I apologize that this instalment is coming later than I planned; I blame my forgetfulness on the long weekend :). This is the concluding part of the series and I will be sharing my thoughts on what I have called general well-being and standard of living. In the first instalment I shared my thoughts on what Canada offers citizens and PR holders in healthcare and travel and adventure. The focus of the second instalment focused on education and childcare benefits and career and culture.
General Well-Being & Standard of Living:
a. More family time: While in Nigeria, I was away from home from 6am to 9pm almost every week day. About 2–4 hours of that time was spent in traffic (Gala & Lacasera time :)). I saw my kids mostly over the weekends while they had the nanny during the week as my wife also worked. Over the past 6 years and before Covid-19 turned everything on its head, I have had the opportunity to not only be home before 5pm but also take my kids to all of their games and other extra- curricular activities.
b. Time to explore other interests: On the back of having more family time, you can spend the extra time learning something new or trying out a new adventure without hampering your day job.
c. Neighborhood playgrounds/mini libraries: there is a playground in every (?) neighborhood where I have visited in my province. I believe it is part of planning for every neighborhood. You have no excuse not to take your kids out to play or you, the adult, can sneak out to play in the playground when no one is watching 😊.
In the last few years, I have seen mini libraries (similar to the image below) spring up in neighborhoods. While I haven’t used one, I have seen people taking and returning books to the library. The libraries are stocked by private citizens and I think the rule is that you borrow a book and return it when you finish reading it.
d. Public libraries: I can’t claim to know the state of public libraries in Nigeria because I never went to one while I was in Nigeria. Public libraries are scattered across the city and registration is free in Alberta. I started visiting the library actively about 4 years ago when my kids became voracious readers. Unfortunately, I did not take advantage of the library for myself until 2019. The library provides free Wi-Fi, desktop computers for use in the library and loaner laptops in addition to the obvious book services provided by the library. Thanks to Twitter, I discovered Libby by Overdrive in 2020 and I downloaded it immediately. When the libraries were shut down because of Covid lockdowns, Libby helped me read more than I would have in 2020 and more importantly I’ll say it helped me become more comfortable reading eBooks and listening to audiobooks. Other free services available at local Calgary libraries here.
e. Access to credit: While there is access to credit in Nigeria, there is a stark difference in the interest rates for the loans between Nigeria and Canada. There is relatively easy access to credit in Canada; I sometimes joke that this economy runs on credit. As a new immigrant, some of the banks have account packages for you that includes providing you with a credit card. The credit limit for the credit card offered differs among banks. From time to time, you will be offered credit card limit increases as you use spend from your credit card and repay. Besides credit cards there are various loans available from different financial institutions that you can access if you meet the organization’s qualifying criteria. At the time of writing this, mortgage rates across Canada are anywhere between 1.64% and 7.55% (https://www.ratehub.ca/best-mortgage-rates); the rate available to individuals will vary based on credit rating, value of down payments, etc. While I do not have official figures, I do not think any bank in Nigeria has mortgage rates similar to what is obtainable in Canada. Low interest rates and easy access to credit may make people get into huge debts from excessive spending using credit cards and/or other forms of loans.
People decide to live in a country for various reasons. I wanted to leave Nigeria but my wife always wanted to stay back. We eventually moved and are both happy with the decision. There are people and things we left behind, probably opportunities we have missed out on and others we gained on this side of the fence, but overall, it was our call and decision.
In my next series, I will be exploring some realities of everyday living in Canada.
Useful links: pardon me that the links below seem weighted heavily towards Calgary/Alberta — it is where I live :).
- Alberta Health Services
- Calgary Board of Education
- Calgary Catholic School District
- Calgary Charter Schools and Private schools
- Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP)
- Child Care Benefits (CCB)
- 5 major Canadian banks — BMO, CIBC, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), Scotia Bank, TD Bank.
- Products from the 5 major Canadian banks — BMO products, CIBC products, RBC products, Scotia Bank products, TD Bank products
- Online banks
- Rentfaster — for finding rental properties.
- Job boards — Indeed, Workopolis, Monster, etc.
