Canada has ambitious targets of immigration aimed at raising its population from 25 to 40 million by 2020. Behind every immigrant’s statistics, however, is a personal tale. Martin Smith tells his…

It was autumn 2004 and, after three years in North East, the marketing job, Number Two to the managing director, just wasn’t working out.  And, it wasn’t the first time.

It was clear, I had to change jobs — the long hours with little or no reward were just getting me down.

I seriously started to think about my options.  What did the region offer in terms of job prospects? Very little. Another move within the UK? Not if I could help it. I was in my late 40s, married with a young son, what was I to do?

Yes, change job, but what else was directing our thinking?  Simple — the desire for a better standard of living and to spend more time together, as a family.

While our thinking was fuelled by what we wanted out of life as a family, the ultimate decision was about our son. He hated being an only child and the brother or sister he wished for every Christmas would have been yet another medical miracle. We wanted him to have the support of his extended family — cousins of a similar age — who he could grow up with, get to know and who could be there for him (and he for them) in the future. We also wanted to give him better opportunities than we believed were possible in the UK.

We only had one option — we had to move to Canada, or more specifically Aurora, Ontario; hometown to my wife’s brother who was married with two girls a little younger than our son. Also, with my wife’s cousins only an hour away, there would be a huge extended family that we could get to know.

But, what would our families in the UK and, specifically, my elderly parents, think? It was going to be difficult to tell them that we were taking their only grandson a few thousand miles away, especially as they would ever make the trip. To say they took it badly is an understatement but, as ever, they understood the reasons, supported us 100 per cent and sincerely wished us all the happiness in the world while being silently heartbroken.

Having made the decision to move, we were actually very lucky. My wife had lived in Canada from age 18 to 30 and had taken Canadian citizenship, so our son was Canadian too. And, what about me?  Having fallen in love with the country during several visits in the 1980s, I had to apply for Permanent Residency.  Having a Canadian wife and son was obviously going to help, but we were unsure how long it would take.

Thinking of emigrating to Canada?

To be honest, the form filling was something of a nightmare. Obviously we had to provide the expected documents — proof of citizenship, passports, birth certificates and wedding certificate. But we also had to supply address details of everywhere we had lived since the age of 18 and, if you knew us, you’d know how difficult that would be. Our friends have an address book just for us! And, we had to provide photographs of friends who knew us before we were married, were at our wedding and after the wedding. We had to provide details of family members in Canada and proof of how much money we were going to be bringing into the country. I had to visit the Canadian Embassy in London twice. Once to submit all the papers, and again to collect my permanent residency card.

Having heard it could take up to a year, it actually happened really fast – in just three months. This was probably because my wife and son were Canadian citizens and possibly because I’d had an application accepted in 1994 which I had turned down to take an “amazing” opportunity in the UK. We were now in a position to move and decided summer was an ideal time, so that our son could start the new school year in his new country.

Now, of course, we had to sell our house and cars, and resign from our jobs. The challenge was to accomplish all this in five months. We also had to find somewhere to live in Canada and find a school for our son. Oh, and what was I going to do for a living once we arrived in Canada ?

After some nervy opening weeks, the house sold fairly quickly although, having agreed to a price, the purchaser did try some underhand tactics to reduce the price further, knowing we were moving to Canada and had to sell. In fact, we didn’t know if we were going to close on the house until the day of closing, which was quite stressful. The cars also went fairly quickly. Resigning, of course, was delightful and I can still see the look on my MD’s face when I told him.

As for work, I advised my long-standing clients based in Belgium and the United States, who had followed me through thick and thin, that I was once again moving, but this time to Canada. They were delighted for us and, importantly, wanted to maintain our working relationship. So, my job was settled.  I would be a freelance marketing consultant, working from an office in the house. Oh, and the company is named after my son who inspired me to make the bravest decision of my life.

We travelled to Canada for a week in May with the intention of finding somewhere to live and to check out the schools. The fact that we achieved both still amazes us to this day — especially buying the house! I guess a decent deposit helped, but the bank couldn’t have been more helpful. For days afterwards, we kept pinching ourselves to see if it was all real. Having seen a new build that we liked, the purchase had taken just three hours.

We arrived in Canada on July 28, 2005, staying with my wife’s brother for a week until we closed on our house purchase. Frustratingly, we then had to wait another month for our possessions to arrive, as they got caught by a strike at Vancouver, even though they were coming via Montreal. That was probably our only bit of bad luck in the ten months since we decided to move.

Has it all been worthwhile? Yes.

Although it took our son a little longer to settle than we expected, it has all worked out well. He is doing well in school and getting involved in sports and activities that we never would have thought of in the UK — ice hockey, snow-boarding, sailing, kayaking and water skiing to mention a few. Oh, and he is still playing football (or, soccer as it is called in Canada). During his long summer vacation, he spends time at sports camps (day and residential) where he has great fun and meets new friends. While not inexpensive, different sports are much more accessible than in the UK as, being active outdoors, is very much a way of life — whatever the season.

He gets on well with his cousins and we see family as regularly as we want; they are always there for us if we need them.

As for my wife and me, well she hasn’t stopped smiling, having wanted to move back from the day we got married. My consultancy is going well despite the economic downturn, and I am earning more now than ever. Long may it continue.

In our opinion, the cost of living and quality of life in Canada is much better than in the UK. For the first time, we have been able to save and put some money into pension plans. We have a more relaxed attitude to buying what we need, either for the house or ourselves, without having to think hard if we can afford it, and our credit cards aren’t anywhere near their max.

Do we miss living in the UK ? No, and annual visits confirm our opinions. Do we miss our friends and family? Of course. Do we regret moving? Absolutely not, as we are now living the life we always wanted to.

There is no doubt that the number of Brits buying and moving abroad has been increasing markedly. It is estimated that more than 2.2 million currently own property abroad and that, in the past six years, more than a million have emigrated permanently. Between 2000 and 2004, there was a 250 per cent increase in the number of British residents buying property abroad solely for investment purposes, and more than one and a quarter million Brits own second homes in Spain and France already.

Many people dream of a second home in Canada

While near neighbours Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Cyprus and Portugal seem obvious locations for second homes, Canada is increasingly moving into the frame for Brits and other buyers in the global homes market.

What’s the attraction ?

With Canada ranked in the world’s top 15 most popular tourist destinations, it must have something to offer.

Spectacular and diverse scenery, a laid-back lifestyle, an attractive cost of living, year-round sports, and political and social stability are just some of the factors that make Canada an attractive proposition. With travel also becoming easier, and the rise of long-haul holiday breaks making it seem like just a short hop over the pond, Canada is becoming a refreshing alternative to any number of European countries. And, in the most of the country, there’s no language barrier — always a potential sticking point for the language-shy Brits.

Another important factor is that residential property is also generally cheaper than in the UK, which, along with historically healthy appreciation, makes it a potentially good investment. In fact, some of Canada’s provinces boast property prices that rank among the lowest in the western world.

There is a strong belief that Canada has weathered the global recession better than most developed economies, thanks to a number years of budget surplus.  As a result, property in Canada has a chance of surviving the recession well and, although prices have fallen, the slide seems to have stabilised and there are now signs that they have started to rise.

But where in Canada?

Historically, every part of Canada has been home to British immigrants, but with travel time and cost probably being key criteria for those contemplating a second home, eastern Canada has usually been top of the list. Lower cost transatlantic flights, however, are opening-up the rest of Canada and the development of purpose-built year-round resorts is proving popular.

Generally cheaper than the west, eastern Canada boasts beautiful countryside and excellent sporting facilities, including winter sports. Flights into the UK and Europe are frequent and not too long. One of the most popular locations in the east is Muskoka’s “Cottage Country”, just two hours north of Toronto. It is so beautiful and accessible, yet remote, that it has even proved popular with Hollywood’s elite, including Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Goldie Hawn, who all own property there. Lakefront properties with a genuine sense of tranquility, only a short distance from busy city life, are the attraction. In Québec, Mont Tremblant, just 75 miles north of Montréal, is fast gaining a reputation as a first class winter sports resort with the benefit of four-season facilities.

British Columbia, in the west, is arguably among the most beautiful areas in the world, with glorious mountains, lakes, rivers and beaches, and it also boasts Canada’s most temperate climate. Transport links with the UK are improving, with direct daily services from London to Vancouver (flight time approximately 9.5 hours).  Vancouver, though, is the most expensive area of Canada for residential property. The city, with the neighbouring ski resort of Whistler, is to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, which is expected to increase its attraction while leading to higher prices. A major lure for winter sports enthusiasts, Whistler, and nearby Blackcomb Mountains, are regarded by many as some of the best slopes in North America. They have also combined this with high-quality sports, such as mountain biking, hiking and golf for the non-winter seasons.

Also in British Columbia, Kelowna, on the Okanagan Lake in Okanagan Valley, draws homeowners from around the world because of its skiing, hiking, boating, watersports, vineyards and wineries and its hot, dry summers and cold, snowy winters.

The spectacular Rocky Mountains are just a romance waiting to happen, but property tends to be expensive. As much of it is situated within national parks, it is out of bounds to most purchasers. Canmore, in Alberta, is becoming popular though.  It is close to the Banff and Kananaskis national parks, only an hour’s drive from Calgary’s international airport (flight time to London nine hours) and in a temperate climate zone.  No surprise then that its population has doubled since it hosted the Winter Olympics in 1988.

In other parts of Canada, the west coast of Newfoundland and coastal New Brunswick are experiencing increasing traffic from the UK and Ireland. These areas are attracting attention from European investors who recognise the genuine value for money that can be achieved here, as most homes are right on the water and travel times are shorter.

Resort properties

Brits and other Europeans are increasingly appreciating the benefits of buying resort properties. Many are skiers frustrated by the higher costs and larger crowds associated with skiing in Europe. Most resorts, though, are now year-round facilities, with family-orientated attractions.  These help to extend the rental season and attract a wider range of purchasers. As a bonus, build quality is generally higher, maintenance is arranged by a management company, and capital appreciation tends to be very good, particularly in eastern Canada.

Martin Smith