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in Canada, the numbers game doesn't really work like that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SWFL_Native
Thx Mark! I'm confident based upon our education + professional experience + industry we should be able to get through the immigration process. I'm less concerned with that and am in no particular rush but more concerned with trying to target a specific area of Canada.
I have noticed that once you get passed the top 1 to 2 cities in a territory that the population falls quickly. In Alberta you go from Calgary 1.2M to Edmonton 1.0M down to red deer which is 100k. BC has a similar falloff... So it's a struggle to find a metro areas < 500k people but greater than 100k.
I've done two "work tours" of Calgary, and also went to school in northern Alberta before we followed the oil business to Tulsa. Calgary RIGHT NOW simply doesn't have jobs to talk about, and that change in permanent. Health care just took a big hit, too. Those is Calgary that stayed conservative money wise are doing really well off decades of hard work and saving, a prairie "trait". Those that are your age, and a little older, that had never seen a recession are about to lose their house, boat, three cars, vacation home, and those expensive vacations twice a year.
Example: Kelowna is BOOMING. Major money all over the place: a tech centre because with the need for high speed, it's attracting all kinds of the right people. Housing is booming all over BC for various reasons. Where I am in the Purcells Albertans that kept their money have their third home (the second one is in Arizona, but for obvious reasons they "ain't" going down there.)
I'm in the BUSH in the Rockies on the warm west side and we have three BITCOIN MINES, and now have more POT STORES than liquor stores, but it's local cash that has accumulated for decades and is looking........for a place to hide. It doesn't CREATE employment, and the locals get the jobs first anyway. Housing in my area in the BUSH starts at 600 thousand, but it's Canadian money, so cheap, eh??
While Calgary/Edmonton is great for families and those with govt. jobs, I look at your bouncing around and think maybe you should build your equity base right where you are.
You're also dealing with a different culture, though Calgary is often referred to as "the only American city outside the United States! Things have changed. Even some co=workers ten year ago from South Sudan have gone back to the old home town. !! Calgary jobs in manuf., one of the stable job creators in the private sector, were shipped to Texas in the last credit crunch. They gone and they "ain't" coming back.
Our former Prime Minister from Calgary is NOW an American based consultant with TWO American partners. That was the "plandemic" all along, !!!
I've done two "work tours" of Calgary, and also went to school in northern Alberta before we followed the oil business to Tulsa. Calgary RIGHT NOW simply doesn't have jobs to talk about, and that change in permanent. Health care just took a big hit, too. Those is Calgary that stayed conservative money wise are doing really well off decades of hard work and saving, a prairie "trait". Those that are your age, and a little older, that had never seen a recession are about to lose their house, boat, three cars, vacation home, and those expensive vacations twice a year.
Example: Kelowna is BOOMING. Major money all over the place: a tech centre because with the need for high speed, it's attracting all kinds of the right people. Housing is booming all over BC for various reasons. Where I am in the Purcells Albertans that kept their money have their third home (the second one is in Arizona, but for obvious reasons they "ain't" going down there.)
I'm in the BUSH in the Rockies on the warm west side and we have three BITCOIN MINES, and now have more POT STORES than liquor stores, but it's local cash that has accumulated for decades and is looking........for a place to hide. It doesn't CREATE employment, and the locals get the jobs first anyway. Housing in my area in the BUSH starts at 600 thousand, but it's Canadian money, so cheap, eh??
While Calgary/Edmonton is great for families and those with govt. jobs, I look at your bouncing around and think maybe you should build your equity base right where you are.
You're also dealing with a different culture, though Calgary is often referred to as "the only American city outside the United States! Things have changed. Even some co=workers ten year ago from South Sudan have gone back to the old home town. !! Calgary jobs in manuf., one of the stable job creators in the private sector, were shipped to Texas in the last credit crunch. They gone and they "ain't" coming back.
Our former Prime Minister from Calgary is NOW an American based consultant with TWO American partners. That was the "plandemic" all along, !!!
Calgary was hard hit by Trudeau because he landlocked Alberta natural resources. Even though Canada as a whole benefited through equalization payments from Alberta wealth, there was a smugness in Eastern Canada that Alberta was hurting - a bit of gloating that Alberta would no longer be prosperous, but still expecting Alberta to provide equalization payments to other provinces.
Most oil company head offices left Calgary and Canada. Many oil industry employees (white and blue collar) lost jobs. That had a trickle down effect to impact every industry, from education to retail, hospitality and tourism. Calgary and Alberta were in serious financial trouble before the pandemic due to federal government interference. Remaining oil companies are merging to form super oil companies that dominate the market.
It's true that Albertans work hard and save for the future. Alberta Conservatives are probably coasting on savings and investments. The 18-30 crowd that voted Federal Liberal and Provincial NDP wanted change. Little did they realize that change for the sake of change meant economic ruin, job loss and living at the poverty level. They figured it out within 2 years, but it was too late.
The pandemic compounded Alberta's financial ruin. Huge unemployment numbers. Housing prices are holding, apartments are flooding the market and losing value, downtown office space is vacant. Cities relied on industry taxes to pay for services, and now are looking to tax property owners to make up for the loss. The problem is that property owners are hanging on by the skin of their teeth with job loss and cannot make up the difference. City, provincial and government employees are in a bubble with salaries of $100k, wondering which private sector to target next to pay their salaries.
The provincial government is cutting costs. Education has taken a hit, although you wouldn't necessarily know it. University of Calgary is constructing multimillion dollar buildings while cutting programs of study. Privatization and consolidation of health services, such as food services, is underway. Unionized employees have been told to take a 3% salary cut and salary freeze for the next 3 years. Spending has to be managed and the provincial government is making tough decisions simply because there is no alternative. Naturally people are unhappy about change, but it has to be done.
Calgary is safe, sunny, dry with the occasional chinook to break up the winter. We live "inner city" and our kids go to inner city public schools. We don't feel unsafe but it is a city, so crime will happen. The key to Calgary living is to really enjoy outdoor activities both summer and winter, which seems to fit your criteria. Alberta is the most conservative province politically. Our experience with the healthcare system has been positive with one surgery required after multiple MRI's. No issue scheduling, healthcare staff were top notch. I still find it weird not having to stop at reception to pay. Family doctor, dentist, orthodontist, vet, all top notch and comparable to what we had in the US.
I would not move to Edmonton or Winnipeg if you paid me vast sums and neither fit your criteria anyway. I know nothing about Red Deer or the other smaller towns but I would assume similar lifestyle to Calgary, cheaper cost of living, less amenities.
But isn't the average waiting time for a treatment/operation quite long in Canada? I've heard it can take at least several months or more than half a year, and even up to several years to start treatment/operation.
But isn't the average waiting time for a treatment/operation quite long in Canada? I've heard it can take at least several months or more than half a year, and even up to several years to start treatment/operation.
It depends.
If you urgently need heart bypass surgery, you will get it right away.
If you need a MRI to confirm a diagnosis and it’s not considered urgent, you could be waiting 11 months.
The above are based upon two personal family examples.
Also, there is no “Canada” per se with respect to medical care as each province has their own system. It’s possible that wait times might be shorter or longer depending where you are, and also if you are urban vs. rural.
I’ve never heard of several years for treatment though. Months, yes.
If you urgently need heart bypass surgery, you will get it right away.
If you need a MRI to confirm a diagnosis and it’s not considered urgent, you could be waiting 11 months.
The above are based upon two personal family examples.
Also, there is no “Canada” per se with respect to medical care as each province has their own system. It’s possible that wait times might be shorter or longer depending where you are, and also if you are urban vs. rural.
I’ve never heard of several years for treatment though. Months, yes.
This is true across Canada. People who demonstrate an urgent need for medical care receive it immediately. Anything less than obviously urgent need leaves people waiting for months for diagnostic and surgical care - even longer now that there's a pandemic.
When my son was 5 years old I described some concerns to his doctor. The doctor sent him for a CT scan and then an MRI. They discovered an arachnoid cyst - abnormal buildup of cerebral spinal fluid in the head. Experts said that elective surgery was an option, that I should decide whether he would have the surgery.
I had seen a very gradual deterioration over time - nothing significant to pinpoint. I was convinced that surgery was necessary, so it was scheduled for months later. There was a cancellation that moved the surgery forward a bit. The neurosurgeon was a friend. After the surgery, he ran to find me - still fully gowned - to tell me that there was so much pressure on his brain that when they opened him up it spurted out. It should have been listed as urgent rather than elective surgery. Every day that the pressure built meant less room for the brain to grow. He's normal today, but who would he be had I believed that the surgery was optional rather than necessary? On the plus side, I didn't have to pay for the hours long brain surgery.
This is true across Canada. People who demonstrate an urgent need for medical care receive it immediately. Anything less than obviously urgent need leaves people waiting for months for diagnostic and surgical care - even longer now that there's a pandemic.
When my son was 5 years old I described some concerns to his doctor. The doctor sent him for a CT scan and then an MRI. They discovered an arachnoid cyst - abnormal buildup of cerebral spinal fluid in the head. Experts said that elective surgery was an option, that I should decide whether he would have the surgery.
I had seen a very gradual deterioration over time - nothing significant to pinpoint. I was convinced that surgery was necessary, so it was scheduled for months later. There was a cancellation that moved the surgery forward a bit. The neurosurgeon was a friend. After the surgery, he ran to find me - still fully gowned - to tell me that there was so much pressure on his brain that when they opened him up it spurted out. It should have been listed as urgent rather than elective surgery. Every day that the pressure built meant less room for the brain to grow. He's normal today, but who would he be had I believed that the surgery was optional rather than necessary? On the plus side, I didn't have to pay for the hours long brain surgery.
Sorry to hear about your son, that had to be both heartbreaking as well as frustrating.
This is the difference between the US and Canada.
In the US he could have received surgery the next day. With good insurance coverage your out of pocket might have been a few thousand dollars, but that's it (if even that much). Of course, with no coverage, there would have either been no surgery or it would have to had to wait until it was extremely serious.
In Canada, everyone rates the same regardless of ability to pay because everyone is insured the same way.
With excellent coverage the US experience is better. But that's maybe for 20-30% of the population, if that.
Sorry to hear about your son, that had to be both heartbreaking as well as frustrating.
This is the difference between the US and Canada.
In the US he could have received surgery the next day. With good insurance coverage your out of pocket might have been a few thousand dollars, but that's it (if even that much). Of course, with no coverage, there would have either been no surgery or it would have to had to wait until it was extremely serious.
In Canada, everyone rates the same regardless of ability to pay because everyone is insured the same way.
With excellent coverage the US experience is better. But that's maybe for 20-30% of the population, if that.
It wasn't frustrating since we didn't know for sure that he needed the surgery until he had it. I was worried. Canadians are typically laid back with a sense that everything works out all right every time, which helped.
The benefit of national health care is that I did not have to pay for the life changing but very expensive brain surgery. If I'd had to pay out of pocket, I'd be living in a cardboard box. Fortunately, every Canadian receives necessary and elective medical treatment and care regardless of financial stability or status. Everyone pays into the system to protect the right to life and to benefit national health.
I think it was about 5-6 weeks between my son's diagnosis and the elective surgery that turned out to be necessary. I don't think the delay made any difference. It's a congenital thing and he was barely 5 years old when I mentioned something minor, but curious, to the doctor.
As you point out, it may only be 20-30% who receive that type of medical care in the USA, and that percent receive medical care faster than in Canada, regardless of necessary or elective.
Many countries, such as Canada, other Commonwealth Nations and several EU countries have national health care. The idea is to look after everyone in the country, to ensure that everyone has the same good health. It's about the collective good or well being within a country. First world countries, for the most part, do this. It's different from the me-too, my rights are bigger than yours, stance that we've seen in the USA.
The benefit of national health care is that I did not have to pay for the life changing but very expensive brain surgery. If I'd had to pay out of pocket, I'd be living in a cardboard box. Fortunately, every Canadian receives necessary and elective medical treatment and care regardless of financial stability or status. Everyone pays into the system to protect the right to life and to benefit national health.
As someone who grew up with OHIP I get it.
Just note that the horror stories many Canadians hear about the US aren’t accurate. Just as the horror stories many Americans hear about “socialized medicine” in Canada aren’t either.
Thanks all I appreciate this dialogue very much! I will at the very least plan a 10 day trip to Montana/Calgary next summer (pending covid).
I need to spend some boots on the ground time in the area before making an appropriate determination. I'm not so worried about employment as my wife and I have pretty transferable skill set so us both getting jobs shouldn't be a problem. It really will be about COL -> Salary level in the region I need to get better data on.
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in Canada, the numbers game doesn't really work like that.
