Thinking about moving to Nova Scotia

[Top Shelf]

So the wife and I have finally got sick of the rat race and rising cost of living in Calgary. She has some family in the Truro area in Nova Scotia. I have a decent job in IT right now here in Calgary.

We started looking at MLS and we could probably sell our townhouse here, buy a really nice place in Nova Scotia, with some land even, and be mortgage free. This scenario is extremely tempting, I'm sure many of you have thought the same thing.

The only hitch is the job for myself. I did a quick look for IT jobs on Monster and Workopolis and the results were somewhat depressing. I know there are a few posters here from the maritimes, not sure what area though. Do you guys or anyone have any advice on trying to get a decent job out there?

Anyone else please feel free to add your thoughts. I'm sure there must be others who are feeling the pinch in this city and contemplating the migration out east.

thanks all.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Top Shelf,

I wish I could have better news for you. I'm a Maritimer born and raised, lived pretty much my whole life here, the the exception of a summer in Montreal.

The job market sucks, there isn't much. Having experiance could be a major help. The IT sector is one I don't know much about, as I'm not an IT guy myself.

I'm actually looking at doing the opposite, I'm on the fence about moving out west. More and more each day I'm swayed into going that direction.

I'd be more than happy to pitch anywhere in my home province you'd be looking to go.

If you have any questions, or concerns about Nova Scotia by all means feel free to send me a PM.

Cheers

[ken0042]

Be sure you factor in your new income into what you pay for your mortgage now. I looked into moving back to Winnipeg last year; selling my place and being mortgage free. Then I looked at what my IT job paid there- at least $10/hr less. So $1600 per month, or about $1100 after taxes. Which was the same as my mortgage payment.

And I still have people telling me "but you'll be mortgage free!"

[SoulOfTheFlame]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

Top Shelf,

I wish I could have better news for you. I'm a Maritimer born and raised, lived pretty much my whole life here, the the exception of a summer in Montreal.

The job market sucks, there isn't much. Having experiance could be a major help. The IT sector is one I don't know much about, as I'm not an IT guy myself.

I'm actually looking at doing the opposite, I'm on the fence about moving out west. More and more each day I'm swayed into going that direction.

I'd be more than happy to pitch anywhere in my home province you'd be looking to go.

If you have any questions, or concerns about Nova Scotia by all means feel free to send me a PM.

Cheers

Try RIM (Research in Motion) and maybe QUEST. Those are really the only 2 places I can think of in NS that I have friends who work in IT at.

It's pretty grim overall in terms of wages and jobs... but, fantastic place to live. The people are awesome, very easy going.

[Devils'Advocate]

I'm from the Maritimes and would love to go back. But there is no way that I could.

First, when I graduated university, the only thing I could find in Nova Scotia was a junior programmer at Sobeys making $26,000. Yeah, twenty-six. So I left to go to work for Statistics Canada in Ottawa... I said it was only to gain experience and I'd be back. After 4 years I got frustrated with the government bureaucracy and decided to head back to Nova Scotia for a year. Terrible mistake. I found a job with decent pay at Keane doing consulting for a US company. However, Keane knew that they could spit on their employees given the job market. It's not like if you lose your job you could find another one tomorrow like you could as a programmer in Ontario. So they would mandate overtime. If the U.S. client felt like belittling a junior consultant and call him names, that was fine. They would give outrageous amounts of work and expect it to be done by some arbitrary deadline, so most people were working 8 to 8 every day. Any way they could find to abuse their employees they would.

I quit before my 1 year review / salary evaluation. I wish I had put off quiting for a few days because I would have like to have seen my evaluation. Most guys came out absolutely livid that after all their hard work through the year that they were given a 0.1% pay increase (which, with inflation, is obviously a pay DECREASE).

Now that may just be one company, but I have several friends back that that have told me the same thing. Companies are abusing their employees and taking advantage of the fact that there are upteen dozen universities all pumping out techie grads and there are limited opportunities out there for them.

-=-=-=-

If you are desperate to go, my brother works at SupportSoft but I don't think they are hiring. AOL has an office in Bedford where they do development. Those are the only places that I can think of.

[Top Shelf]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I've heard that Halifax is the call center capital of Canada, any truth to that?

I found what seems to be a decent job at Quest. CNC Global was advertising a decent one as well. I'll start looking around anyways and see what is out there. I have about 5 years of experience, so hopefully that is enough to possibly get into a decent job.

With a mortgage payment and condo fees, we pay about 1200 a month. A realtor appraised our place at about 325. Looking through MLS, we could find something awesome for around 150. There is something to be said for owning a property free and clear.

I'm hoping if I'm patient enough that something good will come along.
Thanks again for all your suggestions, please keep them coming.

Q-scout, what is the drive time from Truro to Halifax?

[enthused]

All of my family is from the maritimes, mostly from Nova Scotia. All of my cousins have moved out west though, because there is an extreme lack of opportunities out there, job-wise. Mind you, none of them went to University so maybe that plays a factor in it. Anyways, yeah if you're set on moving out there, make sure you have a very good job lined up there, because while the cost of living may be cheaper, you wont really be raking in the dough.

However, all money issues aside, Nova Scotia is AMAZING. I absolutely love it, its a beautiful place, very friendly people, and just an all-round good time. I love going to visit everyone there, and my family has a cottage down there too. My dad is planning on retiring down there too, he grew up there and I'm pretty sure he's been planning his return ever since he moved out to Calgary for work.

Best of luck!

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Top Shelf

Q-scout, what is the drive time from Truro to Halifax?

Google Maps is your friend.

http://www.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=en&...=UTF8&z=9&om=1

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by Top Shelf

With a mortgage payment and condo fees, we pay about 1200 a month. A realtor appraised our place at about 325. Looking through MLS, we could find something awesome for around 150. There is something to be said for owning a property free and clear.

You know I'm not so sold on that one. I mean you could own a property in Halifax outright, but say property values double in price over the next 15 years. Your place in Halifax is worth 300k than. Your 325 place in Calgary could be worth 600 type of thing. Plus if you're not making as much, you're paying more taxes on stuff too. A house is a place to live, but you also have to make sure you like where you live too. I mean you can go own a mobile home free and clear somewhere in Northern Ontario if you like too, but will you like it? If you go out there and hate it, and decide you want to come out West again, will you be able to do so, or will it be too expensive. It's one thing if you're originally from there, but it's very different if you're not and haven't ever been out there.

[Top Shelf]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

You know I'm not so sold on that one. I mean you could own a property in Halifax outright, but say property values double in price over the next 15 years. Your place in Halifax is worth 300k than. Your 325 place in Calgary could be worth 600 type of thing. Plus if you're not making as much, you're paying more taxes on stuff too. A house is a place to live, but you also have to make sure you like where you live too. I mean you can go own a mobile home free and clear somewhere in Northern Ontario if you like too, but will you like it? If you go out there and hate it, and decide you want to come out West again, will you be able to do so, or will it be too expensive. It's one thing if you're originally from there, but it's very different if you're not and haven't ever been out there.

I completely agree with you, and part of what is driving this is quality of life. We would like a nice house with an extra bedroom or two, a garage and just the privacy that we don't have here. To do that in Calgary, we would have to increase our mortgage by about 100k at the least.

I grew up living in the country and am starting to miss the space and privacy. A lot of the places outside of Halifax look really nice, although there are a ton of older homes in the area.

Living in Calgary, it is hard to ever imagine owning your property outright. Some people are okay with a large mortgage over their heads, I know some people are taking out 40 year mortgages right now. They are paying mostly interest for that first 5 year term, yes you renegotiate after but why pay someone interest? I would much rather own something free and clear and not have to worry about interest rates, re-financing,

But I appreciate everyone's comments. It looks like a nice place to live and raise a family, as long as you are able to snag a decent job. I've been there a few times, my wife has been there quite a few times and has lots of family there. We are going there in a few weeks too, should be a good chance to look around some more.

[Eddie Bronze]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

Now that may just be one company, but I have several friends back that that have told me the same thing.

It's definitely not just one company. I'm sitting here now trying to think of all the places I worked before I moved to Calgary and not one of them stands out as being a job I liked or was treated well at.

Employers take advantage of their employees in every way they can. My first job in home building I took for $9/hr and was promised a raise after the first month. 5 months later I was still asking for a measely little $1/hr raise and he wouldn't give it to me. I won't even bother getting into all the other crap I had to deal with, it's too long and too frustrating a story to relive. I left that place and waited months to get my final paycheque. Took another job for $10/hr. Was told I would get a raise there too, but to no one's surprise, it never happened.

I'd like to move back too, being that I don't know many people in Calgary, all of my family and most of my friends live back there, but unless the economy does a 180, I won't be going back there for anything other than retirement.

[MarchHare]

I was born and raised in the Maritimes (Saint John area) and moved to Calgary after graduating from university when I was 22.

Every year or so, I do a mental calculation of how much of a salary increase I would have to be offered before I would consider moving back. I'm making about $50k currently, and I would not move back to Atlantic Canada for anything less than $150k. Career opportunities are only a small reason, though. Quite simply, for a young person, the Maritimes really don't have that much to offer. Halifax is a very cool, young, hip city, but Calgary beats it 10 times over. Last night my parents arrived from Saint John to visit my wife and I for a few days, and we took them for dinner at Muse. Both of them remarked that there's nowhere in Saint John where they could get a meal so excellent, yet I can think of at least 10 other restaurants in Calgary that are just as good or better.

Given that you're posting on a Flames' discussion board, obviously you're a sports fan, and the Maritimes can't compete in that category either. The highest level of athletics you would be able to see is Major Junior hockey and university varsity sports. While the CFL has been talking for years about bringing an expansion team to Halifax, I wouldn't count on that happening anytime soon, and you'll never have the chance to see professional hockey.

The local music scene is kind of a toss-up. Obviously Calgary is more capable of attracting "big name" acts because we have a larger population and a higher-capacity venue (you won't see U2 making a stop in Halifax when they go on a world tour, for example), and we also attract a wider variety of smaller, independent artists, but Halifax has a very vibrant music scene as well. On any given weekend night, you can see some great live acts playing at pubs all over Halifax, especially if you enjoy Maritime/Celtic music (e.g. Stan Rogers, Great Big Sea, Ashley MacIsaac, etc.). For my money, though, the Calgary Folk Music Festival is more enjoyable than Halifax's biggest event, the Atlantic Jazz Festival (which is certainly excellent as well).

Also, taxes are much higher. In addition to the 14% HST (compared to the 6% GST in Alberta), you will also pay a higher percentage of provincial income taxes. This is partially offset by the cheaper housing market, however. Mass transit is pretty poor as well; I've been happily living vehicle-free since moving to Calgary (and saving big big bucks by not having to pay car payments, gas, insurance, parking, maintenance, etc.), but owning a vehicle in Atlantic Canada is pretty much mandatory if you want to get around.

Finally, Calgary weather is vastly superior. Our winters are warmer (thank you chinooks!), and our summers are much more comfortable because of the low humidity. Maritime winters consist of large blizzards followed by freezing rain a day or two later.

[Lanny_MacDonald]

Top Shelf, think about this very hard. I made a move based on similar motivations and I have regretted it ever since. Calgary is a great city and you work for a great company. Trust me, you'll move someplace else and in a year and a half the shine will be off of that pumpkin and you'll be fed up with the "rat race" in that location as well. It's human nature. Sylvan fan made some really great points. Not only do I regret leaving Calgary from a family, friends and work perspective, but I also regret leaving the $400K in equity that I have seen build up in my old house in the five and a half years I've been gone. My advice is work on being happier where you are. It'll payoff in the long run.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by Top Shelf

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I've heard that Halifax is the call center capital of Canada, any truth to that?

Nope, it's Moncton

Sydney actually has quite a number as well, I never thought of Halifax as having a lot of call centres.

Originally Posted by Top Shelf

Q-scout, what is the drive time from Truro to Halifax?

About an hour, two of my old roommates actually used to do the reverse, Halifax to Truro to work. It's all highway, if your commute takes that long currently in Calgary the Truro-Halifax drive would be a welcomed change. It's a decent stretch of highway and enough landmarks to make the drive seem fairly quick.

- - -

There's also the factor of what you're used to. As March Hare correctly points out the highest level of sports you will get to see is Major Junior. Halifax does attract some big tournaments (World Juniors, In'tl Lacross, Mens and Women's Hockey Championships, The Briar is rumoured to return in 09) but you won't get to see the NHL except for exhibition. Mind you I grew up not knowing what it's like to have a professional sports team near by so I don't feel like I'm missing anything.

CFL will probably end up in Halifax if they get a stadium, which won't happen in the short-term future.

Taxes are higher.

Halifax has some great resturants, I'm not saying it's on par with Calgary, but without looking at statistics it might be on par per capita. In terms of bars, lounges, pubs, eateries, theatre, etc Halifax does have all of those, but granted in less quantity of a city of about 1 million.

Halifax is not a well planned city in terms of roads/driving. It's not difficult to get around if you know where you're going, but the fact there's a national park in the middle of the city that's a big hill, and Halifax itself is a peninsula doesn't help matters.

As for concerts most Canadian tours, if not all stop in Halifax. If U2 was doing a tour in Canada, it probably would stop in either Halifax or Moncton (2 hours or so away). So while there's no gaurantee like there almost would be in Calgary, don't rule out the fact they won't be there. Hell only recently the Rolling Stones were in the Maritimes twice (Moncton/Halifax), Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are in Moncton this fall, last year cat Dolls and Black Eyed Peas (BEP IIRC) were in PEI, this year Aerosmith is . . . big bands do stop by just not as frequent as Calgary. And if you're not Top 40 rock you probably don't see them (Tool comes to mind).

Local music scene in Halifax is top notch. The East Coast is filled with an insane amount of tallent. I enjoy a Joel Plasket, Sloan, or Gordie Sampson concert that much more if it's $5 or less because they're playing a small bar in their hometown or some fringe festival because it's home rather than paying $20-$50 to see the same show in a big venue or elsewhere. For the most part the musicians that hit it big still play the holes in the wall here as a way of saying thanks to their fans, those who supported them, and to play for friends and family. In fact if you don't do that you'll be shunned (ala Sarah MacLaughlin)

It's a really awesome place to live, if you've got decent a job. If you do make it this way prior to me leaving (which I hope I don't have to do) then make sure you let us know. We'll show you around, that's how we roll out here, haha.

Oh the biggest downside to living here is NOT, I repeat IS NOT, the job opportunities or pay or taxes . . . everyone's a frickin' Habs fan or worse Leafs fan, some days you'll want to kill them both and explain to the judge how annoying those fans are, the only thing keeping you from doing it is the fact the judge will either be a Habs or Leafs fan. If you're in Saint John you'll get some Flames fans, and in Sydney some Oilers fans (yeah not only do I have Leafs and Habs fans but the ones that aren't are Oilers fans, no wonder I'm insane). If you can live with that you'll be fine.

Cheers

[GreenTeaFrapp]

If you're thinking of moving east, why not just rent your townhouse out instead of selling it? You should make enough off of it to pay for your mortgage on any residence you get in the east. That way if you hate the place you move to, you won't be priced out of housing if you decide to return.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by GreenTeaFrapp

If you're thinking of moving east, why not just rent your townhouse out instead of selling it? You should make enough off of it to pay for your mortgage on any residence you get in the east. That way if you hate the place you move to, you won't be priced out of housing if you decide to return.

Hi, for what its worth I would absolutely not do that.

The moment you rent that out, and especially if you buy a new place in NS, All of your appreciation in the Cgy house is subject to captial gains tax. You'd lose several tens of thousands in one day.

[Sylvanfan]

^^^
Wouldn't it only be from the day you convert the primary residence to an income property? So it's not like he should be paying gains from the original purchase price but from the value of the property on the day it was switched over.

Although I'm sure the loophole is closed on the scenario where you refinance it for as much as you possibly can afford use the cash difference to buy your new place, and than convert that place to a rental property and rent it out to cover your old payment type of thing. That way you can claim a substantial capital loss on the property every year. Essentially you would have bought two properties with the money borrowed off of one. I imagine the governments closed that one.

[Stormchaser]

Originally Posted by Top Shelf

So the wife and I have finally got sick of the rat race and rising cost of living in Calgary. She has some family in the Truro area in Nova Scotia. I have a decent job in IT right now here in Calgary.

We started looking at MLS and we could probably sell our townhouse here, buy a really nice place in Nova Scotia, with some land even, and be mortgage free. This scenario is extremely tempting, I'm sure many of you have thought the same thing.

The only hitch is the job for myself. I did a quick look for IT jobs on Monster and Workopolis and the results were somewhat depressing. I know there are a few posters here from the maritimes, not sure what area though. Do you guys or anyone have any advice on trying to get a decent job out there?

Anyone else please feel free to add your thoughts. I'm sure there must be others who are feeling the pinch in this city and contemplating the migration out east.

thanks all.

I recently moved from Calgary to Moose Jaw SK. and its worked out pretty well so far

Pros
- I worked for the telephone company in AB and got a job working for Sasktel here
-I make more money here (although this is rare )
-my commute time is 3 minutes insted of 2 hours which means I have more time to do whatever
-We own our house and live in a nice old character community
-the trees are fully grown here
-still have Walmart, superstore, Mcdonalds, Canadian Tire
-going to the movies is 5 bucks
-The summers will be great here, Spring has been awesome
-beautiful sunsets
-great stormchasing
-lower stress levels
-lower car costs
-Living in a City small enough to drive accross it in 10 minutes but Big enough that people aren't talking about you at some gas station
-35 minutes from Regina
-My wife is a nurse and easily got a job here too

Cons
-no mountains
-no ikea
-no edo japan
-having to have a out of province inspection done on both vehicles.....cost me a small fortune and i've got newer vehicles
-leaving some friends in calgary
-driving a 28ft Uhaul to saskatchewan


There are many factors to weight out here and its a big decision that will be differnet for everyone. This move has set us up for life. The House values in Moose Jaw have gone up too. Since moving here in October my house and gone up quite a bit. The truth is that we were not concerned about the real estate projection in Moose Jaw but rather realized that we can provide a great start for our family and be quite setup in life. We figured we could obtain these things now insted of working for 20 years to pay off a mortage and that would help us to have some extra money to play with.

One other thing I like is the attitude change when I tell people what I do for a living. I used to feel that I didn't have the 70K salery that Calgary wanted me to have, now I feel a lot more pride in what I do. The thinking here is different in so many ways and its nice to feel a part of the city here. Still a Flames fan of course! (and a Warriors fan too)

Good luck in deciding......

[Ford Prefect]

I have a question for the maritimers on the board. I own a home-based business that grosses about 250,000K per year and increasing annually. I can run it anywhere as it's a national business, with a small existing international element that could grow, especially if I lived in the east where I could travel to groom American clients more easily and affordably. My question is this: Would Nova Scotia or any of the maritime provinices offer any kind of incentives for a small business like mine to relocate there?

[Sylvanfan]

^^^
Not sure, I can ask my boss for you Ford. He just started up an office in Moncton. Although his incentive was he could hire whoever he wanted there and pay them far less than he has to pay people in Alberta. Bascially he couldn't grow his bussiness here anymore and decided he could with a sattleite office. That was all the incentive he wanted...Although I know his wife depsises it out there and he wants to be out within 2 years and hopes his office there is self sufficient. Than again he's orginally from BC and out there is proving to not be their cup of tea. Than again he's a multi millionaire so at this point in his life cheap living isn't important anymore.