If you could relocate in Canada where would you go?

[Sugarphreak]

...

[spikerS]

I don't think there is many places outside of Calgary I would move to. I could easily live on a small 1/4, 1/8 section of land with a nice house and Quonset/barn within about 1 hour drive from Calgary.

I love the Kenora, Ontario area, but cost of living there would be through the friggin roof, however, if money was no object... I would also be all over moving to Newfoundland if stable and gainful employment could be had. I have no interest in fishing for 6 months and then living off of EI for the next 6, which seems to be a pretty popular mindset there.

Internationally, I like New Zealand. It really appeals to me. I wouldn't take a job in the states unless I had a guaranteed salary and contract that covered 100% of medical insurance and expenses. To go without that scares the shit outta me.

[stealth]

USA 100%.

Most likely Texas or Miami.

Really like Texas. The weather is awesome, the people are nice, everything is cheap!

And this is coming from a Canadian born Arab.

I am kind of in the same boat as you, I can move anywhere and keep my job, but I can't get a VISA for my wife and kids so they would have to move back to Canada every 6 months. Unless their is something they could apply for?

[nzwasp]

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USA 100%.

Most likely Texas or Miami.

Really like Texas. The weather is awesome, the people are nice, everything is cheap!

And this is coming from a Canadian born Arab.

I am kind of in the same boat as you, I can move anywhere and keep my job, but I can't get a VISA for my wife and kids so they would have to move back to Canada every 6 months. Unless their is something they could apply for?

If you can get an H1B visa or whatever that one is that allows you to work in the US you can bring your family and they can stay with you and possibly work (your wife that is) I know because my friend did this exact thing.

[stealth]

Currently, there is a stop on international assignments on my end, so I would still be working in Canada.

[Shlade]

Lower mainland BC for sure

[Xtrema]

If you go to US, get ready for extra healthcare cost if company doesn't provide a good plan and potential down to 1 income (which sounds like may soon happen anyway). There may be extra schooling and insurance cost as well depends on where you go.

Credit is also an issue I believe, so you may have to rent for a bit unless you have significant equity to put toward a house.

The only part I hate about Calgary is winter. Other than that, I don't think I have much complain about.

My take on Canada:

• Anything east of Ontario, too remote, too cold or too much taxes.
• East Ontario, too expensive around GTA, and humid winter is actually worse than Calgary. The whole electricity fuck up means more cost too. Job market is super competitive and so far most of my family or acquaintances out there are having a tough time finding work for their kids.
• West Ontario to Sask, Yukon, NWT: If I'm going to deal with hicks, I'll move to Alabama, at least there isn't much winter there.
• Alberta: Calgary is it. Everywhere else is worse. Edmonton tends to be more lively but I hate Winter in Calgary and Edmonton got even worse winters.
• BC Okanagan: It's not that much cheaper in Kelowna or Pentiction/area. If you need access to a hospital, Kelowna is it. Potential retirement spot #1.
• BC Lower mainland: Love it if I can put $2M in house with less than $300K mortgage, and keep my pre crash Calgary wage, I would do it.
• Vancouver Island: Love it and prices are crazy but not GVR crazy. A bit remote if I still need to work, potential retirement spot #2.

If I can go to US, San Diego is probably my go to spot. Real estate isn't as bad as Bay area. Traffic isn't as bad as LA. Beautiful beaches and not overly hot or cold. 2nd choice would be Hawaii. Houston didn't leave a good impression for me although I heard Austin is pretty good. US midwest to east coast doesn't interest me one bit. The problem with US is the lack of a social safety net. So you better make bank to retire.

But I'm more in a retirement mindset, as you still have many years of work left and kids to raise, there are many other factor than real estate.

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My manager at work told me today that after this project has done he might want me to go and work in the middle east for a few years and to bring the family, so that might pan out too. In all honesty regarding the house we have now it has gone up in value and we have paid quite a bit down so we would have 2 - 3 hundred grand if we sold. I am more leaning towards renting whereever just incase we do get a call up to move somewhere with work, potentially I would even sell after shes been laid off so that we can save some money on not having to live in the classy west in Calgary.

I would not move my family to middle east. I would go there alone if they double my pay (Although, those days are probably over too). The fact your manager brought that up may mean things are drying up around here too. Keep an eye out and your options open. I would eye more US assignments but there is a possibility that if they pay the same wage, it may not be worth it for them.

It's not impossible to find a job. A lot of my IT colleagues ended up mostly as PMPs and things are slowly starting up. I'm sure your wife should be able to find something.

Consider that are plenty of 3 beds, 3+ bath houses for rent in Calgary for $1500-$2000, and landlords are not hating kids as much any more, selling your house and rent isn't a bad option to have some flexibility. But it would still cost more than your mortgage interest + property tax, assuming you are on 20 year amortization on renewal.

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If you can get an H1B visa or whatever that one is that allows you to work in the US you can bring your family and they can stay with you and possibly work (your wife that is) I know because my friend did this exact thing.

Min wage for H1B is now $100K I think. Still not hard in the tech field since starting software engineer wage is around $100K for Amazon and goes up from there.

[tonytiger55]

I would not mind Vancouver or Toronto. The problem is house prices and the commute.

A family friend asked me to move to Vancouver, another asked me to move to Toronto. I tried to explain the issue of house prices and affordability. I cant afford it. They could not understand my predicament as one lives with their parents and had everything paid for and the other is a young doctor.
The other issue the the commute, If Im going to deal with a over hour long commute on transit. I might as well move back to London.
Penticton scared me a bit whilst walking through town, getting a earful of racist abuse and being partially followed. Thats another thing to factor, what type of environment would you like your kids to have? Outdoors, city life, diverse people/environment etc

I guess it depends where you are in your life and what type of lifestyle you want for your family. I had the same conversation with friends in the UK. My health care in Calgary is first class compared to back home. My commute (or what remains of it) is great, as others have mentioned it does feel more free here. My standard of living is way higher than my friends in the UK.
USA is great, but the issue the healthcare. What do you do if (god forbid) you or your wife get REALLY sick?

In 2012 Calgary was ranked one of the top five cities in the world for liveability. Its still in the top 10.

I learned you can't have everything, I guess it prioritising the things you want and what the family needs.

I would not rule out the middle east. I have friends in the UK who have done the jump with their families. They are enjoying the expat setup and the money it brings for that current stage in their life.

[schurchill39]

I'm going to have an unpopular opinion here and it probably wouldn't be right for OP but for ME I would move to Saskatoon in a heartbeat if I could keep the same wage. I went to university there and fell in love with the city. If you stay on the east side of town everyone is so nice and laid back. Its got all the amenities of a big city with still a bit of a small town feel. Get yourself 5-40 acres within 15-20 minutes to town then it would only ever take you at most 20 minutes to get to the opposite end of the city if you absolutely had to. My wife is from there and said she wouldn't move back. Lucky for here there is no Oil and Gas there yet except for a small scammy father/son shit show.

If I wanted to give up the house and garage I'd love to move to downtown Montreal. I love that city so much.

[Kloubek]

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I would say somewhere in the Okanagan

Exactly. If I could find any work making a good wage there I'd move back for sure. We get Chinooks here, I know, but our winters are WAY too long.

[Hallowed_point]

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Exactly. If I could find any work making a good wage there I'd move back for sure. We get Chinooks here, I know, but our winters are WAY too long.

True that, but the Okanagan gets that depressing grey sky stuff going on for months at a time combined with rain.

[Seth1968]

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Exactly. If I could find any work making a good wage there I'd move back for sure. We get Chinooks here, I know, but our winters are WAY too long.

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True that, but the Okanagan gets that depressing grey sky stuff going on for months at a time combined with rain.

Not only is the winter way too long here, but there only seems to be 2 seasons. July and August are just about the only true summer months here.

If weather were the only concern, then definitely cottage country in Southern Ontario. Unlike some of BC, there is no substantial rain / fog, and the Laurentian scenery with the gradual changing of the seasons is spectacular.

[SkiBum5.0]

Everyone knows there is health insurance offered by employers in the US right?? We had a baby down here and it cost a bit but the quality of care made it worth it. Also, Houston isn’t cheaper to live than Calgary. You just make more in the same job. Don’t be fooled by house prices. Property tax, MUD tax, Insurance etc make up the difference.
We will end up in rural AB near Calgary or Saskatoon after our tour in Houston is over.

[A790]

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Pretty sure he's from there.

Born and raised in Calgary

[max_boost]

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Born and raised in Calgary

I got it partially right. During your younger years on Beyond you moved somewhere in the GTA for a girl. amirite brah?

[ercchry]

^^has family out east

[darthVWader]

Canada:
Victoria or area
US:
San Diego or Kauai
International:
NZ Taupo area or Russell

[Supa Dexta]

Islands are a pain in the ass.. Take a trip to Halifax this summer, It should be on your short list. Or atleast somewhere outside the city.

[Xtrema]

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Everyone knows there is health insurance offered by employers in the US right??

Don't bet on it, make sure you do and understand the coverage. I would say that if they need you bad enough to go thru the VISA process, they usually do have better than normal health coverage.

Recently a friend took an opportunity to switch to US subsidiary of the same company. Being naive (or drank too much corporate koolaid) and think everything just transfers over, end up with paying his family's health insurance. Royally screwed.

[bjstare]

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Don't bet on it, make sure you do and understand the coverage. I would say that if they need you bad enough to go thru the VISA process, they usually do have better than normal health coverage.

Recently a friend took an opportunity to switch to US subsidiary of the same company. Being naive (or drank too much corporate koolaid) and think everything just transfers over, end up with paying his family's health insurance. Royally screwed.

That's a pretty big mistake. Like humongous. It's beyond me how someone could miss that.