Canadians pay taxes based on residency, not citizenship, but to make good use of the US tax code you really need to be a permanent resident or naturalize in the U.S. The number of deductions you can claim on an H1 is pretty limited and I don't think there is any point for Canadians to be in the US on any other visa unless you're a full time student. Your tax exposure of course depends on a lot of factors, but the highest brackets are inevitably going up to higher than Alberta levels. If you own a business in the US, you can get away with hardly paying any income tax at all. If this fellow's wife is going to be an employee of some company, it's not that great. I also don't recommend a sponsored green card since someone else will always own you. I recognize not everyone has the resources to self sponsor.
I do not exaggerate for one second on the health care issues. I can say for a good plan that offers me the same access (not better by any means) than what I get in Alberta I've paid Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Texas about $1300 a month. It's true you could see some quack who's never been board certified the next day in Texas, but who would want to? $25 co pays for family docs, $100 for specialists, get 80% coverage on outpatient procedures. (Start thinking knee arthroscopy) Drug costs are about 80% covered with a yearly deductable, but the drug costs are about triple to quadruple those in Canada. This doesn't address dental, vision coverage.
I suppose at the private schools you at least get stabbed with a clean knife.
If kid makes it to university, the costs continue to explode. Law school tuition at UT for Texas resident = $29k / year, U of A $11k / year.
Everyone will have their own experiences, but I have a house in Texas and a house in Alberta, I could choose to make either my primary residence, but choose Calgary because I think the quality of life is better here.
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