Moving to Saskatchewan
Standing on one of the beautiful rocks at Roche Perce, near Estevan, Saskatchewan.
Is Saskatchewan a good place to live? Is Saskatchewan a safe place to live? How is the Saskatchewan education system? These are the questions that I found myself tapping into Google when I learned that moving to Saskatchewan could happen. This story actually begins in March of 2020, so let’s start there.
The tickets were booked and the cameras were cleaned. The move out west that we had dreamed about for so many years was about to become a reality. The plane would depart on April 1st from Montreal. Except it wouldn’t. As if a premature April fools joke, on March 27th, the world began shutting down. We were left in a tailspin as to what our next move would be. I’ll save the story of our confinement for another time, but here we are, fresh in Estevan, Saskatchewan.
What is it like living in Saskatchewan? I can’t speak for everyone, but coming from out east, I would say that living in Saskatchewan has been amazing. It’s going on two months that a U-Haul was home for more than 24 hours, with it’s own set of scares. Pulling into the prairies was overwhelmingly beautiful, with snow-glazed expanses as far as the eye can see and a sky that makes you feel some sort of peace. The slight sensation of homesickness was starting to set in as we crossed into Saskatchewan. Then something happened. I was confused at first at the random people tossing a friendly hand up over the wheel as we crossed paths on our individual treks. In fact, at my next fuel stop I checked that all was well with the truck, wondering if they were trying to signal that a light was out or a panel was flapping, but it wasn’t that. This is how the people are out here. The friendliness extended at every fuel station and restaurant. Even now, almost two months into this adventure, the friendliness catches me off guard at times. Complete strangers offer helping hands and words of wisdom at every store you walk into. Neighbors are typical small-town neighbors. So, if you’re asking if Saskatchewan is a good place to live, It’s been my experience that it’s a great place to live.
Is Saskatchewan safe? That’s another great question. The very first day I arrived, a man at a local shop described Estevan, Saskatchewan as, “a place so safe that you can walk down Main street at 3am and not have a worry in the world.” I chuckled and thanked him for his stories and went on my way. Two days later I was in another shop and the young man described the town in exactly the same way. Either stumbling around downtown at 3am was a sport here, or this place was really just that carefree and well, safe. As for what I’ve seen two months in, aside from an abundance of wildlife sightings including Moose, Coyotes and a Cougar, you should be just fine.
How is the Saskatchewan education system? My daughter was skeptical of moving to a new place and leaving all of her friends behind, but she took it like a champ. It really didn’t take her long to settle and find her place. Our meetings with the school were pleasant and the systems in place not only rival the ones we were exposed to back East, but surpass it in many ways.
To wrap up this simple post about where I’ve relaunched my social media marketing and management business, Saskatchewan had everything I had been looking for, even the things I didn’t know I needed. If you are looking to move to Saskatchewan, I’d say go for it! Trust me, you have nothing to lose.
- Canadian James