How will life be in Canada for me?
March 7, 2010 by
Filed under canada vacation homes
Is Canada for me.
I want to retire in your great country as a New Yorker.
I’m don’t know what will be better liv ein Las Vegas or Live
in Canada. I speak english but I believe I need to learn another lanuguge so that will have to be french. I’m just tired of my life in New Jersey. But I work in New York. What is my best option for living on the Northwest side but live in a suburb of a city. I’m a outdoor type of person hunting,fishing,etc. So I will see hopefully of Canada once I visit Alaska for my next vacation. The only problem I have Homes but my real problem is jobs as I work for the government. Any Canadian can help me out.
Why would you need to learn French? What a big stereotype that is! That’s only necessary if you wish to live in Quebec or one of the maritime provinces on the eastside.
If you just want to continue speaking English, just go anywhere! If you like the hunting and fishing environment, then I suggest to you British Columbia. They have one of the most beautiful forests and environments ever. (Speaking on a bias of course, because I am from BC)
There are many suburbs here, especially around Vancouver downtown city.
I love it here. And I hope people who do come, learn to love it too and not destroy it with their careless lifestyles.
I live in Calgary and I love it. The Rockies is only an hour away. That’s where you can go hiking, skiing, camping.The Bow River is famouse for fishing. The city and the air is clean. You get the benefit of a big city, yet not as expensive, like NY. Everywhere is close by compare with the bigger city like Toronto and Vancouver. The sky is blue and clear. Even the tap water tastes better than Vancouver and Toronto. And best of all, people are friendly and helpful. During Stampede week in July for 10 days, people dress in cowboys and cowgirls, and there are free Stampede breakfast everywhere, malls, community centers, big companies, grocery stores … etc.
If you are elderly and wanting to retire to Canada, then you should consider if your body will take to a cold winter. Not all of Canada gets cold in the winters, but certainly there are places that get bitterly cold.
My grandparents used to be “snowbirds” – and fly down to AZ for the winter because the bitter cold was too much for them.
If you choose to move to somewhere milder in the winter, like Vancouver, check to see if you can afford it. Vancouver is very expensive – the cost of housing is through the roof, and rentals are at a premium right now. It’s a lovely city that generally doesn’t see a lot of snow, but we do get a lot of rain.
And as far as speaking another language – if you’re moving to Vancouver, you might pick up some Cantonese, Mandarin or Punjabi, but it’s very difficult to find people speaking French.
Why retire in Canada? Dude move to California. Canada is depressing.
honest to say canada is very similar to the USA you wont find the exotic country your thinking of.
Unless you go to quebec where they speak french and nice archetecture and completely different.
I can tell you that quebec french isn’t as nice as the french you will find in france but oh well what can you do?
anyway move to montreal area or quebec area if thats what you want.
When you retire get a cottage or soemthing just out of the city limit’s where you can see the nice french city but go hunting and that sort of thing.
Why are you worrying about working for the USA gov when you want to retire?
Is it going to be a working retirement?
not all Canada is french i never see french ppl hear theres also a lot of fishing hear but since u been in USA most of ur life (i think) u will notice the prices on everything and ull be like WTF ^__^ but yea its good hear and not many violent people ether
Forget the people telling you to move out west–way too expensive. Best place to move is Niagara Peninsula- somewhere between Niagara Falls and Hamilton, St Catharines, Niagara on the Lake or Grimsby is great. Its affordable and very little snow (unlike Buffalo) and reasonably close to where you live. Virtually no crime and the weather both in summer and winter is moderated by Lake Ontario. This is orchard country–a lot of boutique wineries and peach and cherry orchards by the Niagara Escarpment. It is THE BEST part of Canada.
As you can see Canadians most think this country is GREAT and it is. Areas around our three largest cites Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are expensive but that is where all the action is. I’ve lived in northern BC and it can’t be beat, currently I live in Ontario in a small city of about 50k people and it has been mostly good to raise a family here. I’m also partial to Nova Socita for some odd reason even though I’ve only spent a short time there 5 months tops. I think that if I were to look to someplace to immigrate to in Canada again I would look to Nova Socita because Halifax the capital city isn’t too big and the weather isn’t too bad but it can get damp and that makes it REALLY cold.
As for working for the US government that actually may help you being that the security checks were already done by your government and usually most government workers tend to stay with their jobs a long time. Definitely it won’t hurt and it may help.
If you decide to come welcome, if not come on up for a visit
Dont listen to the cold winter crap from people. Most of Canada has winters equivelant to a Montanna winter or the Dakotas. Minneapolis.
However the west coast doesnt have cold winters, and the southern interior of BC might see -20C on the odd occassion. I have lived in the southern interior most of my life and my annual flowers more often then not winter over. I have grown poinsettias in my garden which are a tropical plant.
I think BC would be your best bet. There is oodles of magnificent nature at your doorstep, fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, canoing, etc. You can be as citified or as countrified as you wish to be in BC. And you can be both.
You have to check the Canada Immigration site and go through the “test” which has six points to see if you will be accepted. Government jobs wont be easy to find though. Was your position one that would translate readily into a consulting job? You could become self employed and contract to the Government and private business that way.
French is not used outside of Quebec. There are French Immersion schools for people who choose to put their children in them, and we take French in school, but never use it unless we have French Canadian friends, go to Quebec or travel to France.
As a courtesy to our second language Government signs do have french on them as well as English and all consumer goods come with a “French side” on the boxes, or in the directions.
When you phone a Government service they will give you a blurb in French as well, but all of Canada uses English. Even Quebec. They prefer French but its no big deal for English speaking Cdns or American transplants, not to worry.
Housing IS expensive, so check out the real estate site if you plan to buy. See link below. There are some wonderful bargains in towns like Princeton BC but the winters are chillier there, more snow.
If you prefer a small town, may I advise you NOT to choose to live in Lillooet BC? Its a pit, you will hate it, the main recreation there is drinking and drugging, there are people screaming and yelling until 3 AM on the streets every night. Six cops stationed there for 2500 people pretty well says it all IMO. The people are hostile to newcomers.
The highways in and out are a nightmare, the one going south is not even one lane wide anymore and hanging off the side of a cliff.
Drove over it yesterday and my car was hit by falling rocks, thankfully little ones and part of the highway actually went south and over a 200 foot drop to the river as I drove over it
! I was scared sh**less !! What remains is barely the width of my car, and its a small car.
It is also a minimum of a 5 or 6 hour drive to go shopping for groceries, the prices are outrageouly high in Lillooet for food – $3.99 for a litre of juice as an example. $1.65 for a candy bar.
Most of the town is unemployed and its the most run down, depressing, ugliest place I have ever seen and it rains all the time.
They are promoting it as a “retirement community” for people from Vancouver ROFLMAO Yah, if they want to retire in hell.
There are lots of other nice little towns that arent isolated and have pride in their communities, where substance abuses arent the choice of life style. Chase BC is nice, its right on the Shuswap lake, Merritt BC, Summerland BC are a few. I am not fond of Hope but its close to Vancouver and that makes it tolerable.
On Vancouver Island, you could try towns “up island” but then you are held hostage by the ferry system. There are senior discounts available however.
Once you get into the Kootenays you are looking at colder winters and more snow again.
Welcome to Canada ! Bring your golf clubs, you have to register your rifles when you move here. Check out gun regulations so you comply.
you do realize that Alaska is another state and not part of Canada?
You may step across the border and visit the Yukon but that’s a little dfiferent than the Canada those of us who live in the east experience.
Sounds like you should check out the Maritime Provinces = New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Because of the ocean currents, the winters are not as cold as the interior of the country. Lots of hunting and fishing, great wild parks, a smaller population, much cheaper living accomodations than the rest of the country.
New Brunswick is officially bilingual, so you can learn French if you like. All signs etc are in both languages. Check out the Bay of Fundy – highest tides in the world – so beautiful that you will think you’re in heaven. Whale watching, kayaking along the coast, covered bridges, and best of all, friendly welcoming people.