If you can live small town and still make decent money I would go for it. Getting that far from Van isn't really an option for me, but I have a lot of friends that made a similar move and it worked out really well for them. I have some that did the opposite as well since small town life has it's down sides, but if the life style is what you are looking for go east young man.
Yes east. Stay off my island.
Ha Ha! Made you look.
i'll have to check but i'm pretty sure i'm a couple years from early retirement status. what i have been looking for are municipal job postings in these areas as that way i could transfer the pension.
From past experience you should be able to transfer your pension years into any DB pension administered by the BC Pension Corporation. My ex was able to transfer all of her service years straight across when she switched from the municipal pension plan to the college pension plan. So in the Castlegar / Rossland / Nelson area you can look at Selkirk College, the regional district, or various provincial government agencies.
Out of curiosity, what do you do for the city? There will likely be some demand for certified water treatment plant operators in this area over the next few years.
Yes east. Stay off my island.
Yeah!!
My neighbourhood was so great until all the people who moved in after me arrived ….
When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity.
When many people suffer from a delusion, it is called religion.
From past experience you should be able to transfer your pension years into any DB pension administered by the BC Pension Corporation. My ex was able to transfer all of her service years straight across when she switched from the municipal pension plan to the college pension plan. So in the Castlegar / Rossland / Nelson area you can look at Selkirk College, the regional district, or various provincial government agencies.
Out of curiosity, what do you do for the city? There will likely be some demand for certified water treatment plant operators in this area over the next few years.
parks and rec - fitness supervisor.
i'm also a carpenter.
some people also accuse me of being a trail builder from time to time.
We don't know what our limits are, so to start something with the idea of being limited actually ends up limiting us.
Ellen Langer
Yeah!!
My neighbourhood was so great until all the people who moved in after me arrived ….
I didn't move here. Get off my lawn. Move east, it's lovely.
Actually I mean that, I was just riding and road tripping around the Kootenay's and the Okanagan and it blew me away with it's trails and natural beautyâ¢
defined benefits pension - so basically i'm guaranteed a pension that pays me about 70% of my wages averaged over my working career.
the beauty of a well managed DB pension plan is that your effective return on "investment" is about 300%. the municipal pension plan is very well mananged and it's inputs and growth exceed what the required payouts are so there is no concern for the future of the plan going bust.
Most government municipal pension plans are transferrable so if you can find a similar job with a different city, you could you could probably transfer your pension benefits. Check to see how transferrable your pension plan is and look for job openings.
whatever you do don't come narth … its cold and a bar will git ya!
anybody here living in these areas, say close to trail? what's it like and how are the job prospects? i'm contemplating gettin outta dodge and doing something different. would connsider a bit further north to kaslo or new denver too.
I live in Rossland, made the move from Van in 2008. Don't regret it for a second. Everything is literally in your backyard. trails less than 5 mins pedal from any house in town, ski hill/xc ski trails 5 mins drive, and trail is 10 mins away for your big box/ hospital/ airport/etc.
I'm not sure what your financial/mortgage situation is, but if you are worrying about money you could potentially lose on your pension, do the math and figure out what you could buy for what you have paid off on your mortgage (or what your house is worth, or what rent is, etc) and i think you will find financially its a no-brainer as well. Houses are max 500k here, good 3-4 bedroom places will be 300, and decent older/smaller places can be had for 200. plenty of places sub 150. Trail is way cheaper than that. And for a reason. Not the pollution, but the perception of it. Yes historically the smelter was terribly polluting, and lead levels were bad in soil etc. This has all been remediated, and the smelter is pretty clean these days.
Main thing with the Koots is, to get a good job takes time and/or creativity. There are lots of good jobs in certain industries (electrical/engineering/industrial carpenter/pipefitter associated with the smelter, pulp mill in cgar, etc) theres also the regional hospital in trail so lots of doctors/nurses live in Rossland. Tons of cat/heli ops if you want to guide or be a chef, resort jobs at the ski hills, etc. Beyond that, lots of people go away for shift work (myself included- some of the time). Otherwise, there are jobs, but its just on a small scale. IE your job is probably there, but you might have to work doing something else for a while until a position opens up, since there is just less to chose from. And the region forces people, for better or worse, to get creative, open their own business, cobble together different/freelance/season work, or even just do low paying jobs they enjoy, since the cost of living is lower. No one cares about keeping up with the neighbours, having the latest car, eating at fancy restaurants (friends and potlucks are the go to), and buying shit all the time to be happy.
Like some people recommended, just load up your bikes and family and camp/stay/hang out in and around the different towns and get a feel for them to figure out your jam. Theres a ton of small towns within a 1hr driving area that people commute back and forth to, between nelson, the valley, trail, castlegar, salmo, rossland, etc. They are actually all fairly different too, from sleepy retiree towns to blue-collar avg joe towns, to hippy towns, to redneck, and everything in between.
Kaslo and New Denver are beautiful but small and isolated. You arent going to want to commute from there to any of the major centres, and they are pretty limited in stores/restaurants/amenities. kaslo is like 1500 people, new denver 500. but they are located in some of the most amazing mountains around for skiing, hiking, riding and camping.
anyway thats enough rambling from me, come check out the area, spend some time, and most importantly, dont be afraid to just go for it. The communities here are so open, friendly, and amazing. that was my favourite thing once i had made the move. Yeah there are only 4000 people in Rossland, but most of them have moved here for the lifestyle, and are into the outdoors, being active, are well-travelled, and have a great outlook on life. Good luck!
whatever you do don't come narth … its cold and a bar will git ya!
splinky only gets drunk on root beer
he could work on his organic shampoo idea, would fit right in the koots
Like some people recommended, just load up your bikes and family and camp/stay/hang out in and around the different towns and get a feel for them to figure out your jam.
Splinky and his family will fit in just fine in the Koots.
Up side not nearly as much trail political stuff to worry about. :)
Ham sandwiches taste better as well…
:canada:
splinky only gets drunk on root beer
he could work on his organic shampoo idea, would fit right in the koots
He would need to work on that lazy northern Male speech pattern and "bar" is narth speak for "Bear"
well this went sideways in a hurry
We don't know what our limits are, so to start something with the idea of being limited actually ends up limiting us.
Ellen Langer
Splinky and his family will fit in just fine in the Koots.
We don't know what our limits are, so to start something with the idea of being limited actually ends up limiting us.
Ellen Langer
That will be my costume when I come visit. Gotta fit in with the Kootney kooks.
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