Ok. So had enough of living in the UK. Canada, is that the answer

[namestrands]

Ok. Mrs Namestrands recently gave birth to our first child, 5 months old now and has got me thinking.

The UK is going to the dogs, cuts here, cuts there, more bonus for bankers and more consumers getting screwed. A coalition government of opposites. Crappy weather and rising fuel costs.. Awful entrepreneurial tax relief and a general dismal future ahead. Immigration, policy is to let any bugger in and give them money, houses and free furniture, and they dont even have to get a job, they can bring their families over also, even though all they have know since birth is war and famine, we welcome them in as they can obviously adjust so well. We even have every government document translated into 27 languages just in case they need more money for something, like a car or holiday home.

So been talking chatting with some advertisers who happen to work in Toronto and they have all been raving at what a really amazing place it is, and with its close proximity to the US, its the best of both without the worst of both.

Obviously people in Toronto still complain about the weather as much as the Brits, but the question is:

Is Canada a great place to live? and more importantly should I be considering Toronto as a move for the Namestrands Empire?

I want my Son to experience great things, but I am becoming so disillusioned by my own country to which gets worse by the day.

While I am sure Canada has its own issues to deal with, but I figured with 15% of the population already of Scottish Descent, what's a few more in the scheme of things.

So I am building a pro and cons list, and looking for CANADIAN opinions, the good and the bad.

 

[theinvestor]

Con - the weather isn't great in the winter but tolerable

Pro - now you can start owning .ca's

 

[namestrands]

The weather cant be as bad as here yesterday, Force 11 Gale and I cant remember the last time I saw the sun. ;-)

 

[Raider]

If your considering Canada or the USA.. Try this 3 step process;

1) Look at a Map of North America like this one and look at the size of both Countries, The land size is pretty close right?

2) Now look at these numbers;

Canadian Population - 34,345,00
USA Population ----- 307,212,123

3) Now ask yourself this one question; WHY?

Happy reading.

P.S. A warm congratulations on your first child, Is the baby a Boy or Girl?

 

[Theo]

Skip Canada and take the Frank Schilling route: the Caymans

 

[panago]

Toronto is nice but you should consider good old Montreal; home of the habs.

Cons: We're overtaxed and the winters can be rough.
Pros: Criminals would rather ply their trade in warmer locations
Bonus: Every excuse to close down the city streets and throw a party Montrealers have discovered and do it all summer long.

Then again, who could argue with Acro's advice? You'ld miss out on the world's greatest poutine and smoked meat sandwiches however.

Good luck with whatever you finally choose to do.

 

[Theo]

I was kidding, Canada is nice - people are friendly, poutine is great (Panago, do you put feta on the fries by any chance?)
Oh, and Fubar II is a great movie, eh Give'r!

 

[panago]

Feta poutine? You could probably get it at la banquise. Over fiftyh varieties of poutine available.

When it comes to me, i prefer my feta in a good xoriatiki salata and my wifes spanakopita. I'm a little too traditioanal that way.

By the way, i was planning on reaching out to you Acro for some advice. if you have the time of course.

 

[Theo]

Haha! There's a restaurant on a bus called LouksToGo.com - serves fries with feta and honey among other hybrid Greek delicacies Ta leme, steile mou PM opote theleis.

 

[panago]

Na se kala

 

[Raider]

Cons: We're overtaxed

Let me ask you, if you earned a $1000 paycheck, how much of that would go to the Government?

And what is your sales tax rate in Montreal?

Thanks

 

[panago]

If you were single and earned 1000 $ weekly you would end up giving half of your pay away. It is much lower for those who have dependants and a spouse who isn't working.

Taxes are high but we do have benefits that make it more palatable. Free medicare for all (some provinces are better than others and only dental care is excluded for anyone over the age of 12). Affordable education; couple hundred per year in College and a few grand for University. You can't ask for any better.

Sales tax in Montreal is 15%. Housing here is cheaper than in Toronto. If you have a semi decent job you can live well here.

For anyone planning on moving out here, i strongly recommend they pick up a copy of 'wealth without risk for Canadians' by Charles Givens. The tips they"ll find in this book will save many dollars.

 

[DomainsInc]

If you were single and earned 1000 $ weekly you would end up giving half of your pay away. It is much lower for those who have dependants and a spouse who isn't working.

Taxes are high but we do have benefits that make it more palatable. Free medicare for all (some provinces are better than others and only dental care is excluded for anyone over the age of 12). Affordable education; couple hundred per year in College and a few grand for University. You can't ask for any better.

Sales tax in Montreal is 15%. Housing here is cheaper than in Toronto. If you have a semi decent job you can live well here.

For anyone planning on moving out here, i strongly recommend they pick up a copy of 'wealth without risk for Canadians' by Charles Givens. The tips they"ll find in this book will save many dollars.

I wouldn't say you'd be giving half your paycheck away. Possibly if you are not only paying income taxes but into a private pension and benefits that the company you work for offers. If you are self employed and have a decent accountant you shouldn't pay any more than 25-35%.

I don't know if it would really want to live in toronto. If I could live in a suburb and only go into the city when needed, it wouldn't be too bad but I surely would not want to commute. Its grid lock city. Ottawa is nice. Lots of government jobs (though many want you to speak french) and its a cleaner city than toronto. London is nice too.

 

[namestrands]

Currently paying 40% Income Tax on everything I earn over £6k at the moment. But then I have VAT, ROAD TAX, COUNCIL TAX, INSURANCE TAX all taxed on top of each other, so I think roughly the tax is around 84% I read somewhere.

But would like to answer Raiders first off its a BOY...

Second, I see where you going with that, but I am from Scotland and many of my Ancestors were relocated to Canada, also if you compare the size of the UK to the Size of Australia then you would have a similar conundrum, take it a step further and consider that more people live in LONDON alone than do in the whole of Australia.

At the end of the day it comes to quality of life, and while America does offer many advantages, I have very little trust in the American Government, and that I mean no disrespect to any American out there. Its just how I feel personally. Nations rise and fall eventually, look at the Roman Empire, Egyptian Empire and even more recently the British Empire.

Britain although small was a powerful force in the world and its Empire, not even 100 years ago was the envy of the world, it explored it conquered. Lucky their were no BBC or REUTERS back in those days, the Brits took what they wanted, whenever they wanted.

I have spent a lot of time in the States, mostly NYC, Miami, Texas and California and a short spell in Hawaii, while all have their qualities none ever felt like home. I spent time in Australia (SYDNEY) and I loved it, it felt great getting up to that lovely sunshine and happy vibe each day. Which is a big contrast from spending 3 months in Manhattan just before the move to SYDNEY ;-)

Canada, and especially Toronto has seen a shift over the past 10 years, where major corporations are now locating office there, that is a sign of growth and prosperity.

To be honest I cant remember the last time their was such an influx of Tech and Pharma companies coming into the UK, in fact many of them are leaving, even our beloved Cadburys Chocolate.

The UK once, a great country of Manufacturing, Engineering and Invention, is now becoming a parking page for India, Somalia, Nigeria and even Europe. It has a Tax regime that is forcing major organisations to relocate to the like of Canada ;-)

So, in answer to your question, its not a matter of population or what's more popular its a matter of speculation, safety and trust then Canada seemed the logical choice.

Australia would have been the logical match, due to its American and British Influence, however its just so far away.

I considered Vancouver due to its proximity to the West Coast, but the cost of living and real estate is worse than LONDON. So Toronto for its expanding and growing population, and its approach to clean tech development and industries (my arena) its just appears to fit.

But one must consider all options and opinions so thanks for all your thoughts so far. I have not made up my mind yet, and Jnr Namestrands is Just 5 months old to the day, and Snr Namestrands is still only 36 so looking to make the move before I reach the big 40.

 

[katherine]

Canada is great but whenever you're contemplating relocating to another country you should visit it at least once, and experience it for yourself. Preferably during winter season, when it's cold and daylight in short supply
As for your business operations I suppose a good portion need not move or can be relocated offshore.
Pros: good quality of life overall, quite safe, nature
Cons: taxes as said above but not too bad vs European standards plus gas is very expensive in the UK right ?
Cons: creeping US influence (osmosis)

 

[Gerry]

Head west, young man!

Vancouver!

 

[namestrands]

Katherine. We have been invited out many times, and we have decided to head out in October.

Fuel in the UK is just horrendous.. due to my current remote location we are paying around £1.49 per litre ($2.39 USD) ($2.36 CAD)

---------- Post added at 02:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:52 PM ----------

Head west, young man!

Vancouver!

Vancouver cost of Living is just crazy.

 

[Gerry]

Vancouver cost of Living is just crazy.

My bad.

I thought you were an independently wealthy domainer.

 

[Irish31]

Hey Namestrands,


I would say you have picked a winner if you are considering coming to Canada. As someone else pointed out earlier in the post, we have 1/10th the population of the United States, with a bigger land mass (second only to Russia). The low population totals are a draw for many outsiders, not a deterrent. We have ample room for growth, a government that while not perfect, is a far cry from the circus the US has. We are not running our country on daily IOU's from the Federal Reserve or other countries (we do get loans however the % is very tolerable and healthy in comparison).

Socialized health care, political stability, lots of cheap land, we don't piss off the rest of the world. Instead, we listen and try and empathize when we can, which has bought us good favor with most of the worlds nations. The job market here is much better than most countries, including our neighbors. You will get a poorer selection of weather if you come here, opposed to the US, so be warned. We have no Florida or California. BC is a beautiful, picturesque province, however the cost of living has pushed many people away.

I live in Ontario, and while I have my gripes about it, when I look at the world as a whole right now, there is very few places that have a better long term outlook. People with money who make money by making smart decisions are taking their money and putting it into Canadian real estate. Several American are leaving the US and coming here as well.

Lastly, if you are looking to escape the UK's growing totalitarian like expansion of government and law enforcement, you are better off here than the US or Mexico. The US has some big issues to deal with in the next five years. For better or worse, Canada tends to be more lax with this, and our people get up off of our butts and hold our government accountable, something that should be encouraged for any populace that is governed by people they elected to represent them.

If what I am hearing is someone that is looking out for his child's best interests long term, than you have made a very wise choice. in 2011, there are few more stable, secure and friendly places to be. Now get on over here and start enjoying it mate!



Jason

 

[namestrands]

Jason.. thanks.

@Doc Com, domain names are not a means to an end, I operate some high value sites in emerging markets, and manage sites of clients all over the world. Its by no means at a level to retire on (yet) but it pays the bills. Saying that was I to sell out one of those sites, then it would give me a nice little nest egg one day.

For now its hard graft with long hours of design, development and content, and I LOVE IT.

I was an IT Director for 15 years, and now involved more in internet media, living in the UK makes it hard to get to the big conferences like CES and even affiliate and domainer events which I would love to attend. Being based over the Atlantic seems logical, but I would rather keep my money and let it grow than pump it into volatile real estate markets such as Vancouver's. I lived the life of Cristal, Versace and Sports cars and ended up almost loosing it all, but I picked myself up and started to rebuild. Domain names are like any other business, you can fall quicker than it takes you to rise, so you must always diversify, and always be prepared for the worst.