I was born and grew up in Ontario. Married a Yank and currently live in Florida. We're looking for places to retire. Having visited NS when I was a kid, I am seriously considering retiring there (loved the province!) I have a few questions. In Ontario, you could only buy beer from the Brewer's Retail and wine from the LCBO, both government controlled and offering limited choices. What is the situation in NS? What's the weather really like in winter? Is Halifax pretty cosmopolitan (restaurants, art galleries, etc)? I'd appreciate any advice you can give. I've enjoyed many things about living in the US butI miss Canada and Canadians. There's just something about you guys, eh!

Now here's someone with their priorities straight - wants to know where you can buy beer when you retire! (No, I'm not being sarcastic - my husband would totally agree with the importance of this question). Unfortunately I can't help you with the answer, as we've only been to NS once.

You will find everthing you need in Halifax. Culture galore! Nova Scotia Art Gallery is great!<BR><BR>You can buy beer from the gov't liquor stores and as well from the brewery stores (not on Sunday but allowed on holidays).<BR><BR>The weather in Halifax can best be described as mild. The winters outside of Halifax towards the northeastern part of the province can be severe. We tend to get less snow. From May to end of October you will enjoy the weather (but it ain't Florida). We tend to get more humid weather than the western part of Canada. November and December tend to be cold with the nasty weather happening January through to the end of March.<BR><BR>Hope this helps!<BR>

Halifax also gets more than its fair share of dull, grey, foggy, drizzly, wet weather! But, hey! on balance I think the nicer days make up for this unfairness! However, the word "mild" does not immediately leap to mind as an obvious descriptor for Nova Scotia weather! Remember that NS is on the Atlantic Ocean & quite a distance north of Florida! NS gets everything in terms of weather & it varies from year to year! To give you a comparison b/t NS & Ontario weather consider this: Right now we are in the throes of a Southern Ontario heat wave in Toronto with temps a blistering 32-35 dgress Celsius (over 90 F.) In Nova Scotia (Cape Breton) it is not expected to get much higher than 20 degrees Celsius today(around 72 F.) <BR>I think that b/f you move to NS you shd. visit the province at various times of the year to get a feel for the climate. In the meantime, you may want to consider a place like the Niagara Region West of To. as an attractive retirement community. Weather is infinitely better there IMHO than in NS!

Thanks everyone for responding. We definitely will check the area out thoroughly before making a decision. Actually, I hate the hot, humid Florida summers and so colder weather sounds A-OK to me. I'll look into the Niagara Penninsula (I went to school in St Catherines and still have family in the London area) but I would like to be near the ocean - that's one thing I do love here in Florida.

I think your best choice for weather, liveability (great beer) etc. would be the West Coast, specifically White Rock or Crescent Beach area. It is a small city, very slow pace with lots of retired, yet active, people. This area has the best weather of the Vancouver, Lower Mainland area. I will definitely retire there myself!!

And in BC Beer & Wine stores as well as liquor stores, (private & Govt.), are open on Sunday and are everywhere. Actually if you love the sea and want to avoid the frigid winters in the rest of Canada the Sunshine Coast, Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island also have great retirement places. White Rock is good if you want to be near a big city and the US, (it's right on the border).

in response to Darlene and Gary regarding retiring to BC and White Rock in particular...it would be advisable to have huge amounts of money in easy to carry bags. Certainly, the weather is fabulous but the price of property is outrageous here; we're actually thinking of retiring to Nova Scotia!

I'll jump into this discussion seeking advice as to retirement options in Victoria. I was there just this past March; weather wasn't great, however March weather in my state is cold and very snowy.<BR><BR> I was enchanted by Victoria's charm, and small-city atmosphere, and of course the scenery. Would definitely consider it on my short-list of retirement locations.<BR><BR> Does anyone have insight on cost of living in Victoria vs other west coast communities?

The cost of living in Victoria is only slightly lower than Vancouver. But of course the main part of that is housing not groceries or transportation. And so if you live up Island, on the Gulf Islands or the Sunshine Coast you may be trading much lower housing costs for somewhat higher grocery and transportation costs. But in any event - if bitter cold is not your thing, (and as a west coaster anyhting below freezing with a high windchill is 'better cold'), than the South Coast of BC is the place to be.