When we were going to Manitoba, everyone scared us: 'It's freezing and there are mosquitoes!' And it's true. In winter, the temperature sometimes drops to minus 40-50 degrees. However, public transport runs without interruptions, schools and other educational institutions do not close, heating is never turned off anywhere. And the engines of all cars are equipped with special heaters that plug into electrical outlets in parking lots.
There really are a lot of mosquitoes here. But in the summer, cities carry out special treatment of water bodies, and when going out of town, people use special protective nets or sprays. Such inconvenience is fully compensated by the enjoyment of untouched nature, picking mushrooms, berries, fishing. After all, Manitoba is the land of a thousand lakes, so you can't do without mosquitoes, of course.
It turned out that Manitoba is a province with the highest percentage of people of Ukrainian origin. True, these are third-generation immigrants who know only a few words in Ukrainian, but they are very friendly to newcomers. Annual Ukrainian cultural festivals are held here at a high professional level.
Manitoba has three universities. The largest is the University of Manitoba, with about 8,000 students. The fact that tuition here is one of the cheapest in Canada attracts a large number of international students, especially from China.
Another important plus of living in this province, from my point of view, is the affordability of housing and car insurance. For comparison: in Ontario and British Columbia, car insurance (and driving without insurance is prohibited) is 2.5-3 times higher. And just like our compatriots calculate the cost of comprehensive insurance, Canadian residents calculate the cost of insurance in different regions of the country in advance. The difference in housing costs is approximately the same.
Manitoba experiences a chronic shortage of labor, as people leave for the rapidly developing Alberta and British Columbia. Therefore, the unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the country (according to the latest data – 5.3%, in Ontario – 6.2%, in Quebec – 7.7%). This prompted the Manitoba government to implement a special, separate from the federal, program for recruiting labor. In accordance with it, the province can invite about 10,000 new immigrants annually.
The program works as follows. Potential immigrants apply directly to the Manitoba government for free (only postage costs are paid). If you turn out to be a suitable candidate, you will be notified in writing. A letter is also sent to the Canadian embassy in Ukraine. The latter's role is to check your criminal record and health. For emigration, you also need to have a certain amount of money. I must warn those who are already waiting for a decision on emigration to Canada: if you also apply to Manitoba and get approved, it will be very difficult for Canadian officials to transfer your case from the federal to the provincial program.
For those who know English, I provide links to government websites for the Manitoba immigration program and job search: www.gov.mb.ca, www.jobbank.gc.ca.