British Expatriate Network

Has anyone relocated to Canada and missed it when they returned? I'm homesick for Britain and not sure if I moved back if I would actually miss where I was. I do like it in Canada, but miss the familiarity of British telly, the Tescos and High street and driving on the left. I'd love to hear from people who settled in Canada without regrets and why, and what made others return home. Am still in two minds on this but don't wan't to uproot my family yet again over a feeling.

Hi there, an expat in Canada here. It takes a while to get use to it, and believe, we understand where you are coming from, and miss all those things you mentioned. Whereabouts in Canada are you?

We are in Ontario, looking forward to the fall again, and taking some nice pics, whilst driving around. It hasn't been easy settling, but you get round to liking it. Also there are cheap flights to the UK, when you feel like it, and eaasy for family to come over, on cheap flights.

Came to Ottawa 42 years ago.
In those days the difference in the standard of living between the UK and Canada at that time was greater ( much better off here)

The other thing is that the few times we did return for visits, we were always glad to return. Last time we visited was in 1982.

Been too long here to even consider moving away especially back to the UK. Have no real friends there and only one aging sister.

Potential ex pat here. Interested in your comment about cheap flights. Where from to and how much ?

Cheers

Ps

Traffic here is bl**dy awful, Petrol is a pound a gallon, house prices are RIDICULOUS.

right Choice mate !

I moved to Toronto in January of this year, in the depths of winter, knowing not a single soul......and I have no regrets whatsoever. I think it very much depends on the way you view things. To me, it was an opportunity to get out of London and the UK and I was determined to make a go of it. It was definitely a case of being in the right place at the right time. However, if it hadn't worked out, My philosophy was that I could always go home (I appreciate that it's easier for me as I have no family/kids to worry about).

When I first got here, I did stuff that I wouldn't have touched with a barge pole in the UK - joined 'meeting up' websites, invited myself along to anything and everything, asked people for their email addresses if we had a conversation and seemed to get on (interesting when asking girls - got over the initial awkwardness when they realised I wasn't coming onto them and just wanted to be friends!)

If you pester enough people, some of them are bound to stick grin As a result, I now have a fantastic group of friends here which was the most important thing to me as I'm a very social person. The standard of my life here is so far and above what I had in London as well. I'm in a good job, earning a decent salary but paying less than half the rent I was in London and not having to endure the horrendous commute I had on the Tube. Of course I miss my family and friends but not the UK and the UK way of life. The Canadians I have met, for the most part, have been incredibly welcoming and accepting and after only 10 months, I do really feel as if this is my home.

Do you think you can pinpoint anything in particular that you are missing? I can certainly point you in the direction of some websites if you are feeling like you want to get out and meet new people (there are equivalents in other cities across Canada, not just Toronto). How long have you been here? What brought you over? I know that some people here in Toronto have found it difficult to settle in and - ironically - it seems to be those who come with a partner and/or family in tow. Having been in a similar situation previously in the UK, I know that I certainly had a tendency to just hang out with my then other half and not really make the effort to get to know anyone in my new area.

From a TV perspective, there seems to be a lot of BBC stuff on at the mo thanks to the CBC strike wink And I'm forever turning the TV on to find Corrie and shows like Silent Witness or Rosemary and Thyme. But you can also get a lot of stuff on DVD as well. As for the shops, it does take a while to get used to the different brands but you can pretty much find everything you need, I think. The only things I really miss are UK Cadbury's chocolate and M&S. Everything else, you just need to try it out!

Some great stuff here !

Thanks everyone that has bothered to reply. Some stuff from our end ( if we don't bore you to death :wink: .

We are not coming from the ' UK is sh*t' point of view. I am very sucessful in my business and have a lovely family. Pubs are good, food is good. WE have great heritage with castles, steam trains etc .Primary school education ids generally good ( but goes downhill after the age of 8).Weather is never severe here.I have three Kids of 8,8, and 6 1./2.

Its great when they can do things together, but what about the future ?

University is now chargeable ( as it is in Canada?) and all 3 may want to go at the same time.We could not afford to support 3 at once, and they will leave with debts of £15000 to £20,000 .
I travel extensively for my work and the roads are getting seriously congested. To get any where for a normal day you leave very early and get home very late. Result i a 60 hour plus week.Its totally exhausting and the kids harldy see me.
We have long holidays, 5 weeks, but not disposable cash to go very far. ( There is a massive debt problem in the UK with people over committing themselvs. )
House prices are OBSCENE. I live semi rural, in a town in the Midlands in a 4 bed deteached house ten years old. It would cost you about $CAD 600,000 equivalent. How can my kinds afford that ?Even a flat ( or condo as you call it,) would be $CAD 260,000 equivalent.

So, both my Wife and I have travelled an worke abroad . We are seeking a better life for our family.
Regading my qualifications I am having them ' Transferred ' by an organisation in toronto called the World Education Service http://www.wes.org and wil get my CV rewritten professionally ' Canada' style.

Some more questions :

Can I use my U.K driving license in Canda. If not , any contacts where to find out. AlsoI beleive I have to get private medical for the familiy fo 6 months after I arrive. Anyone reccomend a good company?

Some final thoughts........


There was a programme on TV "Billy Conolly's World tour of the U.K' and at the end he told a story:- He met an old Chinese man sat by the sie of the road between two towns. He said to the Chinese Man ' Tell me Wise man, what are the people like in the next town ? " The old man replied " What were they like in the last town you visisted ? "
The man replied that they were rude, ignorant, antis-ocial and he did not find one person that he liked"
The Chinese man replied " Then my son, that is how you will find them in the next town"


See ya

Canada Dreaming - you'll find all the driving info you need here


http//www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/visiting.htm


I'm not sure you'll find universities here that much cheaper. Plenty of students here get saddled with $20,000 of debt too. I do know universities here are somewhat less expensive than the U.S.

As for traffic it depends where you live. If you're going to live in the suburbs of Toronto you may well find the QEW or 401 as congested as the Midlands, particularly in gridlocked rush hour. Within the city the streets get congested but the traffic generally flows most of the time.

Canada Dreaming - RE health coverage. When you actually become a resident here, as you probably know, most health care costs are covered by the government, but not everything. Drugs and dental are not for instance. Often these will be covered by your work place. But if, like me, you're self-employed, you have to take care of it yourself or pay out of pocket.

I say all this to explain that I have that quite limited health insurance with Manulife Financial. It's fine for that, but I have no idea how good they would be at providing the more comprehensive insurance you are seeking to begin with.

Nevertheless, this link will get you started



http//www.coverme.com/LH/CoverMe/Corporate/LHWebSiteHome.jsp?lang=E


You may also be interested in looking at the Government of Ontario's website for health insurance.


http//www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/program/ohip/ohip_mn.html


Remember, unlike Britain there are lots of things here - health, education, driving - that fall under the provincial not the federal government which is why you may have found it hard to track these things down.

I've spent my last 6 months back in the UK telling everyone I meet to move to Canada - definitely my favorite country that I've ever been to. I told my wife that I want to live after I'm 50 in either Quebec (anywhere in the province really - not too fussed) or Norway, and at the moment she's much more inclined to go for Quebec. Adore the place.

Don't be deceived by the price of petrol. And I know you meant to say it's a pound a litre not gallon... still tough getting used to the new measurements eh?

Although it's much less expensive over here in North America, there's a reason for that. We drive a heck of a lot more. A 30-50 mile commute to work is normal if you are in anything but a burger-flipping job or happen to live in a city with a wide range of options in your particular field. Travelling anywhere means driving for much further than its equivalent in the UK. So the difference of 3 or 4 times the price of fuel in the UK is quickly negated by the longer distances. Until the price of a barrel dropped, I was using 4 hours of my pay to fill a tank for a week's commuting, and that's in a relatively good vehicle for mileage by US standards - 25-28mpg. How much do you put into your tank in relation to your income?