So I have some potential options where to move to...

[Scouzer]

Preface: I want to transfer out of my current posting, Lloydminster Flight Service to somewhere far north. Why north you ask? Money. I want to work my ass off for like 3 yrs then move back south, buy a house cash and be set.

My options, POST TAX income shown in CDN dollars:

This is BASE PAY FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES. As a general rule of thumb, the further north I go the more overtime is availible. A guy I know in Churchill, MB for example made $118,000 pre tax after overtime.

Lloydminster, AB: $33,556 (Where I am now)

Churchill, MB: $55,342/yr

Population: 950 permanent, goes up to 4000ish in the summer
- Polar bear capital of the world. At halloween they actually ship RCMP and Fish and Wildlife officers up to do a perimieter around the town to make sure no polar bears get into town and eat the kids.
- Far north, no road. Does have a railroad connection and daily flights out

La Ronge, SK: $38,935

Population: 1500
- Not really north. 4 hours to Saskatoon, a city of 200,000. But does qualify for a small pay boost. Much busier airport.

Norman Wells, NWT: $63,764

Population: 800
- VERY North. No road, no railroad. Flights out once or twice a week.

Yellowknife, NWT: $41,140

Population: 15,000
- Far north, but full road access and daily flights out.
- Bigger city

High Level, AB: $40,271

Population: 4000

- Full road access. 8 hour drive to nearest major city (Edmonton)

 

[Pepsi90919]

tell me, how is alberta. i've considered moving there.

 

[hjo3]

Ehh... they're all in Canada. And the populations look too low for necessities akin to Costco, Circuit City, etc. Can you even get non-satellite broadband in these places?

 

[Pepsi90919]

Originally posted by: hjo3
Ehh... they're all in Canada. And the populations look too low for necessities akin to Costco, Circuit City, etc. Can you even get non-satellite broadband in these places?

go away

 

[DainBramaged]

Norman Wells sounds hardcore. I'd probably go for that one just for the experience. I've wanted to live somewhere like that, before.

 

[Scouzer]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919
tell me, how is alberta. i've considered moving there.

It's good. I've lived here my whole life.

The main thing that's pushing me away from here is that car insurance is INSANE for young drivers here. I drive a 2006 Pontiac Pursuit GT coupe and my insurance is $3900/yr...I'm 19 with all clean record.

Taxes are as low as you'll get in Canada, other than the territories.

Now I'm living on the Saskatchewan side of the border (Lloydminster is in an interesting position for this, look at it on Mapquest, right on the border), and my car insurance is now $1330/yr

Lloydminster is also RETARDED job market. This town is 22,000 people. Over half of the local paper is Help Wanted ads. Last weeks paper had 14 freaking pages of Help Wanted Ads...we have three Tim Hortons, one closes at night and the other two are drive thru only at night due to lack of staff.

This is not exclusive to Lloydminster, its the red hot Alberta economy.

Dainbramaged: Yeah I'm leaning Norman Wells or Churchill. I think Churchill would be amazing for the polar bear experience -- all fall long you can watch polar bears wandering around from the control tower. And in Churchill I can still get land line real DSL...Norman Wells is $80/mo for 6gb bandwidth limit...

 

[Scouzer]

Further thoughts?

 

[Cpt Cupcake]

Personally, i think that you should go to Norman Wells because it's something that you will never be able to do or that most women wouldn't want to do. Live while you can.

 

[Mrvile]

Wow, all these places sound really...desolate. Why aren't/can't you transfer to a bigger city?

 

[Scouzer]

Originally posted by: Mrvile
Wow, all these places sound really...desolate. Why aren't/can't you transfer to a bigger city?

I can. But look at how much less I get paid in Lloydminster. Lloyd may not be a big city, but it is very close to everything...definitely not remote. Live south, get paid average salary. Live north, get paid a ton then move south in a few years.

 

[imported_Mike]

Well, you say your goal is to just make money for the next 3 years...might as well go as big as you can.

-Norman Wells, NWT: $63,764

 

[Playmaker]

Churchill looks nice.

 

[notfred]

Personally, I value the next three years of my life more than an extra $20k or whatever.

 

[Nebor]

Moving to a place with 800 people and no roads out is just asking for something horrible to happen. Psycho killer with a chainsaw terrorizing the town, zombie attack (too cold for that though...) or something of that sort.

 

[Bootprint]

Don't forget the cost of living in those places is also a little higher.

But I'd say go for Churchill, MB. Norman Wells, is starting to into really short days of sunlight. From weather underground on Jan 1st you get 6h 36m of visible light but only 3h and 44 minutes of real sunlight.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

You're gonna have to buy your milk in a bag. Think about that one for a bit.

 

[Xyclone]

Originally posted by: Mike
Well, you say your goal is to just make money for the next 3 years...might as well go as big as you can.

-Norman Wells, NWT: $63,764

:thumbsup:

 

[KK]

I'd go to the one with the best hunting. You guys are allowed guns up there, right?

 

[Scouzer]

I don't drink milk.

Yeah, its between Norman Wells and Churchill...I think I'll put them both on my transfer list...and the company will choose for me

 

[Colt45]

norman wells, try and stay off the booze though.

 

[ebaycj]

Originally posted by: Mike
Well, you say your goal is to just make money for the next 3 years...might as well go as big as you can.

-Norman Wells, NWT: $63,764