# Winnipeg, Manitoba?



## Irish4 (Mar 4, 2012)

Anyone living here? WHats it like compared to other states/cities in Canada? Is there a lot of work, esp in construction/carpentry? Is it a nice area? 
Thanks 
x


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

Irish4 said:


> Anyone living here? WHats it like compared to other states/cities in Canada? Is there a lot of work, esp in construction/carpentry? Is it a nice area?
> Thanks
> x


Yes, about 700k people live in Winnipeg proper. In Canada we have Provinces not States. It's like all lartge cities, it has both nice and not so nice areas. Verrrrrry cold winters and hot summers. Its nickname is Winterpeg. Why have you selected this city?


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## Irish4 (Mar 4, 2012)

Auld Yin said:


> Yes, about 700k people live in Winnipeg proper. In Canada we have Provinces not States. It's like all lartge cities, it has both nice and not so nice areas. Verrrrrry cold winters and hot summers. Its nickname is Winterpeg. Why have you selected this city?


LOL, thanks wasn't too sure if anyone lived there 
Provinces not states.....thanks for that, Im gonna get a little notbook for these tips. We havn't picked anywhere yet, just looking at options and there is a job OH applied for there.


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

Hi, we live in Winnipeg. Moved here in July 2011. We did all the research possible over a two year period and decided on Winnipeg because we have three young kids and wanted to pick a province that was going to offer them a good lifestyle and Winnipeg certainly does that. Yes, it is otherwise known as Winterpeg but this year we have had the mildest Winter in many years and Ontario has had more snow and low temperatures this year than we have. We live in an area of Winnipeg called Charleswood and it is lovely. The people are soooo friendly, its hard to believe and I actually think they rub off on you cos it does make a difference when people are so friendly. Hence they call Manitoba the friendly province. You will read a lot of negative press about Winnipeg and I certainly would not want you to believe it. I have only good things to say about this place and it has indeed been good to us. Best thing we ever did. We left all our family and friends behind and moved here knowing absolutely nobody and I can honestly say people have taken us into their lives with open arms and are only too happy to support us. Its truly a great place to move to. And the cost of living is a little lower than anywhere else but unfortunately that is changing recently and the rental properties are going up all the time. I think its a sign of the times in Ireland cos when we were first researching Winnipeg I was constantly being asked why Winnipeg, and nobody seemed to want to come here and since we have arrived there has been a massive influx of Irish every other week. We are meeting at least two / three a week now. So good luck with you research and certainly dont rule out Winnipeg as a province to come to. And certainly if you are into the Winter sports and outdoor activities. Its certainly the place to be. Good luck.


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## Irish4 (Mar 4, 2012)

LindaDoyle, thank you so much for sharing with me your experience. So good to hear you and your family have settled in so well. And the Canadians at the RDS expo were so friendly as you say. I dont think Ill mind the snow as Im sure they are better organised for that sort of thing than they would be here 
I'm not ruling anything out except Ireland unfortunatly 

x


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

Your very welcome and like Ive said to others on the forum I am only too happy to help and offer any advice I can to anyone thinking of coming here. Its a huge step to take but one that is right in the current climate back home and particularly when you have children to consider. Their futures are the reason we made this massive decision. I will never forget my last day in Ireland and saying goodbye to my mother who was like my best friend, and that day was probably the worst day of my life but we have come a long way since then and thankfully we have made the right choice and she knows that too. In fact she is coming here next Friday for almost a month so we are very excited. Wishing you all the very best of luck and I sincerely hope it all works out. Keep positive and it will happen. Let me know if you need any other information.


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## canbrack8 (Apr 6, 2012)

*moving to winnipeg*

hi Linda, we are moving to winnipeg in may my husband has landed a job over there,we are moing over there with four girls, could you give us advice on the best areas to rent? schools etc when we get there we are going to be staying in a hotel until we find a house to rent. we are interested in the st vital area? could you advice us on this!


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

canbrack8 said:


> hi Linda, we are moving to winnipeg in may my husband has landed a job over there,we are moing over there with four girls, could you give us advice on the best areas to rent? schools etc when we get there we are going to be staying in a hotel until we find a house to rent. we are interested in the st vital area? could you advice us on this!


hi there, well done on the job, where is it located cos that may be a deciding factor on where you luve, i work in st vital and its a great choice, nice mall, nice houses and parks, good schools, etc. I live in charleswood and im very happy here which is why we stay, its on the expensive side but its beautiful, i would advise you to go on kijiji canada as soon as possible as rentals are very difficult to find at the moment, i can recommend st vital, charleswood and st james as good areas to live, steer clear of thenorth end of the city. If you need any other info let me know, how old are your daughters, ive a thirteen yr old daughter and two sons, five and ten.


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## canbrack8 (Apr 6, 2012)

*winnipeg*

hi linda my husband job is in the north end of the city. But they are relocating to the south end in july. near lindenwoods area of the city, there is not a lot of houses out there to rent. Im on that kijji web site nearly everyday ,rental market is very pricy in winnipeg! I know the area that you live in decides the school catchment area, so i want to make the right choice. MY girls are ages 9, 6,5, 19mths so I am hoping they adapt well to the winnipeg climate! How do you find the eduction system there is it much like home? Do you find cost of living high? Im just wondering could you get by on one wage packet or would we both have to work? thanks


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

canbrack8 said:


> hi linda my husband job is in the north end of the city. But they are relocating to the south end in july. near lindenwoods area of the city, there is not a lot of houses out there to rent. Im on that kijji web site nearly everyday ,rental market is very pricy in winnipeg! I know the area that you live in decides the school catchment area, so i want to make the right choice. MY girls are ages 9, 6,5, 19mths so I am hoping they adapt well to the winnipeg climate! How do you find the eduction system there is it much like home? Do you find cost of living high? Im just wondering could you get by on one wage packet or would we both have to work? thanks


hi, to answer your question about whether or not one wage packet or not will be enough, the answer to that will depend on what your husbands earnings will be and how much your rent ends up being. We are paying 1,500 in charleswood and its a case of me having to work as my OH is an automotive technician and his wages depends on how much cars he fixes (kinda like a piece work system) some weeks he could get 40 hrs in and other weeks he might only get 25 but thats generally in the Winter months. Anyways like i say the earnings will determine whether you have to work or not i think if your husband is working in the South end of the city ( you mentioned lindenwoods) then you should look for a house in the River Heights/Grant park areas. House rentals are very hard to find alright but once you are here you will find something easier than from there cos you have to be ready to jump straight away once you see you. if you live in St. Vital thats also an option but when his job moves to Lindenwoods he will be stuck in very heavy traffic every morning from St. Vital to Lindenwoods. I travel the opposite direction and I see it every morning and Ive often commented that Im so lucky Im going the other way as its bumper to bumper the whole way.

I think River Heights or even Charleswood are the areas you should look at. And i only say that cos he will be in the lindenwoods area working. You will find it virtually impossible to find rental accommodation in Lindenwoods unless you are willing to pay 2,500 a month. i have seen one or two recently for that sort of money.

your girls are at a very good age to make the transition so if you live in River Heights you have an option of Montrose Elementary which is an excellent school, (its actually where I wanted mine to go but we were not in the right district). There is another school to chose from in that area too but i cannot remember the name but both schools are excellent. if you wish to send them to Catholic school there are options too but these are usually heavily booked and also you will have to pay through the nose. The public schooling here is excellent. My sons go to Royal School in Charleswood, my youngest is in kinder and my ten year old in grade 5. Their education has in fact improved since we came here cos my ten year old is doing subjects he is interested in like science and geography where he was bored stupid at home. My five year old had speech and language difficulties at home and we were told it would be a long time before he would speak properly and would need constant speech and language therapy. He went into Royal School and got all the help he needed and he is chatting away now just like any other kid. I cannot say enough about their schooling. I love it and i love the teachers and they way they take an interest in each individual child.

if you would like to send me a pm i can give you my private email address so that we can keep in contact and i can try help you once you have arrived. i got help when I arrived and I needed it so feel free to pm me.

in meantime my advise is to try Charleswood and River Heights for accommodation unless your husband is willing to be up every morning driving through bumper to bumper traffic for perhaps an extra hour each morning. Have a think about it. if you wanted to work you could work part time as your youngest is still very young so i dont know what childcare options are available for a child that age. My youngest was luckily ready to go into kinder so i was able to find work pretty quickly. We wouldnt survive without me working tho cos the cost of livin over here is not cheap. My mam was just here for three weeks and she couldnt believe the cost of living here. Cars are pretty expensive too so you need to weigh up everything but dont go looking at accommodation in north end. Thats one thing you dont want to do.

keep me posted and good luck.

Linda.


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## canbrack8 (Apr 6, 2012)

hi linda thank you very much you are so helpful . I will definitely search out those areas there only so much that you can see from the maps. Its sounds like ye have really embraced the life out there . The schooling system sounds fantastic out there, its great that your kids fitted in so well. I keep you posted


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## canbrack8 (Apr 6, 2012)

hi linda we are in winnipeg now pm me and i will send you on my no?


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

hi canbrack,
sorry im only after seeing this now. i have not been on this site for a while and for some reason I didnt see any notification through my emails that you had replied. i have just sent you a pm so i hope you get it. i would love to meet up with you and hope we can do it soon. im sorry i wasnt online before now. hope to hear from you very soon, xx


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## corktowinnipeg (Aug 12, 2012)

*Faamily relocating to Manitoba*

Hello out there!. My family is planning to relocate from Ireland to Winnipeg early next year. We will be conducting an exploratory visit at the end of this month to look at schools for the kids, housing, jobs etc. Any advise will be immensely appreciated!. I am a Nurse/ Public health specialist and my husband is an Architect/ Construction & Project management. What are the job opportunities etc AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHAT COMMUNITY WILL BE BEST FOR KIDS.


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

corktowinnipeg said:


> Hello out there!. My family is planning to relocate from Ireland to Winnipeg early next year. We will be conducting an exploratory visit at the end of this month to look at schools for the kids, housing, jobs etc. Any advise will be immensely appreciated!. I am a Nurse/ Public health specialist and my husband is an Architect/ Construction & Project management. What are the job opportunities etc AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHAT COMMUNITY WILL BE BEST FOR KIDS.


Hi there and welcome to the forum from myself also Irish from Wexford area. We moved here last July 2011, I've posted lots of info on here under this particular thread and if you read through some of my other replies. Winnipeg is a lovely province to choose to relocate to because there are some similarities to Ireland. And great place to rear kids. If you would like to send me a private mail I will answer any specific questions you might have but in meantime there's a lot of info already on this thread as I have been helping canbrack with info and advice too, have a read above and see what else you wish to know. River heights, st vital and Charleswood are all sought after areas and very safe community to bring up kids. Good luck.


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## corktowinnipeg (Aug 12, 2012)

Hello LindaDoyle,thanks! gr8 to hear back! Will def read through your post. River heights, st vital and Charleswood are among the areas that have come up since our enquiries re best areas for families ....glad to get this confirmation from you. Will get back to you. Hows the transportation in Winnipeg? We will be coming over on the 26th of this month for a week . Is there transportation from the airport ? Hotels appear to be much more expensive than in Ireland........booked the Humphrys inn and suites hotel.....still searching for a cheaper option though.


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

hi again, how much are you being charged for the humphry's inn? i have not heard of that particular place. Let me know how much they are charging you. We stayed at the hotel just beside the hotel on our first night here when we first came out last year on a recce trip. It was the Victoria Inn and Suites. Very basic but the room was grand and cheap enough from what i remember. let me know what you are paying and i can help you find something else perhaps. Transportation in Winnipeg is fine if you are planning on staying down town or within the city. There are buses regular and you also can get taxis if necessary. would you not hire a car for your time here? I know its extra expense but i would advise it to be honest. We found we needed it to get around to all the places we wanted to go and particularly if you guys are going to be job hunting while you are here cos Winnipeg is vast. If you are already booked into the Humphy's for the first night and have paid for it you prob wont get a refund if you cancel. So let me know the story on that one. I dont mind picking you up at the airport and taking you to your hotel. We were met at the airport when we first came out on our exploratory visit and i have to say i was glad to see a friendly face when i landed. plus its a long journey and you will both be wrecked. Are you bringing the kids with you? What ages are they? that will all make a difference to your exploratory visit and where you stay. like i say, i think you should hire a car for your time here. Does your hubby have any interviews lined up already? it would be a good idea to try and secure some job interviews before your arrival cos its very difficult to do what you are hoping to do within a week. have you checked out whether or not you will be able to work here as a nurse? im really not sure if you might have to get your credentials recognised here. Someone else might be able to offer more advice on that score. i know with the trades people from ireland a lot of them have to have their qualifications recognised here. And in my case i worked all my life in Ireland in accountancy but im not in a position to work here in accounting because my skills are not recognised and i wouldnt be comfortable working in that field just yet anyway cos of the differences in taxation, payroll, etc. let me know your situation and i can help you hopefully from there. Good luck. Linda


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## corktowinnipeg (Aug 12, 2012)

*exploratory visit*

Hello again LindaDoyle, many thanks!. Really encouraged!. Humphrys inn is charging 1180 dollars excl. tax for 10 nights. I thought of renting a car but a bit anxious abt driving on d other side of the road. We did not pay for d accomodation yet...only reserved it.We will be coming with our 3 month old. Our other four will be home with grandma...ages 3,5,7 n 9. Hubby has no job interviews yet. Hope he'll be able to get some before we arrive. Any ideas about the construction/architecture sector? .I have been in touch with CRNMB....for the nursing reg ...they said I need to be in Canada as a resident before applying.....there are loads of nursing jobs though...might have to get something else doing till i get reg. I have my masters in public health so hopefully will get something with that. Thank you so so much. Looking forward to hearing from you soon.



LindaDoyle said:


> hi again, how much are you being charged for the humphry's inn? i have not heard of that particular place. Let me know how much they are charging you. We stayed at the hotel just beside the hotel on our first night here when we first came out last year on a recce trip. It was the Victoria Inn and Suites. Very basic but the room was grand and cheap enough from what i remember. let me know what you are paying and i can help you find something else perhaps. Transportation in Winnipeg is fine if you are planning on staying down town or within the city. There are buses regular and you also can get taxis if necessary. would you not hire a car for your time here? I know its extra expense but i would advise it to be honest. We found we needed it to get around to all the places we wanted to go and particularly if you guys are going to be job hunting while you are here cos Winnipeg is vast. If you are already booked into the Humphy's for the first night and have paid for it you prob wont get a refund if you cancel. So let me know the story on that one. I dont mind picking you up at the airport and taking you to your hotel. We were met at the airport when we first came out on our exploratory visit and i have to say i was glad to see a friendly face when i landed. plus its a long journey and you will both be wrecked. Are you bringing the kids with you? What ages are they? that will all make a difference to your exploratory visit and where you stay. like i say, i think you should hire a car for your time here. Does your hubby have any interviews lined up already? it would be a good idea to try and secure some job interviews before your arrival cos its very difficult to do what you are hoping to do within a week. have you checked out whether or not you will be able to work here as a nurse? im really not sure if you might have to get your credentials recognised here. Someone else might be able to offer more advice on that score. i know with the trades people from ireland a lot of them have to have their qualifications recognised here. And in my case i worked all my life in Ireland in accountancy but im not in a position to work here in accounting because my skills are not recognised and i wouldnt be comfortable working in that field just yet anyway cos of the differences in taxation, payroll, etc. let me know your situation and i can help you hopefully from there. Good luck. Linda


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

corktowinnipeg said:


> Hello again LindaDoyle, many thanks!. Really encouraged!. Humphrys inn is charging 1180 dollars excl. tax for 10 nights. I thought of renting a car but a bit anxious abt driving on d other side of the road. We did not pay for d accomodation yet...only reserved it.We will be coming with our 3 month old. Our other four will be home with grandma...ages 3,5,7 n 9. Hubby has no job interviews yet. Hope he'll be able to get some before we arrive. Any ideas about the construction/architecture sector? .I have been in touch with CRNMB....for the nursing reg ...they said I need to be in Canada as a resident before applying.....there are loads of nursing jobs though...might have to get something else doing till i get reg. I have my masters in public health so hopefully will get something with that. Thank you so so much. Looking forward to hearing from you soon.


i looked at humphy's inn online and it looks like a beautiful place to stay and with a 3 month old i think its important you stay somewhere like this. When we came last Feb on our recce trip we came without the kids so booked into very cheap and cheerful accommodation for the first two nights and basically winged it after that. We were lucky tho cos my husbands first interview lead to meeting a lovely couple who actually ended up insisting we stayed the remainder of our two weeks with them. So it worked out incredibly well. With regard to setting up interviews you should send your husbands resume to precon Construction because they are very busy at the moment and my friend is a project manager for them so i can put in a word for him. there is also another company called Shindico but i dont know much about them but do know that they are also working in conjunction with pCL and both are very busy right now. There is lots of construction going on here and i really dont know if its a case of walking onsite and trying to wing it. im not familiar with the construction industry as my husband is an auto technician. We were lucky to set up over ten interviews online before arriving and we had interviews practically every day. We went home armed with lots of job offers. i think it will be important for your husband to try set up interviews ASAP. At the end of the day you dont want to go spending all that money on a trip here and not achieve results. just being practical. the other girl, Canbrack on this forum might be able to throw a few names of companies your way too cos her husband is also in construction. i will be speaking to her during the week and will ask her. in meantime get online and see how many interviews you can secure and even ring pre-con and Shindico if you have to. Google their details online. Good luck and keep me posted. Anything i can do i would be happy to. also mean that about picking you up at the airport. you can have a think about it. Best of luck. linda.


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## corktowinnipeg (Aug 12, 2012)

*Winnipeg*

Hello Linda, I am truly encouraged+++++. I av told my husband to start sending out CVs...hopefully we ll get interviews set up. Yes, we ll stick to Humphrys. We will look at the companies u mentioned and others as well. Thanks so so so much for offering to put in a word for Him with your friend in Precon...that would be absolutely gr8. It would be lovely to hear from Canbrack. We are off to a family hol to waterford castle hotel...d lodges are fab!!!!.....to spend time wiv the kids before we head to Winnipeg...ll miss em so much!!!!!!!!!!. We def need to keep sending out CVs etc while away.We are really looking forward to the Winnipeg trip.... a successful trip of course. Looking forward to hearing from you soon.


LindaDoyle said:


> i looked at humphy's inn online and it looks like a beautiful place to stay and with a 3 month old i think its important you stay somewhere like this. When we came last Feb on our recce trip we came without the kids so booked into very cheap and cheerful accommodation for the first two nights and basically winged it after that. We were lucky tho cos my husbands first interview lead to meeting a lovely couple who actually ended up insisting we stayed the remainder of our two weeks with them. So it worked out incredibly well. With regard to setting up interviews you should send your husbands resume to precon Construction because they are very busy at the moment and my friend is a project manager for them so i can put in a word for him. there is also another company called Shindico but i dont know much about them but do know that they are also working in conjunction with pCL and both are very busy right now. There is lots of construction going on here and i really dont know if its a case of walking onsite and trying to wing it. im not familiar with the construction industry as my husband is an auto technician. We were lucky to set up over ten interviews online before arriving and we had interviews practically every day. We went home armed with lots of job offers. i think it will be important for your husband to try set up interviews ASAP. At the end of the day you dont want to go spending all that money on a trip here and not achieve results. just being practical. the other girl, Canbrack on this forum might be able to throw a few names of companies your way too cos her husband is also in construction. i will be speaking to her during the week and will ask her. in meantime get online and see how many interviews you can secure and even ring pre-con and Shindico if you have to. Google their details online. Good luck and keep me posted. Anything i can do i would be happy to. also mean that about picking you up at the airport. you can have a think about it. Best of luck. linda.


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## canbrack8 (Apr 6, 2012)

hi there just saw your message now my advice to you would be try an get your hubby to line up a few interview before you arrive, asap!!!
hire a car for sure as it is a very vast city there are no trams here or light rail system like the luas or metrolink the uk. They have a rapid bus service in the city! but i have never used it. you can pm mail and i can give you any advice you need! as im hubby is also working in the construction!


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## corktowinnipeg (Aug 12, 2012)

*Way around*

Hello Can brack8, thanks for getting in touch....can't figure out how to to pm you. Lol. New to this. May be if u sent me a pm I cld reply to it and navigate my way round.. Hubby has started sending CVs...hopefully, He ll gt some interview offers. I welcome as much advice as possible re the construction sector. Hope to hear from you soon. Naomi.


canbrack8 said:


> hi there just saw your message now my advice to you would be try an get your hubby to line up a few interview before you arrive, asap!!!
> hire a car for sure as it is a very vast city there are no trams here or light rail system like the luas or metrolink the uk. They have a rapid bus service in the city! but i have never used it. you can pm mail and i can give you any advice you need! as im hubby is also working in the construction!


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## canbrack8 (Apr 6, 2012)

corktowinnipeg said:


> Hello Can brack8, thanks for getting in touch....can't figure out how to to pm you. Lol. New to this. May be if u sent me a pm I cld reply to it and navigate my way round.. Hubby has started sending CVs...hopefully, He ll gt some interview offers. I welcome as much advice as possible re the construction sector. Hope to hear from you soon. Naomi.


hi there i have pm you there so you should be up and running!PCL are a big construction company here in winnipeg get in contact with them.
pre con , is another company. C ontact them asap !


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## daveymc31 (Oct 14, 2012)

hi all im thinking of heading to winnipeg ive just being offered a job with allanns glass im a glazier im in same boat as the rest of ye need as much info about the town im thinking of going on my own for a while as kid in college and the other doing his leaving cert wife said she does not mind any info would be good


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## daveymc31 (Oct 14, 2012)

hello corktowinnipeg how did you get on in canada


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## daveymc31 (Oct 14, 2012)

canbrack what are you working at at moment


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## daveymc31 (Oct 14, 2012)

do you live in winnipeg as need some info on the place


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## canbrack8 (Apr 6, 2012)

hi there have not be on this web site in a long time! have a read to the forum on winnipeg, if you have any questions, on any thing in particular I can advice you can pm me, chat soon


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## learn ing (Feb 21, 2013)

We are a family of 5 hoping to land by mid April. scared but excited. so much to learn before we go! look forward to feeling like I have a friend before we arrive. my kids are 5 4 and 1. decided they don't really need to finish their juniour infants year here. but can anyone tell me if I can enrol them mid term in Winnipeg?


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## structured01 (Jul 26, 2012)

Hi learn ing, for specific winnipeg questions, i recommend you join the facebook group "Irish in Manitoba", there is a growing Irish presence in manitoba/winnipeg and the facebook group seems to be a great way to connect and ask for advice. Hope this helps, Cheers and good luck


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