Any tips for a Ukrainian who is planning to move to Canada? Maybe cultural differences, food, weather, etc.

What kind of work will you be looking for?

As much as Alberta gets a bad rap, Calgary and Edmonton both have rich Ukranian and Asian communities. Depending on what you’re looking for, there are jobs to be had.

If you move to central Alberta, there may be more Ukrainians than you are used to.

In all seriousness though, it is a big country so there are no definitive answers.

The Canada / US border is about the same latitude as Lviv ( south of Kiev ). Most Canadian’s live within 200 km of the southern border. That should give you an idea of the weather though it is milder out in Vancouver.

There is a lot of immigration to Canada. Food is dominated by which ethnic groups are common in the area and mostly British influenced outside that ( except in Quebec where you swap French for English ).

Welcome!

This is my take: most people are decent. There are bad eggs, but generally, they got your back. If you’re trying to get settled, the libraries are a good place for help. Free wifi, books, games, that sort of thing. Our local library helps with getting paperwork sorted and resumes written, so, yeah.

So glad you’re coming here!

@RandomName65@lemmy.ca
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11Y

Can I actually go to a library and ask for some help with the resume? I’ve heard that it’s difficult applying for jobs because lots of CVs are automatically sorted out. Does having social media accounts help finding a job? I’ve abandoned/deleted fb/Instagram, etc long time ago, and my wife only has some Chinese analogs.

Thanks for the response, and for being so welcoming.

I’ve always asked friends and family for help with my résumé but a library or a community centre will definitely be able to either help or point you in the right direction. Worst case you can post again here with the personal information changed or blacked out.

Welcome to Canada! I’m sorry for how things are going there and I hope you enjoy your time here!

I know here in BC the Labour ministry has job centres called “WorkBC” that not only help with resumes and job searches, but actually have dedicated classes specifically for newcomers from Ukraine.

P.S. Welcome! We’re glad to have you, and I hope everything works out without too much trouble :)

@RandomName65@lemmy.ca
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11Y

I will take a look. Thank you!

Try poutine as soon as possible. Sometimes the best poutine is in the strangest places too. My personal favourites are the poutine from a local bingo hall and the local university in my city for example. So if you end up liking poutine try some out of the way locations if you’re interested in finding the perfect one.

Cyborganism
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01Y

The best poutine is in Québec, mon chum.

First, get to know as much as you can about Canada, its Provinces and Territories. Like you asked, you will get a pretty good overview of its culture, food, festivals, history, climate, geography, economy, demography, governments (federal/provincial/municipal).

Secondly, get know the many generations of Ukrainian Canadians that live here throughout Canada. You may find long lost relatives or even old friends 😁 and then Canada won’t be much different from Ukraine, just more people of various culture, religion and walks of life, everyone chipping in trying to make a positive difference in each others lives (although Canada has it own assholes and criminals, they generally tend to not openly/bombastically flout the law).

Work wise, I would recommend to focus on anything related to sustainable development, climate change adaptation and the tech sector as those are where all the investment are being thrown into (renewable energy sector, electric transportation and manufacturing chain, mineral resources exploitation, forestry and sustainable agribusinesses, etc.)

Hopefully, my Canadian 2 cents helps. 😆

  • Housing affordability is BAD, but if you avoid the major cities (Vancouver/Montreal/Toronto) it is not as bad
  • Many will point out our health care systems is all backed up especially after covid, but if you need urgent care it is there and will not bankrupt you like in the US.
  • Most of Canada is COLD in the winter, doing some googling the ONLY place in Canada as MILD as your weather is the west coast near Vancouver (expensive cost of living).
  • Canada is MASSIVE https://www.thetruesize.com/ All of Ukraine is about the size of one of our Provinces.
  • Canada has a lot of diversity, each Province has a bit of a different personality and mix of cultures.
  • Lots of open beautiful places to explore if you venture out.
  • Flying domestically across canada is quite expensive, again it is huge.
  • Population density is actually quite low over all, we have lots of open space.
@RandomName65@lemmy.ca
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31Y

Thanks!

Depends on where in canada you are going. It’s a huge place. Each province ia very different from the others

Here is some general information that applies almost everywhere: Food: expensive. Almost all the grocery stores are owned by only 3 companies, so they dont really compete to have good prices Telecom: Almost all the internet/mobile providers are owned by only 3 companies, so they dont really compete to have good prices Health care: is really bad everywhere. Hospitals are all over capacity. People have problems finding a family doctor

Despite all the above problems, it’s overall a good place to live

If you can be more specific about where you are moving to, it would help. I’m sure we can give you some good things to lool forward to instead of all the negative stuff above

Welcome!

@RandomName65@lemmy.ca
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01Y

Thanks for the response. I’ve heard about the negatives that you’re talking about, as those seem to be all over internet. To be honest it does scare me a bit. I’m not sure on where I’d like to go. I’d love to go somewhere like Vancouver or Toronto, so my Chinese wife can have easier time in the foreign country, but the prices do scare me. I’d be happy to hear any recommendations. Thanks again

Avoid those two cities.

For a Chinese wife, the west coast is going to be better due to a higher Asian population. More exposure tends to mean better acceptance.

Somewhere on Vancouver island that’s not in or near Victoria may work. Consider Nanaimo, Courtenay, Campbell River, or smaller places like Port Alberni or Ladysmith maybe. They’re not cheap, but they’re still cheaper than the two big cities and there are still many normal jobs depending on your skills.

Good luck and welcome to Canada.

Calgary is worth looking at. We have a rather large Chinese population (not as big as Vancouver obviously) and fairly large Ukrainian population as well. Cost of living is going up here but wages are good and jobs are available. What is your trade / education in?

@RandomName65@lemmy.ca
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11Y

I majored in Chinese/English translation. Had Chinese-English, English-Chinese translation job for a few years, a few gigs here and there translating and interpreting between Chinese, English, Ukrainian and Russian. Currently teaching ESL/EFL… I feel like I’m all over the place without a proper career path

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