Should I stay or should I go?

[BE20 Driver]

This weekend in particular, I'm grateful for having been born in Canada. But for a quick twist of history, I could have easily been born in Cuba. Questioning leaving for somewhere better just wouldn't be the same there.

I too have been in about 40 countries and have found that there's always something in every country that we could be doing better back home. There's always something that you truly miss about Canada. Perhaps you only appreciate what you have by noticing what you don't have where you are.

To all the people that strongly believe this is the best place on earth, and all of the people who are substituting BBQ'd duck or beeef bulgogi - Happy Thanksgiving.

[rxl]

No question about it. If you can, leave, run as fast as you can. It's only a question of risk/reward. Step out of the comfort zone and go make some real money. Cut your ties to Canada completely and park your money in a more tax friendly jurisdiction. You'll come to appreciate that all is not well in what Canada has become, and most importantly, the direction it's going. Be smart, frugal, save every penny tax efficiently and then you can chose anywhere in the WORLD to live, not just the People's Republic of Canuckistan.

I left. it was a hard decision to make, but so far, best decision ever. There are many families here and they all are adapting well. Like any good commander, make a well thought out and informed decision.

Or stay behind and continue to contribute to this broken none-sense while you are nickel and dimed to death for diminishing returns and stay perpetually in-debted to the banks.

Being successful in Canada is just not worth it.

FOD.

Good for you. Glad you found your nirvana.
It's really all about you isn't it.
The majority of Canadians are able to be successful here and find it very much worthwhile to contribute to something bigger than they are, and to contribute to an idea whose main goal is to make the lives of others just a little bit better.
Keep your childish insults to yourself.

[rookiepilot]

No question about it. If you can, leave, run as fast as you can. It's only a question of risk/reward. Step out of the comfort zone and go make some real money. Cut your ties to Canada completely and park your money in a more tax friendly jurisdiction. You'll come to appreciate that all is not well in what Canada has become, and most importantly, the direction it's going. Be smart, frugal, save every penny tax efficiently and then you can chose anywhere in the WORLD to live, not just the People's Republic of Canuckistan.

I left. it was a hard decision to make, but so far, best decision ever. There are many families here and they all are adapting well. Like any good commander, make a well thought out and informed decision.

Or stay behind and continue to contribute to this broken none-sense while you are nickel and dimed to death for diminishing returns and stay perpetually in-debted to the banks.

Being successful in Canada is just not worth it.

FOD.

Good for you. Glad you found your nirvana.
It's really all about you isn't it.
The majority of Canadians are able to be successful here and find it very much worthwhile to contribute to something bigger than they are, and to contribute to an idea whose main goal is to make the lives of others just a little bit better.
Keep your childish insults to yourself.

Why exactly is putting his family's financial security ahead of working for the government of Canada, a bad thing?

I applaud his honesty and his courage to make the choice he feels is in the best interest of his family.

Personally I contribute a ton of dough to making the lives of others better. Why does that need to be through being taxed by a government that wastes the money on things I don't believe in?

[Cat Driver]

Keep your childish insults to yourself.

A lot of us agree with him, are we also childish?

[complexintentions]

No question about it. If you can, leave, run as fast as you can. It's only a question of risk/reward. Step out of the comfort zone and go make some real money. Cut your ties to Canada completely and park your money in a more tax friendly jurisdiction. You'll come to appreciate that all is not well in what Canada has become, and most importantly, the direction it's going. Be smart, frugal, save every penny tax efficiently and then you can chose anywhere in the WORLD to live, not just the People's Republic of Canuckistan.

I left. it was a hard decision to make, but so far, best decision ever. There are many families here and they all are adapting well. Like any good commander, make a well thought out and informed decision.

Or stay behind and continue to contribute to this broken none-sense while you are nickel and dimed to death for diminishing returns and stay perpetually in-debted to the banks.

Being successful in Canada is just not worth it.

FOD.

Good for you. Glad you found your nirvana.
It's really all about you isn't it.
The majority of Canadians are able to be successful here and find it very much worthwhile to contribute to something bigger than they are, and to contribute to an idea whose main goal is to make the lives of others just a little bit better.
Keep your childish insults to yourself.

Please explain where the insults are, exactly? Your defensiveness strikes me as the childish bit.

If you think Canadians in Canada don't act completely in their own self-interest just as much as anyone, anywhere, you are sorely mistaken. The lofty ideals you attribute to Canada are a luxury afforded by living in a wealthy country. As that erodes, watch for the true character of people to come out. It's already happening.

[Cat Driver]

How many here remember when our taxes paid for government services?

Remember when all the services that T.C. provided for us were done in a very short time and there were no " Service Charges. " which is double taxation.

One of the most egregious taxes T.C. imposes is the $55.00 medical fee.

For what?

[CL-Skadoo!]

How many here remember when our taxes paid for government services?

Remember when all the services that T.C. provided for us were done in a very short time and there were no " Service Charges. " which is double taxation.

One of the most egregious taxes T.C. imposes is the $55.00 medical fee.

For what?

It's been a very long time.

You said if you were at an earlier stage of your career, you'd pull the pin and head elsewhere.
Because you've been so many places, I'd like to know where would you go or personally recommend?

[Cat Driver]

My first three choices would be.

One of the cay's off Belize.

Panama.

Ecuador.

In that order.

[Cat Driver]

My first three choices would be.

One of the cay's off Belize.

Panama.

Ecuador.

In that order.

[BE20 Driver]

CRA is now taxing employee discounts. Chances are since WS at least charges $2.50/flight that we'll have a new tax to pay. Commuters will love this I'm sure.

I've been to all of those places and I agree. The only thing I'd change is maybe Ecuador over Panama but that depends on what part of each country.

As a side note, maybe the way around viewing staff travel on your own airline is to only fly the competitor. Since I'm not an employee of theirs, it's not an employee discount.

[North Shore]

As a side note, maybe the way around viewing staff travel on your own airline is to only fly the competitor. Since I'm not an employee of theirs, it's not an employee discount.

Go, definitely - to law school! That's great 'slimy defence lawyer' stuff right there!

[BE20 Driver]

Since a lot of the discussion here revolved around tax code, I thought I'd post this article. Below are a few excerpts from it:

http://www.torontosun.com/2017/08/26/it ... -in-canada

According to Fraser, the 42.5% we surrender [in taxes] to federal, provincial and municipal governments is more than we pay for food, clothing and shelter – combined! We pay 37.4% for the basic necessities.

And spare me the lectures on how the “rich” don’t pay their fair share. The top 10% of Canadian income earners paid closer to 56% of their income in taxes.

And yet, despite all of the taxes we already pay, the federal Liberal government is about to impose one of the largest tax increases in history on middle-class Canadians.

And what do we get for all that tax money? Basically two things: very happy public-sector workers and tons of waste.

Fraser looked at every auditor general’s report for the past 25 years and determined that the federal government alone has wasted nearly $200 billion simply by ignoring AGs’ recommendations.

On top of that, half of all taxes paid go to the salaries of public servants, who now earn salaries that are on average 10% higher than those of private-sector workers doing comparable jobs. Plus, they also have much better pensions, job security and benefits, work shorter hours and retire earlier.

[rookiepilot]

Since a lot of the discussion here revolved around tax code, I thought I'd post this article. Below are a few excerpts from it:

http://www.torontosun.com/2017/08/26/it ... -in-canada

According to Fraser, the 42.5% we surrender [in taxes] to federal, provincial and municipal governments is more than we pay for food, clothing and shelter – combined! We pay 37.4% for the basic necessities.

And spare me the lectures on how the “rich” don’t pay their fair share. The top 10% of Canadian income earners paid closer to 56% of their income in taxes.

And yet, despite all of the taxes we already pay, the federal Liberal government is about to impose one of the largest tax increases in history on middle-class Canadians.

And what do we get for all that tax money? Basically two things: very happy public-sector workers and tons of waste.

Fraser looked at every auditor general’s report for the past 25 years and determined that the federal government alone has wasted nearly $200 billion simply by ignoring AGs’ recommendations.

On top of that, half of all taxes paid go to the salaries of public servants, who now earn salaries that are on average 10% higher than those of private-sector workers doing comparable jobs. Plus, they also have much better pensions, job security and benefits, work shorter hours and retire earlier.

+1. And 2 and 3.

If you're one of these public servants, good for you. You're cleaning up. By being a bloodsucking parasite on the rest of us.

If I was elected, which won't happen, I'd rip up every public sector contract in existence.

We simply can't afford you, entitled public sector worker.

Your welcome.

[Cat Driver]

The taxation for the amount of service is insanity in this country.

Socialism at its finest, we are getting right up there with Venezuela.

[BE20 Driver]

This came off of another thread

For example, second year FOs according are listed at $57 & $61 for Air Canada & WestJet respectively. Compare that to Delta & United at $120 & 125... USD. Also, year 5ish payscales in Canada seem to be about on par with first year FOs at DL or UA. THAT is what I thought was crazy. Is that information accurate?

If ever the southern border opened up just a little, you'd have 5000 applications overnight. At legacy carriers anyway.

Our wages are starting to look like Venezuelan too.

[florch]

Do you not understand how marginal tax rates work? You're not paying 53% of your income in taxes; if you make over $202800, then anything you make over $202800 will be taxed at that rate. Everything you earn below that will be taxed at the lower amounts. If you made exactly $202800 your average rate, i.e. what you actually pay, would be 36.8%, and the tipping point at which you would actually pay over 50% is literally at $1000000.

You left out property tax, HST, carbon taxes, high cost of living...it's not what you make, it's what you keep.

[co-joe]

My first three choices would be.

One of the cay's off Belize.

Panama.

Ecuador.

In that order.

The difference between a cay and an island is that islands have fresh water. A cay you'd have to pay to have it brought in. Otherwise I'm right there man.

[rolly117]

well this has been a good discussion on stay or go!
i made the the go choice and have never been happier
Aviation in canada has gone down the toilet since the millennium
I have not seen a raise in pay in 20 years
I found a nice south american country that has bullshit beyond believe
and it it is still better than Canada because my employer is Canadian and pays Canadian wages
I am basically a millionaire here and in one year the money devaluation gave me a 25 percent raise in pay
I am talking buying power whoooee!
Señor finance minister who ever you are, make our dollar stronger than the trump buck
this would make this Xpat Canuk muy Felis
I bought a bmw f700gs last month and i am living the dream
I am not a pilot i solve problems in pretty rough conditions and make the company millions
engineer ROLLY 117 CG-GKG R4D-8 best aircraft ever built Verdad!

[confusedalot]

To the OP, sounds like that you are on top of the food chain here in Canada. And as you have indicated, waiting for the payoff down the road appears to be frustrating.

I've said this before on this forum, going expat involves a hell of alot more than just changing jobs. You are changing your life wholesale from A to Z. So sit back and think what is best for you, as in, living in the sandbox or Asia for an extended decades long period, or forever, or, a bit less money in your pocket for the current lifestyle. The grass is not as green on the other side as you may think.

I need to laugh at those who invoked Jetster Vietnem as a better place to be. They pay a total of about 11000 or 14000 US per month for a captain, something like that (I got an email from a headhunter) and that includes everything including your per diems. You will also not have the same living conditions as you would have in North America, I know becasue I did in fact do a Vietnam Airlines contract for 4 years. You might want to look at airline pilot central.com to see where an air canada driver in the same plane makes, and factoring in taxes, you are much better off in Canada, once you get that slot which I hear is not all that difficult to get anymore. You are not as well off as the US, they pay much more. So go US if you can, right to work and all.

Think before you jump; typically people of my generation went expat because we had zero choice after all of the bankruptcies, downsizings, and mass layoffs. It's not like that anymore, things are booming, and, it is only a matter of time, and a short couple of years, if that, that you will be into the big bucks and on easy street, without all of the upheaval.

[BE20 Driver]

Honestly, I'm still weighing my options. Stay or go depends on the day.

The JetStar brands, all of them aren't known for their high pay. It's ok, just not out of this park. What it does is maybe give you some PIC on type which in turn opens up a lot more doors.

American Airlines in general are much better than anything we have here. Not everyone can get into one though by virtue of birthright. Air Canada has a better long term compensation package than WS and much shorter upgrade times. Again, not everyone gets into AC.

I don't know what the future holds but I'll keep looking until I find something that works.