If you could relocate in Canada where would you go?

[nzwasp]

With my wife's impending layoff coming up we are wondering if we really want to live in Calgary. However if we do move we would prefer to still be atleast Middle class which counts out central Toronto and Vancouver. With my company I can basically go anywhere in Canada as long as im near an airport preferably an international airport but its not super crucial.

We were potentially thinking about moving to Australia(with my same company) however only 75% of the family is eligible for healthcare their and my wife is not one of that 75%, also we've heard that it would be as expensive to live in Australia as Vancouver/Calgary/Toronto so we might not be better off.

I also could potentially move to the US(Houston/Atlanta) in the next 3 - 5 years if I wanted to - not super keen with Trump in office though and our work environment is way different in the states versus Canada.

So with that being said if you could move somewhere else where would you go there and why.

[Seth1968]

If Canada, then the Kawarthas in Ontario.

Stunning, serene, and much warmer than here.

[grampafunk]

Vancouver Island.

[eblend]

Australia...no thanks, everything wants to kill you there, New Zealand is a much better option if going that direction.

USA...if you want to get shot and then not be able to afford the hospital...not somewhere I would go simply on the fact that getting sick over there leads to bankruptcy.

In Canada....I haven't really been to the east coast, but I can see myself retiring in Yellowknife. Went there a few years back, loved it. Dunno what it is, but it was middle of January, -39...and I loved it. I was born in a small town in Siberia, so it felt like home

[Sugarphreak]

...

[ercchry]

Would you make a Calgary salary wherever you lived?

Huston... your dollar would go much further, would the wife be able to get a visa to work though?

BC interior can be great, but the valley does fill in with fog and whatnot most of the winter, so if you like going up mountains in the winter it’s still a good choice

If Alberta, well... Calgary wins so no reason to look at other towns/cities

Sask? Just a shitty Alberta

Manitoba? It smells, lots of crime and stuff in Winnipeg

Ontario? Hrm... taxes... and hydro are steep, TO is expensive... south (Windsor, etc) kind of a shithole, but might be the next area to come around, RE prices are increasing for sure. Barrie... might be a little late, but a Calgary level income without commuting daily to TO would still go far, close to the muskoka which is hands down waaaay better than the kawarthas

Quebec? If you identify as an Albertan... skip!

East coast? Cheap as hell... but again, massive hate for this province

[revelations]

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I grew on on VI, it makes the NE look upper class. It is a really nice place to go on vacation, go camping, do some outdoor activities... it makes you think you want to move there and live the laid back Island life. However that is all a facade, fuck living there! I mean you could try to isolate yourself with some friends and just stick to biking and hiking... but the scum outside will get in eventually; ransack your house, break your windows, target your lifestyle, and poop in your car. There is one thing that Vancouver Islanders hate more than anything... and that is people who actually have money and don't have to work as gas attendants at the age of 38. You can't even walk the streets at night in the small towns, a car full of middle aged punks will stop and beat the shit out of you with baseball bats.

The only exception is Victoria, but after a week you realize it is the most boring place on earth.... even more than Calgary!

VI was a tough place in the 80s and 90s when I lived there but even in former dumps like Nanaimo, there has been a lot of money moving in recently, and not all Chinese mainlander either.

Its not the shit hole it used to be and your experiences, while accurate for the time (I remember those sentiments well), do not reflect present reality.

The only issue for new people is the weather.

Gray, its fucking gray here for 6 months. If you can handle that, then no probs!

[J-hop]

Stay in Calgary is my vote.

Depends too on your situation. Do you own a home in Calgary? That adds a bit of complexity, especially now as you may be taking a hit depending on when you bought. How long will it take to recover from that?

[nzwasp]

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Would you make a Calgary salary wherever you lived?

Huston... your dollar would go much further, would the wife be able to get a visa to work though?

BC interior can be great, but the valley does fill in with fog and whatnot most of the winter, so if you like going up mountains in the winter it’s still a good choice

If Alberta, well... Calgary wins so no reason to look at other towns/cities

Sask? Just a shitty Alberta

Manitoba? It smells, lots of crime and stuff in Winnipeg

Ontario? Hrm... taxes... and hydro are steep, TO is expensive... south (Windsor, etc) kind of a shithole, but might be the next area to come around, RE prices are increasing for sure. Barrie... might be a little late, but a Calgary level income without commuting daily to TO would still go far, close to the muskoka which is hands down waaaay better than the kawarthas

Quebec? If you identify as an Albertan... skip!

East coast? Cheap as hell... but again, massive hate for this province

I would still make the same salary yes. There is no change to that side of things regardless of where I live.

[Brent.ff]

I’d say Victoria..

[ExtraSlow]

East Coast seems pretty good and cost of living is lower so your money goes much further. West Coast is expensive for real estate but some stunning areas on the island, the sunshine coast etc. Northern Ontario is pretty nice around cottage country.

Everywhere other than Calgary my biggest concern would be winter weather. Despite the bitching, Calgary has quite a bit of winter sunshine and very short periods of truly cold temperatures, and really not that much snow.

I'm absolutely biased because I grew up here though. If I had millions I'd probably still live here most of the time, although I might do a couple months a year in the places mentioned above.

[nzwasp]

The problem with Calgary for me personally is its too cold and dry - I was recently (last two years) diagnosed with a disease - and the doctor said Calgary, and Edmonton basically anywhere in Alberta were all bad for this particular disease due to mostly the dry, and also cold weather. Not sure how much mild to cold but humid areas we have in Canada though other than Vancouver.

[ExtraSlow]

Well, southern Alberta is the driest part of the country. Either coast would be a bit more humid. Even Ontario is.

[civicHB]

Montreal?
why hasn't this been picked yet

[ExtraSlow]

Because he wanted to stay in Canada an not move to a separate and distinct nation.

[dirtsniffer]

This thread has made me realise how much I dislike most regions for how they've tried to keep us down.

Personally, I have heard Ottawa is a great place to live. And how could it not be with all that Alberta cash flowing in the streets.

[shakalaka]

I think in Canada cities like Calgary and Edmonton are just perfect. Not too big or expensive like Toronto or Vancouver, but yet still have all the amenities and the lifestyle you could find at those places. I don't see myself moving out of these ever personally. Houston may not be a bad idea if you prefer the warmer weather and what not, I am not sure what the economical situation is there tho but if it's cheap then more than Australia I would be considering that option. That being said only if I was white lol.

If you can't stay in Calgary then I would look at suburbs in Ontario like Windsor or whatever other medium sized cities there are over there. Close to enough to Toronto and the border for that matter but at the same time far away from the BS and super expensive everything.

Oh and if you want to be in BC and that weather, I think Kelowna would be perfect or even Kamloops for that matter. Not as expensive as Vancouver I don't think and the weather is certainly nice and they are big enough to be fun at the same time.

[killramos]

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VI was a tough place in the 80s and 90s when I lived there but even in former dumps like Nanaimo, there has been a lot of money moving in recently, and not all Chinese mainlander either.

Its not the shit hole it used to be and your experiences, while accurate for the time (I remember those sentiments well), do not reflect present reality.

It is definitely still a shithole, fuck there is something in the water out there that turns people insane.

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Unless you really like fishing and/or shooting up with heroin, I'd advise against it, haha.

I grew on on VI, it makes the NE look upper class. It is a really nice place to go on vacation, go camping, do some outdoor activities... it makes you think you want to move there and live the laid back Island life. However that is all a facade, fuck living there! I mean you could try to isolate yourself with some friends and just stick to biking and hiking... but the scum outside will get in eventually; ransack your house, break your windows, target your lifestyle, and poop in your car. There is one thing that Vancouver Islanders hate more than anything... and that is people who actually have money and don't have to work as gas attendants at the age of 38. You can't even walk the streets at night in the small towns, a car full of middle aged punks will stop and beat the shit out of you with baseball bats.

The only exception is Victoria, but after a week you realize it is the most boring place on earth.... even more than Calgary!

+1 on all of this, i would say in a lot of cases shit has gotten worse as mill work and flying to AB to work the rigs has dried up. Crime and drug use worse than ever.

I have only taken my wife back once, and that was for a wedding, and barely left Victoria aside from attending the actual wedding itself.

All my family is still back there and the BS I hear on a weekly basis is amazing. My uncle and I here have just lumped them all in as "Island People" and their facebook is more entertaining than any TV show.

If you don't see whats wrong with that place you aren't looking past your nose, which tbh is what most Island people do.

Overall, considering being employed is a factor, i pick Calgary as the only place in Canada I want to live. If being employed wasnt a factor i would probably say Okanagan Valley but it has its own challenges.

[msommers]

If money was no object:

Vancouver, Montreal, Canmore and Victoria, in that order. I love eating in Toronto but to escape the city you need to go far.

Realistically for my job as a Geologist, Calgary is the best I can hope for because commuting in from Canmore everyday would suck. Maybe Norway, Iceland or New Zealand if internationally.

[asp integra]

I would say somewhere in the Okanagan