Awesome Fall color journey! I especially appreciate your points of view, sensitive perspectives and loving interactions. Bravo Les & Wendy for your love of Saint John, and your beautiful presentations of my birth city! ❤😘🤗🥰💖❤
Thank you so much. We try to be respectful and honest while hoping to entertain a little and provide good visuals. This one has had two "dislikes" out of not that many views, so maybe it didn't work out so well. We do really appreciate your supportive and kind comments and thank you again for being our top commenter.
Thanks Wendy and Les, very informative video. Your videos are very helpful as my husband and I will be moving to Saint John from India early next year!!!! Keep up your good work!!!
Hello from Brazil! I Just Love your videos I am looking for Jobs opportunities in NB, and Saint John is my favorite place. Please keep showing us this Wonderful City. 🥰
Hi Wendy and Les! My husband and I are enjoying your videos 😊 I have a question that I hope you'll be able to answer. We love the Bayshore Beach area (Sea Street) but concerned about the all trains (noise). Is it an active railway with trains coming and going at all hours of the day? We'd appreciate your insight. Thank-you!
Thank you. I assume you're referring to the new construction semi-detached homes being built across the street from Bayshore Beach on Sea Street. The rail track runs along the back of the properties, but is considered an inactive track. It dead ends into a rail storage yard, so it does get used but not often, and the trains are usually short and move very slowly. For the most part, the trains don't use their whistles along there, but they could as there is a trail that runs parallel to the track just a few feet away (Shoreline Trail) and a road crossing on Sea Street. We walk the trail often and have had trains coming up behind us and not even realized it until they are very close. However, I'm not sure if you would feel any ground movement from inside the homes. Overall, the very infrequent trains would not bother me as much as the layout of the homes which are not designed to take advantage of the views.
Just to expand on what Les was saying about in the past being a predominantly white city, where I work there is a huge initiative for diversity, not only to fill employment skills gaps, but to make this a better place to work and live. There is an expanding Nigerian community in Saint John and I can personally attest they had an immediate positive impact in our labour force and vibrancy. Also when there are world events / disasters / tragedies that bring communities to city hall for peaceful protest, it’s more than newcomers that join in. SJ is a welcoming community, but as Les said racism is built into our systems but awareness is also rampant in the city - as witnessed by the BLM movement here in SJ. Despite impression others may have of the maritimes, we are actually very liberal in our thinking. I’m generation X and these are conversations we are having at the family dinner table and with friends - everybody in my circle of family and friends are excited about the diversity of folks arriving.
I agree completely, this is a community with generally progressive thinking and acceptance. Coincidentally, after filming this video we went for coffee with another local TH-camr couple (To Canada and Beyond) who are Muslim, so we asked them about their experiences. They told us they moved here from the US due to Trumpism, and have not experienced any racism whatsoever in Saint John. They are now looking to buy a home here and raise their family in Saint John. That spoke volumes to us.
@@WeLoveSaintJohn okay thank you so much! I appreciate all your content on TH-cam. I'm currently living in Ontario and moving to either NB or NS by next summer. Cheers!
Loving the videos. Whenever I watch your videos, my wanting to move back home continues to grow. Now that I am working again, it's just a matter of time now before that happens. Agree with Everything you mentioned, in regards to the differences between Vancouver/Calgary VS Saint John. When you were talking about the City looking for workers for the Trades, I am actually looking into getting into a trade, so that would be something to consider, especially if the government is subsidizing education for training. One question. With New Brunswick being bilingual. Is there any areas one can live and work, only knowing one language. That is my biggest concern
Oh goodness yes. We only speak English so Saint John is perfect for us. If you only speak French, you would want to be in Fredericton, Dieppe or some of the smaller northern or eastern towns.
Just a few comments - in regards to the job market, there is a misnomer you have to be bilingual, especially for government jobs. This is completely false, bilingualism is not required generally speaking. For a small portion of the jobs, yes French is required, but this should not persuade you from choosing Saint John. In regards to property tax, you have to look at the big picture. If you have to pay $800 or $1,500 per year more than what you are used to, how much are you saving in gas money? For example living on the west side and hopping over harbour bridge and being at your job uptown in 4 to 7 minutes! Instead of being angry at commuting, being stuck in traffic, etc. it evolves to being annoyed you just had to wait 20 seconds to merge on harbour bridge. And car insurance, I pay $820 annually for my SUV - I’m sure it’s at least double in ON. Also, what about cost that doesn’t involve dollars? If you are having a bad day and need a mental health break, in most parts of the region you are usually 5 minutes or under to a beach, river, lake, bay or park. This is where a good agent (Wendy!) can offer guidance as they themselves made that jump from a large urban area. There is value in that - just for comparison you could never do that in a place like Vaughan, where high rises overlook vast amounts of pavement, malls and highways and you have to own a car. About the oil refinery and mill, Saint John can unfortunately be defined by those industries, but in actual fact those areas make up a small portion of the city and region. If you look at google maps starting in Grand Bay - Westfield and move east towards Hampton, you’ll see some of the most beautiful middle class enclaves in Canada on or overlooking the water - including Crystal Beach, Grand Bay, Ketepec/Belmont/Morna, Stanley Gardens, Ragged Point, Den Boom Cove, Drury Cove, Kennebecasis Park (K-Park), Renforth, East Riverside-Kingshurst, old Rothesay and Gondola Point just as a sampling. Then you have your communities on the ocean like Dipper Harbour, Maces Bay and St. Martins. I mention long list because when you google Saint John you always get shown pics of historic uptown or industry, when this is just a part of the story of region. If you are attracted to Fredericton or Moncton and envision Saint John as an industrial town, you can still find similar areas right in the Saint John region. No, we won’t have the best shopping like Moncton or the latest chain restaurant like IHOP, instead you’ll find SJ as the cultural/theatre/architectural/outdoors/foodie and drink capital of the province.
You are amazing. The effort you put in to helping our audience understand the area and the benefits of the Maritime lifestyle is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Saint John was an incorporated city for nearly 65 years before the first real wave of Irish immigrants came here. At best 18 to 20 % of people who came to Saint John, came from Ireland. The United Empire Loyalist founded the City and they were made up of mainly English, Scottish and some Germans, and Dutch. The Irish came here in two wave, the first starting around 1845 because of the potato famine back home and a second wave came after the Great Saint John fire in 1877.
@@fredgarrett1666 Thank you for that. I will have to do more reading up about it, but what I did read mentioned that the Loyalists were mainly Irish and the potato famine brought people here from Ireland to be amongst their own where they thought (wrongly) they would be welcomed. Irish Catholicism seems to be everywhere in this city, from the cemeteries and churches to the street and bar names. I love that you are contributing more knowledge to this channel. I still have a hard time seeing how Saint John is anything other that predominantly Irish. Whether it's Irish, English, German or Dutch, the question from immigrants is still very understandable, since racial diversity is a fairly recent development. Thankfully, the answer seems to be that residents, regardless of their backgrounds, are a very welcoming people.
@@WeLoveSaintJohn The united Empire Loyalist landed in what is now Saint John in 1783, the potato famine in Ireland occurred between 1845-1852. When the first wave of Irish arrived, Saint John was already a fairly big city, but there were no Roman Catholic churches in Saint John, so Holy Trinity Anglican Church offered to allow them to hold services in their church. The second wave of Irish came after the great fire in Saint John which offer lots off jobs needed to rebuild. It fair to say that the Irish have contributed a fair amount to making Saint John, but saying it's mainly Iris is most certainly an overstatement to say the least.
@@fredgarrett1666 Well, how ever you want to describe it, it's definitely becoming much more culturally diverse, and thankfully, the newcomers we've met are carrying on the tradition of making Saint John a very welcoming and friendly city
Just to comment on the "racism" question ... as you said it happens everywhere... you will find this problem with the much older part of the population .. the younger citizen are more in tuned with the rest of the world and for the most part much more welcoming ... as Wendy said ... 1 in the crowed ruins it for all others.
I think I'll stand up for the older folks here to say that perhaps the younger citizens should look a little closer at the past, they may find that many of these older folks might not be the racist folks you think them to be. Nearly 50 years ago the largest high school of time in Saint John showed their views when those students, who are now perhaps the older folks you speak of, elected a young back man as the President of the Student Council.
Moved here 3 years ago from Niagara on the lake Ontario,best move I've ever made,love NB
There is no better testimonial than from someone who has done it. Thank you for your comment George.
We're so happy we moved here! Keep up the good work!🥰
We are happy you moved here too! Your family is a great asset to the Saint John region.
Awesome Fall color journey! I especially appreciate your points of view, sensitive perspectives and loving interactions. Bravo Les & Wendy for your love of Saint John, and your beautiful presentations of my birth city! ❤😘🤗🥰💖❤
Thank you so much. We try to be respectful and honest while hoping to entertain a little and provide good visuals. This one has had two "dislikes" out of not that many views, so maybe it didn't work out so well. We do really appreciate your supportive and kind comments and thank you again for being our top commenter.
Thanks Wendy and Les, very informative video. Your videos are very helpful as my husband and I will be moving to Saint John from India early next year!!!! Keep up your good work!!!
Thank you Sonal. We hope you will love Saint John as much as we do.
Hello from Brazil! I Just Love your videos I am looking for Jobs opportunities in NB, and Saint John is my favorite place. Please keep showing us this Wonderful City. 🥰
Thank you. As long as people like you keep watching, we'll keep making the videos.
Informative Video!! Thank you!! 😊❤️
Glad it was helpful!
Great video and chemistry!
Thank you very much!
Hi Wendy and Les! My husband and I are enjoying your videos 😊 I have a question that I hope you'll be able to answer. We love the Bayshore Beach area (Sea Street) but concerned about the all trains (noise). Is it an active railway with trains coming and going at all hours of the day? We'd appreciate your insight. Thank-you!
Thank you. I assume you're referring to the new construction semi-detached homes being built across the street from Bayshore Beach on Sea Street. The rail track runs along the back of the properties, but is considered an inactive track. It dead ends into a rail storage yard, so it does get used but not often, and the trains are usually short and move very slowly. For the most part, the trains don't use their whistles along there, but they could as there is a trail that runs parallel to the track just a few feet away (Shoreline Trail) and a road crossing on Sea Street. We walk the trail often and have had trains coming up behind us and not even realized it until they are very close. However, I'm not sure if you would feel any ground movement from inside the homes. Overall, the very infrequent trains would not bother me as much as the layout of the homes which are not designed to take advantage of the views.
Hey guys, as a black man, I had the same question about racism. Great response considering.
Just to expand on what Les was saying about in the past being a predominantly white city, where I work there is a huge initiative for diversity, not only to fill employment skills gaps, but to make this a better place to work and live. There is an expanding Nigerian community in Saint John and I can personally attest they had an immediate positive impact in our labour force and vibrancy. Also when there are world events / disasters / tragedies that bring communities to city hall for peaceful protest, it’s more than newcomers that join in. SJ is a welcoming community, but as Les said racism is built into our systems but awareness is also rampant in the city - as witnessed by the BLM movement here in SJ. Despite impression others may have of the maritimes, we are actually very liberal in our thinking. I’m generation X and these are conversations we are having at the family dinner table and with friends - everybody in my circle of family and friends are excited about the diversity of folks arriving.
@@travelport7868 name one law or policy that is racist? There is no racism “built” in our system like you claim, there are racist ppl.
I agree completely, this is a community with generally progressive thinking and acceptance. Coincidentally, after filming this video we went for coffee with another local TH-camr couple (To Canada and Beyond) who are Muslim, so we asked them about their experiences. They told us they moved here from the US due to Trumpism, and have not experienced any racism whatsoever in Saint John. They are now looking to buy a home here and raise their family in Saint John. That spoke volumes to us.
Hi Wendy and Les I'm not sure if you've already done a video on this but if not, could you do a comparison on Saint John vs Moncton to live please?
Check our top ten reasons to move to Saint John video. We talk about Moncton in reason #10. Spoiler alert: we are not fans of Moncton.
@@WeLoveSaintJohn okay thank you so much! I appreciate all your content on TH-cam. I'm currently living in Ontario and moving to either NB or NS by next summer. Cheers!
@@GTS300Coupe Best wishes for your move. We hope you will choose Saint John, it's an amazing place to live.
Good video 👍
Thanks 👍
Can't wait for the video about property taxes 🙌🏿
I'm sure it will be riveting and non-stop entertainment. maybe not, but we hope it will be informative.
Loving the videos. Whenever I watch your videos, my wanting to move back home continues to grow. Now that I am working again, it's just a matter of time now before that happens.
Agree with Everything you mentioned, in regards to the differences between Vancouver/Calgary VS Saint John.
When you were talking about the City looking for workers for the Trades, I am actually looking into getting into a trade, so that would be something to consider, especially if the government is subsidizing education for training.
One question. With New Brunswick being bilingual. Is there any areas one can live and work, only knowing one language. That is my biggest concern
Oh goodness yes. We only speak English so Saint John is perfect for us. If you only speak French, you would want to be in Fredericton, Dieppe or some of the smaller northern or eastern towns.
Westside is the best side!
Agreed!
Just a few comments - in regards to the job market, there is a misnomer you have to be bilingual, especially for government jobs. This is completely false, bilingualism is not required generally speaking. For a small portion of the jobs, yes French is required, but this should not persuade you from choosing Saint John. In regards to property tax, you have to look at the big picture. If you have to pay $800 or $1,500 per year more than what you are used to, how much are you saving in gas money? For example living on the west side and hopping over harbour bridge and being at your job uptown in 4 to 7 minutes! Instead of being angry at commuting, being stuck in traffic, etc. it evolves to being annoyed you just had to wait 20 seconds to merge on harbour bridge. And car insurance, I pay $820 annually for my SUV - I’m sure it’s at least double in ON. Also, what about cost that doesn’t involve dollars? If you are having a bad day and need a mental health break, in most parts of the region you are usually 5 minutes or under to a beach, river, lake, bay or park. This is where a good agent (Wendy!) can offer guidance as they themselves made that jump from a large urban area. There is value in that - just for comparison you could never do that in a place like Vaughan, where high rises overlook vast amounts of pavement, malls and highways and you have to own a car. About the oil refinery and mill, Saint John can unfortunately be defined by those industries, but in actual fact those areas make up a small portion of the city and region. If you look at google maps starting in Grand Bay - Westfield and move east towards Hampton, you’ll see some of the most beautiful middle class enclaves in Canada on or overlooking the water - including Crystal Beach, Grand Bay, Ketepec/Belmont/Morna, Stanley Gardens, Ragged Point, Den Boom Cove, Drury Cove, Kennebecasis Park (K-Park), Renforth, East Riverside-Kingshurst, old Rothesay and Gondola Point just as a sampling. Then you have your communities on the ocean like Dipper Harbour, Maces Bay and St. Martins. I mention long list because when you google Saint John you always get shown pics of historic uptown or industry, when this is just a part of the story of region. If you are attracted to Fredericton or Moncton and envision Saint John as an industrial town, you can still find similar areas right in the Saint John region. No, we won’t have the best shopping like Moncton or the latest chain restaurant like IHOP, instead you’ll find SJ as the cultural/theatre/architectural/outdoors/foodie and drink capital of the province.
Yes! What he said! Thanks for your comment... It is all spot on!
You are amazing. The effort you put in to helping our audience understand the area and the benefits of the Maritime lifestyle is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Saint John is by no means a mostly Irish background.
Ok, please enlighten us.
Saint John was an incorporated city for nearly 65 years before the first real wave of Irish immigrants came here. At best 18 to 20 % of people who came to Saint John, came from Ireland. The United Empire Loyalist founded the City and they were made up of mainly English, Scottish and some Germans, and Dutch. The Irish came here in two wave, the first starting around 1845 because of the potato famine back home and a second wave came after the Great Saint John fire in 1877.
@@fredgarrett1666 Thank you for that. I will have to do more reading up about it, but what I did read mentioned that the Loyalists were mainly Irish and the potato famine brought people here from Ireland to be amongst their own where they thought (wrongly) they would be welcomed. Irish Catholicism seems to be everywhere in this city, from the cemeteries and churches to the street and bar names. I love that you are contributing more knowledge to this channel. I still have a hard time seeing how Saint John is anything other that predominantly Irish. Whether it's Irish, English, German or Dutch, the question from immigrants is still very understandable, since racial diversity is a fairly recent development. Thankfully, the answer seems to be that residents, regardless of their backgrounds, are a very welcoming people.
@@WeLoveSaintJohn The united Empire Loyalist landed in what is now Saint John in 1783, the potato famine in Ireland occurred between 1845-1852. When the first wave of Irish arrived, Saint John was already a fairly big city, but there were no Roman Catholic churches in Saint John, so Holy Trinity Anglican Church offered to allow them to hold services in their church. The second wave of Irish came after the great fire in Saint John which offer lots off jobs needed to rebuild. It fair to say that the Irish have contributed a fair amount to making Saint John, but saying it's mainly Iris is most certainly an overstatement to say the least.
@@fredgarrett1666 Well, how ever you want to describe it, it's definitely becoming much more culturally diverse, and thankfully, the newcomers we've met are carrying on the tradition of making Saint John a very welcoming and friendly city
Just to comment on the "racism" question ... as you said it happens everywhere... you will find this problem with the much older part of the population .. the younger citizen are more in tuned with the rest of the world and for the most part much more welcoming ... as Wendy said ... 1 in the crowed ruins it for all others.
Well said.
I think I'll stand up for the older folks here to say that perhaps the younger citizens should look a little closer at the past, they may find that many of these older folks might not be the racist folks you think them to be. Nearly 50 years ago the largest high school of time in Saint John showed their views when those students, who are now perhaps the older folks you speak of, elected a young back man as the President of the Student Council.