The Maple Leaf 2015

[westcoastnortherneragain]

A thread that is all things canadian, so to all the existing and new canadian based mumsnetters hello!

Also if anyone has any questions about coming to live here please ask.

[snowman1]

Rogan what do you mean by growing up? I find canadians much more hot on personal responsibility so teachers will allow 15 mins to get a class of 25 into their snow suits, they need to do it all by themselves, the older ones help the younger. In terms of walking to school I see a lot of younger kids 8+ walking alone but residential roads, one crossing on a quiet street. The teenagers are lovely, they run with their parents, they all are encouraged to have a sport whether they excel at it or not, I find them pleasant and sociable, they don't have any sort of reputation of being grumpy which is refreshing! They really allow younger kids to play and elementary school is definitely not as academic as the UK system, but from what I hear, things really ramp up academically in secondary (from age 11) where they are expected to do community service hours and STEM projects and lots of extra curricular things. Couple this with free french immersion and some world class universities it has lots of merits.

[RoganJosh]

Hi everyone,
DH and I have been pondering a move to Canada with our children. We're just at the investigating stage and so far all seems positive compared to the UK.
Can I just ask a really specific question? Does anyone know how quickly children seem to grow up compared to the Uk? Obv completely depends on person, area etc but if there is a massive difference where they are more grown up in Canada it would worry me.
Thanks

[SweetChickadee]

God yes, me too moose

Hope you're all ok - the news coverage is terrifying

[dogdrifts]

West, I just logged on to say the same thing. Moose, thinking of you, honey. (had a password disaster, it's madwoman). Hope you are all okay, it looks horrific xx

[westcoastnortherneragain]

MooseBeTimeForSpring have you been evacuated? Thinking of you and all the people in Fort McMurray today

[oobedobe]

Hi eallison88,

I will answer your questions :)
Healthcare: Healthcare (hospitals, drs visits etc) is free and good, there is a waiting period when you arrive which I think is 3 months, you will need private insurance for this time. Most jobs also offer extended healthcare (usually one person's will cover the entire family), which covers dental, prescriptions and other things such as eye tests/glasses, massage therapy, speech therapy, some of these extra things are capped at $500 per year.

Cost of living:
I would say high, some stuff is cheaper eg petrol (gas), cars, but then car insurance can be much higher, grocery costs are a little higher, utility bills can be very high in Eastern Canada. Housing costs are high near the major cities but cheaper elsewhere.

Religion:
I have live in West and Eastern Canada, and it is MUCH more religious on the East coast, here they have a big Catholic school system (kindergarten to grade 12) which you can choose to send your kids (great schools, no fees), and lots of Churches, they are very active from what I can tell. In Vancouver there are a handful of fee paying Catholic schools. I do not know about the rest of Canada.

Jobs: I am pretty sure there is a job list of occupations that are elligible for a working visa. Try googling Canada immigration.

Visa: You should apply for Permanent Residency, but a visa might be easier/quicker if you have the right job skills, you can then apply for permanent residency once you are here for 3 years.

Most of the information you need is on the web, you should visit britishexpats forum for lots of support and guidance.

hth (and good luck with your planning) :)

[flowerygirl]

Just arrived in Toronto at the weekend! Brit with 2 children, 2.5 and 8 months. Would love to hear if anyone in the same boat!

[ohjessie]

Hello!
Brit in Vancouver here, though originally moved to Whistler for the first two years. Been in Van just over a year now. Nice to meet you all!

[eallison88]

Hi all,

We're in the very early stages of considering a relocation (very early, we're just looking into how it might work at the moment before deciding if me and hubby are going to look for jobs!). We have a 6 week old baby, so we would be taking our time anyway!

A few questions... (if you don't mind!)

healthcare: how does it work? I had a very complicated pregnancy, with a fair few hospital admissions and drugs throughout the pregnancy (expensive meds, luckily free on NHS!), and I'm worried about how healthcare might work for future pregnancies (if I can convince myself that I can go through it all again!) - we don't want to end up having to spend a fortune!

cost of living: is it high/low - particularly in relation to salaries.

religion: might seem an odd question, but what is religion like over there? We're Catholic and very active in our parish; what's the state of religion like there? Is it a very secular state, are people open minded, are there active parishes (particularly Catholic - though I'm aware you're likely to only know the answer to that if you involved in one!)?

jobs: are there particular jobs/roles that are better for being granted visas?

visas: what sort of visa would we need to move there in at least a long term basis (5 years at least!)


Anything else you think we need to know that I haven't thought of?!

Thanks in advance :)

[Lillipuddlian]

I'm Canadian, living in Ottawa. Dual citizenship, questions welcomed from anyone.

[Lillipuddlian]

commuting.. from Victoria to Ottawa? I'm sorry, even if they offer him a jetpack, that's insane!

[madwomanbackintheattic]

hi northerner - am back to the original (sort-of) username after account shenanigans. We are planning our trip to Victoria for spring break next year, now. The kids went back to Blighty for a month in the summer and dd1 got back from Boston yesterday from a huge science geek jamboree
Fortunately, even though they toured both MIT and Harvard she hasn't yet floated the idea of studying in the U.S., so I think UVic is still the favourite. They run recruitment stuff during the spring break, including student for a day things, so we'll be booking her in for that. Now that the science competition is over we can sit down and plan this uni lark. I'm still boggled by the non-competitive entry thing, if I'm honest! It seems so different from the applications and interviews scene in the UK!

We have had to renew our PR cards this summer, and have had a total rigmarole with the girls. Ds is a dual citizen as he was born here the first time around but dd1and 2 (older and younger than him lol) needed their PR renewing. They renewed mine and dh's no problem, but we ran into huge issues with the girls because AB doesn't have provincial ID cards. They provided a list of suitable secondary ID for the kids which included stuff like driving license, two years worth of tax assessments, provincial ID card, photo health card, none of which were applicable. It eventually turned out that AB does have a voluntary ID card scheme once you hit 12, so we applied for dd1, that card came through so we used that for her PR card renewal. Dd2 wasn't 12, so there was no way we could get PR card renewal for her. Utter insanity. She turned 12 this week, so now we can apply for her provincial ID and then her PR card renewal. Absolutely bollocks, the whole thing. The CIC helpline was worse than useless. I spent the whole of the summer in a panic in case my unaccompanied minor 11yo wasn't going to be allowed back into Canada after visiting her grandparents.

So as dd2 currently has no valid PR card, we can't apply for citizenship until that comes through, which will be at least another four months and could be longer.

Dh has been offered a job in Ottawa and is considering commuting a couple of times a month. Sigh. At the moment the numbers don't add up but they have offered him two flights a month for three months. He has asked for essentially the same plus accom expenses for 12 mos. I have no idea what he is going to do if they agree, because he is going to look like an ass if he turns it down after months of rigmarole. Hey ho.

[VimFuego101]

It would be my son too - he starts kindergarten next year. Sounds similar to the UK with the crazy house prices. I hope I can work too but haven't looked into work permits yet.

[oobedobe]

Is it just you and DH or kids too? Will you work or stay home? House prices have gone crazy here in the past few years. Detached home would be $500,000+ in Brampton but more expensive in Oakville more like $750,000+. Salary should be $100-150,000 plus range I would say. Cost of living is high, healthcare is free but hydro, property tax etc high. Renting is expensive too.

[VimFuego101]

Just marking my spot as DH has been very tentatively offered the possibility of a job in Toronto (we're in Michigan at the moment). What is a reasonable salary and average house price? His office would be in Missauga. Had a quick look on realtor.ca and the house prices look insane compared with where we live currently.

[westcoastnortherneragain]

houseofnerds how did your UVIC open day go?

[nooka]

Thanks Beachy, we were given a Ganong chocolate and some seaweed as a introductory treat at the last conference. The chocolate was lovely!

The weather here is in the mid/high 20s, so quite different!

Boardbond I didn't/don't feel huge culture shock on the whole. BC is quite British influenced after all However we came via the States and had a lot more culture shock there, so BC felt a bit like coming home :)

[boardblonde]

Hi, I'm Canadian but have been in London for 15 years. Married to a Brit with a 2 year old and baby on the way. We are buying a flat with my Mom in New West (just outside Vancouver) and planning to move in Sept 2016. Feels like the right thing to do for our family but really apprehensive about the move. We just want less stress, better schools and family support which we don't have now as DH's family don't live close. I have good friends I've kept in touch with so I'm sure keeping busy will help. How did you all cope with the change? I feel very British in a lot of ways and I'm worried about how DH and I will cope with the culture shock?

[BeachyKeen]

New Brunswick has the Ganong Chocolate factory, worth the trip just for that! they do tours and tastings, and you can get chicken bones (pink cinnamon candies with a chocolate centre) freshly made! I have a jar of them on my counter right now

[BeachyKeen]

it is finally melting out here, most of the snow is gone, and I saw my first crocus flowers this week!
The East Coast is lovely, and if you are in the Fundy area, there is so much to see and do.
We are heading to Briar Island for some whale watching, sea glass collecting, and hiking this summer.

[nooka]

Hi BeachyKeen, how are things in Halifax? I'm making my first visit to the Maritimes (St Johns New Brunswick) in June

[BeachyKeen]

Late to join, but hello from Halifax! I am a born and bred Canuck. I mostly grew up in Ontario, spent a few years in Alberta and BC, and now live in Nova Scotia.

[westcoastnortherneragain]

Hi I texted the lady in admissions and she sent this, I hope it's helpful!


We usually have 2500 applications to undergraduate Science.The faculty is not competitive entry, so as long as the applicant meets the minimum gpa cutoff they will receive an offer.More info on current cutoffs for ugrad science can be found at registrar.uvic.ca/undergrad/admissions/apps/self-reporting/.Let me know if you have any other questions.

[westcoastnortherneragain]

Hello again Moose!