Moving to Canada

[SashaS]

I live in South Africa, which isn't exactly a good thing and after doing some extensive research, I've concluded that Canada is literally my dream place to live. It has everything I could wish for in a country, it is clean, safe, free of crime and political corruption, its cold and its in the North. The people seem great and of course the camping sites seem awesome too! It is literally the polar opposite of South Africa and that is in every way a good thing for me.

I work online so in terms of jobs, I'm sorted. Once I have saved up enough I plan to move there, the thing is... I have no idea where in Canada! Its a large country and I'm not exactly familiar with the cities. So my question, to anyone who knows a thing or two about Canada is: Where does someone from another country go? All I need is a reasonably large city with good internet connection and some nice recreational spots nearby. The way I'm going now, money is not a large concern so that is the least of my worries. ( Even though 1 Canadian Dollar is 11 South African Rands! )

I know I'm not being too specific at the moment but the above is all I can really wish for, because that alone is better than the corrupt pile of rubbish that is the country I live in at the moment, any feedback would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

 

[Northern Dancer]

I'm a citizen of Canada; both my family forbearers have been here since 1843 and we claim full Canadian status in that we do not hyphenate Canada with any other country.

Were you move to depends a lot on what you plan to do and the style of life you are looking for. The best thing is to use the ol' net and research Canada from Province (there are ten of them) to the territories (there are three of those). Ontario where I live is the most populated and boarders the United States.

You might want to look up some cities too - try Montreal (appreciating this Province retains it's historical French connection), Toronto and the hub Ontario, Halifax Novia Scotia, Vancouver British Columbia, (really expensive but breath taking beauty), Winnipeg Manitoba, and Regina Saskatchewan. Officially Canada is a Constitutional Monarchy and is bilingual - English and French, though many languages are spoken.

Very definitely look up Government of Canada Immigration.

City of Toronto Capital of Ontario

 

[Northern Dancer]

Another suggestion - some people have taken a vacation in this country to sort of check things out.

 

[SashaS]

I think going on vacation there for a few weeks is an awesome idea, thanks!
Looking into it a little more, I would love to live in Toronto, it sure seems like a great place to be, thanks for the informative feedback. I'll also have to look into the legal side of things and immigration laws. This made me realize that there is a lot more than whats on the surface when it comes to moving to another country.

 

[Northern Dancer]

Though Toronto is indeed a great place to live [the Commander of this site lives there] many prefer to live outside the community in smaller places that are close by. It is really important to do the research. Like all nations we too have our problems and are not perfect.

One of the immediate things that you would have to deal with is "our" culture and indeed the weather - for it is very different from what you experience in South Africa [the home of Archbishop Tu Tu].

 

[campforums]

Another suggestion - some people have taken a vacation in this country to sort of check things out.

Great advice, I have met a lot of people who moved to Canada from other places in the world. Many of them had been before on short trips.

 

[killeroy154]

Yes, if you can vacation there first would be great. I lived in Gaylord Michigan till I was 10. My grandparents were from Canada. I would guess the weather and terrain might be very similar between Northern Michigan and Toronto?

Northern Michigan is gorgeous with many natural lakes. My wife and I hope to travel up that way and into Canada in the future. She has never been that far north, and wants to see where I spent my childhood and also to do some genealogical research on my mother's side.

@SashaS, welcome

 

[Northern Dancer]

The great thing @killeroy154 is your dollar at the moment is a lot higher making it cheaper to travel in this country. The weather patterns are much the same as you experience. I've had opportunities to travel to Michigan too.

Like I always tell everyone - do your research and check things out. If you are a camper and coming to Ontario their are numerous Provincial and private parks that you will enjoy. Prices are reasonable and if you are a senior you may be eligible for a further 20% your fees in Provincial Parks. (You need to check that one out.) Type in Parks Ontario - check English - they will have a list and other information that you would need know. There are camp ground maps and pictures - the stuff you expect.

IF YOU ARE CROSSING OUR BOARDER REMEMBER - NO GUNS. And watch your speed - we are in kilometres not miles.

 

[SashaS]

The great thing @killeroy154 is your dollar at the moment is a lot higher making it cheaper to travel in this country. The weather patterns are much the same as you experience. I've had opportunities to travel to Michigan too.

Like I always tell everyone - do your research and check things out. If you are a camper and coming to Ontario their are numerous Provincial and private parks that you will enjoy. Prices are reasonable and if you are a senior you may be eligible for a further 20% your fees in Provincial Parks. (You need to check that one out.) Type in Parks Ontario - check English - they will have a list and other information that you would need know. There are camp ground maps and pictures - the stuff you expect.

IF YOU ARE CROSSING OUR BOARDER REMEMBER - NO GUNS. And watch your speed - we are in kilometres not miles.

Thanks for raising the point about using Metric units, that will save me a lot of calculating and confusion as we also use the Metric system in South Africa. Until you actually experience a country that uses the opposite, you don't know what a pain it can be. With regards to currency, that is one pitfall someone like me would experience as my money would decrease over tenfold. But at the same time I would expect things to be a little cheaper there, either way, my standard of living would probably just lower by a little bit. The main thing I can't wait for is the weather, that is a major turn on for me to have cooler weather. With regards to camping, I think the natural land in Canada is ideal for someone like me as its just what I am looking for.

 

[Northern Dancer]

@SashaS - keep in mind we have a vast country - one of the biggest. Because we are so huge a land mass weather patterns vary greatly from region to region. I sure hope you are a student at heart because I'm giving you a lot of homework - check it on the web.