Blog reader and contributor J. Vanne continues to share his knowledge regarding Canada. Thanks J. for taking the time!
FerFAL
Relocating to Canada, Part IV: The Maritime Provinces
The maritime provinces – Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, New
Brunswick and Nova Scotia – are generally regarded as a region that has
chronic unemployment , and in one sense, is almost “the land that time
forgot,” in that much of the economic development that has gone on in
Canada moved west for various reasons. However, where there are issues
like this, there
may be opportunity for you. This article will explore those possible opportunities.
Newfoundland
If you consider this province, first attend the Newfoundland 101
class: the province may be pronounced by an emphasis on either the first
or last syllable – never the middle one. Newfoundland joined Canada
only in 1949, after some brief toying with the possibility of joining
the US. One key economic item is the Hibernia oil field off the coast,
which is a plus for economic stability, but generally Newfoundland is a
place that has had chronic unemployment and people
leave to
find work. Jokes about “Newfies” are abound among Canadians – similar to
the “Okies” stories told in the Great Depression. Excluding Labrador
on the mainland, which we will not examine, NF is not called “the Rock”
for nothing. While hunting, fishing and abundance of both fresh and
salt water will not be a problem, generally the land is not fertile, nor
will one be growing mangos, let alone corn, as this area of the world
does not get hot even in summer.
In a serious implosion, the positive is that one would be isolated
from the “zombie hordes” in NF; however, this same isolation means that
during more normal times, or even a the slow, grinding socialist malaise
we are continuing down the path on under Obama , getting to and from
the province is both expensive and time consuming. A flight from St.
John’s (not to be confused with St. John, New Brunswick) to New York
will set you back around $600 as of 2012. To get a sense of the
geographic distance Newfoundland is from the other major North American
population centres, one is actually a half hour to the east of the
Atlantic time zone, which itself is, of course, one hour to the east of
the Eastern time zone. You will not be close to
anything.
The above being said, there
may be entrepreneurial
activities in Newfoundland, particularly in the ecotourism area. In a
more grinding socialist downturn, the favoured cronies of the Obama
administration will be getting richer, as has
always been the case under
every socialist
regime that has ever existed (as George Orwell noted, in the socialist
workers’ “paradise,” we’ll all be equal, only some of us will be “more
equal” than the others.) Will they have money to spend on eco-tourism,
and decide to visit there? Perhaps, if a very, very strong business plan
is put together. Ecotourism is in its infancy around the world, and
even less developed in Newfoundland. The key thing to remember about
Newfoundland is the chronic, heavy unemployment, and distance from other
major centres.
The capitol and main city (really, the
only city), St.
John’s, is located on the Avalon Peninsula in the far east of the
province, with a population just under 200,000. In other words, the city
is large enough to have some opportunity – particularly with a
aforementioned Hibernia off-shore oil project – but not so large that
one has to worry about urban issues encountered in, say, a Detroit or
L.A. Weather will not be a plus, unfortunately. Described as a humid
continental climate, the average January high in St. John’s is just
under freezing, with the average high just under 70F in July.
Temperature is moderated by the Gulf Stream, which isn’t too far
offshore from St. John’s, and in fact the city has the mildest winters
of any major Canadian city outside of British Columbia. On the downside,
of all the cities in Canada, St. John’s is the foggiest (124 days/yr),
snowiest (wet snow, usually, 141 in./yr), wettest (just under 60”/yr)
windiest and cloudiest.
Memorial University,
www.mun.ca, is a
well-regarded university within the city, so you would not be leaping
into an area where everyone wears coonskin hats and canoes to work.
There are several other smaller cities on the island, while on the west
side of the island, the Long Range with its fjords make for
Norwegian-like scenery – culminating on the northern tip of the island
with the only confirmed Viking settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows (Parks
Canada website at
http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/nl/meadows/index.aspx
). In sum, though the Hibernia oil fields offshore could provide
employment for those in certain professions, and the cost of housing is
cheap, the island is probably not a viable alternative for most, in any
scenario, although in a zombie apocalypse, the island would certainly be
well protected from the ravening hordes. Similarly, NF is too far out
to be impacted by, say, an EMP burst from North Korea detonated over
Kansas. However, one would have difficulty growing crops, and heating
would be an issue if you were expecting to use solar. Similar to Alaska,
in a serious apocalypse, one would be cut off from the mainland, and
all that implies, both good and bad. Unfortunately, my summary is that
the bad outweighs the good overall, and that Newfoundland be bypassed in
your considerations.
Working southeast , let’s next move to the tiny province of Prince
Edward Island, whose capitol is Charlottetown in the map above. PEI is
where Canada confederated as a country in 1867. The land is
exceptionally fertile, flat, and one is literally never more than 20 -30
minutes from the ocean. If you would like to get a sense of the land,
rent the critically acclaimed TV series Road to Avonlea, or the movie
Anne of Green Gables. Not everything is filmed on the island, but much
is, and might help to get a sense of the area. Charlottetown has a
population of around 60,000, but feels larger as it serves as the hub
for the whole island, population 150,000. Tourism is very heavy,
particularly from Japan, which has developed a strong affinity for the
Anne of Green Gable character over the years; more tourism is
facilitated by the magnificent new Confederation Bridge, linking PEI to
mainland Canada over Northumberland Strait (see
http://www.confederationbridge.com/ or
http://www.confederationbridge.com/about/confederation-bridge.html
if you are interested in this feat of modern engineering) . Farming is
definitely possible on the island, which is flat, fertile and serene.
Winters are not overly cold, nor summers hot, due to the maritime
influence found everywhere on the island. Business opportunity might
revolve around tourism, fishing or Revenue Canada, the Canadian version
of the IRS, which has a major office in Summerside – and which might
possibly allow for consulting opportunities. But, on the downside, PEI
is
the worse
province for economic freedom in Canada. There are many pluses to PEI,
but these must be carefully weighed against the lack ability to make a
living and the intrusion of the state against your business freedom. My
analysis is that PEI would be either an excellent choice for relocation
in a serious collapse where government is not hanging all over you like a
cheap suit, but in a more muted downturn, the lack of economic freedom
makes the island a bad bet. If one thinks a more apocalyptic scenario is
at hand, perhaps purchasing raw land and simply sitting on it for the
present time might be one way to go.
Long story short, the un-business friendly attitude of the province
would argue against relocating here in a continued Obamanomics inspired
malaise, although if tax and spend attitudes continue, the Revenue
Canada site in Summerside might insulate one against a downturn. If,
that is, one could stomach being part and parcel of the parasitic tax
gatherer class. In an apocalyptic scenario, the island is off the
beaten track, not near anything or anyone, and has substantial fishing
and agriculture, and moderate winters. In a zombie apocalypse, with the
un-tender ministrations of big government is gone, PEI would have a lot
of positives, including the ability to get started purchasing land now
for a fraction of the prices currently found elsewhere across the
country. PEI, like Newfoundland, is on the periphery of an EMP blast’s
effects (all the Maritime provinces are shown either not affected, or
else marginally so, by an EMP nuke set off over the central part of the
American continent. Of course, this assumes a single blast over the
central part of the county, which may or may not be a reasonable
assumption). In sum, my analysis is that PEI would
not be good
in a continued Obama-esque economic malaise, but in an apocalyptic,
TEOTWAKI situation, might be an reasonable option. An added benefit is
that land could be purchased right now for a reasonable price as
“insurance.”
www.dignam.com sells
land all over the Maritimes, including PEI, and – as noted elsewhere in
my articles – I have personally had a good experience with them.
Let’s move next to New Brunswick. The three major cities there,
Moncton, St. John (not to be confused with St. John’s) and Fredericton,
the capital, are all somewhere around the 150,000 range. Economically,
they are mostly stagnant. While there are fertile agricultural areas is
some spots, it is mostly rocky and forested – very similar to next door
Maine. Key advantages to this province is that there has been no housing
boom, there is easier access to the large cities down the road a number
of hours, such as Boston or Montreal, yet the province is sparsely
populated. However, in my opinion, this province does not have much
going for it in a recession/depression, and in a zombie apocalypse,
other than being remote, there is really not too much to recommend this
area, other than low price of entry for land and homes. I do not
believe this province warrants further attention – knowing, of course,
that there are always special occasions, deals or locations that might
make
your choice different.
The final stop in our tour of Canada is Nova Scotia, a province I am
going to heartily recommend. Let me first admit, I am biased, as I own
land in this province on Cape Breton (at the far east in the picture
above). The capitol, as well as the regional centre for all the Maritime
provinces, is Halifax, population around 400,000 in the metro area. As
the city is influenced by the Gulf Stream, the average high temperature
in January is just below freezing, so temperatures are not unbearable at
all. (Halifax monthly averages are found here:
http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/CAXX0183; Canadian temperatures country wide are found here:
http://gocanada.about.com/od/canadatravelplanner/tp/temperatures_canada.htm ).
Incidentally, if you are a “newbie” to Canadian winters, a good
summary of how to live in colder temperatures and deal with hypothermia
can be found at
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2011/01/18/f-hypothermia-cold.html
. Freezing to death is about as likely to happen to you as dying from
killer bees or lightning in the US. The last figures I have cited are
from 1997, which indicated a death rate of 0.3 per 100,000 for
“excessive cold” (86 cases). But remember – this includes all kinds of
individuals engaged in outdoor sports, backcountry hiking and skiing,
etc., and well as people dying, for example, by getting drunk and
passing out in a snow bank (literally, this
does happen!) If
you are reading this, have more than 100 functioning brain cells and
exclude winter sports activities, your risk of freezing to death is
about the same as being kidnapped by Martians.
Halifax is a major port, was historically a major naval base, has
reasonable cultural attractions, an international airport (e.g.,
IcelandAir flies out of there to Europe) and two universities. It is
definitely a livable city – but without having to pay the price of
larger cities you may be familiar with. Part of this is due to the fact
that Halifax – the sister city of Boston – was much more significant 100
and more years ago. While population growth and development has
migrated elsewhere, the city retains some of its old clout and
attraction. For example, the two universities – St. Mary’s and Dalhousie
– are still vibrant, strong schools well known throughout Canada.
As noted in my earlier articles, the Maritimes have been chronically
depressed, and herein lies the opportunity, in that most people who
needed, or wanted, to leave have already done so years ago (often moving
to Toronto or Vancouver). In my opinion, there is little downside left.
In a “soft” depression, Halifax would probably be no better, or worse,
off than anywhere else. In a major apocalypse, it is a city of 400,000,
which I think says it all – viz., that there are enough people to pose
problems. Interestingly, in an EMP attack, examine the map below.
Assuming a single blast over the centre of North America, Halifax is
left untouched. Certainly, a single blast scenario exactly over the
centre of the US may not be how things play out, but this map is
nevertheless instructive.
Similarly, being on the periphery, Halifax is most likely not a
target of any significance to anyone for any reason. There are bigger
fish to fry (note that al Qaeda did try an attack on Toronto a few years
ago, which was caught in time – I cannot imagine they would waste their
time on Halifax!)
I think, however, there are better options in Nova Scotia. The very
fertile Annapolis Valley north of Halifax (shown in red in the map
below) has agricultural opportunities, reasonable land prices (remember,
it seems like every third person has left for Toronto or Vancouver),
and temperatures that are moderate by Canadian standards. The area north
of Halifax would allow one access to the city via a modern four lane
superhighway (the airport itself is 20 minutes north of Halifax), yet be
able to have rural or semi-rural property that would allow one to be
self-sustaining. In a soft downturn, business activity could be
conducted in the city or by transiting in or out of the international
airport; in a more apocalyptic scenario, the Annapolis valley has all
that is needed to survive. And while Halifax is not small, neither will
it have Los Angeles-style teaming hordes roaming the countryside.
I am recommending the general region around the town of Truro, “The
Hub of Nova Scotia,” on the Salmon River floodplain, with its population
of 12,500. The city web site is
www.truro.ca.
If needed, the Halifax airport is about 65 km (45 minutes) from the
town, yet one is a world away from the hubbub of the city of Halifax.
Long story short, Truro, or the land around it, could offer the best of
both worlds – city access with rural/small town daily living – as well
as allow one to hedge one’s bets against either a soft or hard coda to
the economic music when the game of monetary musical chairs comes to an
end.
One final area of recommendation – where I have chosen to purchase
land – is near the town of St. Peters, on Cape Breton Island, which is
at the far eastern end of Nova Scotia. As you drive eastward on the
mainland of Nova Scotia, the land gets rockier, and less fertile, so
large scale farming would be impractical for the most part (there
are some smaller areas that would have reasonable land to till, of course, but this is
not Saskatchewan). Cape Breton is moderately mountainous, with the centre of the island filled by Bras d’Or Lake.
Significantly, Cape Breton has been chosen one of the top ten islands (#3, actually) by Travel and Leisure Magazine.
http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2011/islands
, with Cape Breton Highlands National Park a major visitor attraction.
We have purchased land on Bras d’Or Lake, just north of the small town
of St. Peters – which has a canal into the Atlantic for boats. Here was
some of our reasoning: First, the island is stunningly beautiful. Rocky
and mountainous terrain (with some fertile patches are here and there)
makes for incredible scenery, yet there is enough land to support
personal gardens. As noted, land in the Maritime provinces is
significantly cheaper than other booming areas of Canada. Ethnically,
you may be surprised to learn that the highway road signs are in English
and Gaelic (yes… Gaelic). This means you are in for some fine music.
The Micmac Indian tribes still have land in the area as well. People
still seem to live closer to the land – a major plus if there is any
type of TEOTWAKI situation.
Perhaps most importantly, as this island was voted as one of the top
ten in the world, the government is currently trying to complete a four
lane superhighway to the Canso Causeway, which bridges the mainland to
the island. We believe this will increase the value of the land
significantly as it will increase tourism, while in an apocalyptic
scenario, one is simply too far out from any population centres of any
size (three hours to Halifax) for pillaging hordes to materialize via
the highway – there’s not enough population or wealth there to make it a
target. Moreover, sailing on the very large Bras d’Or Lake – which is
slightly saline in that there are several fjords into the lake from the
ocean on its eastern side – is extremely popular. In a more muted
downturn, the lake will still attract the well-heeled sailing crowd out
of the east coast, and will also attract wealthy vacationers. The lake
is attractive enough that Alexander Graham Bell lived much of his time
in a mansion just off the water. Being a tourism location, there are
enough cultural activities to keep one engaged, and enough natural
beauty to keep one unruffled. The town of Sydney (population 25,000,
greater metro area approaching 50,000, with city web site at
http://sydney.capebretonisland.com/) an hour or two from St Peter’s
would be the main local hub.
This summarizes the Maritime provinces, and is the last in my series
on Canada as a whole. I hope someone, somewhere, is able to benefit from
my broad background and knowledge of the country, from one coast to the
other –all 4,187 driving miles (excluding Newfoundand, and if you
route through Chicago rather than north of Lake Superior).As noted at
the start of this series, these are my opinions, and you would need to
do your due diligence, should you decide to explore further. But as
you can see… there’s a
lot to explore.