Canada Expat Forum

prairiegopher
Joined 2019
Posts: 1

4 years ago

moving to canada , is it a good idea??

4 years ago

We moved to canada ten years ago , to get away from the uk . Has it been a good move , absolutely . Is it hard sometimes , yes it is . Missing the family is the hardest thing for us , especially as the olds get older . We have both lost our fathers in the last 18 months and thats hard , but realistically if we we're still in the uk we couldn't have done much more and a plane ticket gets us home in around 12 ish hours . We live in saskatchewan as we wanted wide open spaces , no close neighbours ( our nearest neighbour is 1 1/2 miles away ) and peace and quiet . We have a small farm just outside of town close to plenty of work and most amenities we would want . We are within an hours drive of several larger towns , and although compared to the uk , there is not alot here on our doorstep its within reach .
pro's of living here .
space and quiet , whilst all our neighbors are great people we don't live in each others pockets but they are there for us if we need them , as we are for them . Everyone around us is really friendly and helpful . As a small farm there are none of the bureaucratic garbage we had in the uk , its a breath of fresh air . Work is all around us from farming and farm services , dealerships etc, to service industries to mining . If someone is prepared to apply themselves you shouldn't be out of work . We have both changed jobs several times , no problem . If you want to live your own life , away from red tape , raise your own food etc , kinnda do the good life thing its great .There are lakes to fish , ski resorts for winter and now some good places to eat .Its such a slower pace of life.
Summers are long and warm ,plus 30 sometimes , lovely !!
Cons
saskatewan is cold during the winter , its not damp like the uk which makes a huge difference but its cold .And that takes some getting used to and a change of mindset . Liquids freeze all to easy , insulation tape snaps like a stick , its quite an education learning what you can do in the winter !!!
No public transport , like none . you need a car or truck with 4wd no other way to get around .Cars etc here have horrible fuel mileage , but fuel is less than a quarter of the uk price @ about 50 pence a liter just now . Internet can be expensive and mobile phones . Our internet comes from a guy who has his own network , no kidding , its a fraction of the price that the phone company wants .
Health care can be hit or miss , but i think that can be said of most places really .
Overall we love it , i worked for a major construction company in the uk and traveled a lot . Where we are now is the longest we have lived anywhere . Yes there are some sacrifice to be made , but if you like the outdoors , as i say the good life , its the way to go .
Our farm is for sale , but only because i have a spinal injury that makes living on a farm harder than we want , its a shame , but if we hadn't moved here we could have never done it in the uk , so at least we have had the opportunity to live out our dream .
Are we going back to the uk ??? Not a chance , we love it in Canada and will stay here for the rest of our lives .
Any regrets ? none . hope this is of use to someone who is undecided ,any questions e-mail me . [email protected] i'll help all i can . If anyone want to buy a small farm contact me the same way . cheers

William Russell

Get a quote for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
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William Russell

Get a quote for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
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William Russell

Get a quote for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
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William Russell

Get a quote for international health insurance from our partner, William Russell.
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