For me, the quality of life here is worth more than everything else on the list, and the extra tax is not something I bother to factor into the equation. But an extra hour commute every day is a deal-breaker... two hundred hours in a car every year for the rest of my life? That's definitely a deal-breaker! People who say "hello" with a smile to a stranger, drivers who let the old lady in the lane, and not having to hear an angry horn blow for months are all more important to me than the meagre difference in taxes... Living in a noisy, dog-eat-dog city... Forget it!
I'm one of those Ontarians who had been to the east coast for work many times and loved it. NB is my home now and my only regret is that I wish I had made the move sooner.
Yes, taxes are higher here. The property taxes for "in-city" living is just plain ridiculous. I could live outside of Fredericton and pay less property tax on an acre lot. I can't comprehend that. I almost thought is was a matter of New Brunswickers liking simple math. Yes, 1% of your property value makes for simple math, but it's unsustainable. As the cost of housing goes up, so does your property taxes. I've tried to explain to people that it's not a sustainable practice. Sooner or later no one will afford a house simply because of the property taxes.
My biggest cost increases came from the cost of electricity. No other viable power options. NB Power has got us all by the short and curlies. Most of the west heats their homes with natural gas. With electricity and natural gas I paid less than I do here. And, the winters are NO colder, so please don't even think of making that arguement. I've had 6 NB Power increases in the last 3 years. If that happened in Ontario the whole C suite would have been fired! And, dairy. What is with the cost of dairy here? Why is every dairy product more expensive here?
Having said all that, I would not go back to the shit show that Ontario has become. Ontario is more of an American state. Everything in Ontario is a competition. Even winning a parking spot is a big deal, not to mention the price tag. A parking spot for your 600 square foot condo costs about $20,000. I can drive to Fredericton from Moncton in an hour and a half or I can sit on the QEW for the same amount of time.
Can New Brunswick make improvements? Yes, it can and it should. Now, if we can only get more trades people here. Like plumbers, anyone know a good licenced plumber in the Freddy area?
For me, the quality of life here is worth more than everything else on the list, and the extra tax is not something I bother to factor into the equation. But an extra hour commute every day is a deal-breaker... two hundred hours in a car every year for the rest of my life? That's definitely a deal-breaker! People who say "hello" with a smile to a stranger, drivers who let the old lady in the lane, and not having to hear an angry horn blow for months are all more important to me than the meagre difference in taxes... Living in a noisy, dog-eat-dog city... Forget it!
I'm one of those Ontarians who had been to the east coast for work many times and loved it. NB is my home now and my only regret is that I wish I had made the move sooner.
Yes, taxes are higher here. The property taxes for "in-city" living is just plain ridiculous. I could live outside of Fredericton and pay less property tax on an acre lot. I can't comprehend that. I almost thought is was a matter of New Brunswickers liking simple math. Yes, 1% of your property value makes for simple math, but it's unsustainable. As the cost of housing goes up, so does your property taxes. I've tried to explain to people that it's not a sustainable practice. Sooner or later no one will afford a house simply because of the property taxes.
My biggest cost increases came from the cost of electricity. No other viable power options. NB Power has got us all by the short and curlies. Most of the west heats their homes with natural gas. With electricity and natural gas I paid less than I do here. And, the winters are NO colder, so please don't even think of making that arguement. I've had 6 NB Power increases in the last 3 years. If that happened in Ontario the whole C suite would have been fired! And, dairy. What is with the cost of dairy here? Why is every dairy product more expensive here?
Having said all that, I would not go back to the shit show that Ontario has become. Ontario is more of an American state. Everything in Ontario is a competition. Even winning a parking spot is a big deal, not to mention the price tag. A parking spot for your 600 square foot condo costs about $20,000. I can drive to Fredericton from Moncton in an hour and a half or I can sit on the QEW for the same amount of time.
Can New Brunswick make improvements? Yes, it can and it should. Now, if we can only get more trades people here. Like plumbers, anyone know a good licenced plumber in the Freddy area?