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Living in Canada
Location
Canada lies to the North of the USA and, behind Russia,
is the world's second largest country. The vast majority
of Canada's population lives near the southern border
with the USA.
Employment
In recent years, Canada's agricultural and mineral
exports have performed well in world markets. Economic
conditions are good for most of the country.
Although the economy is healthy, you would be advised
not to come to Canada to get rich. Canadians enjoy a
very high quality of life but, compared with some of the
salaries available in the USA, UK and Northern Europe,
Canadians are not highly paid.
A major advantage of living in Canada is that, in most
locations, it's possible to buy a comfortable, large,
detached house on a normal income.
Jobs tend to be most plentiful in Toronto / Southern
Ontario, Vancouver and Calgary.
Unemployment rates in Toronto and Vancouver hover around
6 or 7 percent while Calgary's is around 3 or 4 percent.
Despite relatively low unemployment rates, getting work
can be difficult for migrants when they first arrive in
Canada. Ideally you should arrange a job before you go
to Canada.
Before seriously considering moving to Canada, it is
absolutely vital you check that Canadian employers will
accept your qualifications and experience.
If you have specialist, in-demand skills you are less
likely to encounter difficulties but that's still no
guarantee of finding a suitable job.
When they have a position to fill, Canadian employers
tend to look first for a local employee - someone they
can get the low-down on from trusted industry contacts.
If they can't find a suitable local employee, employers
will consider taking on a migrant.
Given the potential difficulties in finding suitable
work, migrants are strongly advised to bring plenty of
money to live on while job-hunting.
If your English language skills are not excellent, you
may find it almost impossible to get a job appropriate
to your skills.
Character
Canadians are very hospitable, welcoming people -
particularly in provincial and rural Canada. The
majority of Canadians are very tolerant and follow a
live and let live philosophy. There is often a stronger
sense of community and duty in Canadian towns than can
be found in other countries.
Visitors to Canada may find it difficult to tell the
difference between its English speaking provinces and
the USA.
There is no danger of mistaking French-speaking Quebec
for the USA. A degree of hostility to Canadian English
speakers can be encountered at times in Quebec. Getting
a job or running a business in Quebec requires fluency
in French.
Most of Canada has a semi-continental or a continental
climate. Depending on the exact location, summers are
warm or hot and winters are cold or very cold (or
brutally cold). The exception is Canada's Pacific coast,
where summers and winters are mild.
Sunshine is abundant in most provinces, particularly the
prairie provinces in the middle of Canada.
Toronto and Vancouver are Canada's most multicultural
and cosmopolitan cites. They are rich in cultural and
artistic activities and their restaurants offer many of
the world's cuisines. They also have the most expensive
housing in Canada.
Other Canadian cities have a more provincial character
than Toronto and Vancouver and considerably cheaper
housing.
Canadian City Comparisons
Detailed Climate Descriptions for Canada's Cities
Housing
Canada has some of the cheapest housing in the developed
world. The country has huge forests and timber is
readily available as a building material. Houses in
Canada are typically timber-framed and, because of
climate extremes, the housing stock is usually high
quality and well insulated.
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