Look Out Canada, Here We Come!

[Ken H.]

Any chance the 'telus' job you went for earlier in Calgary will come up again?

Telus still has a bunch of openings in BC, Alberta, Ontario, that I believe I would qualify for. I'm debating whether or not to re-open discussions with them once landed. I'm not sure if I want to be 'another brick in that big of a wall' though or not. Still debating it...

 

Let me know if there is anything I can do for you. Check out real estate, job markets etc.

Thanks! Might hit you two up to send down some newspapers or something!

 

see you at the UN

Yup! Still planning and looking forward to it!

 

Cheers!

[Ken H.]

Any chance to move to the Vancouver area? It's the only part with a year round mild climate, but in spring/summer/fall the mountains are close by for motorcycle riding and in winter for any winter sport.

Thanks for the well wishes Paul!

 

Yeah we'd love to be able to consider Vancouver, or anywhere in southern B.C. for that matter. I interviewed for a job there last fall. The challenge is it's currently one of the most expensive cities in the world in which to live. So likely is well out of our reach. We'll see though..

[Ken H.]

Man, they start blocking your internet at work and you leave the country??? Now THAT's dedication to the board.

Yup! BMWST, it is my life! (Well OK, there's just a little bit more to it!)

 

Let us know if you find the Flying Spaghetti Monster up there and you really do become a Pastafarian.

Hee-hee! I just LOVE the whole FSM thing! The whole concept says so much about so much!

[Ken H.]

But just so we're clear, you'll be outta here before Nov. 4, correct? (It's all going according to plan.... one down, a few hundred thousand to go. )

 

Sorry to crush your master plan Sean, but I've already figured out how to apply for an absentee ballot!

 

Hummm, maybe I'll request four... but why only four... why not 10... or a hundred... or... (I can see a plan... )

[Mark K]

That's a real testament to your dedication to your marriage and I commend you. I think we all have our gripes about our country of origin, but we learn to live with them. I suspect you are making the move more for her than for yourself.

 

Been to Alberta and BC myself and found it a frustrating experience. They are so laid-back up there that they can't even open the shops on time (posted hours).

 

Regardless..........best of luck and Godspeed.

[MikeRC]

Well, of course we've talked lots about this over the past 4 or 5 years. And I've been sending Ken and Donna lots of info and links, especially in the last year.

 

Having lived (briefly) in Seattle in the 80's I have some first hand experience living on both sides of the border. My brother is a US citizen and has lived in New Hampshire for over 25 years, so I get lots of second hand info too. I passed on my opportunity to move south, and regretted it for the first 10 years of my career. But as time went on, I saw how important it was to be there as my parents aged and for my children to have family closer. So in the end I don't regret staying in the least. Many of my parent's generation had winter places in Arizona and California but they have all moved back as their health care needs increased and their grandchildren and great grandchildren grew.

 

I guess in the end I'm saying that one can have an excellent life on either side of the border, and I hope this move turns out to be the right one for you.

 

See you two in a couple of weeks!!

 

"Sorry to crush your master plan Sean, but I've already figured out how to apply for an absentee ballot!"

 

He's not joking, there are over 20,000 registered American voters who live in Alberta.

 

Mike Cassidy

 

[Foot]

Good luck on the move Ken. I bet there are a lot of excited turtles to see you go!

 

Best of luck

 

Alan

[Albert]

Does this mean you'll be posting in two languages?

 

Est-ce que ceci vous signifie écrira dans deux langues?

[SeanC]

Right now my company is looking to hire for the Athabasca Tar Sands. It's a major staffing up. Will be based in Calgary. I might be able to swing a referral bonus if they like you.

If you could convince Ken to work for and be a part of (what environmentalists consider) the greatest environmental crime in history -- not to mention ground zero of corporate greed -- you could probably convince me and Whip to take jobs at Greenpeace. You must be really good at what you do. I admire that.

[SeanC]

He's not joking, there are over 20,000 registered American voters who live in Alberta.

Alberta's a Red Province, eh. We're okay with that. All that beef and oil... If it weren't for the mountains and glaciers (which the tar sand operations oughta take care of pretty soon), you'd think it was North Texas. :-)

[Matts_12GS]

Does this mean you'll be posting in two languages?

 

Est-ce que ceci vous signifie écrira dans deux langues?

 

That's just the kind of things I'm tahkin' aboot, eh!

[Matts_12GS]

Right now my company is looking to hire for the Athabasca Tar Sands. It's a major staffing up. Will be based in Calgary. I might be able to swing a referral bonus if they like you.

If you could convince Ken to work for and be a part of (what environmentalists consider) the greatest environmental crime in history -- not to mention ground zero of corporate greed -- you could probably convince me and Whip to take jobs at Greenpeace. You must be really good at what you do. I admire that.

 

That'd leave me to work for La Raza! Shite!

[Sidmariner]

Congratulations and welcome to Canada.

 

You've got the best of two worlds now. You'll be an American till the day you die and you'll still have all the freedoms to return home and enjoy the great blessings of the US. In the meantime though, you might detect a little less stress in your life when it comes to crime and health protection.

 

There are some prerequisites to living here though: you'll have to learn to apologize when someone steps on your toe and discover that the best solution to any conflict is to find middle ground. We tend to like to ask questions first before we "Taser" someone. When it comes to competition, we like to "Go for the Bronze!" and scorn those who overreach or show off. (It is for this reason that many do not like Celine Dion, even though her music is generally very good).

 

You still have the opportunity to live anywhere in Canada, so if the snow of winter bothers you in the east you can come and absorb the rain of the west. Like my chum Urban Surfer says, we have the twisties and great all-seaon riding out here.

 

Whenever you are feeling down...go to Tim Horton's for a double-double and a cruller. It will cheer you right up.

[bakerzdosen]

It is for this reason that many do not like Celine Dion, even though her music is generally very good.

Huh... and all this time I thought it was for other reasons. Interesting.

 

Speaking of which Ken, I hope you like Canadian artists if you ever listen to the radio.

[marcopolo]

...It is for this reason that many do not like Celine Dion, even though her music is generally very good.

 

How about, while she is a terrific singer, her material is generally schlock.

 

We now return you to your regular programming/post.

 

P.S., welcome aboard to both of you.

[SANTA]

i don't like celine dion! does that make me a dishonorable canadian? can i get into the USA quicker if i tell what i think of her????

 

i'm not understanding the comment that alberta is red. Redneck yes. sell their soul for the $dollar yes, but red as in commie??? i DON"T think so...

 

corporate greed is alive and well and thriving in alberta, the the previous premier was an idiot. he sold the oil off without getting enough royalties to cover the cost of infrastruture, like roads and hospitals etc, they are now 20 years behind were they should be to support the development, don't get sick in fort mcmurray over christmas, you'll die, they don't have enough doctors and if one goes on holidays theres next to no coverage in fact the whole health care system was raped by Ralph

 

rant over

 

now back to our usual programing...

 

 

[Twisties]

Probably red refers to the recent trend in the US to label States red or blue depending on which of the two major political parties has been winning there lately. Red has largely been the south and intermountain west of the US, while blue has largely been the northeast and coastal west.

 

I don't think it was meant as commie.

[Ken H.]

red as in commie???

No, red as in conservative. In US politics speak; red = right = conservative, blue = left = liberal.

[SANTA]

okay you'll have to learn the canadian system, blue is tory (conservative) and red is commie liberals, heck they even have a little red book...

[Matts_12GS]

okay you'll have to learn the canadian system, blue is tory (conservative) and red is commie liberals, heck they even have a little red book...

 

By Gum, he'll fit right in!!!!

 

 

 

Come on that was a honey pot you know someone had to grab for!

 

C eh N eh D eh = Canada...

[SANTA]

Hey Ken is Donna reading these posts too????

 

I am thankful for what i have in this land of Canada Eh? (had to add that cause youall think we talk like that)

 

i don't blame Ken for doing this to make his wife happy (i assume that may be in part the reason for the move)... i know from experience that after they've been here a while and compare here to there (excluding the Kansas part) Donna will come around and they'll be back in the USA.

 

 

i had a tradesman working on my crew from the UK, he had nothing good to say about Canada, had had enough, packed the family up for a holiday in the good old UK with the intention of finding a job and moving back... so 3 month after the holiday i asked him, when he was going to quit and move and he said that they'd applied for Canadian Citzenship... goes to show that our memories are strong and sometimes squewed and reality can be an eye opener...

[Ken H.]

Hey Ken is Donna reading these posts too????

Probably only stuff that I might happen to mention, point out to her. I don't think she reads BMWST regularly.

 

i don't blame Ken for doing this to make his wife happy (i assume that may be in part the reason for the move)...

Well of course that's part of it, but actually, someone who has read some of my rants I've gone off on here from time-to-time (sorry about that) might observe, I've been growingly discontented personally with the USA for quite some time. So in a lot of respects this move is just the opportunity/time is right, kind of a thing. A lot of things, including a rapidly deteriorating job situation, have lined up to help decide that it's time to shake things up a bit in my life and make some changes. In this case; a "small" change of country of residence.

 

 

i know from experience that after they've been here a while and compare here to there (excluding the Kansas part) Donna will come around and they'll be back in the USA.

Well I'll never say never of course, but I'd be really surprised. The few people here who have ever sat down and talked with Donna about the USA maybe have a better grasp on how just much she dislikes the States. She’s lived a lot of different places in the world, and she still says Canada is the best of them all.

 

Now I will fully admit this move may be a, "The grass is greener on the other side of the fence" kind of a thing. And anyone anywhere, including in Canada of course, including maybe even us eventually, can look across any border and see something better than where they standing at the moment. But as objectively (but can anybody judge themselves as being objective?) as I’ve tried to compare the States to Canada, Canada has the States beat on most accounts IMHO.

 

goes to show that our memories are strong and sometimes squewed and reality can be an eye opener...

No doubt. And Donna may find a different Canada/Alberta or BC or SK than when she left there six years ago. Or six years from now I may look back and say, “Well maybe the States/Kansas wasn’t so bad after all.”

 

I have a brother who is also married to a Canadian (he accuses me of stealing his ‘idea’ :-), from Swift Current SK, and she swears she’ll never ever move back to Canada. But then they are very wealthy (for now ;-) Iowa farmers, who blissfully ignore the world around them and enjoy their riches to the fullest without a hint of conscious. ("The only thing wrong with having a Hummer is not having two.") From their perspective, as long as the price of corn and gov’t farm subsidies are skyrocketing up, the country/world is as it should be, so who can blame her?

 

But in the end I can only think of one way to find out whose right and whose wrong – Just go do it! The way I figure it, better to have given it a shot and learned the answer, than to have never tried and grow old wondering, what if we had gone ahead and moved to Canada way back in 2008...

 

 

 

[Whip]

Hey Ken

 

Very well said as usual.

 

Again I wish you all the best. I've never lived anywhere else and I'm lookin forward to hearin about your experiences in the "Great White North". In the summer it looks like a wonderful country with a lot of very nice people.

 

Whip

[bakerzdosen]

Ken,

My only advice (and it sounds like you've got it covered) is that you probably don't want to burn your bridges. You're right about never saying never.

[Paul_Burkett]

Is beer really $40.00 a case in Canada?

[SANTA]

Is beer really $40.00 a case in Canada?

 

Paul it depends how big your case is, i usually buy a 6pack, and in sask (governement controlled bigtime) i'm paying $12.00 so say $2.00 a bottle... but then i only buy good stuff (ale)... none of that watered down global market stuff

[MNCruiser]

If you ever get to the point of having dual citizenship, and you decide to travel outside of North America, take your Canadian passport...generally speaking, you will be treated much better.

 

Example...I was traveling through Europe many years ago and came to a border crossing. It was the typical packpacking through europe...post graduation thing. I don't remember which country, but it was definitely a western european country. My traveling partner and I responded in english to the border guard's initial questions. I could tell by his demeanor and tone of voice that he was about to give us a hard time...for no apparent reason except that he assumed we were american...the presence of his automatic weapon slung across his chest made him quite intimidating. Then, when we gave him our Canadian passports, he took one quick look and suddenly became very friendly, smiled and said... Oh...Canadian!..Canadian...and just like that he wave us through. That was in 1980.

 

[KDeline]

I'm saddend by how you feel. I can't even imagine that I would ever leave this country. If we have a problem IMHO it's that we are to generous, have to many freedoms, and there are those that take advantage of it. I am so naive, I wouldn't even know how to. Hope you two find what you are missing.

[SeanC]

I admit I was a little saddened too, but on the plus side, I think Ken will make a pretty good ambassador.

[Smoky]

Come on up! One of the best things about Canada, is we have good neighbors to the south, and they are easy to visit!

 

Lots of good riding in BC and Alberta.

[SK_in_AB]

Good luck on your upcoming move, Ken and Donna. We haven't met but Ive appreciated your comments on the board.

 

Calgary is a great place to find a job, as is the rest of Alberta with the boom in oilpatch projects, and inmigration to the province creating all kinds of demands for other positions.

 

Expect to have a tough time finding accomadation though - although if your looking to buy a house the market here now has a lot more listings than buyers - we have yet to see the prices moderate though.

 

Just remember that outside of BC's lower mainland and Vancouver Island your RT becomes an 8 month per year hobby - at best.

 

If you do land in Calgary or want to look for employment here send me a pm and I'd be happy to share some thoughts.

 

PS:

Unlike with the US interstate system overpasses - most of the Calgary bridges have water under them. Or a bike path with kamakazi cyclists trying to get downtown in early AM - neither conducive to a good late morning sleep-in for the indigent and underemployed!

 

 

 

[hANNAbONE]

gOOD lUCK , Ken & Donna.!

 

See ya at the "UN" - talk more then - eh?

 

 

OH..!! and sell that V1 - no need for it up there..they'll just take it from you.

[smiller]

From what I read in a recent thread you'll no doubt enjoy the process of getting your Candadian motorcycle license...

 

Sorry to see you leave the neighborhood but enjoy the new experience!

 

[Rinkydink]

Ken/Donna, I hope the Great White North is everything you hope it will be and more. Just getting Momma home means everything 'cause if she ain't happy nobody's happy! Good luck to you both and keep us posted. (no pun intended)

[Dances_With_Wiener_Dogs]

Hi Ken. Good luck with your move. There are two fellows coming to the Unrally.

 

Santa is from Saskatoon and Mike RC is from Alberta. Maybe you can hook up with either of them for the ride down?

 

Have fun!

[Ken H.]

The turkey has landed!

 

Last Wednesday I did the last of the immigration steps at the border, and I am now an official Canadian/Alberta Legal Resident.

 

The process went smoothly, but we goofed a bit on the bike (we’re traveling on it); tried to import it to Canada before exporting it from the USA. But a loop back from Canada to the US side to do that paperwork, then back to Canada Imigration again gave us a chance to fix that.

 

Now what? is the real question!

 

[David]

Ken, the best jobs in your area are related to petroleum, so I'm expecting you to be consistent in your beliefs and having nothing to do with them.

[edge51]

Ken and Donna -

 

Best wishes. Please post your thoughts after you spend some time there. I have thought of leaving the US often and would like to know how you find it. My thoughts have run from Canada to Costa Rica or Australia.

 

Ted

[taters]

sorry to break the bad news to you buddy.canada has a more lenient immigration policy than the u.s. if you land in toronto from a third world country they schedule a hearing for you. takes about 2 years. in the meantime they give you an apartment foodstamps etc..the u.s. is finished.we will be a third world cuntry in about 40 years or less. canada will be there before us. and if you think secular progressives are rampant here just wait till you get to the promised land.....sorry to rain on your parade but you will make it just in time for a major canadian city to open it's drug free zone... you'll be in my prayers

[marcopolo]

sorry to break the bad news to you buddy.canada has a more lenient immigration policy than the u.s. if you land in toronto from a third world country they schedule a hearing for you. takes about 2 years. in the meantime they give you an apartment foodstamps etc..the u.s. is finished.we will be a third world cuntry in about 40 years or less. canada will be there before us. and if you think secular progressives are rampant here just wait till you get to the promised land.....sorry to rain on your parade but you will make it just in time for a major canadian city to open it's drug free zone... you'll be in my prayers

 

Where do you suggest I run?

[Bob Palin]

if you think secular progressives are rampant here

And I'm proud of it (except I don't believe in pride)

[Twisties]

if you think secular progressives are rampant here

And I'm proud of it (except I don't believe in pride)

 

LMAO

[Matts_12GS]

Where do you suggest I run?

Why would you run anywhere? Why not work on solving problems instead of just escaping from them?

 

Besides, you're in MN, you might as well be in Canaduh anyways...

[marcopolo]

Where do you suggest I run?

Why would you run anywhere? Why not work on solving problems instead of just escaping from them?

 

Besides, you're in MN, you might as well be in Canaduh anyways...

 

If you go back and check that post you're quoting you'll see I don't live in Minnesota. In fact, I don't live in the US at all, and was merely responding to that somewhat over-the-top post by Taters in Nevada.

[Les is more]

sorry to rain on your parade but you will make it just in time for a major canadian city to open it's drug free zone... you'll be in my prayers

 

Rain on their parade? Holy Cow! That's not rain. That's a deluge.

 

Ark building would be in order.

 

 

[Ken H.]

Ken, the best jobs in your area are related to petroleum, so I'm expecting you to be consistent in your beliefs and having nothing to do with them.

Absolutely. The oil & gas industries will not be on my, ‘potential employers list.’

 

I’d like to do something either in affordable energy-efficient housing or health care.

 

[Ken H.]

sorry to break the bad news to you buddy.canada has a more lenient immigration policy than the u.s. if you land in toronto from a third world country they schedule a hearing for you. takes about 2 years. in the meantime they give you an apartment foodstamps etc..the u.s. is finished.we will be a third world cuntry in about 40 years or less. canada will be there before us. and if you think secular progressives are rampant here just wait till you get to the promised land.....sorry to rain on your parade but you will make it just in time for a major canadian city to open it's drug free zone... you'll be in my prayers

Having been through the process both directions: Donna Canada to USA, and now Ken USA to Canada, I found nothing to substantiate your allegations.

[Ken H.]

Just to update the thread for those interested - we have arrived in Alberta, having made the final 'jump' last weekend. Now if our PODS get here as schedule on 08/05, we'll be one step closer to settled!

[tallman]

I hope all goes well for both of you.

Best wishes.

[Whip]

Where in Alberta???

 

Let's have the UN there.

 

It's beeaautifuulll!!!!!!

 

Whip