Cathy and Ian Finlay, and their two daughters, 9-year-old Lauren and 2-year-old Jessica, have only been living in Canada a few months, but they spent years planning the move. Words Anna Tobin
“We decided to emigrate to Canada from our hometown of Morpeth, Northumberland, about two years ago,” Cathy Finlay explains. “My husband Ian was working for a construction company at the time, but because of the economic situation, local work was drying up. He was having to work further and further away from home. He was due to be sent to work in London the week I was due to give birth to Jessica; that’s when we decided something had to change.
“We initially started our own construction business, concentrating on local house renovations and extensions. The business began doing very well, but it was hard work for both of us and family life was beginning to suffer. Ian would come home from a day at work and have to run through invoices with me. I was juggling the manning of the phones and the admin with looking after the children. We were left with too little time to dedicate to the kids.
“Meanwhile, we saw an advert for PCL Constructors in Vancouver in a UK construction journal. There is a shortage of skilled tradespeople in Canada and British people are particularly sought after as they are thought to be familiar with cutting edge construction techniques.
“Ian applied, went to meet the company in London and subsequently was offered a job. We researched the company and liked what we found. We were particularly impressed with their ethics and their focus on staff achieving a good work/life balance. We also did a lot of homework on living in Canada. We felt that there would be more opportunities for all of us over here; we could have a better lifestyle, afford a bigger house and a new car for the first time, and the kids could get a great education, so Ian accepted the job and we began to plan the move.”
Read more about the Finlays' move in the January issue of Living Abroad magazine
