# Need advice about moving to Canada with family



## joannesykes0047 (Jul 21, 2010)

I have been thinking about moving to Canada for a while now. I have been living in Scotland since I was 2 and I am now 35, so I am a Canadaian citizen so I shouldn't have any problems there, I hope. I undrestand that My husband would have to apply once we are living there.

I'm just not sure about which parts to stay in. I would like to stay somewhere where there is lots of snow and children activites, as I have 2 daughters 8 and 10. I would like somewhere that is small and friendly but where I would be able to find work as a nursery nurse. 

I liked the idea of Baniff, but it is very expensive. It needs to be somewhere that is very green, and safe for the girls. I would like us to be able to live the dream and for them to experience the real Canada - bears etc. 

The place that we are living just now has very high unemployment and teenage pregnancies (scarey) as there is little to do. I would like a better quality of life, and to show the girls that there is more to life than watching Tv, going to the amusements and staying inside due to it raining all summer.

I hope someone can give me some ideas of the most family orientated place to live, and help us live the dream.


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## denisevines (Oct 3, 2008)

Take a look at BC. It is not the cheapest province to live in but the lifestyle is great. Southern BC has the mildest climate in Canada but still has lots of ski resorts for winter fun. The coast, Vancouver is wetter and greener, the interior is dry with awesome powder snow in the winter. The interior would be a great place for the kids to growup but the job market will be better in Vancouver.


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## scharlack (Nov 21, 2008)

joannesykes0047 said:


> I have been thinking about moving to Canada for a while now. I have been living in Scotland since I was 2 and I am now 35, so I am a Canadaian citizen so I shouldn't have any problems there, I hope. I undrestand that My husband would have to apply once we are living there.
> 
> I'm just not sure about which parts to stay in. I would like to stay somewhere where there is lots of snow and children activites, as I have 2 daughters 8 and 10. I would like somewhere that is small and friendly but where I would be able to find work as a nursery nurse.
> 
> ...


Hi there,

Your husband should have no probs on the process of getting his residency granted as you're Canadian. For more details visit >>cic.gc.ca<<

In my case, I came where I could land a good job... I have no kids.

IMO you should consider the Calgary and Edmonton areas... there is a good amount of snow and entertainment to both cities.

Much good luck!


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## joannesykes0047 (Jul 21, 2010)

scharlack said:


> Hi there,
> 
> Your husband should have no probs on the process of getting his residency granted as you're Canadian. For more details visit >>cic.gc.ca<<
> 
> ...


Thankyou for both replys, We are considering visiting Calgary, but it does scare me to move to a city as I am from a small town, which is why I thought of Baniff as it is very green and there would be lots of childrens activites due to the snow.

Where did you move to. Do you know anyone that lives in certain parts of Calgary or Edmonton that would be suitable and scenic for families.


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## susannem (Mar 28, 2010)

Hi Joanne, why don't you have a look at Nova Scotia? My husband and I lived in Calgary for five years before returning to Scotland last year (temporarily for family reasons) but we're planning to move back to Canada by the end of this year and have decided on the Annapolis valley in Nova Scotia's. Its a really lovely province and wherever you go, you're never far from the sea. Nova Scotia can admittedly be a bit wet at times but the Annapplois valley, which is only an hour from Halifax has a bit of a microclimate and can get some lovely weather - they grow loads of apples, berries and other fruits there and there are several pick-your-own farms, road side fruits stalls everwhere, and farmers markets. There are also several wineries in the area which makes it all very pretty. There are several good towns to choose from - we plan to live near Wolfville which is a pretty univeristy town. But there are also loads of other lovely parts of the province and Halifax is a nice city. It has to be said that employment opportunities aren't as good as other parts of Canada but house prices in Nova Scotia are SO much cheaper than places like Alberta and BC. Its worth a quick look at Nova Scotia at least. Good luck in your search for your new Candian home! Susanne


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## joannesykes0047 (Jul 21, 2010)

susannem said:


> Hi Joanne, why don't you have a look at Nova Scotia? My husband and I lived in Calgary for five years before returning to Scotland last year (temporarily for family reasons) but we're planning to move back to Canada by the end of this year and have decided on the Annapolis valley in Nova Scotia's. Its a really lovely province and wherever you go, you're never far from the sea. Nova Scotia can admittedly be a bit wet at times but the Annapplois valley, which is only an hour from Halifax has a bit of a microclimate and can get some lovely weather - they grow loads of apples, berries and other fruits there and there are several pick-your-own farms, road side fruits stalls everwhere, and farmers markets. There are also several wineries in the area which makes it all very pretty. There are several good towns to choose from - we plan to live near Wolfville which is a pretty univeristy town. But there are also loads of other lovely parts of the province and Halifax is a nice city. It has to be said that employment opportunities aren't as good as other parts of Canada but house prices in Nova Scotia are SO much cheaper than places like Alberta and BC. Its worth a quick look at Nova Scotia at least. Good luck in your search for your new Candian home! Susanne


Thankyou susanne that was a great message, I will look into it. jo


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## susannem (Mar 28, 2010)

Hi Jo, I forgot to meantion in my posting yesterday another good thing about Nova Scotia and that is just how incredibly friendly people are. I've always heard talk about places where the locals "can't do enough for you" but had never really experienced it myself. Until I visited Nova Scotia. During our five years in Alberta, we found people polite and friendly enough but on our first visit to NS, I kept walking around exclaiming to my husband "My God, everyone is SO nice here!" And even before we first visted, we knew we'd probably like the province because anytime we ever mentioned to a Canadian that we were going to Nova Scotia, they talked about it so enthusiastically - they were either dying to go there for a visit or had been there and couldn't wait to go back. And I've never quite seen that with any other place. Susanne


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## joannesykes0047 (Jul 21, 2010)

susannem said:


> Hi Jo, I forgot to meantion in my posting yesterday another good thing about Nova Scotia and that is just how incredibly friendly people are. I've always heard talk about places where the locals "can't do enough for you" but had never really experienced it myself. Until I visited Nova Scotia. During our five years in Alberta, we found people polite and friendly enough but on our first visit to NS, I kept walking around exclaiming to my husband "My God, everyone is SO nice here!" And even before we first visted, we knew we'd probably like the province because anytime we ever mentioned to a Canadian that we were going to Nova Scotia, they talked about it so enthusiastically - they were either dying to go there for a visit or had been there and couldn't wait to go back. And I've never quite seen that with any other place. Susanne


What did you find that was so different than scotland was it the scenery or the all round environment. I like scotland but I feel that I want a complete change for the girls. What towns have you stayed in Nova Scotia and what was the prettiest. As we are looking for a very beautiful town that is very green, lots of charactor and ery clean, with lots of sporty activities for the girls.


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## susannem (Mar 28, 2010)

joannesykes0047 said:


> What did you find that was so different than scotland was it the scenery or the all round environment. I like scotland but I feel that I want a complete change for the girls. What towns have you stayed in Nova Scotia and what was the prettiest. As we are looking for a very beautiful town that is very green, lots of charactor and ery clean, with lots of sporty activities for the girls.


Hi Jo, I like Scotland too and miss things about it when I'm in Canada and although the scenery in Nova Scotia is lovely, I wouldn't say it necessarily beats Scotland in that respect. But the reasons we first moved to Canada are probably like that of a lot of people: cleaner, less crime, more house for your money and a generally higher standard of living, etc. When it came to choosing where we want to live in Nova Scotia, we had one two week visit last year where we spent time in Halifax, Lunenburg, Liverpool, Annapolis Royal and the Wolfville area (on the Bay of Fundy) - not a very wide search area but we felt we didn't want to be too far away from the "big smoke" of Halifax, and the airport. From that visit, we deicded that the Wolfville area was for us so just in May there, we spent a fortnight mainly around Wolfville, looking more closely at the different towns there and viewing some houses etc. I think Wolfville is probably the nicest of the towns in that area with some lovley old Victorian houses (which you don't get in places like Calgary) and it has lots of life about it with loads of lovely eating places, and a great weekly farmer's market. Only about 10 minutes away there's a town called New Minas which has all the shops and services that you need - The Bay, Sears etc. But at the same time, you're surrounded by farms and greenery. Grand Pre and Gaspereau are areas right next door to Wolfville which are beautiful and have several wineries. I'm afraid I don't know too much about activities for children but it does seem like a family friendly area. Have a look at the county website which gives a lot of information. You can google under Kings County, Nova Scotia (I tried to put in a link but I got an error saying I had to have made at least 4 postings on the Expat Forum before I could include a URL link!) Hope this helps. Susanne


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## joannesykes0047 (Jul 21, 2010)

susannem said:


> Hi Jo, I like Scotland too and miss things about it when I'm in Canada and although the scenery in Nova Scotia is lovely, I wouldn't say it necessarily beats Scotland in that respect. But the reasons we first moved to Canada are probably like that of a lot of people: cleaner, less crime, more house for your money and a generally higher standard of living, etc. When it came to choosing where we want to live in Nova Scotia, we had one two week visit last year where we spent time in Halifax, Lunenburg, Liverpool, Annapolis Royal and the Wolfville area (on the Bay of Fundy) - not a very wide search area but we felt we didn't want to be too far away from the "big smoke" of Halifax, and the airport. From that visit, we deicded that the Wolfville area was for us so just in May there, we spent a fortnight mainly around Wolfville, looking more closely at the different towns there and viewing some houses etc. I think Wolfville is probably the nicest of the towns in that area with some lovley old Victorian houses (which you don't get in places like Calgary) and it has lots of life about it with loads of lovely eating places, and a great weekly farmer's market. Only about 10 minutes away there's a town called New Minas which has all the shops and services that you need - The Bay, Sears etc. But at the same time, you're surrounded by farms and greenery. Grand Pre and Gaspereau are areas right next door to Wolfville which are beautiful and have several wineries. I'm afraid I don't know too much about activities for children but it does seem like a family friendly area. Have a look at the county website which gives a lot of information. You can google under Kings County, Nova Scotia (I tried to put in a link but I got an error saying I had to have made at least 4 postings on the Expat Forum before I could include a URL link!) Hope this helps. Susanne


Brilliant susanne, you've been great. Hopefully we are going for a 3 week tour after christmas. I am having trouble getting medical insurance for my husband as he has an exsisting illness. Fingers crossed though. Take care, thanks for your help. Very helpfull. Joanne


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## inutley (Jun 9, 2009)

joannesykes0047 said:


> Thankyou for both replys, We are considering visiting Calgary, but it does scare me to move to a city as I am from a small town, which is why I thought of Baniff as it is very green and there would be lots of childrens activites due to the snow.
> 
> Where did you move to. Do you know anyone that lives in certain parts of Calgary or Edmonton that would be suitable and scenic for families.


Hi Joanne,

I moved out with my family, and we were from a small town as well. We ended up settling in kelowna, in BC, after looking at Calgary, Banff, Canmore and Vancouver. We loved Banff to, but work opportunities are limited - it was just to small. Kelowna is great - we have two girls aged 2 and 4 - who are loving it - it is located ona an enormous lake (150 miles long) and has hot summers (30deg +) and mild winters (but several ski resorts within 30 - 45 mins drive), population is just over 100,000, so alos has most amenities (good hospital, decent shopping mall etc.) One thing it does need is more childcare facilities, and you should be able to pick up a job in that sector pretty quickly. Kelowna is about 8 hours drive from Calgary (past Banff) so you should check it out while you are over - we did and have never looked back.

Regards

Ian and Fran


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## Oggy (Jan 25, 2009)

inutley said:


> it is located ona an enormous lake (150 miles long)


Okanagan Lake is large, and does appear to be larger than it is, however, it is actually closer to 80 miles in length (Vernon through to Penticton). 

I'm sure a few of us will be visiting this weekend when the temps reach mid 30C!


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## joannesykes0047 (Jul 21, 2010)

inutley said:


> Hi Joanne,
> 
> I moved out with my family, and we were from a small town as well. We ended up settling in kelowna, in BC, after looking at Calgary, Banff, Canmore and Vancouver. We loved Banff to, but work opportunities are limited - it was just to small. Kelowna is great - we have two girls aged 2 and 4 - who are loving it - it is located ona an enormous lake (150 miles long) and has hot summers (30deg +) and mild winters (but several ski resorts within 30 - 45 mins drive), population is just over 100,000, so alos has most amenities (good hospital, decent shopping mall etc.) One thing it does need is more childcare facilities, and you should be able to pick up a job in that sector pretty quickly. Kelowna is about 8 hours drive from Calgary (past Banff) so you should check it out while you are over - we did and have never looked back.
> 
> ...


I have never even heard of that place before, I will look into it, thanks for the great message.


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## brockleyemma (Oct 3, 2010)

*Wolfville*



susannem said:


> Hi Jo, I like Scotland too and miss things about it when I'm in Canada and although the scenery in Nova Scotia is lovely, I wouldn't say it necessarily beats Scotland in that respect. But the reasons we first moved to Canada are probably like that of a lot of people: cleaner, less crime, more house for your money and a generally higher standard of living, etc. When it came to choosing where we want to live in Nova Scotia, we had one two week visit last year where we spent time in Halifax, Lunenburg, Liverpool, Annapolis Royal and the Wolfville area (on the Bay of Fundy) - not a very wide search area but we felt we didn't want to be too far away from the "big smoke" of Halifax, and the airport. From that visit, we deicded that the Wolfville area was for us so just in May there, we spent a fortnight mainly around Wolfville, looking more closely at the different towns there and viewing some houses etc. I think Wolfville is probably the nicest of the towns in that area with some lovley old Victorian houses (which you don't get in places like Calgary) and it has lots of life about it with loads of lovely eating places, and a great weekly farmer's market. Only about 10 minutes away there's a town called New Minas which has all the shops and services that you need - The Bay, Sears etc. But at the same time, you're surrounded by farms and greenery. Grand Pre and Gaspereau are areas right next door to Wolfville which are beautiful and have several wineries. I'm afraid I don't know too much about activities for children but it does seem like a family friendly area. Have a look at the county website which gives a lot of information. You can google under Kings County, Nova Scotia (I tried to put in a link but I got an error saying I had to have made at least 4 postings on the Expat Forum before I could include a URL link!) Hope this helps. Susanne


hello there susanne,

just quick message to say hello as myself and my family are hoping to move to wolfville next Sping. Are you there yet? do you have kids? if so any recommendations on schools?

Thanks 
Emma


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