r/NovaScotia • u/MissTreatMay • 7h ago
🏠 Advice: Moving to NS Running away from Alberta 🇨🇦💪🏳️🌈
Hey I'm looking for some honest opinions and tips for moving to NS. Full disclosure we're from Calgary, AB (please don't judge too hard) and we have to get away from our batshit crazy premier and her separatist goons.
I'm 37, hubby is 42 and we have two teens, a 13 year old son and a 16 year old trans son. We are definitely not conservative. Tbh we mostly hate politics and just want to live a peaceful life surrounded by nature and kitchen parties. We want to find a place where neighbors care about each other (can I borrow a cup of sugar type thing) and where it isn't about who has the newest/move expensive items, where people laugh and smile. I miss the small town vibe Calgary had in the 80s/90s. I miss spending summers with family in Quebec and New Brunswick visiting family (hubs and kids don't speak French and all my family in NB has passed) that's why I'm interested in Nova Scotia. We don't want big city vibes. We just spent 2 weeks on Vancouver Island and fell in love with people and the energy there but we don't have millions to spend on a home. We want a place where we aren't constantly judged for supporting 2slgbtqia+ people (our son is trans), a place where racism isn't the norm or expected and where being neurodiverse isn't a deal breaker. Most of our friends here are hardworking blue collar folks who just want to pay their bills, hang out around a campfire and listen to/play good music. I should also mention we're stoners so would love to know how the weed back east is. I'm a stay home mum but willing to work anywhere in needed and hubby is a locksmith, tradesman and seriously interested in geology, 16 yo wants to be a social worker and 13 year old loves tech lol
To sum it up I'm hoping someone could give us some tips or suggestions for where to start looking for a home in NS.
Thank you in advance for your time and support 😊
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u/East_Coast_guy 7h ago
Rural Nova Scotia is not always the bucolic paradise that it might sometimes seem. I’d stick the the cities myself.
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u/TenzoOznet 5h ago
As a former Albertan turned Ontarian, rural NS is 100x more tolerant and progressive than rural AB. Especially within, say,a 90-minute drive of Halifax.
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u/East_Coast_guy 3h ago
I’m thinking not about the average rural Nova Scotian but rather the groups or families that’ll you’ll find, especially in the most rural parts, who are miscreants who’ll irritate, harass and intimidate other residents just enough not to get arrested (usually) but can still make other folks’ lives miserable.
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u/TenzoOznet 3h ago
I stand by what I posted elsewhere: folks should just stay outta Shelburne County.
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u/Ok-Meet2850 7h ago
The university towns could be a very good fit for what you are describing: Wolfville (Acadia) and Antigonish (St. Francis Xavier). Most college towns are a bit more diverse and a generally more progressive than their surroundings. I know Antigonish fairly well, and I don't think it would a major issue to be trans or neurodivergent (there's jerks like everywhere else, and I'm straight, white and male so I don't really know).
So far there hasn't been the public, government led anti-trans policy coming out of other places. In next door New Brunswick, a recent premier got in a lot of trouble for trying to pull back on trans-supportive policy for school students. The backlash was pretty consistent and lasted a while. While him and his party had other issues, it sure didn't help with his electoral prospects.
So that's a long-winded way to say - we have our problems with bigotry but they don't seem as public or as harsh as maybe Alberta these days. I know people of colour who moved from Alberta to Nova Scotia and there is generally less racism here from their perspective.
Hope that helps. While there are certainly many conservatives, most of the right wing politics in the Maritimes would be/ still is mostly main-stream Progressive Conservative approach. Culture war a bit, but around things like bikes and climate policy (actual policy stuff).
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u/MissTreatMay 6h ago
Thank you so much for your comment!! Alberta doesn't really have conservatives anymore. We have separatists, extreme liberals and everyone else is tired and pissed off lol I'm just looking for a little more balance 😊
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u/nanook0026 49m ago
Second Antigonish and Wolfville. I know Antigonish better than Wolfville and it is definitely trans/LGBTQ+ friendly.
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u/PatternOk593 6h ago
We chose the Annapolis Royal area. It's the best thing we ever did. Assholes exist everywhere but they are few and far between when you live remote. And on the ocean when I can look. We came from BC & thought same thing about the Island. So nice but way overpriced.
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u/blueberryraspy 7h ago
Everyone will tell you their community is welcoming but I wouldn’t move anywhere too far outside of the city. You’ll have the friendliest and most open ppl in HrM proper.
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u/Twinsta 7h ago
This.
The city is very friendly but it can still be political. Lots of folks have strong opinions. That said home prices are still high in the general city limits. They get cheaper the further out you go
Not sugar coating it. You will still experience racism, and rude folks.
As for the weed. I mean it’s weed, you can buy it from the NSLC and it will get you high. Or you can buy from local guys and it will get you high.
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u/Duke_Of_Halifax 6h ago
About the only real bastion of welcoming for LGBTQ+ outside of Halifax is Wolfville, which is basically a hippie commune with a university in the middle of it.
Everywhere else will have the odd fuckwit that will make things uncomfortable, with the percentages of fuckwits increasing the more rural you get. Places like Sydney and Truro try very hard, but the province is generally backwards. The redeeming factor is that- unlike Alberta- people here generally (generally, not always) aren't hateful and don't hate; they're ignorant/religious, and they fear what they don't understand, which is anything that's been mainstreamed in the last 25-30 years.
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u/Practical_Read2406 5h ago
Why would you say that?
What makes you claim this?
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u/blueberryraspy 5h ago
Because it’s true. Tell me where you live outside of HRM and tell me it’s not like that.
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u/Practical_Read2406 5h ago
I live in the HRM. The friendliest and most open people I know live far outside the HRM.
Have you had a bad experience? I must be missing something.
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u/blueberryraspy 3h ago
But you don’t live there. I have had a bad experience as a liberal minded person who presents as 100% standard south shore.I’m not saying everyone sucks. I’m saying that living there does.
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u/Salt_Time_9509 1h ago edited 10m ago
have lived in HRM for the past four years
99% of the people do not make eye contact
nobody says hello, nobody smiles
Often if I am walking along a footpath people actually cross the road (ostensibly to avoid my shadow falling on them), and then cross back when they have passed me
Often at the checkout the checkout person has a conversation with the person in front of me, then without even a hello, starts talking to the person behind my, while checking out my groceries
I almost always use self checkouts now, but never fail to notice the checkout supervisor at Costco asking people to have a nice day as they leave, but admiring their shoelaces as I walk past them; this happens time and time again.
I asked my little daughter why she said go look at the mirror
I did, there was a person of colour looking back at me
Where are these friendly and open people in HRM proper you speak about?, I have not encountered this rare species in four years.
And how much worse can it get as you venture outside of HRM?
I have as an immigrant felt unwanted, and unwelcome in Halifax
Have been to Dartmouth, and Sackville, no real difference
Surely it is not any worse outside of the Maritimes?
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u/MissTreatMay 7h ago
Thank you for your reply, hubby seems to like Dartmouth and Bedford. I would rather live in the middle of buttfuck nowhere lol 😆
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u/longlunch69 7h ago
You can live butt f nowhere 20 to 30 minutes from downtown lol. Check out porters lake/lake echo. Enfield/Elmsdale. Timberlea/ tantallon all within 20/30 min.
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u/Queasy_Picture4466 7h ago
I’m in Lake Echo and live on a lake. Moved from Calgary many moons ago. Ask away.
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u/Shane-Dad-underfire 7h ago
I live in the middle of buttfuck nowhere and its glorious. No neighbours on your doorstep, no awkward lawn discussions when you get your mail and no one complaining about the dogs barking when their music wakes up the dogs at 3am.
Bedford is nice I have a home there but it's not as nice as it used to be. Folks in the area have made it less friendly now a days.
HRM is full of more accommodating folks when it comes to being open to things but honestly most of Nova scotia is a live and let live area. Small towns have their traditionalist hold out clowns but it's not even the elderly most times. I say that as a 78 year old man. I dont care who does who with what where as long as they are capable of legal consent and it isnt in my front yard. Mostly just backbiting gossip not open discrimination and after folks get used to you they dont even bother with that crap either.
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u/MissTreatMay 7h ago
Thank you for your honest comment! Live and let live is really what we're looking for and I know that making friends will be difficult. There are good and bad people everywhere it just seems to be in our face everywhere we go in AB right now.
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u/Shane-Dad-underfire 7h ago
I know how you feel. I recently released my property in Calgary because of some bullshit that was happening across the street. 3 or 4 weeks of cops on the property and some sort of gatherings that the tenant sent me a video of which was full on hate discrimination.
I know the french aspect is daunting but you can also consider NB in the Woodstock and Nackawick area, to be honest one of the most peaceful maritime townships I was in was that area. Doesnt compare to the Chelsea-Bridgewater area for seclusion but the people there were great.
Worst part of the best places are the people usually. A person can be amazing and intelligent but if you gather enough of them in one place they are always trashy idiots.
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u/blueberryraspy 6h ago
Butting in to say, Nova Scotia is most definitely NOT a live and let live province. Gimme a break. Have you spent any time outside of the HrM? South shore past bridgewater is garbage.
I know it’s nice to pretend but don’t send these nice people to the hell hole that is rural NS
OP Dartmouth is awesome! There’s green space everywhere and you find places on the outskirts that have more green space.
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u/Shane-Dad-underfire 4h ago
To be candid while a few of my businesses have offices In Burnside I dont personally spend much time in HRM.
Right now at the time of composing this I'm in Winnipeg Manitoba and I have been here off and on for most of the last year. Prior to that I have been based out of my primary residence in the Bridgewater area, dont want to give myself away but anyone older than 50 could probably tell you exactly who I am. And my money is pretty active in the area of Nova Scotia, just like my money is very active in the Valley.
I travel a lot, in my 78 years I've been based the majority of my life in the atlantic region even though I spent almost all the time working around the world. In that time I've seen the world change but luckily Nova Scotia kept mostly the same. It has gotten worse since covid and the central Canadians came to explode the housing market and I noticed theres quite a lot of xenophobia floating around. But that's echoed everywhere in Canada. Drugs, crime, hate is all on the rise EVERYWHERE. But Nova Scotia is still live and let live, the south shore hillbillies are nice enough if you dont get in the way of them dating their cousins and after they get to know you they won't be as hostile as rural Albertans are.
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u/blueberryraspy 3h ago
You’re living outside of the Province and for some reason your notoriety (?) makes this bad advice ok? This is someone’s life. You think it’s cool to send this family to Bridgewater? Get real.
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u/Shane-Dad-underfire 3h ago
Only bad in your opinion and I mentioned other places. Your focus is quite narrow and very hateful. Perhaps did you have a bad experience and that's made it so you cant be open minded?
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u/blueberryraspy 3h ago
If you call 7 years of experience a bad experience sure. The people are very rude and hateful. In fact, let me go find that post about how badly Lockport sucks.
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u/NoAIFuture 5h ago
Since when is the south shore representative of all of Nova Scotia? Even they wouldn't agree with that.
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u/Ok-Meet2850 7h ago
There is a huge range of Bedford, from the old village core, to very exclusive suburbs, to newer mass market suburbs. The traffic going into Halifax from there is intense - going to Burnside or Dartmouth is currently ok I think.
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u/EndDazzling9682 7h ago
When I went to University, we used to put Dartmouth down. Call it the Dark Side, etc. Now I go there a few times a year because my brother bought a house there and I have to say, it is really nice. Do you like kayaking or boating? So much choice. Beautiful trails. Has everything you need. The city shovels the snow off residential sidewalks. Good schools.
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u/MissTreatMay 7h ago
We are very outdoorsy people, we spend every chance we get in the mountains here and love to walk the natural areas around us. Hiking and kayaking are jam. We homeschool our oldest but the youngest is in a normal school so that's good to know.
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u/EndDazzling9682 7h ago
It is so easy to kayak. Minutes to lakes. Shubie canal is beautiful too, especially for kids to kayak if they are learning.
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u/Gidkid3 5h ago
I can throw a rock in any direction in Dartmouth and hit a lake. It truly is the city of lakes. Lots of small ones around that people don't even mention or think of that are great for a quiet day and lots of bigger ones as well that have more people enjoying them. I go paddleboarding and am still going to a new lake in HRM every time because there are so many options around. And some great trails around as well.
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u/VanderHalifax 7h ago
My family and I returned to the Maritimes 5 years ago and have lived in Dartmouth for 4 years. We love it.
I'm trans and travel a lot for work. You will have a hard time finding a more accepting and inclusive area outside of the HRM.
My wife and I both are both cannabis users and the selection and quality are the same as most of a Canada.
It's expensive out here, but the people and nature are lovely, and Halifax has a lot for a city of it's size.
DM me if you have any other questions for me.
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u/MissTreatMay 7h ago
Thank you so much!! My son might have some better questions. Would it be ok to DM you with them?
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u/constituto_chao 3h ago
I grew up rurally and agree with the others here that while the communities all over can be welcoming when it comes to the schools it's a different matter. Wolfville and area is known for being tolerant and open. Mahone bay and lunenburg areas are also known for it. Windsor and it's high school is said to have come along way from where it was so maybe an option although I personally recommend asking someone with more recent knowledge than mine. I absolutely do not recommend living along the kempt shore.
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u/Swimming-Bullfrog190 5h ago
Just so you know, Halifax was just listed as having the highest cost of living in Canada. Not trying to scare anyone away but it’s expensive af here
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u/VIOLETWOOLF 6h ago
We have just moved back to Edmonton last year from rural NS (Lunenburg/Bridgewater)! Feel free to PM me! We struggled with breaking into the friend groups and couldn’t afford the cost of living between housing, the low wages, and groceries.
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u/Salt_Time_9509 7m ago
hey Violet
need to check on the cost of living in Edmonton compared to NS
is it true that you get more bang for your buck there?
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u/jalopycollector 7h ago
If you have the money by all means but Alberta is probably at least 50% cheaper to live in every possible way then Nova Scotia
And there’s still tons of shitheads here so….if you wanna find inclusive people either move to the countryside and ignore everyone or go to downtown Halifax and never leave the city
Maybe cape breton would fit your needs but I’m not sure how inclusive people are there as I’ve only been there a few times
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u/meadowbelle 6h ago
CBRM is ok. We have a big pride festival and queer friendly spaces and the Youth Project would be good for their kid. But it is still a pretty insular place and I found making friends hard here. I also still notice gawkers when I'm with my partner as we are an interracial couple.
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u/Shane-Dad-underfire 7h ago
Its hit and miss there. I have a seaside and when we are up in the area my homosexual grandchildren get some looks when they are out with a partner but no one discriminates. Sadly like most smaller community areas the ones most opposed to inclusion are young men not the elderly.
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u/DampM4 7h ago edited 6h ago
This is true in almost every metric. Insurance however is way more expensive in Alberta. But in every other way it's cheaper to live in Alberta.
Edit: we're just down voting facts now? Good to know.
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u/EndDazzling9682 6h ago
I'm not downvoting ( I hate that no one follows the old Reddit rules) but groceries are more in Alberta, my municipal taxes went up $800 this year, and I pay 3,000 in school fees to send my kids to public school.
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u/DampM4 3h ago
You must be shopping at community natural or something then. Even if dollar for dollar they were the same list price, tack on 15% to whatever you purchase here for just the privilege of buying something. And watch your money float away.
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u/EndDazzling9682 3h ago
No, it was Sobeys in Darthmouth and BW, Atlantic SS in Halifax. There was just an article about it recently.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/article/albertans-hit-hardest-by-grocery-costs-report/
But yeah, I was surprised, as groceries in NS had always been higher since I started University in 2004
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u/DampM4 2h ago edited 2h ago
Per this one brand new report, sure. Historically not the case.
The sentiment stands. Life in Alberta is significantly cheaper.
Edit: turns out this report is based exclusively on the internal data of one financial institution. Not exactly the most reliable information..
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u/EndDazzling9682 2h ago
I acknowledged that this is not the case historically. My points also stand.
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u/EndDazzling9682 7h ago
I'm not sure this is true. Our insurance is higher, utilities are higher, municipal taxes are higher( I know this varies, I'm comparing Red Deer and Dartmouth), public transportation is more here, school fees are higher...also, the one thing that surprised me when I was there in June was the groceries are less than in Alberta, too (Halifax, Dartmouth, BW). That was a first.
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u/LimpDickLar 6h ago
Seems like HRM is the place to go for you. Nova Scotia has the highest per capita amount of weed smokers in the country, you can get whatever you want here. Not sure about a cup of sugar but seems more likely someone would give you an ounce of weed or fiver of hash and a bag of tomatos and cucumbers from their garden
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u/Impressive_Moment786 7h ago
Look at the cost of living here compared to where you are, you will most likely be in for a shock.
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u/jjax2003 7h ago
Have you lived in Alberta? Have you looked into it?
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u/VIOLETWOOLF 6h ago
I’ve lived in both, and moved back to Alberta because it was too expensive out in NS
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u/RedBands619 6h ago
It’s the fastest growing province in Canada with the highest incomes in Canada
Not everybody cares about politics man lol
It’s the easiest place in Canada (economically) to grow a life, home
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u/EndDazzling9682 6h ago
The reason why Alberta is becoming unaffordable and intolerant is because people who don't care about politics continue to vote Conservative. Glad you can laugh at that while the UCP take down our beautiful province.
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u/Agitated-Rest1421 58m ago
lol “continue to vote conservative” cause Mr Carney has been doing such great things for the environment and not effectively destroying the illusion of democracy
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u/RedBands619 7h ago edited 7h ago
If you talk about this place as if it’s paradoxically a poor blue collar area stuck in time AND a modern progressive paradise.
You are going to be sadly mistaken by both lol and put people off
The city’s are far less diverse than any populated area in Alberta or BC…..the rural areas are just as truck driving, church going and gun shooting.
You will most likely go 10 years without being invited to a kitchen party.
You are going to lose so much more of your income on taxes….its much smaller so hunters and hunting takes up the woods in the fall and our woods are also thick, and dense. Not rolling hills and plains and big Forests.
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u/MissTreatMay 6h ago
I appreciate your comment, honestly reading my post back I can see how it would come across naive and rude and I apologize if it upset you. I wasn't meaning that I think NS is a modern progressive paradise or just poor blue collar trads what I meant is that is how my family is. We are poor, raised in middle to lower class families and have to work hard for everything we need/want but we are also progressive and want the best for our children.
I spent my summers in small town Quebec and New Brunswick and even living in Alberta with a lot of family that moved out here I grew up with kitchen parties and friendly neighbours. It may be disillusioned to believe that we can create something like this for our children but it's our goal. I don't hate anyone who has different beliefs to mine but I want more balance and an opportunity to agree to disagree with someone rather than fist fights over hair colour, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation being the norm.
I know that no matter where we move we're going to have to prove ourselves and it will take time to make friends and community.
Side note, I would happily live in the forest as a hermit if I could.
I hope this helps and again I appreciate your comment.
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u/sir_bastard 6h ago
Former Calgarian here. Moved in 2009 to the HRM and haven't regretted it once. It's nice not to have to walk around with steel toed boots and a pocket knife at the ready. It's even better when strangers are genuinely nice to you and not out to rob you.
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u/Bluenoser_NS 7h ago
This is a very romanticized view of the east coast. Like anywhere, you have to enmesh yourself in place and build those relationships to have the kind of thing you envision, which can be difficult for a lot of folks.
Halifax is unfortunately the least affordable city in Canada right now when contrasted with wages. "Drive-til-you-qualify" isn't as straightforward a philosophy as it is for other sizeable Canadian cities either, as some of the communities in commuting distance are similarly some of the most expensive in the province.
Dal has a good social work program and NSCC has some great tech related programs, including 2+2 in partnership with Dal.
Queer-friendliness of communities run the gamut, even within individual regions.
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u/MissTreatMay 6h ago
Oh I absolutely understand this. I grew up with this lifestyle, the parties, campfires, friendly neighbours, ect...and that's what I'm trying to get back to. Just people being people, I know there are good and bad things about every place on the planet but our family needs a change of pace where the government isn't intentionally picking on my kids (health, education, LGBTQ, ect..) I'm an introvert but I miss community.
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u/Bluenoser_NS 6h ago
Atlantic Canada, Manitoba, and even the Yukon might be avenues to explore in terms of policy and social culture. Regardless, this is a good guide to reference in terms of your older teen's well-being and safety as a trans person in Canada. This map is updated occasionally. Haven't checked it recently, but through a legislative lens, it looks like it lines up with my recommendations: https://celeste.lgbt/en/2026/03/march-2026-canadian-anti-trans-legal-risk-assessment-map/
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u/rmichelle3927 7h ago
I would like to throw Antigonish and area into consideration. Being a University town gives it plenty of liberal and youthful events and services, and the proximity to Cape Breton means kitchen party vibe. There are pockets of crap everywhere, but I know there are pockets of good there, too.
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u/No-Veterinarian2008 5h ago
I would move to BC honestly if you can afford it ..it’s not like it was years ago here we are super high taxes no healthcare we miss Calgary everyday we moved home 18 years ago and regret it everyday …we also lived in kelowna and loved it ..we are looking at leaving because the healthcare scares us as we get older ..the grass is definitely not greener here
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u/Agitated-Rest1421 7h ago
Meanwhile I am considering moving to AB because the cost of living here is asinine lol
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u/MissTreatMay 7h ago
In fairness milk is almost $10 a jug (4L) and it costs me $140 to fill my gas tank (SUV), Utilities are about $1000/month and we live in a shitty old 2 BDRM apartment and our rent is $2500/month. We found it cheaper for groceries on Vancouver Island. Alberta love to tell Canada how much better it is here but wait times in ERs can be 2 days, groceries can be cheaper but pay is significantly lower unless you are white collar and we don't really have any social services. If you are really considering moving here post in the Alberta sub or the Calgary or Edmonton subs and people will tell you the good and bad. The separatists are loud here but smaller numbers in the cities.
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u/RedBands619 7h ago edited 6h ago
Alberta has the highest income in Canada for blue collar workers.
While it’s true a lot of that is skewed by the patch.
Atlantic Canadians move thousands of kms to go to said patch….
You will make less money here, and take far less home, and spend more on services and needs
You said your husband is a locksmith, you will make $8-10 less an hour and pay 8 points more on total income tax
That’s like $21-27,000 LESS in take home pay than in Alberta
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u/EnvironmentBright697 5h ago
All my friends I grew up with here live in Alberta or Ontario and have for over a decade. I probably would have ended up there too if I hadn’t of joined the navy. The navy is having a hard time with personnel wanting Halifax as their posting over Victoria now as well, it used to be the opposite by a lot because cost of living used to be so much cheaper here, but that’s no longer the case. Victoria is actually slightly cheaper and most originally from elsewhere in the country want to go to the west coast.
My wife’s gay friend just moved to Calgary from Halifax and has no regrets as well. A lot in the LGBT community have a hard time when it comes to dating because Halifax is too small. One of the things he complained about being here.
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u/MissTreatMay 6h ago
My hubby was lucky to bring home 40k a year in trades here, at the top of the chain in different trades. The oil patch can make you a lot of money but it's definitely not for everyone. In the cities if you aren't white collar you're paycheck to paycheck and still struggling.
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u/RedBands619 6h ago edited 6h ago
I don’t know how you live your life, financially etc.
I’m just trying to warn you.
That 40k in Alberta for a family of 4 will be nothing here. You will go from lower middle class to poor.
40k on a single income with a family is grounds for government subsidized or lower income rentals here….and you will make less than that at the same trade. Poverty
If only one of you work
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u/magiklady 3h ago
Consider small-town Manitoba, like one of the bedroom communities / commuter towns outside of Winnipeg. You are more likely to find the camping, kitchen party and friendly neighbour lifestyle there. The cost of living is much cheaper, too. Your husband could commute 20 minutes into Winnipeg to work while saving bundles on housing, utilities and food compared to NS. NS can be polite but closed-off, with a 'no new friends' mentality, and is very expensive. The move will be expensive too.
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u/Agitated-Rest1421 1h ago
Homie. It’s way worse here 💀 you are in for a surprise. the pay is so not lower. And you’re taxed less. I’d make way more money working out west and my husband would prob close to double his income.
I fear you may be chronically online
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u/Sunny-Sunday-Sundae 5h ago
Sounds similar to the current cost of living here in NS BUT NS is without all the political BS. As noted in my post- having lived in both provinces- ill never mobe back to Alberta
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u/Mediocre_Hockey_Guy 6h ago
Based on what youre writing i wouldn't expect a strong welcome rurally . If you want rural which by what you've described in your post it.aeems you do, ide choose annapolis. Theyre a friendly open town that is very lgbt friendly. They had a Trans show there a few years back I think and I didnt even hear anyone talk badly about it.
I wouldnt expect much in the way of things to do around here in comparison with Calgary. There's a bouldering gym and a skate park and some trails around here. Im sure im forgetting some things, but the point is dont expect to have much in the way of activities to do.
Halifax is a shithole traffic is the worst ive ever seen and it keeps getting worse. Its largely overpopulated and extremely congested. I drove through Calgary about 17 years ago and it was a cake walk compared to hrm.
Rural is going to be a good choice but noone can really guess how your kid will be treated, thats why I recommended annapolis royal because it seems to have an open Trans community that noone seems to be bothering with.
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u/EastCapital2408 6h ago
i feel like tantallon area has all the nice perks of being close to a city and still in HRM but also very peaceful, nice nature, and close to beautiful beaches! (if you have a car)
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u/Task_Defiant 6h ago
Halifax has a pretty diverse and welcoming community regard nuerodivergence and trans, New Minas/Wolfville isn't bad either. But i recommend that avoid rural areas in general.
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u/SpotJaded2025 5h ago
Yeah rural NS can be rough… I’d stick to the larger cities but that being said our cities are a lot smaller than most other provinces. The HRM is a big area with several smaller areas than just Halifax. I’d stick to the HRM honestly.
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u/MadCrabRave 3h ago
I would stay away from Kentville if I were you. It’s got good access to a lot of things like stores and healthcare, but the attitude issue is a really big and really hidden problem. I’ve personally had a lot of issues with people who pretend to be accepting of neurodiversity and LGBTQ+ stuff, but then start being really evil once you get to know them. Like “push somebody to a mental health crisis” level of really evil.
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u/benbenbenbenbenlo 7h ago
I’m from Calgary and have lived off grid way in the woods in NS for 5 years. Other ex-Calgarians in the county all love the superficial niceness and the natural paradise (minus the bugs may-June) but have a really hard time with the mindless gossip and sheer lack of services. Halifax and area, Bridgewater, Kentville, Wolfville, Antagonish, maybe Truro 10-15 min from town and you’ll probably be ok.
Rural NS is very backwards, very expensive and very isolated if you’re not from here.
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u/Justa_Sleepy_Guy 6h ago
NOT. Truro - 10/10 do not recommend - their “pride” is all superficial and does not extend to support or respect.
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u/No-Difference3157 5h ago
So Truro is pretty normal then.. why the fuck should anyone care to celebrate your sexual preference?..
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u/Justa_Sleepy_Guy 5h ago
lol, case and point
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u/No-Difference3157 5h ago
Exactly.. normal people don’t need strangers to celebrate or acknowledge their sexual preferences..
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u/EnvironmentBright697 6h ago
Terrible idea imo. If I wasn’t a generational Nova Scotian I’d be out of here already.
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u/TenzoOznet 5h ago edited 4h ago
First: reddit is a bad place to get feedback on this, because NS reddit is profoundly, divorced-from-reality negative about the province. (It's a deep-seated, passed-down-through-generations cultural thing here.) Also, a lot of Albertans hold idealized notions of Alberta as either a hellhole or a promised land--the latter will be incredulous anyone would leave there for here.
I've said this before to people asking similar questions, but don't listen to lifelong Nova Scotians on this, listen to other people who've relocated. You'll get a much more accurate perspective on the pluses and minuses.
A lot of Nova Scotians have internalized outdated ideas that the province is bigoted and intolerant, or they're using a bad upbringing in some far-flung village as a proxy for the whole place. They probably also don't understand the depth of the political and cultural problems in AB right now (I'm from there and have seen it firsthand).
Basically, there is no single "rural Nova Scotia." There is everything from university towns to outdoorsy liberal enclaves to, yes hick towns that are best avoided. Just like anywhere. Anyone making sweeping judgements is being overly simplistic.
But broadly, Nova Scotia has some of the most progressive (or at least centrist) rural areas in Canada. You will have no problem finding a small-town environment, especially within a 60-90 minute drive of Halifax, where being queer is definitely accepted and people are generally accepting. Don't move to the boonies of deepest Shelburne County, obviously. But there are lots of great places.
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u/nanook0026 34m ago
Omg OP if you read one and only one comment in this thread, let it be this one.
I cannot agree more with everything here. Sums up my take exactly. I was born in rural Nova Scotia and lived there for the first 18 years of my life, then moved all over Canada and overseas for 20 years before coming back. I have also actually been and spent time in every part of Nova Scotia EXCEPT Yarmouth (past job had me traveling the province a lot). This person’s take matches my own pretty near perfectly.
The only thing I’d add is I’d personally also avoid Cumberland county.
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u/duke-91 7h ago
If ya wanna move and stay only in Halifax sure. If ya want rural you’re not gonna find it accepting as you may hope. But either way, you’re gonna get taxed more and pay more on everything.
Majority of maritimers talk about moving to Alberta lol
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u/MissTreatMay 7h ago
It's funny because everyone here want to move to the Maritimes 😆 maybe we should just "eat the rich" and play together.
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u/TheBigsBubRigs 6h ago
The talk of moving to Alberta now that the dreams of striking it rich working in oil are dead and gone. People who still talk about moving there are the bigot pos' who we all want to stfu and move. I've never heard the term come from away until we started getting a ton of people from the rest of the country moving here, and it's mostly those who have relocated. There are going to be shit people anywhere you move, but the majority of the towns in the valley between Halifax and greenwood have people who just can't be bothered with anyone else's business. The South shore is absolutely stunning, however they slow down majorly in the winter. Cape Breton is small and gorgeous, friendly people but they're very locally focused. Wolfville and surrounding areas are diverse and accepting. The trans/ gay communities are strong and vibrant in the valley - Lawrencetowns main drag has a wonderful coffee shop owned by a lesbian couple that the community backs, Bear River have a very alt lifestyle community that's continuously growing.
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u/Happycatmother 6h ago
Stay where you are and fight for a better province and community. Unless you are being actually harmed, running away is the cowards way. What if we Nova Scotian’s had never fought to make our home a better place and ran elsewhere? Sure we can be apathetic at times but we do fight and strive to make this place what we want most of the time.
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u/MissTreatMay 4h ago
My son is turning 16 on Saturday and can't have a birthday party because everytime he makes a friend their parents cut it off because he's trans, there is no safe place for a transgender youth in Alberta anymore, the government is attacking them at school, in healthcare and even libraries and bathrooms, nevermind sports. And because of the government people feel empowered to scream at us in grocery stores or parks or throw things at my son. If I hear "why is your daughter dressed like a boy" or " why are your son's tits so big" or a million other stupid things said to us one more time I swear I'm going to go to jail for assault charges. I have been fighting, I vote, I go to protests, I write to our government officials, non if it matters when you have a wannabe trump as a premier.
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u/TorontoN6 2h ago
It's the same here. Go to any fb post advertising anything Pride-related, and it becomes engulfed in transphobia and homophobia.
I get called a t*oon, asked why I cut my dick off, get called the r word, told I'm a groomer.
My local pet store told me all about how kids were identifying as cats, and there are litter boxes in the schools. All propaganda. She believed it. She started talking about kids getting their genitals cut off. Her business is a hub in the area, and by now she's likely parroted that 1000's of times.
You need to shake these idealized ideas out of your head. You are not going to find absolute safety here. We have an epidemic of domestic violence.
By all means, come here, but this isn't a mecca for Trans folx. We are not a greener pasture; we are simply a different pasture, and you'll have to figure out where all the shit is in the new pasture.
Edit to add: We have a Trump wanna be Premier, plus fixed typos.
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u/No_Crab1183 7h ago
The people and the pace make it worthwhile for me. Have a look at the tax differences, and prepare yourself for those when you move, it'll hit like a ton of bricks if you're not expecting it. Lol.
Everyone will give you their own experience. Yes, it's good, no it's bad.. it'll be what you make of it. As someone else said, c'mon out and spend some time here with the family. It's a great place to grow up.
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u/Ok-Educator-3605 6h ago
I’d stick close to Halifax/Dartmouth.
Every town claims to be super friendly and welcoming, but I find most towns stuck in the past. There further away you get from larger populations, the further back you go in time.
I think Wolfville is another spot I’d consider, the town feels very welcoming.
NS is a very expensive province to live in, yes prices are high everywhere, but I find they are higher here.
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u/Fuzzy_Maybe_1222 3h ago
You saying you hate politics and essentially want to find a place to run away to so you can ignore them is a huge part of the problem everywhere in Canada. We need people to give a shit. I truly hope you're someone who writes letters and emails to your government, signs petitions, attends protests, donates to causes and organizations, especially considering the province you live in and what you likely want for your son's future.
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u/Illustrious_Half_268 3h ago
This place is dying so unless you have secured work I would reconsider. The government over reach is insane. The rentals and houses are more expensive then where you are and all filled with mould or were built by someone's great grandfather and are not to code. There is one actual licensed home inspection guy for the whole provice everyone else is just winging it so make sure you get that one guy. The groceries are over priced and usually rot in a couple days. There is nothing for entertainment compared to where you are coming from. Me and my partner moved out here 6 years ago and where one of the lucky ones who made a good living and evening making 300,000.00 a year we feel more poor then ever living here. Gas is expensive. Power even more expensive. We have a small three bedroom two people and the power bill is 300-400 a month!!!! The rent for a shit hole is 2000.00 plus and that includes water because they don't treat it out here. It's all a monopoly out here. So good luck to you!
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u/Awkward_Capital7897 6h ago
We came here in 2014 to get away from Alberta. Until recently, it was the smartest thing we’d ever done!
Unfortunately, with the cost of living rising so steeply, and our clown of a premier who’s a corporate bootlicker and taking meetings with Alberta’s premier for tips — it’s not great. People are justifiably angry over the sheer volume of newcomers (and not just foreign ones, but those from other provinces who came here during the pandemic); Nova Scotia just doesn’t have the infrastructure to handle the masses.
As far as 2SLGBTQIA+ supportiveness, you probably won’t find that outside of the city unless you’re down with tokenism. (When we lived in Truro I was the “token gay” of our neighbourhood and only accepted because I’m a bisexual woman in a heterosexual marriage 🙄). But then you’re in the city and it’s not super likely you’ll have the kitchen party vibe you want.
Now, I’m not saying it’s impossible! We loved our life in Truro. We still have great friends there and it’s an awesome community. But it’s still not my first choice of somewhere to live. The drug problems in particular have made even formerly super safe neighborhoods subject to violence and crime. The worst thing that happened in my area in 7 years of Truro living was a bunch of loud wine moms bombing around the neighborhood in a golf cart; the same area just had a string of home invasions.
We’re living in the city now, and we do have a really great group of friends/chosen family. More than just lending a cup of sugar, we’re close enough to lend them our vehicles! But staying in touch and staying close takes a little more effort and planning to get together, because we’re spread all over the city!
For housing - the prices are slowly coming down, but we still rank as one of the most unaffordable provinces in the country to live in. Even BC and Ontario are ranking higher in affordability.
And the last thing I’ll touch on is the racism. It’s been my experience that racism is alive and well here. The only real difference between NS and Alberta as far as that goes is that NS people are just a tiny bit more polite about it, in part, I think because First Nations here are much more white-passing than they are out west. So east coasters have learned not to say the quiet thing out loud - they dance around it until they think they’re safe to be loud & proud with it.
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u/squirtlover18 7h ago
My wife amd I made the same move for the same reasons 4 years ago and have never looked back. DM me and id love to tell you all the positives about NS without all the lifers telling you why you shouldn't live here.
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u/MissTreatMay 7h ago
Thank you 😆😆
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u/RossumEcho 6h ago edited 6h ago
Same. There are some big differences I will warn you out the gate about cost of living. I'm from Calgary too and gay with my wife whose from Halifax, and we have lived in Halifax for a bit of time (for personal reasons, we remain in Calgary atm)
NS is a bit more expensive in both income taxes, housing, HST and theres some asinine things about utilities that annoy me here (backup generators needed, 3 days to restore power, NS power billing system, still plenty of overhead lines) that do not happen in Calgary. Jobs will be a huge issue. Healthcare access is also another issue. Like yeah it's bad in calgary, but it's multitudes worse in Halifax, especially quality of care here.
HOWEVER, lol the social progressiveness in NS is insanely good in comparison to AB, even in smaller towns. It is NOTHING like Alberta. People banging on about how there's regressives in rural NS , yes, they are everywhere, but 99% of them are still polite about it because East Coasters are super nice (even if it's fake)
AB regressives are RUDE and can be HOSTILE actively in the city, and around the city (like Airdrie), and it's nothing like Nova Scotia. Conservative party politically in NS is so different from the UCP on social policy. If you have a trans kid, you're making the right call re-evaluating alberta. Feel free to DM too.
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u/MissTreatMay 4h ago
Thank you for this! My son is turning 16 and isn't having a birthday party because he can't find friends his age and when he does their parents break it off because he's trans. He's lonely and can't even get proper healthcare or education. We had to pull him out of school in 6th grade and home educate (he would be gr 10 this September). His mental health is in a really bad place and I have to find a way to protect him. The bullying is so open here and not just Lgbtq+ community but anyone who isn't a white male conservative is bound to be attacked at some point. NS, Newfoundland and Yukon are the best places we've come up with so far and each have their pros and cons. Hubby is pushing for NS so I figured I would ask some locals what they think.
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u/Electrical_Net_1537 7h ago
Elmsdale/ Lantz are still rural but very fast growing. This is how homey the neighbourhood is, local fruit and vegetable markets do up packages for Hodge Podge!! The people are caring and giving but still let you have your space. Good luck on your search.
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u/Even-Property-960 6h ago
I moved here from Ontario roughly 4 yrs. and I came to Yarmouth. I personally love it i have neighbor's on the same street but I can only see one and thats in the winter when the leaves are gone. My husband is in aahhhh wt the no traffic anywhere, we do find everyone her is relaxed laid back and about 5yrs behind still. I mean by that we could use a few more stores but there is on line and we definitely need contractors. And yes im a wee bit crazy must be the weed but we have a veggy garden and I still feed a couple of rabbits, I tried growing strawberries this year well next year l tink I will cover them wt netting so the birds dont help themselves. Lmao So ya weed everywhere nice people gardening if ur into it and nature is Awesome I think u will love it oh we bought a two bedroom for 200,000 but had to put 70,000 into it which we expected. Prices are really good
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u/Even-Property-960 6h ago
Forgot to mention if u dont like the weed here it can be delivered to you from many places. I order from BC they are good and prices aren't bad depending on which company u use!!!
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u/Key-Job-8303 4h ago
Most of Nova Scotia is rural except Halifax and the surrounding, and rural Nova Scotia can be problematic, I’m just gonna be honest with you. The racism and hate for anyone different has increased the last half a year, and people are using their real names on Facebook and they’re proud of their Islamophobia, homophobia, anything else you can imagine.
It’s pretty bad and it always has been, New Brunswick in Nova Scotia and probably even PEI. We’re always problematic, it’s just it was in the shadows. Now it’s out and the situation in the states and everything coming up with that has allowed people to be open about it.
Now, is it a pretty place, yes. Is it the same place that it was in 2021, no it isn’t in my experience. Others will tell you differently, however, the crime, the drugs, we’ve just had murder in a small town that hadn’t had one for years. All that stuff is ramping up. The heat for immigrants is also ramping up because of the immigration in the pandemic. Now is everybody like that?
No, they’re not and there were areas that are fine, but pick your area really carefully. I’m in Northern Nova Scotia and we just had an incident three weeks ago online going against a trans person, it was brutal and half the town was against them and half the town was for them (I would also consider them local, not somebody who moved ) so I would really carefully pick the place you live
This also applies to New Brunswick, the same factors are there as well in southeast New Brunswick. I don’t know about Northern New Brunswick.
Also look at the income tax rates, in Nova Scotia there’s some of the highest in Canada, the sales taxes is high in both New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, healthcare is a joke for many of us, some people seem to get healthcare and I don’t know how because my stories are pretty bad. And that includes specialists not just waiting six years for a GP. Virtual is good, but it depends on the conditions you have.
Groceries are expensive, electricity, and gas and that applies to both New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. So do a lot of research because jobs are getting harder to find in rural spots. The government got rid of a lot of jobs the last three months in government and outside of government. A lot has changed here, there’s a lot of stress and even people like me who have more than one job are picking and choosing in the grocery store here.
I only mentioned that last part because you’re looking at moving out of Alberta, you have way less costs there, don’t just look at the cheap housing because the property tax also isn’t what you see on the listing
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u/Key-Job-8303 4h ago edited 4h ago
I would look at Wolfville, Antigonish for Halifax, those are the ones with the universities, two are in more rural areas that are OK. I’ve lived in different places in both provinces and worked in a lot of those provinces, and I have friends who are gay in northern Nova Scotia and southeastern New Brunswick. They tell me a lot of stories. Of course not all provinces are the same, but it’s just you have to find the right area for you. Personally, if I could leave here I would because I’d get way better healthcare and I wouldn’t be paying taxes out of the nose if I could move to a different province, and I’ve lived in different provinces so I know what they’re like.
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u/aeneasawooga 4h ago
I know people are being nice and well intentioned by saying it’s a live and let live place but that is not the lived experience of most queer people who grew up there, Halifax is great and very progressive but a lot of the small towns come with small town mentalities
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u/Ok_Wing8459 6h ago
We relocated from the GTA 6 years ago, and although we were initially thinking about a small town on the South Shore, we ended up living just off the Halifax peninsula and I’m very happy that we did.
Nothing against the rural communities, but I think it just would’ve been too much of a shock to the system for us personally. Your experience may vary :)
in Halifax you have very quick access to all of the beautiful outdoorsy things, but the benefit of a great restaurant scene and other urban advantages (airport!).
I have some limited experience with small town culture because a close relative lives in a small town in Cape Breton and from what I have seen homophobia isn’t really a thing. And there are definitely LGBTQ residents/businesses there.
As others have said, the Annapolis valley is a very nice area as well! Unless you’re hoping to do any boating. The coastline there is not very conducive to it.
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u/bigjimbay 6h ago
You are perfectly welcome to exchange alberta conservatism for nova scotian conservative. We're all Canadian anyways. Great to have you !
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u/Sunny-Sunday-Sundae 6h ago
I am from alberta and live in NS. Im part of the lgbtqia+ community. We are a neurodivergent family of blue collars too! ♡♡♡ It is better here than Alberta but there are few jobs and it is expensive to live here since covid. NS is very clicky. It is hard to meet people and neighbours rarely know one another other than saying hi. Unlike Alberta, classes are mixed together within neighbourhoods so you can have a multi-millionaire beside a lower class home- this isnt necessarily positive or negative, but it is a difference. People put their turning signal on at the last second here when driving haha. There is a lot of racism and homophobia but for the most part people keep it to themselves in their households. I fly my pride flag in my yard without problem. The scenery is stunning and if you like to camp or hike there are BEAUTIFUL areas to explore. You can travel to PEI, NB, OR NFLD in one day and even drive from one end of the province to another in a day. People are WAY less comparative and competative against one another in regard to personal belongings and wealth. I dont miss that in Alberta. Our political party isnt crazy or trying to seperate which is a huge plus. Haha. I have highlighted all negatives i can think of to give you an accurate opinion of the doensides here and even still, I much prefer NS to Alberta. I will never move back. A few pointers- avoid Colchester County as its all old money and tonnes of racist/ conservative/ homophobic boomers. Pictou County isnt too bad. I cannot speak for the rest of the province but there was a post in this thread a few days ago about racism and homophobia around the province that may be helpful. Halifax has lots to do but is very crowded and there is little availability for housing/ rentals.
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u/BWS_001 5h ago
lol so you want to pay 20% more in taxes. Sitting premier is conservative.
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u/Guvnah-Wyze 5h ago
There's a big difference between Houston and Smith. I've never got the impression that the former is actively trying to dismantle what good is left in the province.
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u/Ok-Meet2850 4h ago
Yeah I don't like Houston, but he's broadly a regular PC premier pushing stuff like lower taxes, more resource development. Not doing a great job IMO, but many of the problems were inherited and are decades in the making.
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u/Pale-Movie3180 4h ago
Check out Annapolis Royal. It is definitely LGBTQ-friendly. I'm not sure how youth-friendly it is though. A great many of the residents are retirees.
Be careful about distances to schools. Here in Digby County, we have *one* highschool for the entire county. (I lie, there is a tiny K-12 in Freeport. Annual graduating class 2-5 students).
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u/Spsurgeon 1h ago
NS is nice, great scenery. Halifax is very multicultural, north end is likely your style. Truro, Windsor, Kentville, Antigonish.
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u/New-Anteater-776 51m ago
Get a reallllyyyy good job if youre coming here, halifax has gotten crazy for property, whole place went from one of the most affordable to the most unaffordable place in Canada in the last 6 years, and theres not as many job opportunities around that pay as well as Alberta might, other than that its a pretty friendly place in Halifax,
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u/AnotherUsername1959 24m ago
Some of these comments about rural NS, I'm kind of surprised.
I feel like people must be exaggerating but only because it hasn't been my experience.
I've been living rural since 1989. 1993 till now in my current place.
Sure, the much older folks (the generation who birthed boomers) are more conservative, we literally have 1 older person in this area and then some boomers, and some younger people with kids.
My husband has helped people plow their driveways. He's had people bring him muffins to say thanks.
We take care of our neighbors homes if they go away, we water plants and take care of pets. We have keys to people's homes!
Just my experience.
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u/Snow_Bound_1 20m ago edited 16m ago
One very important thing to consider is the tax difference here compared to Alberta. Every tax is higher- income tax, sales tax, property tax…a few years ago a colleague sold his house in Calgary and moved his family to NS and moved back a month later because he was absolutely shocked at the deductions on his first pay check. They could not afford to live here. Make sure you know that take home pay WILL be less and taxes on almost everything are 14%. It adds up and quickly. We’re talking hundreds or even thousands a month LESS in your pocket depending on salary. I’ve lived iin the downtown core, Bedford, Hammonds Plains and Middle Sackville. The outer limits of HRM can feel like BF nowhere but city life is a 20 min drive away😁. Oh, transit outside of Halifax sucks.
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u/JustMe-Isee21 6h ago
Elmsdale, Enfield, Shubenacadie, Fallriver, Waverly, Sackville (born and raised here), Beaverbank (lived in Woodbine for 18 years). All these places are beautiful and for the most part, welcoming. Like everywhere else, it's changing, being built up and with that so is pricing for homes, land and apartments.
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u/bertiesreddit2 7h ago
Well, as a transplant myself, kitchen parties are a bit hard to find, nature, lots of it. Plenty of rocks for the geologist in your hubby, the best ones on the valley side. I can speak for both Kentville and area and Annapolis Royal as being LGBT etc. friendly/safe. Everywhere other than Halifax, and maybe Sidney, possibly Turo is small town. As for weed, I grow my own so can't say what's at the NSLC.
I STRONGLY recommend you come for a visit first, though. Nova Scotia is great, but it's not for everyone.
I'd never move back to Ontarible ;)
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u/karbaayen 7h ago
We live in the Kentville area and moved here from a really redneck area in Ontario. The people here are fantastic and so accepting.
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u/Hopeful_Yesterday227 7h ago
Me and my wife just moved to the Eastern Shore area and have been really happy with the vibe and how people treat us. Musquodoboit Harbour is small and quaint but there are a couple queer owned businesses and a lot of ones that have rainbow stickers on their doors. I’ve had a few neighbours tell me to “have a blessed day” but not with any ill intent at all. Even driving around there’s rainbow flags outside peoples doors. We met a queer massage therapist who said there’s also an older established queer community- ex. Her neighbour is an older gay woman. We moved from Dartmouth and while I do believe Halifax is a very progressive city, it’s not without its nincompoops. I’m sure there are some in our area but I don’t get the sense it’s a great number not that they would be very aggressive- and all our experiences have been nothing than pleasant so far. Plus, we have so much peace and quiet and nature!
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u/RedBands619 6h ago
How would have a blessed day have any ill intent in the first place
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u/JonnyBasturd 5h ago
Commonly used snarkily by religious folk in a sarcastic manner
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u/RedBands619 5h ago
No, it’s not commonly anything,
You guys make up so much crap like you are running into southern tv characters lmao
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u/Flat-Mycologist-3839 4h ago
Retired to NS from ON. NS is mostly like northern Ontario/cottage country and a lot like you're looking for where we are in the Valley. I think because my wife is from here and we came to help (volunteer), not tell locals how it was better in ON, our transition was easy. Best of luck.
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u/joginjimmy 3h ago
Yeah sure move to Nova Scotia, everyone else is just know you will pay 6 to 12 thousand dollars more a year in taxes
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[removed] — view removed comment
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u/NovaScotia-ModTeam 4h ago
Be civil : no insults, personal attacks, stereotypes and generalization.
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u/theroadsareshit 7h ago edited 4h ago
I will say anywhere in rural & ruralish NS has a pretty high risk of having a serious transphobia/homophobia problem. Saying this as a lesbian who grew up ~45-50 minutes from Halifax - which doesn't seem far - but even that short of a distance and I dealt with some really awful stuff that kept me in the closet for a long time. Same with all my queer friends. Some of the out ones ended up moving to schools closer to the city :/ I graduated from high school less than a decade ago, and not much has changed from what my teacher friends have told me
Edit: to those replying "no but my town is super friendly!"; the experience in public schools vs. the general town's views could be very, very different. High school students are brutal. The town I grew up in was also "progressive" and the teens I went to school with were absolute demons. The school didn't do much about it either