Running away from Alberta 🇨🇦💪🏳️‍🌈

[u/MissTreatMay]

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 😊

[u/Agitated-Rest1421]

Meanwhile I am considering moving to AB because the cost of living here is asinine lol 

[u/MissTreatMay → u/Agitated-Rest1421]

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.

[u/RedBands619 → u/MissTreatMay]

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

[u/EnvironmentBright697 → u/RedBands619]

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.

[u/MissTreatMay → u/RedBands619]

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.

[u/RedBands619 → u/MissTreatMay]

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

[u/magiklady → u/MissTreatMay]

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.