Thinking about moving to Nova Scotia

[Ford Prefect]

Originally Posted by 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.

Thanks Sylvanfan. It's not something I'm burning to do, but it's something I've considered at times. I like living in different places just to experience different parts of Canada. I still have kids in high school, but once they're out I might give this idea a more serious look.

[InSutterWeTrust]

Well just to throw in my two cents! My wife and I moved from Calgary last October to Nova Scotia.

My wife is originally from the Maritimes, Im a Calgary Born native. I love Calgary and Love Nova Scotia, we sold our Condo and moved down.

Ive been a manager at a couple different Camera and Electronics stores in Calgary, and though I had a decent resume even though I do not have a post secondary education. Moved down here, really didnt think I would have a big problem finding a job, well I finally got a full time job at the begining of April. My wife still cannot find a full time job in her field.

We have decided to move back to Calgary, just because we got offered good jobs and well we need to live.

Just make sure you get a job before you come down here. The cost of housing down here is what really attracted me down here, so if your able to buy something when you move down, than good on ya! I learnt a good lesson and cant wait to come back to Calgary!

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

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.

Well, most of the roads downtown were built for horses and buggys. That pinwheel intersection just to the north of citadel hill is a killer.

As for everyone being a Habs/Leaf fan... I'm not so sure I agree with that. There were a LOT of habs fans, especially something passed down from generations from when the Voyageurs were there. But when I was in high school, my homeroom was interesting. There was Caps fan in front of me, a Bruins fan behind me, an Islanders fan to the left and a Flyers fan to the right. Given the lack of a distinct geographical team, people seemed to be free agents unless converted by their parents. There did seem to be a general lack of interest in the West teams, but I think that was mostly because of even more of a time difference... I rarely ever saw the Flames when I was younger.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

As for everyone being a Habs/Leaf fan... I'm not so sure I agree with that. There were a LOT of habs fans, especially something passed down from generations from when the Voyageurs were there. But when I was in high school, my homeroom was interesting. There was Caps fan in front of me, a Bruins fan behind me, an Islanders fan to the left and a Flyers fan to the right. Given the lack of a distinct geographical team, people seemed to be free agents unless converted by their parents. There did seem to be a general lack of interest in the West teams, but I think that was mostly because of even more of a time difference... I rarely ever saw the Flames when I was younger.

I disagree, I'd say 40% are Habs fans, 40% Leafs fans, 5% Bruins, 5% Rangers, 5% Red Wings, 5% Other. 4 out of every 5 people would be either Habs or Leafs. As for the Flames . . . the number is so small it actually shows up as 0%. Port Hood would have some Flames fans, but most would have changed over to Blues.

Originally Posted by 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?

Ford I'll look into that, the guy I know who'd have the answer is golfing in PEI this weekend, gimme a few days.

[AaronSJ]

A couple of employers to consider would be CGI and XWave -- both have offices in Halifax -- about an hour from Truro. I don't know if either are hiring, but they are both quite large and probably have numerous opportunities.

Being a former Martimer (Saint John), I've thought about returning as well, but don't think it'll ever happen... at least not while I'm working. Your idea is certainly appealing -- and I know a number of people here in Toronto who are considering something similar (selling their current house and living mortgage free in the Maritimes). The only consideration I'd suggest is that it's difficult to go back to a big city later and maintain a comparable lifestyle (especially as the cost of homes continue to rise).

In terms of the working environment, I think Devils' Advocate hit it bang on -- the labour market is completely different on the East Coast, so employees are treated differently (in a bad way). There's an oversupply of talented workers competing for a limited number of "good" jobs... therefore salaries and benefits are nowhere near as competitive as you might like. Furthermore, employers don't seem as willing to do the little things (flex time, additional training, bonuses and incentives, gym memberships, etc.) that you may have come to expect. They simply don't need to worry as much about employee retention as their counterparts in Calgary do.

Good luck with things -- if you can find a job that makes you happy, then it's probably a great decision.

[Ford Prefect]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

Ford I'll look into that, the guy I know who'd have the answer is golfing in PEI this weekend, gimme a few days.

Thanks. i appreciate it.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by Ford Prefect

Thanks. i appreciate it.

Hey if I hook you up with a deal to move to NS, gimme a job and we'll call it even

[ken0042]

The one thing I haven't heard yet Top Shelf- do you know anybody in Halifax? I know for myself one of the reasons why I wouldn't want to move back to Winnipeg is how few friends I have left there; almost everybody I knew has moved on. I do have my immediate family there, but without the group of friends I have I just couldn't see myself moving.

I ask because I considered your question of how far it was one from one place to another, and was thinking about how it sounded like you had never been there.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by ken0042

The one thing I haven't heard yet Top Shelf- do you know anybody in Halifax? I know for myself one of the reasons why I wouldn't want to move back to Winnipeg is how few friends I have left there; almost everybody I knew has moved on. I do have my immediate family there, but without the group of friends I have I just couldn't see myself moving.

I ask because I considered your question of how far it was one from one place to another, and was thinking about how it sounded like you had never been there.

Do you need that though? I think moving to a new city and moving back home are two different things.

You'll want the friends and people who used to be around when you were home. I look at my recent move back home. While I love it here, and family's here, there are few friends that are at the same point in their lives as me right now. I'm sure there are other people around, but it's just not the same meeting new people in your small hometown.

However, moving to a new city knowing next to no one, you've got a clean slate, and it will be easier for you to meet people with similar interests as you. For example, Ken you stated you wouldn't want to move back to Winnipeg as you don't know the people you once knew. On the other hand I could move to Winnipeg as I only know four people in the city. Meeting new people, making new friends would be part of the fun.

Personally I think with this new interweb thingy meeting new people would be realitively easy if you can find sites with common interests. Like if you were to move to Halifax find who on CP's from Halifax and go watch a game at the pub. They'll bring friends, and so on and so forth. I tell you I had a blast watching Game 5 of the Flames/Wings series this year, even with the spanking because of watching it at the pub with fellow Flames fans.

Frankly I want a new city, new experiance. Why I'm debating out West, I don't really know anyone. I think it'd be kind of cool.

[Top Shelf]

Originally Posted by ken0042

The one thing I haven't heard yet Top Shelf- do you know anybody in Halifax? I know for myself one of the reasons why I wouldn't want to move back to Winnipeg is how few friends I have left there; almost everybody I knew has moved on. I do have my immediate family there, but without the group of friends I have I just couldn't see myself moving.

I ask because I considered your question of how far it was one from one place to another, and was thinking about how it sounded like you had never been there.

I've been to NS once, the next trip is in a few weeks. My wife has been there many times, the majority of her family lives around the Truro area. I'm friends with some of her cousins, but most of my friends aren't in Calgary anyways, so it's a moot point I guess. Something else I think about, every single person I met when I was there was extremely friendly.

Lots of good information in this thread, exactly what I was looking for. I was hoping the employment situation wasn't as grim as I'd heard, but we'll see what happens. I definitely wouldn't be moving there without a job that I feel comfortable in, that is for sure. It's too bad the employer mentality is that way, as Lanny said, I do work for a very people oriented company, that would be a hard thing to leave.

The consulting company I work for is growing by leaps and bounds and they are considering trying to get a presence in Eastern Canada. I know there are a fair amount of maritimers that I work with, so opening an office there wouldn't be a bad idea. Something to think about though.

So I guess for now the word of the day is patience. I'll keep doing my research, talking to people, get my resume out there and see what's available.

Thanks to everyone for the awesome advice and info so far. It's really good stuff. Hopefully when i'm there in a few weeks I can go tidal bore white water rafting again, that was an amazing time!

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

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.

actually i find this city less comfortable due to the low humidity. i grew up in BC, and i find the dryness in this city to be killer. made the recent vacation to the Dominican Republic even more enjoyable

[ken0042]

I guess what I was trying to say is I wouldn't want to move to a place where I know nobody; let alone just a few people.

Sure it could be an adventure, but how much is that adventure worth to you? Are you willing to risk not being able to afford ever moving back; like Syl pointed out.

If you are going to do it; I would suggest renting out your current place, and renting down there for a while. If you have as much equity in your current house as you say, you should be able to rent it out for enough to cover your mortgage here; as well as most if not all of your rent there. Then you'd have the best of both worlds; staying in the Calgary market while living in NS practically "mortgage free."

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by ken0042

I guess what I was trying to say is I wouldn't want to move to a place where I know nobody; let alone just a few people.

And I the opposite, but there's nothing wrong with that.

Originally Posted by ken0042

Sure it could be an adventure, but how much is that adventure worth to you? Are you willing to risk not being able to afford ever moving back; like Syl pointed out.

If you are going to do it; I would suggest renting out your current place, and renting down there for a while. If you have as much equity in your current house as you say, you should be able to rent it out for enough to cover your mortgage here; as well as most if not all of your rent there. Then you'd have the best of both worlds; staying in the Calgary market while living in NS practically "mortgage free."

Hedge your bets, a smart move. I don't know the real estate, capital gains, mortgage side of things so I can't comment if that's a good idea or not, but what I can say is weigh your options. Something that people seem to be doing, and posting here is almost always a great place to have a sounding board (why I love this site).

[Top Shelf]

So.....next question, who knows anything about Quest Software? Has anyone ever worked there? Known someone who has worked? Is a client of Quest? SoulOfTheFlame, I think it was you who had mentioned Quest, any personal experiences with them?

Shortly before I started this thread, I had done a Google search for IT jobs in Halifax. Craigslist of all places came back with a job and on a whim I applied for it. I just got an email back from their recruitment team wanting to setup a phone interview for this week.

So yeah, let me know about Quest!

[Top Shelf]

So it looks like we are getting serious with this moving to Nova Scotia business. Tomorrow morning I have a third interview with Quest, so i'll know a little better what the chances are. The company sounds pretty interesting so far, the manager I've talked to sounds like he really enjoys his job, which is good to see. I hope this is not going to piss off Karma by posting this tonight...

I've been looking around on mls and doing some internet searches to try and get info on moving there, I have a million questions though...like what is a good area to live in? Also, does anyone know any good realtors out there? I would like to live within 45 minutes of Halifax if possible.

[ernie]

Originally Posted by 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?

In short yes they do have incentives and programs. Might find some information or links from www.innovacorp.ca which the provincial business incubation program.

As an adult I've lived in Calgary, near New York and in Halifax. Quite honestly as a westerner there are time Halifax and Nova Scotia drives me absolutley nuts (and not just the drivers who like to spontaneously stop to allow someone to make an illegal turn over double yellows!). More than any other government I've seen the local and provincial levels seem to simply spin their tires and get absolutely nothing accomplished. Heck much of the time they are going in reverse like this year when they had to fire the entire board of education because they had divided into cliques like teenage girls. The decisions the local governments make are just plain wacky and usually waste a bunch of money. For example commisioning a multi million dollar study on whether to turn the armdale rotary into a traffic cirlce, spending money to do so because it helps traffic congestion if every car isn't stopping, and then changing it back to a rotary because some people were confused by the idea of a traffic circle. Or spending hundreds of thousands if not millions trying to figure out if a highspeed ferry service from the Bedford basin to downtown would alleviate traffic concerns heading into Halifax (Windsor exchange) instead of experimental lane control which would cost merely tens of thousands. There was a guy on council who was pushing for lane control and everyone looked at him like he had grown horns. People on council arguing against the idea because people would be confused over, get this, "such a novel concept". Apparently lan control is only ever heard of on the one bridge here in Halifax...heaven forbid on a road. Insanity they cried!

As for living here be prepared to pay MUCH more in income tax and other taxes. If you stop and calculate it can be staggering how much more you pay. Property is cheaper. For example you can by a very nice 3 or 4 bedroom 2.5 bath house on 1-2 acres for under 300k 30 minutes from downtown. Some neighbouring towns the prices can be quite low.

Now that they finally relented we have Sunday shopping which is nice when working long hours during the work week or if you are doing a home repair project and need to run to Home Depot. Amazing how many people that voted against Sunday shopping go shopping atleast one Sunday a month...that would be all of them. Ah well we're all going to hell I guess.

Local music scene is decent but the big acts tend not to play the Maritimes.

Of course the seafood is excellent and so fresh you just never get sick of it.

It is laid back but that can be good and bad.

[ernie]

I've been looking around on mls and doing some internet searches to try and get info on moving there, I have a million questions though...like what is a good area to live in? Also, does anyone know any good realtors out there? I would like to live within 45 minutes of Halifax if possible.

What are you looking for?

Where in Halifax/Dartmouth will you be working (you may want to live on that side so you don't have to deal with going over or around the harbour)?

On the Halifax side if you are looking for a house that a family can grow into I's look towards the Hammonds Plains/Kingswood or Tantallon area.

On the Dartmouth side there are some nice places out around Eastern Passage, Cole Harbour and Lawrencetown. When looking keep in mind that many places are on well water or near fresh water lakes and as such the road that may look decent can be horrendous during the winter as they may only receive sand and not salt.

Fo a commute it is a place you must consider the weather. Blizzards in the winter hit without notice and there have been tiems it's taken me nearly 3 hours to get home...i can't imagine driving on any sort of highway in some of those storms. Rain can also be a problem. I never really understood the term sheets of rain until I moved here. Simply put there are times when you wipers have no chance to keep up.

We live in a nice area that takes me about 35 minutes to get to work right downtown (25 to get back home). Every lot is atleast 1.25 acres. Houses tend to be the 3/4 bedroom 2.5 bath variety. Lots are full of trees to lend some nice privacy. And the houses in the area are selling like crazy. The roads i take out of the subdivision had 7 houses for sale early this spring. All 7 sold in under a week...including 3 that sold before the sign ever got put out front.

as with most cities the further you are from downtown the cheaper the housing. As its a small city, the price dropoff happens quite quickly.

[HalifaxDrunk]

I have a buddy who is a realtor, I can give you his info if you'd like. I can also answer any specific questions about Halifax you have.

I haven't chimed in so far in this thread due to the fact I can get pretty defensive about my home and don't want to hijack the thread into something it shouldn't be.

Employment is the biggest factor; however it’s not as bleak as it seems to be. There are good jobs here, currently my wife and I have the best jobs of our lives. It may take a bit of hard work to find the right job for you, but they are here.

Everyone has made good points about the pros and cons about moving away, you just have to decide what is best for you & your family, (work aside) life is as good as you make it.

I lived in Toronto for 5 years and while it was a great experience, I don't miss the "big city" living at all. I can’t speak much on the tax situation as I paid more in Ontario than I do here.

If you do end up moving down, we’ll have to meet up with MQ-Scout for a few Flames games (he still owes me a couple beer from last time).

[Top Shelf]

Originally Posted by ernie

What are you looking for?

Where in Halifax/Dartmouth will you be working (you may want to live on that side so you don't have to deal with going over or around the harbour)?

On the Halifax side if you are looking for a house that a family can grow into I's look towards the Hammonds Plains/Kingswood or Tantallon area.

On the Dartmouth side there are some nice places out around Eastern Passage, Cole Harbour and Lawrencetown. When looking keep in mind that many places are on well water or near fresh water lakes and as such the road that may look decent can be horrendous during the winter as they may only receive sand and not salt.

Fo a commute it is a place you must consider the weather. Blizzards in the winter hit without notice and there have been tiems it's taken me nearly 3 hours to get home...i can't imagine driving on any sort of highway in some of those storms. Rain can also be a problem. I never really understood the term sheets of rain until I moved here. Simply put there are times when you wipers have no chance to keep up.

We live in a nice area that takes me about 35 minutes to get to work right downtown (25 to get back home). Every lot is atleast 1.25 acres. Houses tend to be the 3/4 bedroom 2.5 bath variety. Lots are full of trees to lend some nice privacy. And the houses in the area are selling like crazy. The roads i take out of the subdivision had 7 houses for sale early this spring. All 7 sold in under a week...including 3 that sold before the sign ever got put out front.

as with most cities the further you are from downtown the cheaper the housing. As its a small city, the price dropoff happens quite quickly.

Just had a look, the address is 5151 George Street. Google tells me that is right down near the water front, a few blocks from the Citadel.

So maybe something on the West side, like the Hants area? We're not really sure exactly the type of house, there seem to be a lot of bungalows in the area though, I guess cause they have the space? Something with at least 3 bedrooms, preferably a little bit of land and a decent location somewhat close to amenities. What area are you in Ernie?

What is traffic like there, you made it sound kind of bad?

And HalifaxDrunk, from what I have read, a lot of the employers are starting to try really hard to retain their employees. It's definitely not as bleak as some make it out to be. When I go down there in a month, the wife and I will be looking around a lot to try and see if we like it. A bunch of us should meet up.

Thanks for the replies guys!

[ernie]

Originally Posted by Top Shelf

So maybe something on the West side, like the Hants area? We're not really sure exactly the type of house, there seem to be a lot of bungalows in the area though, I guess cause they have the space? Something with at least 3 bedrooms, preferably a little bit of land and a decent location somewhat close to amenities. What area are you in Ernie?

Lots tend to be bigger and on the acreages you'll tend to see some cape cod houses and many salt boxes (what we have). Basically house styles that are wide and not that deep and you wouldn't find on a normal city lot. The salt box house looks impressive especially if a lot has a bit of a hill that the house is set on.

The salt box with garage:


We live in the Hammonds Plains/kingswood area...area 21 on the MLS site for Halifax and area.

To give you an idea of what some of the lots are like. You can see the trees that are on 3 sides of our house.

What is traffic like there, you made it sound kind of bad?

It's not bad if you are coming from Calgary or if you lived near New York like we did. They complain about it here but it isn't a big deal. During rush hour it takes me 35-40 minutes in the morning to get to work. I work right in downtown Halifax and it's actually about 22 km commute. the only place it slows down is on the bedford highway and Windsor exchange (access to one of the bridges). The trip home takes about 25 minutes in rush hour. It isn't bad. Parking downtown will cost you $80-125 a month or so if the company doesn't pay.

And HalifaxDrunk, from what I have read, a lot of the employers are starting to try really hard to retain their employees. It's definitely not as bleak as some make it out to be. When I go down there in a month, the wife and I will be looking around a lot to try and see if we like it. A bunch of us should meet up.

Thanks for the replies guys!

Don't get me wrong. It's a lovely place that of course has some warts. I certainly don't hate living here like I did the New York area. And unless a great offer comes along I wouldn't want to move. It was just a lifestyle change...i was used to playing ball 3 or 4 times a week in the summer and there isn't much of that out here for example. Of course the grass grows so damn fast I don't have time for it anyways!

Oh and you'll never be so cold as you are here in the winter. The temp on the thermometer may look 15-20 degrees warmer than Calgary is but with the wind and the mositure in the air it just gets right to your bones in a matter of minutes.