Q: Considering moving to NB, and just want some input from New Brunswickans. I know there are less jobs (I'm looking in the Woodstock area) but is life a bit more laidback and peaceful? Cost of living is relatively cheap right? How about bills, heat, hydro, internet, etc? Is it a very religious place? Thanks :)
A: I think your question is in the wrong group, as this is for St. John's, Newfoundland versus Saint Johns, New Brunswick. Anyway, the amount of jobs and cost of living is all relative. It depends on where you're coming from. If you're coming from Toronto, you'll find things cheaper and you'll find that there's a lot less jobs in general. Of course this depends on what field you're in. For jobs, I recommend checking out the Service Canada Job Bank web page. This is good for anywhere in Canada and is a great resource if you're open to many different possibilities as far as locales are concerned. Local telephone service is through NBTel (now Aliant) although alternatives such as Rogers Digital Home Phone and Vonage Canada are available as well. Aliant starts at $22.20/mo for basic phone service. High speed internet is through Aliant DSL if available in your area (depends on physical street address, not just community), or Rogers Cable Internet. DSL starts at $35/mo (discounts available with home/dsl/tv/cell bundles) Cable TV is via Rogers Cable. Alternatives are satellite TV through Bell ExpressVu or StarChoice at the same prices they are in the rest of Canada. Hydro is through NB Power. Urban service is $20.39/mo, rural $22.34/mo. The usage charge is 9.62c/kWh for the first 1300 kWh, then 7.62c/kWh after that. Natural Gas is through Enbridge but it's not available in Woodstock so Hydro would be the way to go these days. As far as religion, most people in NB are Catholic, 53.4%, and the 3 main Protestant religions, Church of Canada, Anglican and Baptist make up 35.7%. Only 8.7% reported no religious affiliation. As far as "laid back", I'd say Woodstock is definitely more laid back than say Toronto!