Another reason why Canada’s such a great destination for skilled migrants: according to a recent survey Canada tops the list of expat-friendly countries.

The HSBC Bank International’s Expat Explorer Survey interviewed 2,155 expats in 48 countries and concluded that Canada was the most welcoming country to expats. Ninety-five percent of the expats surveyed said that they’d struck up friendships with locals, compared to 92% in Germany, which came in at second on the list.

The survey considered four main categories: how easy it was to meet and befriend locals, the number that joined a community group, the percentage who bought property, and the number that learned the local language. Read more here.

It’s no surprise that Canada rates so highly as an expat destination: it has a diverse culture, accessible language, and a thriving expat community. It even offers free language training and host programmes designed to help new migrants to Canada navigate through daily life.

If you’re a skilled professional thinking of making Canada your new home then check out Working In Canada for information on how to make your dream a reality. We’ve got all the information you need including some great tips on adjusting to your new life in Canada.

“It appears that Canadian sales trends are rapidly moving to resemble U.S. trends,” the analyst said in a research note. This reinforces his preference for consumer staples retailers that have relatively good earnings visibility and less inventory risk like Metro Inc., Loblaw Cos. Ltd., Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. and The Jean Coutu Group Inc., he added.

While U.S. holiday sales are expected to be the worst in more than 20 years, trends in Canada began to deteriorate significantly in November and promotions flourished in December, Mr. Howlett said. He noted that retailers who are typically very discipled in terms of both the timing and depth of their promotions, are as active as others this year.

When Wal-Mart Canada came out with slightly negative same-store sales in November, it sent an alarm bell to Canadian investors, the analyst told clients, and he thinks it could mark the first comparable store sales decline in Wal-Mart Canada history.

“The holiday retail sales outlook is extremely poor in the U.S., with many retailers desperate to turn inventory into cash in order to survive through 2009,” Mr. Howelett said, adding that Canadian retailers are also in cash-generation and cash-preservation mode.

At the same time, he thinks Canadian retailers were prudently cautious when they ordered inventory for the fourth quarter period. But they still have excess inventory as a result of falling demand.

Jonathan Ratner

If you’re on the hunt for the perfect location to spend Christmas Day then look no further. Climatologists at Environment Canada have trawled through 45 years of weather data to come up with a list of the areas Canada that are most likely to experience a white Christmas.

The list includes almost all of northern Canada and highlights cities that offer a 100% chance of a white Christmas as well as locations likely to experience ‘perfect’ Christmas weather.

If you’re a skilled professional thinking of making Canada your new home then check out Working In Canada for some great information on the regions of Canada and Canada’s climate.

Winter in Canada may be cold, but Canadians know how to keep an inner glow fired up with fabulous events to stave off the winter blues. Toronto is no exception.

Last weekend the city kicked off its annual Winter Magic Festival, which runs from now into the New Year. Centred around the Downtown Yonge district, the festival combines fire shows, pyrotehcnics, live performances, lighting displays, arts and Kidsfest activities specifically for families, all for free.

Also this month, the city is hosting the Toronto Gourmet Food and Wine Festival. This three day gourmet cocktail party features cooking demonstrations, tastings by some of the country’s best upcoming chefs and a free wine-tasting lounge.

And if anyone has any energy left after all of that, there is the 15th Annual Aboriginal Festival, celebrating the Aboriginal culture through art, dance, sport and pow wow demonstrations. The largest pow wow will involve over 1000 native dancers and drum singing groups from across North America.

Something for everyone!

And you could be part of it all next year… If you have dreams of moving to Canada to live and work, take a look at www.workingin-canada.com for details on how to make your dream a reality!

If you are planning on emigrating to Canada, this is a great blog to get an insight into what kind of lifestyle you may be able to expect. Begins way back in March 2004 when Chris and Jane began the process, and follows the ups and downs along the way.
http://www.canadajane.com/

Jane and Chris found that the research and information they were collecting was so useful to others that the blog became increasingly popular. Now settled in Canada they produce an online Canadian Lifestyle magazine, http://www.muchmormagazine.com/ that is also very useful to find out more about living in Canada.

The magazine blog with latest edition: http://www.muchmormagazine.com/2008/11/november-issue-now-availablethe/

There are many ways for a country to be recognised globally, but few have as much kudos as being listed in the Lonely Planet’s Top Ten Best Countries.

Lonely Planet create detailed guide books of countries, targeted at independent travellers, some of whom refer to their copies of their Lonely Planet Guide as their ‘bible’.

Every year the Editors produce a ‘top ten’ and this year Canada’s culturalevents such as the Jazz de Montreal in Quebec and the Ford World Men’s Curling Championships, as well as the country’s breathtaking landscape and year round outdoor fun, scored it a place in the list.

Canada is also experiencing a severe labour shortage which means that you could find your skills earning you points towards a working visa.  Imagine a new life in Canada?!  Check out the possibilities at www.workingin-canada.com

A report conducted by KPMG concludes with an international warning to businesses and governments regarding preparation for what it describes as a ‘global skills convergence’.

The report describes a contraction of labour pools as a result of retiring Baby Boomers and a shortage of Generation Y-ers to replace them.  As Bernard Salt, one of the key authors explained, “Our study argues that the labour shortage will result in what we call a ‘global skills convergence’– a net flow of skilled and unskilled workers migrating between the developed and developing worlds as barriers to entry continue to diminish. Companies should be ready to manage their workforces in this new reality.”

Great news for skilled migrants!  As Mr Salt went on to explain, “The face of the international workforce is changing.  Labour and talent will flow between countries. Generation Y already has a global perspective thanks to the Internet and the relative affordability of international travel. They are taking this mindset into the workplace and are looking for global opportunities for migration and career advancement.”

Essentially Canada, like a lot of other countries, is crying out for skilled migrants and is paving the way to make emigrating there easier in order to encourage people just like you to move there to fill its labour gaps.  The opportunities are there, where are you?  Visit www.workingin-canada.com to see what might lie in store for you in Canada when you make your move!

The website www.ancestry.ca has recently released the Passenger Lists of the more than 4000 ships that transported immigrants to Canada’s shores between 1865 and 1935.  During this time, around 5.7 million passengers made the journey from Britain, Ireland, the Ukraine, Russia, Germany, China and Poland to start a new life in Canada.

It is estimated that around 11.6 million Canadian residents have ancestry that connects back to these ships and the released records document masses of previously unknown historical details for these families.

Josh Hanna from Ancestry International explained that, “This is the first time that these important records have been brought together in one place on-line, making them accessible to so many; they will be of significance to literally millions of Canadians who want to know when their ancestors first came to Canada and how far they came.”

If you have a notion to create your own history in Canada, you may find it easier than you think.  The Canadian government is working hard to make it increasingly easy for skilled migrants to come to Canada to live and work, in order to ease the current labour shortage there.  For details, visit www.workingin-canada.com.

If you are considering moving to Canada as a skilled migrant, and are researching where in this vast and amazing country you might like to relocate to, why not take a close look at Saskatchewan.

Landlocked between Alberta to the West, Manitobato the East, Northern Territories to the North and America to the South, Saskatchewan has extreme weather and more sunny days than any other Province in Canada.  Winters can be cold cold cold (−17 °C) and summers can be hot hot hot (upwards of 32 °C).

Agriculture and mining are Saskatchewan’s primary industries, with the Province generating 45% of Canada’s total wheat production and being a world leader in uranium and potash exportation.  The oil industry is also significant in the region.

With Canada’s current skills shortage, jobs are available throughout Saskatchewan and all the other Provinces and the government there is actively welcoming skilled migrants.  The website www.workingin-canada.com has details!

If you have ever had even an inkling that Canada might be the place for you to set up a new life, you might want to do a little research around Toronto.  Quite simply, it rocks!

Just this week, Toronto is hosting the highly respected Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF to aficianados) and last weekend, with a little help from Richard Branson, Olympic Island shook to the incredibly rock and roll, V-Fest music festival with bands including Oasis, Paul Weller and the Foo Fighters. 

In the words of the Virgin team, “We lived it up.  We got down. We’re still playing air guitar!  The third Virgin Festival Toronto took over the Island and kicked some serious ass!”

If you are interested in music and the arts, Toronto may very well be the city for you.  There is a thriving, bustling, cosmopolitan arts and entertainment scene, just brimming with goodies to keep you from missing your mother land!

Interested?  Take a look at www.workingin-canada.com to see how easy it might be to make the move!

Between September 19th and September 28th, Calgary will be hosting its annual International Film Festival, showcasing films from around the world and also promoting Albertan arts and film.  The festival expects to entertain over 35,000 film buffs over the ten day festival, showing over 300 movies. 

Jacqueline Dupuis, the festival’s executive director says “this year’s focus, Fashion in Film, was chosen to reflect Calgary’s arrival as a sophisticated urban centre with a demand for more complex cultural experiences. The theme will help the festival incorporate fashion shows, various documentaries and a special screening of the 1961 classic Breakfast at Tiffany’s starring Audrey Hepburn to show the importance of fashion in film.”

Sounds pretty cool!  If you are considering migrating to Canada, have you considered Calgary?  Check out www.workingin-canada.com for ideas on where to live and how to relocate.  Or if you are in the UK, you could visit the Opportunities Canada Expos in London and Leeds in November, click here for details!

Canadian Immigration Minister Diane Finley has announced a CAD $600,000 leg up for Nanavut’s immigration promotional programmes.  The funding is set to assist on-line marketing, web based tools and settlement initiatives for migrants once they have arrived.

Nanavut only became an autonomous state in 1999 when it separated from the Northwest Territories and currently only has 29,500 residents in an area the size of the whole of Western Europe.

“Immigration and the successful integration of newcomers are priorities for Nunavut,” said the Honourable Ed Picco, Minister Responsible for Immigration. “This funding will help us develop new and innovative ways to connect immigrants as early as possible to the resources and services they need to make a successful transition to their new homes in Nunavut.”

Canada’s immigration system is based on a points system similar to Australia and the UK.  The government there is growing increasingly proactive in encouraging skilled migrants to move to Canada to live and work.  If you have skills you may be surprised at how easy it is to start a new life in Canada.  www.workingin-canada.com will answer lots of your emigration questions…

Canada’s Immigration Minister Diane Finley has recently announced another package of funding to enable a smooth transition into Canadian life for new migrants.  This time a promised sum of $6 million is being divided between six community projects in the Durham region, which has recently seen a huge increase in the number of migrants making the area their new home.

The funding is expected to help around 2400 migrants find jobs, and make their integration into the community easier and comes on top of similar pledges around the country.

“This funding will give [migrants] the support they need to settle into the Durham community. Since 2006, the Government of Canada has begun investing an additional $1.4 billion in settlement funding over five years to help newcomers integrate and succeed in Canadian society,” said Minister Finley.

The Canadian government is currently working hard to encourage skilled migrants into the country to fill labour shortages that are being experienced world-wide.  Are you interested in emigrating to Canada?  Take a look at www.workingin-canada.com for details.

Canada’s four Atlantic Provinces ((Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador) have started working together, with federal government backing, to create a regional immigration package. 

Recognising that the four provinces share similar issues in terms of attracting and holding onto skilled migrants, the ministers responsible for immigration matters have secured funding to address these areas.  They will also look at population strategies to deal with the falling birth rates and ageing work force.

Canada is working hard to attract skilled migrants from overseas to lessen the impact of the current skills shortage there.  Do you have dreams of living in beautiful Canada?  You may be surprised at how easy it is to make your dreams a reality.  Check out www.workingin-canada.com for details!

It is quite likely that right now, in homes around Canada, guns and cross-bows of various designs are being dusted off and tuned up in readiness for Moose Hunting Season.  Officially kicking off on the 20th September and ending at the end of November, the season is short and sweet and quite strictly enforced, both in length and in quotas.

• The MOOSE is classified as Alces alces and is the largest member of the Cervidae family (same family as the Woodland Caribou). 
• There are five (5) sub-species of Moose, including Alces alces americana, or Eastern Moose. 
• The name Moose comes from the Algonquin word mooswa meaning “twig-eater” or “the animal that strips bark off of trees.”. 
• Native to Labrador, it was introduced at Gander Bay, NF in 1878 and at Howley, NF in 1904. 
• Today, Newfoundland has the highest population density of Moose in North America. 
• The moose can run 35 miles per hour and can easily swim 10 mph crossing lakes a mile wide.

Canada has some of the world’s most beautiful, clean landscapes and some truly remarkable wildlife including moose, bears, rare birds and some pretty impressive mosquitoes, by all accounts.  Its a great place to live!  If you have ever considered emigrating to Canada, NOW is the time.  The government there is working really hard to smooth the immigration process for skilled migrants with skills which are in high demand.  Check out www.workingin-canada.com for details.

The Canadian Federal Government’s Citizenship and Immigration Canada department (CIC),  has recently announced further funding for settlement services, this time in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.  The announcement underlies the government’s commitment to helping smooth the swift settlement of skilled migrants to the country.

“Canada is committed to helping newcomers succeed,” said Canadian Immigration Minister Diane Finley. “”This funding for the Moose Jaw Multicultural Council helps ensure that newcomers continue to get the services and opportunities to successfully settle into this community.”

In addition to settlement programmes the government has recently announced upcoming changes to its immigration policies, which will see applicants with skills deemed urgently required fast-tracked through the system.

If you are interested in emigrating to Canada, take a look at www.workingin-canada.com!

A study of 168 nations’ vulnerability to the effects of climate change has concluded that Canada is the safest place on earth to weather the weather! 

The research, conducted by risk assessors Maplecroft, used each country’s adaptability and capacity to withstand natural threats.  Predictably, developed nations will fare the best due to a combination of stable governance and solid infrastructures.  8 out of 10 of the African nations used in the study came at the bottom of the table.

The ingredients that make Canada the best place to survive the effects of global warming include its low population density, high agricultural capacity and its excellent public institutions.

As if you needed any more reasons to want to live and work in Canada!  Make it happen!  Visit www.workingin-canada.com to find out how…

Around 80 British workers are set to begin new lives in Calgary after the city was forced to search internationally for mid-career level skilled staff. 

The positions being taken range from bus and train drivers to police officers and planners and have been successfully filled after the City of Calgary sent recruiters to Opportunities Expos in London and Leeds last year.

“It was very worthwhile,” said David Watson, the city’s general manager of planning, development and assessment, adding the city has been searching for people for 18 months.

Interested in emigrating to Canada?  There are more Opportunities Canada Expos coming up, from 22 – 23 November 2008 at the Royal Armouries, Savilles Hall in Leeds and 29 – 30 November at Olympia in London.  Canadian companies will be looking to recruit someone just like you!

Take a look at www.workingin-canada.com for details of the Expo, plus advice and loads of information on how to acheive your dream.

Today, Toronto is Canada’s largest city, home to over 2.5 million people, with over 5 million people in the Greater Toronto Area, and is the fourth largest city in North America.

Toronto is the largest and most important, financial centre in all of Canada and the fourth largest, important economic centre in all of North America.  Only New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles are larger financial centres.

Toronto is the cultual, educational, entertainment, financial, high tech, commercial and industrial centre of Canada. Toronto is the “Silicon Valley” of Canada, and also known as “Hollywood North”. Only Los Angeles and New York City are larger feature film and television production centres than Toronto. Toronto’s theatre district is second only to New York City in North America.  Award-winning productions enjoy long runs, large audiences and world premieres in the city’s theatre district.

In addition to community and culture, Toronto is home to Niagara Falls, the Toronto Islands, the Muskoka Lakes, rivers, pine forests, and so much more!

Imagine living in Toronto and exploring all the lesser known things about it.  If you are interested in living and working in Canada, check out www.workingin-canada.com for information, advice and articles.

The Canadian government is looking into modifying its immigration policies to resemble the Australian model which is proving so successful Down Under.  Recent figures from Statistics Canada have shown that where Canada used to mirror Australia’s immigration successes, since 2001 Australia has become more successful in areas such as immediate employment for new immigrants (81%) and Canada has stagnated (60%).

Like many countries today, Canada needs skilled migrants to fill gaps in its labour market and is actively encouraging people just like you, with skills and experience, to make a new life for yourself there.  Visit www.workingin-canada.com for more information.

Canada’s similarities to the UK make it the perfect placeto consider when thinking about relocating to a new country and the province of Nova Scotia is proving to be a very popular destination for British immigrants and tourists alike.  Latest figures from the Canadian Tourism Commission show a 40% increase in visitor numbers to the area from 2006 to 2007 (up to 27,000) and this newly appreciated area of Canada is set to attract more and more visitors and permanent settlers, if early indications from 2008 are to be believed.

Nova Scotia literally translates to ‘new Scotland’, which may account for the fact that 30% of the population has Scottish heritage.  With a similar climate to Northern Europe and a wonderful marine and outdoor lifestyle, it isn’t hard to understand why so many Brits are making it their new home.

Generally, Canada needs skilled migrants, like many others the country is experiencing a labour shortage and is actively encouraging people like you, with skills and experience, to move there.  Check out www.workingin-canada.com.

Traditionally it is Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver that have attracted the majority of skilled migrants moving to Canada.  However this trend is changing according to new statistics from Citizenship and Immigration Canada as the country’s smaller centres draw more new settlers.

Regional initiatives such as the Provincial Nomination Program have been given credit for the changes, as well as shifts in economic and employment prospects across the country.  In some areas, such as Prince Edward Island the immigrant population is up by 73% from last year and Alberta welcomed 93% more immigrants in 2007 than in 2006.

If you are considering migrating to Canada, check out www.workgin-canada.com  for heaps of information on where to live, available employment positions and immigration advice.

A press release by Statistics Canada has reported that the nation’s crime rate has dropped for the third consecutive year, according to data supplied by the police force.  This decline continues the general downward trend in crime rates since their peak in 1991.  Specifically there were fewer serious crimes such as homicides and robberies.

Fed up of crime where you live?  Canada is currently experiencing a skills shortage and is actively encouraging skilled migrants to move there.  Check out www.workingin-canada.com for details of labour shortages and information on how to emigrate easily.