Oh, yes, in some parts of Canada it's too far the other way re: drinking. I just would like to be able to have some social events (or heck, even school events!) without alcohol being ever-present.
When I was working, I made much much more money here than in Canada. I think the tax burden is higher in Canada (income taxes are much higher, although the sales tax is a bit lower ... but visible, so you never know how much anything costs!).
I don't think you should need an immigration lawyer if you're going across on a spousal visa, surely? Or even any visa? I came over on the ancestry program (basically, I had a grandparent born here, I am from a commonwealth country, and have no criminal record etc, so I could say, "hey my granmother made a mistake, can I come back?" and they more or less had to let me back.). It will take time, I'm sure of that, though.
It is a points system, you get points for (from what I remember)
- speaking one or both official languages
- having relatives there
- having relevant degrees, or just general education
- your area of work.
It's a pretty straightforward system, Canada wants immigrants, so it's not that hard to move there.