Canadian Oppos I need your help!

"Snuze: Needs another Swede" (markg) 05/22/2015 at 11:47 • Filed to: None

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I figured I’d lead in with the most touristy looking post card image I could find.

My company just landed a contract with a shipbuilder up in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They are looking for 8 engineers to support, and it would be 3 weeks up, 1 week back for 6 months. The company will cover housing and travel, including a monthly airfare allowance, and we will get a monthly stipend. I haven’t gotten rates yet, but I don’t think I’d end up making a ton of money over what I already make now.

But it is a chance to try something new and get some experience working in a shipyard. Is anyone from Halifax, or familiar with it? Any advice on going up there? I have to talk it over with Mrs. Snuze (I don’t think she’s going to be excited about this), but I am strongly considering it.

Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole > Snuze: Needs another Swede 05/22/2015 at 11:50

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Here’s all you need to know about Halifax.

For Sweden > Snuze: Needs another Swede 05/22/2015 at 11:50

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Watch out for explosives!

Too soon?

newsmctado > Snuze: Needs another Swede 05/22/2015 at 11:51

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Halifax: For when you need a break from the hustle and bustle of Ottawa.

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > Snuze: Needs another Swede 05/22/2015 at 11:53

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Its a pretty cool city in the summer, can get hammered with snow and storms all winter.

Alexander Keith’s Brewery tour is pretty cool, always lots of ships in the harbour!

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > For Sweden 05/22/2015 at 11:53

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It’s never too soon.

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > For Sweden 05/22/2015 at 11:54

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The North Remembers....

thebigbossyboss > Snuze: Needs another Swede 05/22/2015 at 11:56

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I believe Opponaut “from canada with love” lives in Halifax.

Halifax is nice. The housing is very cheap which is nice if you’re considering it.

Halifax gets a FUCK TON of snow in winter. I mean, A LOT. Makes ontario look like nothin.

340 cm or so this year.

That’s over 11 feet.

Where you coming from?

thebigbossyboss > newsmctado 05/22/2015 at 11:58

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I live in Ottawa...and am taking a vacation to Halifax this year. Do I know you?

Snuze: Needs another Swede > thebigbossyboss 05/22/2015 at 12:02

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Thanks. I live right outside of Washington DC at the moment. I’ve done cold AF winters up in Groton, CT, though we didn’t get much snow there being on the coast. This job would start the beginning of July and go for at least 6 months, possibly running through 2017.

thebigbossyboss > Snuze: Needs another Swede 05/22/2015 at 12:03

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The nice thing is Halifax has “warm” (by eastern canadian standards) winters. Rarely getting below 0F while here it rarely gets above.

newsmctado > thebigbossyboss 05/22/2015 at 12:04

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No. I have never been to Ottawa or Halifax. I was just making a joke and trying to get in the head of the what the Halifax Board of Tourism must be thinking. “So. We’ve got to market Halifax. How the F do we do that?”

thebigbossyboss > newsmctado 05/22/2015 at 12:06

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Oh I see I see. Don’t worry I am not offended I just like “wait...I am this” lol.

Halifax is nice when not winter or raining.

TheNeonDriver - Now with More BMW! > Snuze: Needs another Swede 05/22/2015 at 14:58

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I grew up an hour south of Halifax. It is a nice city, probably on my top 5 list in Canada.
The surrounding country is beautiful, and there are lots of things to do on the weekends.

If you want to try something new, Halifax (not Dartmouth) is a nice city.

There are also ferries as part of the public transit system, which is awesome.

thebigbossyboss > TheNeonDriver - Now with More BMW! 05/22/2015 at 15:54

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Dartmouth is home to some criminals. Like Lahey.

FromCanadaWithLove > Snuze: Needs another Swede 05/22/2015 at 16:01

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Sorry I missed this earlier. I live in Halifax, originally from Ottawa.

Halifax definitely has its ups and downs. It’s awesome in the summer. There are a ton of beaches, parks, and places to go within the city. The number of (really good) restaurants compared to the population is amazing. There are beaches everywhere, great roads, and it’s fun to explore the province. There’s also a pretty active car community that meets every Sunday. The beer here is also the best in the country (I prefer it to Quebec City’s of Vancouver’s).

The downside is it rains a lot. The winters aren’t usually that snowy (except for this past year... my god), but it’s damp and wet for a good chunk of the year. There’s also a bit of crime, but you get that anywhere you go. Taxes are high too, at 15% in the province. It’s not as big as cities like Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary, etc, so sometimes it can feel a bit small. And if you like to ski, there aren’t any hills worth mentioning.

Housing is fairly cheap, but rent can be high because it’s a university town (we have 6 of them).

Would you be at the Irving Shipyard?

Snuze: Needs another Swede > FromCanadaWithLove 11/21/2016 at 13:36

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I had to dig around and find this post, but it turns out I am going up to Canada... 18 months later. I’m leaving this coming Sunday and coming back 2 days before Christmas. Anything I should know before I go?

FromCanadaWithLove > Snuze: Needs another Swede 11/21/2016 at 15:32

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Where in Canada, and where from? Are you headed to Halifax? Snow tires are a good idea.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > FromCanadaWithLove 11/21/2016 at 15:52

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Sorry, should have been more specific. I’m heading to Halifax for work (Irving Shipyard), coming from Washington DC. We have a bunch of engineers and designers coming up, so we’ll be renting a few cars, hopefully the rental companies put snow tires on them, otherwise that’s a bit out of my control.

I just pulled up the weather, it’s been averaging around 50 deg. F in DC lately with a few colder days, and looks like Halifax is averaging around 44 deg. F for the next 2 weeks according to the extended outlook. I imagine it’s a whole lot more windy there. I spent several winters at the submarine base in Groton, CT, where it was pretty cold but brutally windy and I’m thinking Halifax will be very similar.

I also did a Google search it looks like there’s about a dozen brew-pubs in Halifax, which is comforting. I do love me some beer. Anything else to see or do there? Anything to avoid?

FromCanadaWithLove > Snuze: Needs another Swede 11/21/2016 at 18:38

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Your weather predictions are pretty accurate. It’s cold, wet, and windy here. The weather’s been good so far, but we’ll see if things get worse.

If you love beer, Halifax is a good place. You definitely have to go to Stillwell. It’s my favourite bar in the city, and it’s right downtown. Their food is good too. Another good one is Good Robot, but it can be a bit hipster. For example - they did a silent reading night in the bar, which is weird, but their beer is good. If you need growlers, Unfiltered Brewing is close to the shipyard, and their beer is great. Garrison and Propeller are the established local breweries. They’re good, but you’ve probably had better elsewhere. It’s hard to find bad beer in the city, just avoid anything Keith’s or Oland’s.

This time of year, Halifax is a university town. There are a ton of restaurants, taprooms, and breweries. All of the online reviews tend to be accurate. Apart from that, you should check out Halifax Central Library. It’s a pretty impressive building. Even if you don’t want to read, it’s a good place to grab a coffee and wander around.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > FromCanadaWithLove 11/22/2016 at 10:56

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I just got a flight booked, and I’m working on the hotel booking. We have almost a dozen people coming up to support, and they are split between 2 different hotels so I’m trying to figure out which one I need to choose, and if I need to rent an additional car, and how to charge all this stuff. Oh Corporate America, your policies make no sense to me.

Thanks for all the info, I really appreciate it. You also said in your old post from a year or so ago that there’s an active car community that meets every Sunday (Cars ‘n Coffee?). Does that carry on through the winter?

Snuze: Needs another Swede > FromCanadaWithLove 02/27/2017 at 14:30

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Just an update... I got suckered in to basically living in Canada. I think I’ve been up there 10 of the last 15 weeks. I just got home on Saturday and I’m turning around and heading back up this coming Sunday for another 3 week hitch.

I have to say, I freaking love it up there. All of your recommendations were spot on... Keith’s kind of sucks (it’s like maybe half a step above Coors or Bud Light), Garrisons and Propeller are okay, Good Robot is awesome, and I am in love with North (Belgians are my favorite). I’m not crazy about Unfiltered, but it’s not my style of beer so I won’t knock. My coworkers who are into that sort of thing love it, so I trust their judgment. Stillwell is my favorite beer bar in the city, I think I end up there at least one a week. We also went to Timber Lounge in January and threw axes, which was amazingly fun. I’m also loving Stubborn Goat, Lot 6, and Brooklyn Warehouse for food. We are staying at the Homewood Suites and they have free breakfast every day and dinner 4 nights a week, so I’m banking lots of sweet per diem money so I can afford to go be a pig on the weekend. A brewery just opened up next to the hotel, 2 Crows, and it’s decent if you haven’t checked it out yet.

And if you ever want to meetup with a fellow Opponaut and have a beer, let me know.