Looking for info on where to live in Canada

[rjohns94]

Would love to hear first hand knowledge from those who call it home and those who visit there Currently I'm considering Calgary, perhaps campmore or a bit More north. Love the Jasper and Banff area but not doable at this time. Thinking about duel citizenship. I'm open to hearing where is more economical, has available hunting opportunities, places to spread my legs. Not interested in any major cities. I'm open to BC, Alberta, and new found land so far, but would love to hear your thoughts and comments. The three I have picked are because of the mountains and or oceans. So far mountains are winning. Let me hear your thoughts. Thanks.

[Pete44ru]

I'm thinkin' B.C. is one of the better places to stretch your legs, Mike.


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[mod71alaska]

No brainer, Mike. Newfoundland so you can have a boat on the ocean, enjoy great salt and fresh water fishing, and moose, caribou and bear hunting...and you have to come through New England a couple times a year!

[KirkD]

I would recommend the strip of foothills land in Western Alberta that runs along the East side of the Rockies. You have Elk, Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer and Moose. Alberta also has no sales tax, just GST, so taxes are a bit lighter there. My parents and two sisters and their families live in Alberta and they would not want to live anywhere else. Having said that, I've never been to Newfoundland, so can't comment on that end of the country.

[6pt-sika]

Go to Alaska that way you stay in the USA .

Although if I were going to live in Cannanada Newfoundland sounds good to me .Or perhaps Nova Scotia !

[John in MS]

How would one go about getting dual citizenship?

John

[Canuck Bob]

I would recommend the strip of foothills land in Western Alberta that runs along the East side of the Rockies. You have Elk, Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer and Moose. Alberta also has no sales tax, just GST, so taxes are a bit lighter there. My parents and two sisters and their families live in Alberta and they would not want to live anywhere else. Having said that, I've never been to Newfoundland, so can't comment on that end of the country.

Kirk nailed it. Best economy one can find these days, thousands of square miles of crown forest, gun friendly by Canadian standards, and health care. I have lived in 4 provinces and the old NWT and I will live no where else now. I prefer the east slope of the rockies from Calgary north.

Calgary is a very active city with all the negatives, so is Edmonton. Places like Canmore, Red Deer, Hinton, Grande Prairie, and one of my favorites Peace River are cities of reasonable size and a sporting paradise. Here boating is really focused on rivers and jet boats in the south and central areas with the lake country in the north.

[WoodrowC]

As astonishingly beautiful as British Columbia is, it's socialist government and mindset makes it Canada's California. Alberta is our Texas. Take your pick.

[DBW]

As a dual citizen, if I were to return to Canada it would be to Alberta (west of Red Deer). I've got family in BC, AB, SK and Ontario. The problem is I hate cold weather, finding a cushy job like my current one and getting my arsenal across the border. I also don't want to give up my open and conceal carry.

[KirkD]

I prefer the east slope of the rockies from Calgary north.

That would be the place to go. Once you get up as far North as Hinton and beyond, you can fish for Arctic Char in those foothills streams.

I'd stay away from BC. There are a lot of liberal city dwellers living in the lower mainland (Lotus Land) that kind of spoil the laws for the rest of the province. Alberta tends to be the most conservative, freedom-loving province in Canada. Their conservative financial policies and their oil reserves have made for a booming economy.

[COSteve]

Our neighbors across the street are Canadian where they lived outside Toronto until they moved here a few years ago and they have some strong warnings about Americans moving to Canada. This is their opinion that they relayed to me only a couple weeks ago when they, our neighbor Gary, a surgeon, and I were chatting at their, 'The Mayans Got It Wrong' party on December 22nd.

First, the vaunted Canadian Health System rations healthcare. If you have cancer and are 20 you'll get an appointment right away, however, if you are in your 60's that appointment will be months away. Canada has a 'Health Board' that controls who gets what care (read Death Panel) and how much a Dr. can bill in total during the year which limits how many patients they will see. They say that the system works only because people with the money can travel to the US to get the care they need which takes a load off of the Canadian System. They said that they had to travel to the US a few times to get healthcare for a Grandfather as well as a sick newborn and they are really, really down on the Canadian Health System and claim that both the US Media, the Administration, and the Canadian Government are lying to us.

Gary has fellow surgeons who learned with him at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and then went back to Canada and he agreed that the Canadian System relies heavily on the fact that people will go around it by seeking care in the US.

Second, if you don't live on a farm the whole issue with firearms is very tightly controlled and you are severely limited in what you can own and where you can use them. How much control vs what you have in the states would be a function of where you live here and what the local controls are but for those of us in the west, the limits would seem severe compared to our local requirements.

I'm sure that our Canadian members will chime in and give you their perspective on what I've written. Beautiful place but like everywhere it has it's limitations.

[samb]

I prefer the east slope of the rockies from Calgary north.

That would be the place to go. Once you get up as far North as Hinton and beyond, you can fish for Arctic Char in those foothills streams.

I'd stay away from BC. There are a lot of liberal city dwellers living in the lower mainland (Lotus Land) that kind of spoil the laws for the rest of the province. Alberta tends to be the most conservative, freedom-loving province in Canada. Their conservative financial policies and their oil reserves have made for a booming economy.

Amen

[KirkD]

Regarding what COSteve wrote:

Re. Canadian health care, I think COSteve's summary is fairly accurate. I guess the advantage would be that we can have both Canadian and American Health care, if we wish to purchase American health insurance. For most of us, most of the time, the 'free' (paid for by the taxpayers) Canadian health care works just fine. But if you want things done right now (e.g., an MRI or a major operation), then we go to the US if we can afford it. Most cannot afford it unless they have insurance.

Re. Firearms: In some things, we have more freedom than Americans and in other things, less freedom. For example, we don't have to go through an FFL dealer, we can simply ship guns directly to each other or have guns shipped directly to our homes. We can travel anywhere with guns in our vehicles, although there are some requirements (e.g., if your car is parked somewhere, you need to have your guns locked in the trunk out of sight, etc.). We have more restrictions when it comes to handguns. You can transport them to and from a range, for example, but you can't carry them for personal protection. A significant difference between Canada and the US is the direction that gun freedom is going. Here in Canada, we have abolished our long gun registry (handguns still need to be registered unless they are antiques). Since the Sandy Hook shootings, I have been amazed at the number of people up here who are pushing for concealed carry. A major article in the National Post last week revealed that there is a growing consensus amount Canadians that we should be able to carry handguns for personal protection and that we should be able to own any kind of gun we wish. In general, I would say that Canada is more restrictive when it comes to handguns and less restrictive when it comes to some other things. In balance, I think the Americans have slightly fewer restrictions, but that seems to be steadily changing since 9-11. There are many more things that could be mentioned, these are only a few of them. I can own as many firearms as I want and know some who own hundreds. There are some 'prohibited' guns (although there is a growing consensus that most of the prohibs are stupid and do nothing and the law should be scrapped). Examples of prohibited firearms are full auto guns, pistols with short barrels (can't remember how short), certain calibers (e.g., the 25 Auto), and some that are 'scary' looking, as well as 5-round mag limits for semi-auto rifles and 10-round mags for semi-auto pistols. I am not aware of any caliber upper limits. You can own a 20 mm cannon if you want as long as it is not full auto. I do know of various fellows who have built or own cannons and 50 BMG rifles. I would say the single greatest restriction has to do with our freedom to carry a handgun for personal protection. We can't do it (except for animal protection where certain people such as geologists can get a wilderness carry permit for modern handguns). For those who don't have such a permit, they can go the antique route and acquire an original Colt SAA chambered in 45 Schofield which does not require any permits or registration.

Although we seem to be going in the direction of increased freedom when it comes to firearms, that could change, so I would not move here for that. On the other hand, if one is thinking of a time when everything collapses and things get real ugly and you need to completely disappear, then Canada is the place to be. Or if you like to hunt Elk, Moose or Black Bear or Caribou real cheap then this is the place to be, or if you love the remote wilderness and good fishing.

Hunting things like Moose or Elk tends to be a lot cheaper and easier to do up here. We have literally millions of miles of wilderness where you can simply disappear if you feel like it. I have 'served my time' living in cities and don't want to do it anymore. I would not recommend living in any Canadian (or American) city. If you moved to Canada, I would say live in a rural area, and own some acres where you can do anything you want on your own land (so to speak).

[pshort]

Howdy,
Nice write-up Kirk, Thanks...

Paul

[DBW]

One thing to remember about Canada's healthcare system is not a national system, but a provincial system of the 10 provinces and 3 territories. Ottawa sets conditions that each province attempts to follow for funding. None of it is free as the old axiom of "there are no free lunches" stands as an economic law. I'm familiar with OHIP, whereas my mother and oldest brother who live in BC have the Provincial Health Services Authority. Other family members deal with the Saskatchewan Health Services system and the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan.

Healthcare is nothing but a product. It's not a right as many claim. And as such should be paid for by the consumer. Socialized medicine is at it's core redistribution of wealth (theft).

If you want to move to Canada, start here:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/informatio ... /index.asp

And if you meet these criteria, here:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/ctc-vac/cometocanada.asp

[ollogger]

I like Kirk & Bobs praise for western Alberta, its great country & I nearly made it my home
in the late 70s Valley View was the place

ollogger

[bigbore442001]

For while I used to chat with someone from Newfoundland. The province has the nickname of The Rock. From what I understand, it is the most economically depressed province in Canada.

One thing that begs to be answered is what will you do to make a living? Many parts of Canada are beautiful but you still need money. You will have to see if you have marketable skills in that nation. Unless you are retired and that isn't an issue.

The issue of firearms would be a big one for me. There are some things that are good while other things are bad. The handgun laws would be a deal breaker for me. I just love to hunt, shoot and carry various types of handguns and that is not possible in Canada with some very limited exceptions.

Correct me if I am wrong but I believe leasing land for hunting is prohibited in Alberta. That is one good thing in my opinion.

[guntar]

I travel to Alberta all the time. It is an amazing place in a lot of ways. It is also a very expensive place to live due to the boom caused by the development of the Athabasca oil sands. If you have the right skills you can make enough money to live there, if you don't, you need to pick another province.

[KirkD]

Newfoundland was a 'have not' province but recently, with the developing offshore oil fields, it has become a 'have' province. What that means for the average person I do not know.

Alberta, on the other hand, is booming. My parents live there, and I have a lot of relatives living and working there. A relative of mine who works at Fort McMurray says they have enough job openings in the trades to bring unemployment in Canada to zero. This was confirmed in a CTV news report a few months ago ..... we have more job openings than there are Canadians to fill them BUT they jobs are in the trades (electricians, plumbers, welders, truck drivers, heavy machine operators, engineers, etc.) Unfortunately, there are not enough tradesmen in Canada to fill the jobs, so they are bringing them in from Europe and Asia. One of my nieces is working in the oil patch as an on site paramedic which required only two weeks training. She makes between $8,000 and $10,000 per month and that is considered low wages. Her fiancé, at the age of 23, already owns two houses, bought my niece a 3 carat engagement ring custom made in France, and has just started up his own company and is already at full capacity after only one month into starting up. He figures that, realistically, he can retire at age 28, although he intends to keep on making money. I was talking to a fellow last night who just came back from working as a summer student at Fort Mac. One of his friends, as a summer student, took two weeks of training to drive a truck, and for the rest of the summer made $7,000 per month just driving a truck up in the oil patch. Ontario, on the other hand, is bust thanks to a liberal government which has racked up such a debt that, as far as I'm concerned, all the liberal Ontario politicians should do hard time in the pen for plunging the province into financial ruin. Do not move to Ontario.

The single biggest downside, as far as I'm concerned, is the restrictions on handgun carrying. Whether we get the right for concealed carry or not is still a good way off, though much closer than I had thought prior to a week ago. Personally, I would not hold my breath.

[rjohns94]

Sure sounds like Alberta may be the place. Heck, I would love a chance to drive a truck AND be able to make a living at it. I"m tired of being the boss. I looked at the application and curently getting a work permit seems to be on hold until new regs are put in place for 2013. No telling what 2013 will bring here but I sense lots of change this year with a stormy start. Could be a lot of "NEW" things for this new year. blessings and thanks for confirming Alberta as the choice.

[DBW]

Sure sounds like Alberta may be the place. Heck, I would love a chance to drive a truck AND be able to make a living at it. I"m tired of being the boss. I looked at the application and curently getting a work permit seems to be on hold until new regs are put in place for 2013. No telling what 2013 will bring here but I sense lots of change this year with a stormy start. Could be a lot of "NEW" things for this new year. blessings and thanks for confirming Alberta as the choice.

If you have a CDL-A as I do, you'll be required to surrender it for a Class 5, then rewrite and roadtest for the Class 1. None of the provinces have commercial license reciprocity. If you want to operate a motorcycle you'll need to write and test for that too, again, no reciprocity.

[KirkD]

For a big decision like this, I'd recommend making an investigative trip to get a good handle on job opportunities, living expenses, locations, etc.

[Ji in Hawaii]

Ocean lover like me so BC or Nova Scotia.

[rjohns94]

Thanks Kirk. I have been to Calgary twice. I have been doing lots of research. Been considering a job change/change of life style this last year. I will definitely make another trip to look for work and scope out living places. I plan to contact a few employers ahead of time.

[rjohns94]

Thanks Kirk. I have been to Calgary twice. I have been doing lots of research. Been considering a job change/change of life style this last year. I will definitely make another trip to look for work and scope out living places. I plan to contact a few employers ahead of time.

[Old Savage]

Too cold in Canada. Brrrr!

[DBW]

Too cold in Canada. Brrrr!

Which is reason #2 this Canadian doesn't live there anymore. Reason #1 is I'm not going to surrender my right to carry a firearm on my hip or in my waistband. And if the PTB have their way, Canada is as much toast as the US eventually. And most Canadians lack the means to take up arms against tyranny. We still have a fighting chance down here, even though the noose is tightening.