infinitenexus said:yes to basically every financial comment/question you would raise.
This made me lol
infinitenexus said:yes to basically every financial comment/question you would raise.
This made me lol
yupididit said:infinitenexus said:yes to basically every financial comment/question you would raise.
This made me lol
Well, there are certain people that would say something like "you were in a hard place a year and a half ago so how dare you think of spending any money on anything ever, clearly you haven't learned your lesson," so I'd rather just nip that in the bud before they start their BS.
infinitenexus said:yes I'm aware of their taxes (some are lower, some are higher), yes to basically every financial comment/question you would raise.
There was a time when it was substantially cheaper to live south of the border, but I'm not so sure that's the case anymore.
And wages are not the same. Some are better, some are not.
In reply to Peabody :
One of the surprising differences I noticed was property taxes. I have a friend that lives in Saskatchewan and owns a farm house on 10 access. She paid $330K for the place and pays the same in property taxes as I did on a $115K house in Baltimore. A $250K house in Windsor will have lower property taxes than a $180K house in Cleveland Heights. Of course I know there are other expenses, and gas is pricey and whatnot, but the difference in property taxes surprised me.
In reply to infinitenexus :
Sentiments of "low taxes" is not something your hear from Canadians as a general rule. Like anything, they'll get it from you one way or another, the differences are in how they get it from ya.
In reply to John Welsh :
Very true. What I like is that their taxes seem to go to things other than perpetual war and megacorporation subsidies. I don't mind paying some taxes when the schools are good and the roads all look practically new.
I just got back from Toronto to see friends for a long weekend. In another life I would have moved there but we own a business in Michigan now so it seems that ship has sailed. Still, I absolutely love Canadian cities. Ottawa, Toronto, Windsor, Quebec City are all fantastic places to live and visit. I personally love the idea of living in TO because it would allow me to ditch our cars and just do biking and public transit. Montreal probably would too but I've not spent much time there.
You're totally right about property taxes. Our friends who have a $1M home pay quite a bit less than you would in American cities in a home 1/3 the value believe it or not. One possible reason for this is they are not pegged to inflation like in Michigan and some other states, so the taxes will rise over time if the home value continues to rise.
Another surprising thing was they do not lock in mortgages for 30 years, just 5 years, and then re-do the interest rate for another 5 and so on.
Anyway, best of luck on your move and decision, eh?
infinitenexus said:In reply to Peabody :
The only issue with Gatineau is that it's in Quebec, which has slightly different requirements for immigration. Most notably, you have to get accepted by the province as well as the country. Still worth looking into though; I love the thought of Avi going to school learning French and growing up bilingual! Thanks for the link though, I just found this cute little house there for $289K
https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/24411753/203-rue-laurette-routhier-gatineau-masson-angers-angers
I hadn't heard of Quebec having special immigration rules, but it's not really surprising. I don't think you need to deal with them once you're into the country,though :) Gatineau is a fairly big area but the Ottawa River is a fantastic thing to have close by. I miss the Ottawa. There's a lot of great open space north of Ottawa in Quebec as well.
You may find that French immersion schools are not that uncommon in Ontario. I don't know about Windsor, but both my primary and secondary schools in Ottawa were immersion schools.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
From my research in previous months, immigration into Quebec requires an additional step of being accepted by the province. I don't think I would have anything to worry about there, but it just stresses me a bit, considering I'm looking at immigrating to a foreign country. For some reason I find the French requirement stressful as well, even though I already speak three languages. It's just my brain being dumb.
In a perfect world I'd have a little house on the outskirts of Montreal, Avi would be in a French school, and I'd have a 996 that we took to autocross/autoslalom every other month or so. I would love a life like that.
I do wish I had the money to pick up some plane tickets and visit all these great places (Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary, etc). I guess road trips will come in the future.
Erich said:Another surprising thing was they do not lock in mortgages for 30 years, just 5 years, and then re-do the interest rate for another 5 and so on.
Or 6 months. I only once went as long as 5 years so I could take advantage of the lower variable rates.
Yes, my property taxes are significantly cheaper than what I've seen south of the border, but we don't pay property taxes on things like vehicles either, just a yearly registration which doesn't cost anything in some places. And health insurance, which I've seen can be very expensive south of the border, like more than I pay in income taxes every year.
It's a very complicated comparison, but I don't think (comparative) affordability it's what it used to be in the US
Peabody said:O
It's a very complicated comparison, but I don't think (comparative) affordability it's what it used to be in the US
It really isn't. I basically can't afford to live in a good school district near a city in the united states, at least not near any cities I would want to live in. I can afford a ton of great school districts in Canada. For me, it's that simple!
I miss Bradford. Was mostly a residential town (city?) but it was a nice place to grow up. I need to road-trip from Saskatchewan and visit Ontario again.
Before you move to Canada, look into your Tax and Financial Reporting obligations to Uncle Sam.
The US does not recognize the popular Canadian RRSP retirement saving plans. (But there is a workaround sorta) As an American you can not take advantage of the Tax Free Savings Account that is a thing in Canada. You also can not take advantage of the Education Savings Plan that is tax deductible. You start paying US taxes on top of anything over ( approx 100k) and if you run a business you have to report the books to Uncle Sam even if you are just a person with check signing privileges regardless if it is your business ( ie treasurer for an auto sport club) , so, not a trivial or cheap matter. I THINK Canadian banks will still take US customers, but since it involves additional reporting cost and or penalties for the banks, they are not big fans. Investment income can be a bit tricky if you don't like being double taxed since "earned" income is not the same as capital gains income. All this in on Uncle Sam, Canada don't care.
infinitenexus said:In reply to Peabody :
The only issue with Gatineau is that it's in Quebec, which has slightly different requirements for immigration. Most notably, you have to get accepted by the province as well as the country. Still worth looking into though; I love the thought of Avi going to school learning French and growing up bilingual! Thanks for the link though, I just found this cute little house there for $289K
https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/24411753/203-rue-laurette-routhier-gatineau-masson-angers-angers
I was born and raised in Quebec but for the last 40 years I've lived in Ontario, currently outside of Ottawa. I recommend you keep looking in Ontario as opposed to Quebec. The language rules are becoming tighter, with some of the legislation being tabled. Quebec taxes always tend to be higher than Ontario as well.
I still have family there, and I like to visit, but I won't move back.
Keith Tanner said:infinitenexus said:In reply to Peabody :
The only issue with Gatineau is that it's in Quebec, which has slightly different requirements for immigration. Most notably, you have to get accepted by the province as well as the country. Still worth looking into though; I love the thought of Avi going to school learning French and growing up bilingual! Thanks for the link though, I just found this cute little house there for $289K
https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/24411753/203-rue-laurette-routhier-gatineau-masson-angers-angers
You may find that French immersion schools are not that uncommon in Ontario. I don't know about Windsor, but both my primary and secondary schools in Ottawa were immersion schools.
There is a very large French population in Windsor, and a quick search reveals 20 French immersion schools.
If the French language is of interest, be aware that the French spoken in Quebec does not seem to work well in France. The French taught in immersion HS will not work in Quebec; to the French ear it is like Jamaican Patois spoken in New York. The French taught in immersion HS all over Canada will not work in Quebec. Your High School immersion French WILL work in France. ( go figure). If you go far enough east in Quebec where it meets New Brunswick, ALL bets are off.
If you understand what people are saying in Newfoundland, you are probably drunk and have already kissed a cod.
In reply to NOHOME :
I actually watched a funny video about that where a Quebecois woman called businesses in France and asked various questions using Canadian French words instead of France French. For example, she called a hotel and asked where she would park her tank. The guy was thoroughly confused at her question until he finally asked if she was Canadian, then they all had a laugh.
Thanks for all the helpful tips, everyone!
Quebec French is basically 18th Century Norman left alone to evolve on its own. Quebequers can understand the French, but not vise versa. As Nohome says, my education was in more of a European French than Quebecquois, kinda like how they endeavor to teach proper English in Texas schools but everyone still talks like Texans :) When I lived in France, most people guessed I was Swiss by my accent. I'm not sure that was a compliment...
I do like to break out some of the Quebec slang once in a while, and of course that's my go-to for swearing.
Newfoundland, that's some sort of bastardized Irish or something. But if you think people are friendly in Windsor, you won't believe Newfoundland.
Keith Tanner said:Newfoundland, that's some sort of bastardized Irish or something. But if you think people are friendly in Windsor, you won't believe Newfoundland.
That's exactly what it is.
Either country, the farther east you go, the more ridiculous the accent...
Windsor is one of several SW Ontario cities/towns that have been "off the radar" for many Canadians. I live on Lake Huron, and wouldn't change it for anything. Like Windsor, I'm pretty far South, so winters are not bad, compared to Ottawa.
There is a cultural difference between SW Ontario and Toronto/Ottawa. We like to think we are more laid back and friendly, but maybe we're just proud to have our own way of life.☺️
Good Luck!
Keith Tanner said:But if you think people are friendly in Windsor, you won't believe Newfoundland.
After 40 years in America, I found myself slightly suspicious of people in Windsor at first. As in, why is this total stranger being so nice to me? Is he some kind of sex offender? Why did that guy greet my wife, is he going to sexually harass her? (which happens constantly in Cleveland). It took me a while to realize that they really are just nice people. I've heard from quite a few people that Newfoundland is a super polite area, so it's worth checking out!
I would have a look at the Maritimes. Better weather than Central Canada, cheaper housing, and spectacular scenery. Halifax if you want a city. Wolfsburg perhaps if you want a smaller center. Halifax is a days drive from Boston.
Bibs said:Windsor is one of several SW Ontario cities/towns that have been "off the radar" for many Canadians. I live on Lake Huron, and wouldn't change it for anything. Like Windsor, I'm pretty far South, so winters are not bad, compared to Ottawa.
There is a cultural difference between SW Ontario and Toronto/Ottawa. We like to think we are more laid back and friendly, but maybe we're just proud to have our own way of life.☺️
Good Luck!
That's just normal city vs country life :) My mom's side of the family is from Shakespeare Ont so I agree that TO stands out in southwest Ontario.
I went to school in London, I'll take an Ottawa winter over that slushy mess ;)
Bibs said:
There is a cultural difference between SW Ontario and Toronto/Ottawa. We like to think we are more laid back and friendly, but maybe we're just proud to have our own way of life.☺️
Good Luck!
There is a cultural break between Toronto and the rest of the country. The one unifying feature of people outside Toronto is, we are glad we are not in Toronto.
great fishin' in Q-beck.
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