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Old 03-29-2015, 07:15 PM
 
Location: St. Louis
7,442 posts, read 6,962,866 times
Reputation: 4601

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Quote:
Originally Posted by modernrebel View Post
I'm Canadian and don't get Americans on this forum who think Canada is some sort of golden dreamland. Here's a tip, stop reading things online, and start living it. If you want to start living Canadian style move to northern Minnesota and offer to pay 40% more for everything you buy, including your car, and groceries, and 80% more for your home. I spent a lot of time in the US and would live there if I could but you guys make it nearly impossible for anyone who isn't a double PhD holder or an illegal Mexican to move there.
This sums up a lot of the problems with our immigration policy.
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Old 03-29-2015, 07:20 PM
 
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
1,912 posts, read 2,061,175 times
Reputation: 4043
It's basically impossible for Americans to get a Canadian work visa without first being offered a position in Canada. Because of that, there's really no incentive or point to seeking a move up there.

I've worked with enough Canadian expats to know that Canada doesn't have nearly the same employment opportunities as one can find in the US.
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Old 03-29-2015, 07:40 PM
 
Location: NoVA
1,391 posts, read 2,636,623 times
Reputation: 1972
Oh hellll no! Nothing against our friendly neighbors upstairs, I've been to Canada a few times and it's a great place to visit, but the weather alone is enough to keep me from ever considering a move up there, nevermind the delusional housing prices.
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Old 03-29-2015, 08:10 PM
 
Location: Toronto
15,109 posts, read 15,723,347 times
Reputation: 5191
Quote:
Originally Posted by ckhthankgod View Post
I've heard that areas of Ontario like Kingston and Ottawa are pretty affordable by Canadian standards. Is that true?

If I were to look into Canada, I'd probably look into the Golden Horseshoe, Windsor/Southwestern region or previously mentioned area above in Ontario or Nova Scotia particularly in/around Halifax.
Rent is actually pretty affordable in The Greater Toronto area - for a large city that is.. I pay 1265 per month for a 2 bdrm 1000 sq foot apartment including all utilities and i'm a 5 minute walk from the subway plus I live in the 4th largest city in North America so I can't complain.. Since rent is only 1/4 my income I have no complaints at all.. I think it depends on how much money you make.. If I was a Starbucks Barista making 15 bucks an hour than no - I wouldn't be happy but I make 3X that amount and i'm fine. I think i'd still be fine making 35 percent less than I do but I won't tell my boss that lol.. I wouldn't touch real estate in Toronto or more specifically a house - too expensive except for smaller sized condo's but its the price you pay for living in an International city with lots of investment.. Weather wise - T.O sucks from November to April but is Chicago, NYC and Boston great for winter weather either lol..

We have some expat Americans on this forum living in Toronto and one from Boston who does well financially and has commented on the affordability of housing in T.O relative to Boston.. He mentioned that Cars/Insurance are more expensive and day to day costs a bit more but not as much as some make it out to be.. I almost laughed when someone said day to day costs are 40 percent more - maybe if one lives in Nunavut.. Like the U.S - in Canada C.O.L is highly variable and dependant on many factors.. You can't just broad brush stroke things. Its much more expensive to live in S.F than Des Moines for example but you're going to make more in S.F.. Similarly - its generally cheaper living in T.O than S.F but generally people make a bit more in S.F so it largely works out in the wash.

If you are serious about living in Canada i'd definately consider things like what type of job your looking at and pay - plus learn about our labour laws and employee benefits mandated by governent here including the wonderful benefit of Maternity/Paternity leave to families with newborn children - you may find in the details perks that others aren't aware of that are more aligned with what is important for you

Last edited by fusion2; 03-29-2015 at 08:27 PM..
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Old 03-29-2015, 09:58 PM
 
Location: North Texas
1,743 posts, read 1,314,305 times
Reputation: 1613
I have never visited Canada but have always been a fan. I hope to visit often someday soon, but I'm not jealous. I'm proud to be American. The U.S. is still the second best country in the world after Texas.
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Old 03-29-2015, 11:41 PM
 
Location: Somewhere below Mason/Dixon
9,436 posts, read 10,712,174 times
Reputation: 15903
Quote:
Originally Posted by modernrebel View Post
Yea, that's right. I live in the "cheap" part of Canada around Winnipeg. That means you only tack on a few hundred thousand on to your home. Picture your $300,000 home in a decent area of Chicago, just add $250,000 on to that. But we are lucky here, in other areas it isn't so affordable. Guess how much these homes cost?







If you guessed anything under $1 million, guess again. Each one of those homes is going for over $1 million in the part of Canada north of Seattle. The average yearly income there is 1/15 of the average home cost. Think Oahu, Manhattan, or downtown San Fransisco pricing but without the economy or international hub status to support it. Meaning that the average hardworking Joe has no chance of ever owning their own home. But hey, at least the streets are walkable, right?

Ok so if most people cant own a home where do they live? Places with home values like that usually have equally outrageous rent so I assume that is out of sight as well. If you work in a small factory or some other "average Joe" job where do you live??? Do y'all have tent cities under your bridges??? Just curious. I have wondered the same thing about parts of the northeast and California too.
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Old 03-30-2015, 09:09 AM
 
Location: Canada
428 posts, read 446,779 times
Reputation: 661
Quote:
Originally Posted by danielj72 View Post
Ok so if most people cant own a home where do they live? Places with home values like that usually have equally outrageous rent so I assume that is out of sight as well. If you work in a small factory or some other "average Joe" job where do you live??? Do y'all have tent cities under your bridges??? Just curious. I have wondered the same thing about parts of the northeast and California too.
Rent is not equally astronomical. Rent is in Canada is practical (in most areas besides British Columbia). Also, the insane housing prices are a recent trend of the last decade, with many economists predicting Canada to be on the edge of an economic meltdown. It isn't comparable to San Fransisco or Boston. A place like Vancouver or Calgary isn't by any stretch of the imagination a tech hub (some patriots will want to say otherwise, but it just isn't true). In Vancouver the economy is....well there isn't one, think Hawaii without the tourism or San Fransisco without the high pay. That's the difference, places like San Fransisco and Boston are high paying with boundless opportunity, in Canada it is the economy of Dubuque, Iowa but with the prices of Boston. In Calgary it's all based on oil. That's right, and you know what happens when the price of this one commodity falls like it's doing now? The economy crashes. The entire economy has been propped on oil, with 80% of jobs being related to the Alberta oil industry. Keep in mind that for some reason an American in San Diego or Tuscaloosa can buy this oil for cheaper than a resident of Edmonton, Alberta before taxes. The only area in English speaking Canada that has a decently diverse economy is around Toronto, and let's say that would be underachieving if you compare it to similar cities in the US. You have one thing right people who aren't living the dream aren't living in downtown Toronto or Vancouver, they live out of sight of the American tourists. So when little Johnny comes to Canada looking for the fabled worker's paradise, it looks pretty good as long as he sticks the downtown.

Generation Y is screwed and has no prospect of ever owning a home in Canada and walking away without being a debt slave, oh yeah and our version of social security only gives us half the money on retirement. The best thing I can do is leave my son a chest of cash, because right now there his economic future is bleak regardless of holding a master's. Others are giving their homes to their children, a folly because of the massive housing bubble.
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Old 03-30-2015, 10:24 AM
 
Location: Mishawaka, Indiana
7,010 posts, read 11,901,786 times
Reputation: 5813
Quote:
Originally Posted by modernrebel View Post
Rent is not equally astronomical. Rent is in Canada is practical (in most areas besides British Columbia). Also, the insane housing prices are a recent trend of the last decade, with many economists predicting Canada to be on the edge of an economic meltdown. It isn't comparable to San Fransisco or Boston. A place like Vancouver or Calgary isn't by any stretch of the imagination a tech hub (some patriots will want to say otherwise, but it just isn't true). In Vancouver the economy is....well there isn't one, think Hawaii without the tourism or San Fransisco without the high pay. That's the difference, places like San Fransisco and Boston are high paying with boundless opportunity, in Canada it is the economy of Dubuque, Iowa but with the prices of Boston. In Calgary it's all based on oil. That's right, and you know what happens when the price of this one commodity falls like it's doing now? The economy crashes. The entire economy has been propped on oil, with 80% of jobs being related to the Alberta oil industry. Keep in mind that for some reason an American in San Diego or Tuscaloosa can buy this oil for cheaper than a resident of Edmonton, Alberta before taxes. The only area in English speaking Canada that has a decently diverse economy is around Toronto, and let's say that would be underachieving if you compare it to similar cities in the US. You have one thing right people who aren't living the dream aren't living in downtown Toronto or Vancouver, they live out of sight of the American tourists. So when little Johnny comes to Canada looking for the fabled worker's paradise, it looks pretty good as long as he sticks the downtown.

Generation Y is screwed and has no prospect of ever owning a home in Canada and walking away without being a debt slave, oh yeah and our version of social security only gives us half the money on retirement. The best thing I can do is leave my son a chest of cash, because right now there his economic future is bleak regardless of holding a master's. Others are giving their homes to their children, a folly because of the massive housing bubble.
Pretty critical and harsh of your own country aren't you? Not that it offends me, but I don't often see Canadians speaking of their country this way.
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Old 03-30-2015, 10:40 AM
 
Location: Canada
170 posts, read 180,943 times
Reputation: 221
Quote:
Originally Posted by ColdAilment View Post
Pretty critical and harsh of your own country aren't you? Not that it offends me, but I don't often see Canadians speaking of their country this way.
It's critical but he sounds right on the money to me.
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Old 03-30-2015, 10:43 AM
 
Location: The Western Hemisphere
81 posts, read 100,350 times
Reputation: 232
Any Americans want to switch places?
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