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East Coast / West Coast , personnal experiences.

krimynal

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Hello everyone ,

So here comes the time where I got to decide where I want to go ( posting choices ).  Honestly I am debating so hard right now between east coast and west coast , 1 day I come home and I want to go east , the next morning I come home and I want to go west.

My spouse and I are open to both , we just don't want to make a decision that we will regret. We have a child on the way right now so we need to figure it out.  We are both 28 years old , not a big fan of the big city , we rather spend time around a bonfire than to go clubbing until 3 AM , We both really like to play golf , she had cancer 6 years ago so we need good hospital not too far for her. 

I don't really care about the working experiences because that can change drastically depending on who you work with.  I am looking more at the overall feeling of both side , cost of living , outdoors activity , family center , etc. etc. etc.

I am debating between West Coast : Comox , Pat Bay ( I know they don't give you Pat Bay before you go to shearwater but I still will ask for it ) , Edmonton

Or East Coast : Greenwood , Shearwater , Gagetown

Thanks a lot !
 
krimynal said:
So here comes the time where I got to decide where I want to go ( posting choices ). 

Best Air Force Bases?
https://army.ca/forums/threads/116537.0

krimynal said:
I am debating between West Coast : Comox , Pat Bay ( I know they don't give you Pat Bay before you go to shearwater but I still will ask for it ) , Edmonton
Or East Coast : Greenwood , Shearwater , Gagetown

Comox Thread- Merged 
https://army.ca/forums/threads/30590.0
3 pages.

Edmonton Thread- Merged 
https://army.ca/forums/threads/31283.0
7 pages.

Nova Scotia Thread- Merged 
https://army.ca/forums/threads/30800.0
7 pages.

Shearwater
https://www.google.ca/search?q=site%3Aarmy.ca+esquilmant+halifax&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-CA:IE-Address&ie=&oe=&rlz=1I7GGHP_en-GBCA592&gfe_rd=cr&ei=mjTEWPSINcyC8QeEyYGwBw&gws_rd=ssl#q=site:army.ca+shearwater&*

Gagetown
https://www.google.ca/search?q=site%3Aarmy.ca+esquilmant+halifax&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-CA:IE-Address&ie=&oe=&rlz=1I7GGHP_en-GBCA592&gfe_rd=cr&ei=mjTEWPSINcyC8QeEyYGwBw&gws_rd=ssl#q=site:army.ca+gagetown&*

You can search for discussions about the bases you are interested in.

etc...

krimynal said:
she had cancer 6 years ago so we need good hospital not too far for her. 

Cancer treatment centres in Canada
https://www.google.ca/?gfe_rd=cr&ei=ATvEWN6cNqyC8QeBx4HwCA&gws_rd=ssl#cr=countryCA&tbs=ctr:countryCA&q=cancer+treatment+centres+in+canada&*

 
yeah I was trying to get more like personal experience from someone that has been to both side of the country , just to get like personal feelings , a lot of people that I spoke to told me that Greenwood was amazing , but they never been out west , and a lot of people told me that Comox was the best place in all CAF but they've never really been east ..
 
You can also read Navy discussions such as these,

ESQUIMALT VS HALIFAX?? 
http://army.ca/forums/threads/70387.0

Halifax or Victoria? Who's Been to both?
https://army.ca/forums/threads/96482.0
2 pages.

etc...

Various East Coast versus West Coast discussions in the Navy forum.




 
I've never been West but will offer my  :2c: on East coast.

Shearwater - close enough to Halifax/Dartmouth to have access to more choices for things to do and see, but as a Tech you should never actually be posted to the Halifax side and have to travel across the bridge and deal with parking.  Has the added bonus of $631/month PLD (after taxes, figure about $180/pay in the bank);  don't base a budget or mortgage including PLD though (actually, most banks etc know about that and won't include it for mortgage approvals, etc).  The Halifax PLDA/geo boundaries are fairly big, but if you're at 12 Wing you'll likely want to reside on *that* side of the area.  Housing closer to the Wing can be alittle more expensive but prices aren't that much worse, if at all, farther out in places like Elmsdale.  Eastern Passage is fairly popular, or it was not long ago as is Cole Harbour, for service folks.  Eastern Passage is about a 5-10 minute drive from work.  The PMQs are really close (walking distance) and were getting facelifts when I was there.  Heating costs in them were high (not the best insulation) and basement problems weren't uncommon either.

Greenwood - is 1.5ish hour drive from Halifax and is about 30 minutes past the "heart" of the Valley (Kentville, New Minas, Wolfville) where most of the shopping, movie theatre, etc are found.  The valley is nice if you like "rural" living.  PMQs are quite a bit cheaper than Shearwater but Greenwood has no PLD either.  There may be a tighter/closer military community because people live around the base and there isn't that much to offer like the Halifax area has.  Nice area for raising kids, lots of spring/summer/fall things in the valley but they are more of the rural type offerings;  Harvest Festival in the hall, Apple Blossom Festival in the spring.  Antique tractor pulls, the annual Kingston Steer BBQ, that kind of stuff.  It's fairly busy tempo there with operational LRP and SAR Sqns on the go.  There is a fairly big geographical area to pick where you want to live, but the market is primarily based on military families posted in/out.  I find people either really like or dislike Greenwood.  If you like a slower pace area, etc Greenwood is decent IMO. 

Gagetown - call it a half hour drive from Fredericton.  I haven't been there in a while, but know a few people who did time at 403 and never heard any of them complain at all.  Its an army base as opposed to a Wing, I spent a lot of time there earlier in my days, but I actually liked Gagetown and still felt at home when we went there for an Ex a few years ago.  Most people who are accustomed to AF life aren't a fan of Gagetown when they go there on TD etc.  No wifi in the shacks, stuff like that.  ;D  I don't know much about housing and PMQs there, so I'll leave that to someone who has good info.  I am not sure if 403 receives LDA or not.

If you ended up MH or LRP, there is the bonus of your type courses being on the east coast, so you wouldn't be away from home again right from the get go.  That's important to some folks.  MH you have the opportunity to sail and make a little extra money, LRP you should almost certainly deploy on an Op or on TDs.  Also, if you were in either Shearwater there is a chance you could get picked up later on as an instructor at 406 Sqn or 404 Sqn if you were LRP, which might give you a chance to remain in the geo location longer; never a given but always possible.

Whatever the outcome, hope you enjoy your next phase of training and AF life.
 
Eye In The Sky said:
Gagetown -  I don't know much about housing and PMQs there, so I'll leave that to someone who has good info. 

If the OP wishes to search "Gagetown PMQ" there is good info in the Gagetown and "Military Housing, CFHA, and the cost of renting a PMQ (and annual increases)" discussions.

This one may, or may not, be of interest,

dapaterson said:
As requested, the original letter that promted the reply above, from a resident of the PMQ patch in Gagetown.

With the PMQs at CFB Gagetown being in the news a lot lately, I would like to share my experiences, as I have lived in military housing for 18 years. I also grew up in them.

They have gone downhill since they became the responsibility of the Canadian Forces Housing Agency.

When the military gave the houses over to CFHA, things slowly fell apart. I remember living in a house that was full of mould. It was growing everywhere - even inside cupboards, among other places. We were told to wash it and forget about it. Finally we had to get my husband's work involved to get us out of there.

The comment about the mould testing being time-consuming and not practical don't fly. I talked to some people who said they wouldn't mind the cost coming out of the PMQ fund. But the problem is, we have no say in what we want and don't want.

Mould is just one part of this whole disturbing trend. For those who don't know, CFHA has implemented a new "three-strikes and you're out" policy. Strikes include being close to disconnection on power, water or Enbridge Gas; not taking your outdoor car shelter down by summer; and parking on the lawn. If you get three of these, you will be thrown out of the PMQ. It's a military dwelling made for military personnel to live in. Yet they can throw us out.

My friend who is in Afghanistan right now received a letter over there this week saying if he didn't take his car shelter down, they would evict them. His wife had talked to CFHA weeks ago and they said because he was deployed, the rule could be bent until he returned. But this week his wife got a call from her husband saying they are being evicted because of the car shelter.

Once upon a time, living here was a dream. Your house was always looked after, no matter how small or big the project. These homes were affordable. The advent of the CFHA changed all that.

Now the CFHA is involved in monitoring whether we pay our bills on time. Have you ever heard of a landlord who is involved in every aspect of your life like that? CFHA is allowed to call the utilities to find out if you're behind in your payments. And if you are behind in paying, it's a strike against you.

Have you ever heard of anything so ridiculous? Welcome to our world!

PMQs are suppose to be affordable living space for us, but they no longer are. Strikes here, strikes there. Driving by, you would think they are in good shape esthetically, but inside it's another story.

I have cupboards in my kitchen that I can't reach without a ladder and the paint used to come off on my dishes. I asked CFHA to redo my cupboards and was told I couldn't live here while it's being done. But I found out that some people have had new cupboards put in.

They sent someone to repaint my cupboards but they just painted over it and now the dishes stick to the cupboard.

I know these houses were built in the 1960s, but it's time to do the upgrading inside and stop with the upgrades outside.

People have actually started buying houses as it's just as cheap to buy as it is to rent a PMQ. Rent goes up every year and sometimes twice a year. CFHA keeps saying that it's comparable to housing in Fredericton. I assure you, the houses in Fredericton don't look like ours on the inside.

To letter writer John Wells: I don't know if you are or were military or not, but you don't know what you're talking about.

Mould is just scratching the surface. I could fill a whole newspaper on what happens around here. And yes, military people are still too nervous to ask for help from the media.

Courtney Wall lives in Oromocto. Send comments to letters@dailygleaner.com.
 
krimynal said:
Hello everyone ,

So here comes the time where I got to decide where I want to go ( posting choices ).  Honestly I am debating so hard right now between east coast and west coast , 1 day I come home and I want to go east , the next morning I come home and I want to go west.

My spouse and I are open to both , we just don't want to make a decision that we will regret. We have a child on the way right now so we need to figure it out.  We are both 28 years old , not a big fan of the big city , we rather spend time around a bonfire than to go clubbing until 3 AM , We both really like to play golf , she had cancer 6 years ago so we need good hospital not too far for her. 

I don't really care about the working experiences because that can change drastically depending on who you work with.  I am looking more at the overall feeling of both side , cost of living , outdoors activity , family center , etc. etc. etc.

I am debating between West Coast : Comox , Pat Bay ( I know they don't give you Pat Bay before you go to shearwater but I still will ask for it ) , Edmonton

Or East Coast : Greenwood , Shearwater , Gagetown

Thanks a lot !

It is not true that 443 Sqn does not take technicians straight from Borden.

Right now, there is no point in them getting new technicians, as there are no more Sea King type courses and the focus is on Cyclone training out east. That will likely change in about a year.
 
oh that might be why , because they told us that you needed to be Level A in order to be posted to Pat Bay. 
 
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