I definitely require high speed internet access. Other than that, I could use some help! EDIT: Mountains are not a deal breaker. Water would be nice, but sea level rise is a concern.
EDIT: Oh, Come ONNNN!!!
If you, or anyone else in this thread is actually serious about becoming immigrants in another country, this is a great thread for what it will actually take to get started in making the move.
Canada’s about to elect our own right wing version of Trump. So if you’re looking to escape that by moving here… don’t be too optimistic.
BC almost went conservative provincially in the last election. Alberta and Saskatchewan are batshit insane conservative. Manitoba used to be but they’ve gone centre left. Ontario conservative corporate. Quebec… I’m not going to touch that one. And then the east which I don’t have a ton of feedback on personally.
Manitoba always gets political whiplash every few election cycles. Fortunately, we just entered the NDP cycle after almost a decade of PC horrors.
Québec: the only province expected to NOT vote conservative in the next federal elections. Also the province expected to vote for a center-left government for the next provincial elections. But go on I guess…
Yeah, OP would be better off trying to move to Scandinavia
Coming next there too
The east coast has some very affordable housing especially compared to Ontario and BC. For example, there are suburbs or small towns within 30 minutes or less from Moncton and Halifax. Gives access to city resources without having to live in the city.
There’s right wing and then there’s MAGA. Have you read up on Project 2025? Is abortion legal in Canada?
Pollievre is a snivelling rat man, but anyone who claims he’s equivalent to Trump needs to turn off their screens
He is, but the same forces that are pushing project2025 and are puppetering Trump are also active in the CPC.
You’re talking about the guy who said he’d use the notwithstanding clause? Sure, maybe you like the idea of longer sentences for criminals, but I would still question whether you should love that more than respecting the constitution.
Hah for now it is….
You also have Danielle Smith (Alberta Premier) cozying up to Tucker Carlson, Poilievre (National Conservative Party leader) and the convoy, India and Russia.
And GOP operatives who coincidentally, I’m sure, also supported the convoy.
Canadian right wing influencers caught up in the Russian payment scandal.
I don’t believe for a second that Pierre and elements of the federal conservative party wouldn’t want to get rid of our rights in Canada. It’s just unpopular to say that part out loud.
I mean, Pierre already said he’s going after porn, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out.
Accessible abortion rights will almost certainly be back on the chopping block next election.
I don’t think we’ll have it nearly as bad as America because our political system works a bit differently but the conservative leader/party definitely have the hallmarks of trumpism with white nationalism, climate change denying, anti-women and anti-trans issues. They’re going to play the same “we’re better for the economy” game as well.
Interestingly, all of my heritage on my mother’s side is French Canadian. Unfortunately, the last one born there, according to the family history I could find was prior to 1900, so that probably doesn’t really help me much at all.
Quebec… I’m not going to touch that one.
Damnit now I’m curious.
In the 1970s there was a domestic terror group who wanted to separate from Canada so bad they started assassinating politicians and our current PM’s dad, who was also PM at the time, had to call in the army.
Their provincial politics are confusing because it’s not liberal/conservative spectrum - you also have to throw in the Quebec nationalists too. Like their ruling provincial party right now is conservative + Quebec Nationalist to the extreme that businesses must provide public advertising/public facing services in French only.
The CAQ (ruling party) are NOT extreme separatists, and the law 101 that has french be prioritized in public advertising and facing services has been passed in 1978 to protect our cultural heritage. Otherwise yeah politics are spicier because of the separatist background which is still an ongoing question, but the whole thing still takes place on a very recognizable pattern of centre right liberals, conservatives, and libertarian-ish parties, with the occasional left leaning but still center crew.
Little did you know that the separatist movement is largely a left-wing one, driven mainly by the PQ (center-left) and QS (left). The center-right (CAQ, PLQ) and right (Conservative) parties oppose the separation of Québec and want to stay in Canada.
You seem to think that we are some kind of crazy schizos that want to eliminate every foreign person around, and its absolutely false. We just want to be able to keep our language and culture alive. 8M people in Québec vs 400M in Canada + USA, and the rate of french-speaking people is declining at an alarming rate. Think about that for a second. All the people saying we are racists and whatnot don’t seem to realize that being a minority is not reserved for people with dark enough skin colour. In the end, you are the racist ones, trying to assimilate us for 400 years. Bunch of hypocrites.
The Coalition Avenir Québec is a Quebec nationalist, autonomist, conservative provincial political party in Quebec.
I said nothing of the sort actually. Just facts about the history of the FLQ and October Crisis at the extremely basic and factual level. I’m quoting Wikipedia on the CAQ.
None of what you built out is what I actually said. And if I slipped on a word QN vs separatist I apologize. Obviously you’re a separatist (independentiste). Good! Separate if you guys want to. Wish you all the luck. I have no skin in the game.
However your reaction is why people are hesitant to engage with anything related to Quebec and learning about it. The rigidity and inflexibility does push people away.
If you’re ok downgrading from epic Rockies style mountains to just like… Big hills (a hundred foot cliff is still pretty impressive up close, ok 😅), then the maritimes might be pretty good.
Summer and winter are much milder near the cost (although I wouldn’t call the weather good), and the east coast is cheaper than the West Coast.
If you live near to a “city” you can get good Internet. I have like 1.5gb fibre, and I live on the boundary between suburban and rural.
It you’re leaving for progressive reasons, Alberta is north Texas. BC is pretty progressive, although I don’t know how they lean outside of metros. I have my suspicions though.
Small town and rural BC is very close to Alberta. They got a bulk deal on Fuck Trudeau stickers for their trucks.
I mean, honestly, that’s true for the entire country.
Yeah, that is what I assumed
This is very helpful, thank you. I am super liberal.
You’re going to want to stick to cities for the most part.
Good luck :)
Lol the NDP only won by like 20 votes this election so not as progressive as you’d think. Also our NDP is still center left so not that progressive at all.
Alberta is nothing like Texas. Alberta is largely an atheist population for one thing
But the Christfuckers we do have are obnoxious and loud enough to make you think otherwise
Not really. I grew up in rocky mountain house. One of the most conservative ridings in all of canada, and I grew up surrounded by atheism for the most part. It’s way more atheist now compared to then as well
Go to fort vermillion area and see how stheist they are. Area is full of menonites.
I’ve never been further north than Edmonton in that province ha
Vancouver area is nice, but goddamn expensive. Love it here, but the I have no economic prospects.
Don’t come to Canada. If I was able to leave this country, I would. We have so many of the same problems as the US. I would go to Europe
I would go to Europe
Lol, as if the right isn’t on the rise pretty much everywhere and WW3 is brewing in our own back yard…
Capitalism is decaying in to fascism globally and rapidly. Wherever you go in the world, you WILL be up against varying levels of the same bullshit, and while I understand less bullshit is easier to live with, without active resistance, it becomes more bullshit real fucking quick, and you’ll be back where you started.
This might surprise you, but Canada has angry dumb rednecks too.
We call them “Albertans.”
You did not read the article. This is WAY beyond being a dumb redneck. This is systematic dismantling of our entire system of government, to maintain the oligarchy and ruling class in perpetuity.
While much less embedded in Canada, the same forces that are pushing Project2025 in the US are also trying to do the same here in Canada. So far they’re not nearly as advanced, and they are still facing strong pushback on their regressive plan, but they are still trying. That shit is leaking over the border.
Fortunately, for now, Canada is nowhere near as far down that fascist path as the US is.
But if you’re trying to escape it, I would recommend against Alberta.
What’s the justification (yes I know, logic might not be a factor).
But some argue that US was always a Christian stage but Canada clearly never was.
Edit: turns out nope, Canada was founded on similar principles…
Wtf mate.
Almost all our media was bought up by right wing American think tanks over the last decade, so it won’t be long before that stuff makes it here too
Yes, USA is in a for a really bad time, and Canada definitely looks better in comparison. And while it is, as a Canadian I still fantasize about trying to move to europe. Grass is always greener.
Just don’t expect to escape all the nonsense automatically by coming here because for all we know we’re just lagging behind a few years. I have had the disspointing experiences of finding some of my Canadian friends were in favour of the Trump victory.
And then the housing prices.
Many of us are quite familiar with American politics. If you emigrate, you’ll figure out why.
Immigration is exchanging one set of problems for another. If immigration is a vast improvement, those problems are in the background. But if it isn’t, then it takes a lot more work on your part to work through them.
Sorry, I don’t have a recommendation, but I will warn you against Alberta. I’ve lived here my entire life here and I love this land, but it’s getting more dangerous here for queer folks. BC could be a consideration if you can afford housing there.
Boo! We just have a crazy person in charge, but its not some right wing wasteland here.
As an Albertan, I’m perfectly fine with less people coming here
It’s a shithole folks. Stay away.
Plenty of space in Milo, or Vulcan…
If you want mountains, you’re kinda limited. Vancouver, BC, has great mountains, ocean, and forest access, but COL is pretty high for Canada. Calgary, AB is the closest city to the Canadian Rockies, but is in the middle of nowhere elsewise.
If you’re looking for good internet, though, you’re going to want Vancouver or Toronto. Those are the tech hubs of Canada.
Love Calgary and Edmonton. But the UCP is ruining this province. Please don’t come here.
We’d need to know what they mean by high-speed but I think it’s mostly everywhere nowadays. Just the very remote won’t have it. I know farmers with high speed internet.
We have really good internet in Winnipeg. We currently have 1.5 gig fibreoptic for our home. Winnipeg has a decent cultural scene, but no mountains, I’m sorry to say. Cost of living is one of the better options, at least for western Canada. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, there is a lot of racism towards First Nations here.
If you’re good with cold, you might enjoy it. We were literally coldervthan Mars recently. Not a great city for your car, especially if it rides low to the ground, lol.
QC has mountains. Some of the best Skiing and MTBing around. NB has fiber internet. Cheaper too. I recently had fiber installed at my cottage in central Ontario. So you don’t have to be anywhere near Toronto. In fact, Toronto is one of the most expensive places for fiber. Smaller towns have actual competition.
If you want to be near mountains, want affordable living and are progressive, Lethbridge, AB may be your best bet. The landscape there is a bit weird. Looks kind or like Iceland or something. Super hilly with big valleys and very few trees outside or the city, but definitely not a big city vibe like you’d find in Edmonton or Calgary.
Pretty mild climate too.
But the Alberta government is fucking idiotic, so I can’t say what will happen in the future with healthcare and human rights.
Oh that’s easy. They’ll be destroyed by a party that can’t lose an election.
The UCP just introduced the most extreme anti-trans legislation in North America. They have been methodically and relentlessly destroying public healthcare, and handing private contracts to their friends. Education has been revamped with a curriculum that explicitly promotes oil and gas production, denies the harm of residential schools, and encourages rote memorization over comprehension. Oh yes, and public charter schools. They’ve recently started to make inroads on ultimately banning abortion.
And they’ll get reelected, over and over again.
Hmm, the others are saying Alberta is right wing
Most of western Canada is right-wing. Especially Alberta and Saskatchewan. Outside of Vancouver (where living is beyond unaffordable for most), BC is also pretty conservative, albeit less overall I’m sure than Alberta. The tricky part is that quality of life is quite good in Alberta. Housing is affordable and we’re the least taxed province, so if you can live with the occasional stupid hick with a “FUCK TRUDEAU” flag or decal, life is pretty good here. It’s really your only affordable option if you want to live near the mountains. Otherwise the Appalachians do extend into the eastern maritime provinces. Jobs are just extemely scarce and often seasonal out that way.
I immigrated from Michigan back in 2017. I’m very left-wing and so is my wife who has lived here her entire life. The province nearly flipped last election so things have been improving on that front, and you’re certainly not going to be the only leftist around. Well, unless you move to a small town or Grand Prairie or Fort Mac.
Lethbridge and Edmonton are the most left-leaning places in the province. Edmonton, however, is fucking huge… So you’re not getting away from the city up that way.
There is no escaping the right-wing brain rot. It’s everywhere now. 2016 spread into Canada like wildfire. But when I came here my life improved tenfold. I make three times what I did back home for the same line of work (retail/produce management). I have healthcare, a daughter, bought a home with my wife this summer. It’s a million times better than the States, but we are looking down the barrel of gun. I wish you the best on your immigration, and I hope you’re as happy here as I am, wherever you wind up.
Alberta is the most taxed province as far as income tax though I think
The thing about Alberta is that they consistently elect the most hardcore right wing crazies in all of Canada.
And they also consistently elect genuinely progressive, openly socialist governments of the kind you imagine Bernie Sanders might run.
There are no middle of the road centrists in 'Berta. You’re either a frothing mouthed “Jewish Space Lasers” kind of crazy, or you’re a proud union member ready to give everyone UBI and free education.
The latter tend to be found more in the cities, as always.
Unfortunately the former seem to have the edge overall in elections.
So, politically, it’s definitely not a great environment, but culturally you’d actually find a lot of like minded folks there. The problem is that right now you’d probably spend your time hanging out with those like minded folks grumbling about your QAnon premier as she sells off the entire healthcare system and deletes sex education from schools.
Compared to US it’s nothing lol
This. An American left-winger still can seem right wing to many Canadians. Our right has been taking more and more pages from the religious right, and corporations are getting a stronger and stronger foothold up here, but even now, we are significantly less religious than Americans.
Moving from west to east, BC is a slightly leftist government at the moment. It’s notorious for being insanely expensive. It has mountains and the pacific coast. Beautiful landscapes. I have had family there, and I have visited a few times. My dominant impression was rain.
Alberta will give you city, mountains, and decent internet, but has a growing anti-LGBTQ+ movement happening. Still lots of great people, and insanely beautiful scenery. I was born in Alberta, have great friends in Calgary, and have visited many times.
Saskatchewan is wide open prairie for the most part, with a couple of small cities, a few tiny cities, and a similar right, fundamentalist movement in power. In Saskatchewan you can see forever. If you love space, it’s amazing. I grew up alternating between Saskatchewan and Ontario (mother in Regina, father in Mississauga), and spent a lot of time on my grandparents farm. I have family in Regina, Saskatoon, and some of the small towns, and friends in places like North Battleford.
Manitoba is currently a more leftist government provincially, a mix of plains, rivers, lakes, and forests. There’s a lot of racism against First Nations, the capital city of Winnipeg is pretty diverse, but a bit stratified. The other cities in Manitoba are a bit smaller, but I’m afraid I can’t tell you too much about them. I currently live in Manitoba.
Ontario has a very pro-corporate government. Depending on what part of the province you pick, you could be in wilderness, small town, cottage country, or metropolis. My brother and sisters live in Oakville, Mississauga, and Toronto. I lived in downtown Toronto and studied at The Second City, which was a blast. I can’t tell you anything about Ottawa, another city in Ontario, but I’m sure others on here can help you out.
I’ve sent some time in Montreal, but not really any other parts of Quebec. I loved Montreal, but as basically a tourist, I can’t tell you much about there. Others have already said a fair bit about Québec.
I spent time in New Brunswick when I served in the military. My exposure to nonmilitary people was limited to Fredericton primarily. Beautiful city, friendly people. My dominant memories are of forests, so I can’t tell you much more than that.
For the rest of the maritimes I can’t tell you much, I’m sorry to say. I also don’t have any firsthand knowledge of our northern territories.
Manitoba and Saskatchewan get cold, really cold, in the winter. We’re proud of handling it to the point of being a bit blasé about it, but we do get radio warnings sometimes about how many seconds it will take on a given day for exposed skin to freeze.
Most major Canadian cities have at least one university, so education is available, if you have kids.
Keep in mind, Canada is very big. In a good car traveling the highway speed limit of 100 km/h, or a little over 60 mph (to forestall the joke about bad cars), it takes 21+ hours to drive from the Toronto area to Winnipeg, another 6 hours to drive to Regina, another 7 to drive to Calgary, and another 10-11 hours to drive from Calgary to Vancouver. In the other direction, it takes almost 6 hours to drive from Toronto to Montreal, 8 hours to drive from Montreal to Fredericton, and about 23 hours from there to St. John’s, in Newfoundland. All told, according to google maps, it would take 78 hours to drive from St. John’s to Victoria, and that’s just covering the east to west.
So you’re looking at a lot of different ecosystems and sub-cultures to choose from.
What are your priorities?
Go to any Canadian news website and search Danielle Smith.
She is Alberta’s premier (equivalent to a US governer).
Always windy
60km/hr all the damn time…
You do not really have mountains there. Maybe Canmore would be better ( pretty small but takes no time to get to Calgary ).
Might I recommend Milo Alberta? Super cheap. They use an air raid siren every day to announce lunch (the town is closed other then the restaurant 12-1).
If you want something with mountains, you likely can not afford that.
Try Drummheller if you have not seen it its in the badlands. Looks like this
As a siren enthusiast, I love when towns still carry on the traditional noon siren blasts. That doesn’t happen much here in Ontario anymore.
FYI, Milo’s siren isn’t an air raid siren, small sirens like Milo’s (a Federal Model 2 in this case) are typically fire sirens used to summon volunteer firefighters to the station during a fire call. Milo’s is on the fire department, so it’s probably the fire siren. They’re usually tested daily or weekly to make sure they work when needed.
Odd they always called it an air raid siren, but I also know it has been replaced a few times now. Might have been one at one point.
How much money do you have?
The only affordable places left are absolute shitholes
If money is no object, move to Victoria
Let’s say I make $90k US dollars a year, and I work remote
In Toronto or Vancouver, you’d be a peasant.
In Winnipeg, you’d be a king.
You’ll still need a work permit to work in Canada, even for a US company remotely. So hopefully you’re up to speed on that process. In terms of where to live, there are some places in BC outside major cities that are affordable. Might be worth taking a road trip around to check some out
I’m in the midst of the process. Road Trip Sounds good. How’s the weather in BC in December? 🤭
Like Washington but colder
Actually, like Washington but warmer and drier - global warming has really transformed the area.
Let us know how it goes. I’m curious to see how you manage to move forward on this. I’m aware of a lot of options here (e.g. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/vanhack_working-remotely-from-canada-with-your-current-activity-7120340233904148481-GXUd ) but curious to see which one ends up being the right fit for you in particular.
- From a fellow exile who got out to Canada in the first term
Did you keep your US job, or find work in Canada? Are you a software engineer? I basically project manage software engineers
I had to find work in Canada, but since I am a software engineer, I was able to take advantage of NAFTA (back when it was still called that) to help me do so.
Rainy on the coast but roads in the interior can get dicey if there’s snow. Stick to major highways.
I don’t know about Canada but, for example here in Japan, a work visa requires a japanese company sponsoring and being the primary employer. I think some kind of digital nomad thing is in the works, but that wouldn’t be long-term.
Edit: looks like OP is trying the company transfer route as their company has branches there. Just something to think about for others thinking of moving around the world.
Will you be able to work remote from Canada?
That’s enough money to live basically anywhere. 90k usd is a lot more money than most people make in Canada.
If I could live anywhere and work remote it would probably be Masset, Ucluelet, Nelson, or maybe Whitehorse if you don’t mind the cold. Victoria if you really want city
I lived in Anchorage for 3 years. I am down with cold! 🤣 We have offices and employees all over the world, so that should not be an issue.
Honestly, Manitoba may not be a bad choice for you (unless the no mountains thing is a deal breaker).
- left leaning government for at least another three years
- $120k CAD salary will be very comfortable anywhere in the province
- cold as balls half the year (since you’re okay with cold)
- lots of farmland for locally grown food
Yukon is a very special place to say the least. Think Alaska but with extreme friendliness and a left wing attitude.
We have offices and employees all over the world, so that should not be an issue.
Have you considered talking with your managers and asking them for overseas transfer?
Curious to see about this. I was in a similar situation (“offices and employees all over the world”) but still could not get my company to sponsor me overseas, even though my direct manager and my skip worked really hard to try and make it work.
Bit of a curveball, but for remote work have you considered Barbados?
A year might work or would be nice. Barring any catastrophic tsunami’s or hurricanes. After that, I fear it might sink into the sea.
A bit over $120k Canadian. Enough but not as rich as you think in Vancouver.
Moving here is going to be a long term drop in quality of life. Wages are lower, the dollar is weaker, taxes are higher and the “free” health care is not free.
Are you vegan? I’m looking for a vegan roommate and I live downtown city of a hundred thousand and fifty ish.
Very much not vegan, sorry about that!
Nelson BC
Permanent residence in #Canada is hard to obtain, though it’s far easier if you take a job, in a field where you’re in demand. By government policy, the number of people getting permanent residence each year is being cut back, so even that may not be sufficient.
I’m retired and have no hope of getting permanent status, unless Canada starts accepting asylum claims by U.S. citizens.
1/2
#MovingToCanadaMy own plan, and yes it involves privilege, is to obtain shelter in Canada and then be ready to travel there intermittently. We can visit temporarily for 6 months at a time without a visa. My choice of location is determined by how far I can go by car with a cat.
And maybe then I can find some way to help people for whom getting out of the U.S. is a matter of survival.
2/2
What kind of work are you looking for?
I am planning to keep my remote job at my company
Have you run that by them? If you become a resident of another country, they may have payroll restrictions that prevent them from paying you.
We had a Bosnian employee emigrate to Canada, and was approved, so there’s precedent. I am not the only one interested either. Of course I will check with HR, but I have some other things to get squared away first.
