Best places to Live in Canada for UK expats

Located but half an hour from Toronto is a slow-paced suburban paradise  – Oakville. It is an ideal spot for those looking for a balance between the city buzz and the serenity or a small town.

The towns economy centres around several major employers. Among others, it’s home to Siemens and The Ford Motor Company, who provide employment to over 10,000 workers. Nearly just as many local residents combined offer their services to Halton District School Board. Aside from that, the region’s primary economical focus is on life sciences, including pharmaceuticals and elder care, as Oakville features a number of high-standard retirement homes.

With direct access to Lake Ontario, the city lays on abundant recreational opportunities. The town’s two harbours provide docking opportunities for its residents’ motorboats. Its Glen Abbey Golf Course played host to The Canadian Open, which brought the town national renown. The Canadian national sport fans will have plenty of opportunities to exercise and participate in sporting events.

Culture lovers will not be bored, either, as the local Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts offers a rich palette of cultural events. It’s a venue hosting live performances for the Oakville Symphony Orchestra and Oakville Ballet Company. The city cannot complain of a shortage of festivals, either. Among others, it hosts:

• Downtown Oakville Jazz Festival
• For the Love of the Arts Festival
• Kerrfest

The capital of the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada is the city of Vancouver. Its multitude of cultures ethnicities make it Canada’s most diversified city, where over 48% of inhabitants speak neither English nor French.

Vancouver’s unique cityscape has all you may need for a complete experience of a modern megacity. From a rich coastline, quaint islands to a state-of-the-art urban centre and idyllic residential suburban area. Yes, it is one of the most expensive locations to live in. The private property and rental markets may pose some challenges in sorting out one’s housing situation. But there is money to be made there.

Called “Hollywood North”, Vancouver is home to some major Canadian film and television productions studios, which provides ample career options. Other lucrative industries are:

• forestry
• sea freight
• tourism

Alberta’s capital, Calgary, is something to consider, if you’re looking for a mixture of picturesque village laced with modernity. Unlike Vancouver, Calgary is fairly cheap in terms of everyday living despite its rather expensive property market. They are still markedly lower than in Vancouver or Toronto.

In the recent years, Calgary’s many districts have undergone modernisation and redevelopment, pushing up property and rental prices. Luckily, well-paid jobs are in abundance. The most prominent industries include:

• oil and gas
• tourism
• film and television
• manufacturing
• aerospace
• healthcare
• finances
• transportation

Calgary’s cultural offer is by no means deficient. With its many performing art venues, museums and concert halls, the city ranks among Canada’s most prolific cultural centres. It plays host to many annual world-renowned festivals attracting audiences from around the word. With many downtown attractions, Calgary provides a good deal of opportunities for family entertainment. Downtown cafes, bars and clubs is where nightlife flourishes.

Last but not least, let’s take a look at a largely French-speaking Quebec City. Although much smaller in size and more conservative in terms of intrusive modernity, Quebec City is a fairly popular pace to live in Canada for UK expats. What makes it particularly appealing – to those who can overcome the language barrier – is its European feel.

Without a doubt, the city’s cultural flavour makes it a truly unique place. So does its amazing architecture and an air of historical mystery. You’ll feel it while taking a walk down one of its many cobbled streets! A culture buff’s paradise, the city lures with many  museums and art galleries. Plenty of places for nightlife and social exchange, too.

Quebec city isn’t an expensive place to live in. This is true in equal measure of your daily shopping and the property and rental market. With a fairly low unemployment rate, the city’s career opportunities revolve around such industries as:

• aerospace
• hydropower
• timber

Surely there are plenty of job opportunities for everyone, but your search for those modern glass-wall office jobs may yield scant results. And just because Quebec City is nowhere near Toronto in terms of momentum doesn’t mean you’ll have to make compromises. All you need is there, from healthcare to excellent educational institutions for you and your children. Perhaps, Quebec City is a good location for your primary base for the exploration Canada’s full potential. After all it is a massive country with most of its population living across some 150 miles along its southern border.

Yes, Canada is huge. With the bulk of its citizens living in a number of densely populated agglomerations dotted around its southern border with the USA, it is hard to realise its actual social cultural and diversity. While there is a huge potential or making good money in those megacities, there are also countless other possibilities, once you have ventured northwards. After all, not everyone is cut out to live in overly populated areas. So, how about exploring some wilderness next time?