu’Appelle valley (google it, nice place) 45 min north east, Cypress Hills 2 hours west etc etc etc

If all of that is coming across a negative then console yourself that that’s as negative as I can be about the place. Sure winters are beyond harsh. But the sun is shining, you don’t have your kitchen light turned on all day under a monotonous cloud of grey. The crime rate is high compared to the rest of Canada, but it’s laughable compared to Ireland. They report everything and the major crime is contained within a specific area and community in Regina and doesn’t tend to spill out to the rest of the population. If you want to worry about something look at their road deaths and serious injuries. Saskatchewanians seem to approach driving as a huge game of dodgems.

Schooling is good across the board but they start later at age minimum 5 so your kids will think it’s a bit remedial unless you can get your kids into a year older class but then they’ll be hanging around with kids that are older, tough call.

PM me if you want any more info, I’ve been over there and will be moving there this spring.


----------



## sengland (Jan 13, 2014)

Thank you so much for your information it s very helpful  are you in the process of moving or have you been living there! myself and my husband are going over for a week the end of next month and then hope to make the permanent move the end of April/May:fingerscrossed: I hope to get a feel for the place when we visit. we are from a very small town in Tipperary and moving to a city is a bit daunting !! i won t be working as we have a baby so my house and area are really important. Been on a few sites looking at houses and was bit disappointed with what i seen i will be sad to leave my lovely house but i suppose you are right , i will adapt


----------



## Wexford_Ireland (Mar 6, 2012)

Did you get to go? or are there now?. Right now Saskatchewan has another one of those infamous polar vortex thingies so temps are very low. even the locals are complaining!!! And a low of -38C expected on Saturday!! Add in some wind chill and that'll be pretty grim.

I'll be relocated there at end of March when I hope the temps will have come back to more normal for the season. Right now it should be varying between about -6 during the day to -17 at night. I've walked miles in Regina in -6 and its fine nothing like -6 here.

Hopefully March will see a return to more normal temps and when I arrive it should be closer to highs of +4 and lows of -6.


----------



## dlparry (Mar 27, 2014)

i have lived in regina for just over a year and would recommend living in the North West, close to Rochdale area as there are plenty of shops and a library, gym and leisure centre within walking which means that if you need to you can get by with only one car to start with and still get out and about. there is also regular buses into the city centre. downside to this is house prices are more expensive than some other parts in the city. 

One thing I would disagree with wexford on is schooling, check out the schools carefully, ask about class sizes etc, find out also whethere or not your child can get the school bus and where from, its not fun walking in the middle of winter and therefore you will need a car to do school runs. we have moved out of the city to a town nearby and the classroom sizes are approximately 15-20 children to a class whereas in the city they are 30-31 in a class. 

when looking for a mobile phone tv and internet look around to see what discounts you can get for having all with one provider and also make sure you get a contract for your mobile rather than pay as you go as here you pay for making calls and receiving calls which can add up, sasktel's top mobile plan is about $65 a month and well worth it. On the note of TV it is really bad here! unless you like american programmes like csi, criminal minds etc. Come the summer tho you won't watch much tv as there is plenty to do. 

although canadians are very friendly because it is a city we found that everyone went to work, came home and kept to themselves. it was hard to make friends. it wasnt until we moved out of the city that we have done so, rent is also alot cheaper if you live out of the city so if you are willing to drive 40 minutes or even an hour to work then look at places around regina. bear in mind tho that to drive from one end of regina to the other can take 20 minutes ! if you have any questions please ask.

wexford the weather is starting to warm up and i think another couple of weeks and it will be over the zero mark lol


----------



## Purley (Mar 27, 2014)

I agree that the north west is pretty nice. I wouldn't live anywhere else. If you get stuck for a place to live, you can always contact me. We have friends who own various apartments and condos. I probably wouldn't want to live in an apartment permanently, but they would certainly be good for when you first arrive.

We belong to the Welsh Society and I know that there is an Irish group here too, if you are interested in that. Don't know too much about it, but I have friends who do.

If you want a nice school, choose St Angela. It's in Maple Ridge. My granddaughter went there and its a really, really nice school. I thought it was good. I have heard complaints that it's a bit "elitist" - doesn't have many . . . shall we say umm - of the criminal type element. I don't want to make too many comments! Whether or not your child can take the school bus depends on how far you live from the school. You don't have to send your child to the nearest school I don't think. My granddaughter was in French Immersion and the classes were always small. She is 20 and still has friends she met in kindergarten. 

I don't like Harbour Landing. It's seems to have expensive houses, beside apartment blocks that look like they were made out of mobile homes piled on top of one another. 

If you want to get to know people, wait until the good weather comes. Hard to meet people in the cold weather. At least we haven't had any of those storms that they have had down east. A friend of mine has been in Toronto for two days, trying to get to Newfoundland for some event. She says she will get there about the time they are due to go home.


----------



## ksmith247 (Apr 1, 2014)

*mooving from scotland to regina, or alberta*

Hello there, myself, my husband and our two children are going through the process at the moment to re-locate to canada and we are generally in the same boat looking for information on good areas etc or areas to avoid. My husband is a master technician/diagnostics HGV mechanic and we have been looking at regina, alberta and possibly calgary. 
Ideally we need to be close to the local schools and in a family, child friendly location.
Thanks in advance and any help would be greatly appreciated .


----------



## Purley (Mar 27, 2014)

Calgary is a lot bigger than Regina. I don't know much about Calgary so I won't comment much. I think the winters are as cold and snowy although they do get Chinooks when the weather warms up for a short while. Also, I think it gets quite cool in the evenings in summer, whereas the evenings are warmer here.

I guess it all depends on what you are looking for. I think it's quite easy to get to know people in a smaller city, but seeing I haven't tried anywhere else, that is just guesswork. 

I have some friends who emigrated here from the UK about 10 years ago. They live outside the city in an acreage. They obviously love it there. They have horses and have made a lot of friends. If you have children, you get to meet your kids' friends' parents. So that is a good way to get new friends.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.


----------



## ksmith247 (Apr 1, 2014)

Thank u for all your advice, we had a call from our globalforce rep asking us to look into grande prairie as seemingly a lot of high paying jobs for husband! We had a look and done some research but hearing conflicting opinions! 
You don't happen to know about that area do you? I must admit I keep going back to Regina as I love the look of the place and all it has to offer! Suppose we will just have to read up a little more so we can make an informed decision when the time comes!


----------



## conflict73 (Oct 18, 2013)

ksmith247 said:


> Thank u for all your advice, we had a call from our globalforce rep asking us to look into grande prairie as seemingly a lot of high paying jobs for husband! We had a look and done some research but hearing conflicting opinions!
> You don't happen to know about that area do you? I must admit I keep going back to Regina as I love the look of the place and all it has to offer! Suppose we will just have to read up a little more so we can make an informed decision when the time comes!


Think of all the possible pros and cons; Regina more of a livable city, mote amenities, GP closet to wilderness, outdoors etc skiing.
Prob more culture wise on Regina, depends on your needs. You moving from Scotland or Ireland? Either way, not too many expats in GP.


----------



## Purley (Mar 27, 2014)

Grand Prairie is pretty far north. I wouldn't fancy it myself. It's cold here in winter but the summers are usually lovely. I wouldn't fancy somewhere with long cold winters and cool summers!

It says forestry is the industry. I have heard bad things about living near pulp mills and saw mills. Maybe you should go there and take a look before deciding. Perhaps there is a part of the city away from the industry. Someone I know went to a sawmill in northern Saskatchewan. He said the noise was horrendous. It would be a good place to send your kids to convince them to work hard in school so they didn't have to work there!!


----------



## Purley (Mar 27, 2014)

I can't figure out how to edit my last post. 

I was getting Grand Prairie mixed up with High River. Don't know why I always mix them up. High River is near Calgary. That wouldn't be bad. Grand Prairie is miles from anywhere. Sorry if anyone here lives there but I can't imagine why anyone would want to live way up there. It looks like it's a 5 hour drive to Edmonton. 

When we were planning to move to Canada, we originally intended to move to Vancouver, but the people at Canada House persuaded us that Regina was much better for my husband's job. He was a butcher/meat cutter. This was 40 plus years ago and Regina was like the back of beyond back then. I think it hadn't been too long since women were allowed in the bars!!! We decided that someone got a bonus if they persuaded some poor idiot to move to Regina or Winnipeg rather than Vancouver.

Things have greatly improved here since then. We are one of the "have" provinces now. We are getting a brand new football stadium in the next couple of years. 

I think perhaps the bonuses are going to people who manage to persuade someone to move to Grand Prairie!! It's probably not unattractive and there are probably friendly people living there, but I can't imagine wanting go moved from anywhere in the UK to somewhere so far from any other civilization.


----------



## conflict73 (Oct 18, 2013)

Purley said:


> I can't figure out how to edit my last post.
> 
> I was getting Grand Prairie mixed up with High River. Don't know why I always mix them up. High River is near Calgary. That wouldn't be bad. Grand Prairie is miles from anywhere. Sorry if anyone here lives there but I can't imagine why anyone would want to live way up there. It looks like it's a 5 hour drive to Edmonton.
> 
> ...


You're wrong, it is unattractive and can be quite unfriendly, lol. It's got a lot of things that bigger cities have apart from its own personality but there yougo. If you like nature etc its great but you're right its not Calgary.


----------



## dlparry (Mar 27, 2014)

i would say look at flight paths and flight availability - it might sound silly but internal flights can be just as expensive as going from uk to canada, how many aeroplanes will you need to get, how long will it take - these will all have an affect on who visits you and whether you go back to scotland for visits and thus affect whether or not you will get to see your family as much as you had hoped. to get to regina you can come via calary or toronto so not to many stops if you plan it right but not sure about GP. 

look at the cost of living and compare - yes wages might be higher in gp but is the cost of living higher? check out facebook as sometimes you will find facebook pages relating to the areas and you may get more firsthand info from there


----------



## ksmith247 (Apr 1, 2014)

Thank you for advice, we hav looked into all the flights etc and costs of living, we think we would prefer Regina! And just as we wer doin more research last night, a potential employer called husband an set up Skype interview for later today! Fingers crossed! And thank you to all who shared advice, it is really appreciated! 

Xx


----------



## Purley (Mar 27, 2014)

With Skype and Facetime, it's a lot easier to stay in touch with family now.


----------



## dealdish (Mar 9, 2012)

Hi we are an Irish family living about 2 hours south of regina.We are in Canada 2 years now.If you have any questions email me at [email protected] of luck


----------

