How Hard is Life - Least Populated Areas

[_Harry_]

I always wonder how hard it is for someone to settle in the provinces that are least populated like NB, NL & PE. Someone who is living there or perhaps have experienced living there for few years kindly share views on below points:

1. How lifestyle in above provinces is different than that in ON, QC, BC & AB?
2. What kind of jobs one can expect if he/she decides to live in such provinces?
3. How are health and education facilities in above provinces compared to that in ON, QC, BC & AB?
4. And finally, are weather conditions harsh in these provinces compared to rest of Canada? Is this the reason why these provinces have less population?

I would ask same questions for territories like YT, NT & NU but I believe harsh weather is the main reason of less population in these areas - Pls correct me if I am wrong.

Thank you.

 

[k.h.p.]

1. It all depends on where in the province you settle. It takes 8+ hours at 100km/h to drive across the Trans-Canada highway on Newfoundland; you go from a relatively large city (St Johns) through communities that are barely outposts. I live in Vancouver now; I could see living in St Johns, but a place like Moncton NB would be very quiet to me and maybe not enough of a 'city' for me to feel comfortable. If I had the money, I could have a nice house and a large property, all for the cost of half a toilet in Vancouver.

2. It depends on what you're looking for, and where you settle. NB has a lot of call centres. NL, NB, and PEI all have small economies, with a variety of work, but not as much or varied as larger provinces.

3. Health and education is comparable, or it should be. Some of the small villages may not have a local hospital, and may require travelling to get anything more than a nurse practitioner.

4. It depends on your definition of harsh. NB, NL, and PEI all get lots of snow. Summer in NL can be fleeting.

Fewer people live in these provinces for a combination of all factors - weather, economy, connectivity, and of course, the number of people living there.

 

[_Harry_]

1. It all depends on where in the province you settle. It takes 8+ hours at 100km/h to drive across the Trans-Canada highway on Newfoundland; you go from a relatively large city (St Johns) through communities that are barely outposts. I live in Vancouver now; I could see living in St Johns, but a place like Moncton NB would be very quiet to me and maybe not enough of a 'city' for me to feel comfortable. If I had the money, I could have a nice house and a large property, all for the cost of half a toilet in Vancouver.

2. It depends on what you're looking for, and where you settle. NB has a lot of call centres. NL, NB, and PEI all have small economies, with a variety of work, but not as much or varied as larger provinces.

3. Health and education is comparable, or it should be. Some of the small villages may not have a local hospital, and may require travelling to get anything more than a nurse practitioner.

4. It depends on your definition of harsh. NB, NL, and PEI all get lots of snow. Summer in NL can be fleeting.

Fewer people live in these provinces for a combination of all factors - weather, economy, connectivity, and of course, the number of people living there.

Thank you. That was very illuminating. Please allow me to share the reason why I asked these queries.

I have a Canadian PR but currently I am not in Canada. I am working in IT sector in a grueling 10-12 hours a day desk job that gives more stress than salary. Even after coming back from office, I need to attend in-house calls and meetings in the clients timings.
I will be coming to Canada in few months for good. I sometimes feel tired of my IT job and dream of having a peaceful life for a change. A life where I can work for 8 hours a day without worrying about deadlines or phone calls and live the remaining 16 hours on my terms. Although almost all the immigrants chose to migrate to populated provinces like ON, BC or AB, I sometimes wonder if it is possible for a immigrant to migrate to less populated provinces and start his/her life afresh without worrying too much about where the next meal will be coming from.

What do you suggest should be deciding factor for someone to chose a province considering the above points.

 

[xylene]

Thank you. That was very illuminating. Please allow me to share the reason why I asked these queries.

I have a Canadian PR but currently I am not in Canada. I am working in IT sector in a grueling 10-12 hours a day desk job that gives more stress than salary. Even after coming back from office, I need to attend in-house calls and meetings in the clients timings.
I will be coming to Canada in few months for good. I sometimes feel tired of my IT job and dream of having a peaceful life for a change. A life where I can work for 8 hours a day without worrying about deadlines or phone calls and live the remaining 16 hours on my terms. Although almost all the immigrants chose to migrate to populated provinces like ON, BC or AB, I sometimes wonder if it is possible for a immigrant to migrate to less populated provinces and start his/her life afresh without worrying too much about where the next meal will be coming from.

What do you suggest should be deciding factor for someone to chose a province considering the above points.

While working on IT in a 1000 people town up North would be a ideal job, it would be hard to find IT job outside the major cities. when you look for jobs in IT, you would find that most of the available jobs would be in Toronto (and GTA), Vancouver, Montreal and other major cities.

 

[_Harry_]

While working on IT in a 1000 people town up North would be a ideal job, it would be hard to find IT job outside the major cities. when you look for jobs in IT, you would find that most of the available jobs would be in Toronto (and GTA), Vancouver, Montreal and other major cities.

I agree. I am already fed up from IT. Perhaps I wasn't clear. My question was -
Will it be difficult for someone from IT background to find a decent non IT job in these provinces and live a less stressful life?

 

[russ6970]

I'm a software tester and I settle in a smaller area in NL, about 50 minutes drive from St John's. I can from a big city in Scotland, so it took a while to get used to it. Now I love it, as it is peaceful and less busy than a city. I still need to travel into town for my job though. KHP, what is this summer you talk of

 

[k.h.p.]

I agree. I am already fed up from IT. Perhaps I wasn't clear. My question was -
Will it be difficult for someone from IT background to find a decent non IT job in these provinces and live a less stressful life?

There's a lot here that we can't comment on - in terms of your other experience, what kind of jobs you'd be looking for, etc.

Living in a more rural or remote area entails making choices about standard of living as well.

You may want to try a suburb of an urban area also.

 

[k.h.p.]

I'm a software tester and I settle in a smaller area in NL, about 50 minutes drive from St John's. I can from a big city in Scotland, so it took a while to get used to it. Now I love it, as it is peaceful and less busy than a city. I still need to travel into town for my job though. KHP, what is this summer you talk of

The morning of June 30, before it snows on July 1

 

[xylene]

I agree. I am already fed up from IT. Perhaps I wasn't clear. My question was -
Will it be difficult for someone from IT background to find a decent non IT job in these provinces and live a less stressful life?

Of course there are jobs. Will it be 'difficult' ? It depends on what kind of jobs you are looking for.

 

[russ6970]

The morning of June 30, before it snows on July 1

Damn, winter is here again!. Joking aside, we usually get a good August, September and maybe a bit of October.