What keeps you here?

By: Janet Creamer, Communications Manager, Halfax Chamber of Commerce

A good friend of mine came to Halifax this summer for their first trip to the East Coast, they were dumbfounded by two things: how much there was to do in the city and that my apartment was three times the size of theirs, at about a ¼ of the cost. They almost called in their resignation and moved here. However reality quickly set in; an investment banker, their industry is predominately in Toronto, and despite the high cost of living there, they’d surely starve trying to do the same work here.

Which got me thinking, what matters more to someone, the ability to find work or quality of life? Does one go to a community that has a great quality of life and look for a good job, or does someone get a good job somewhere and adapt to the quality of life the place has to offer? For me it is the former, but am I the exception, or the rule?

As a young professional working and living in Halifax I sometimes get the impression that people don’t expect me to stay here, thinking like many others before me I’ll flee to the greener pastures of a larger city.  I find I get asked a lot: “Have you ever thought of moving to a Toronto?” and “Why do you stay in Halifax?”

I don’t know if people assume that all young people will move away, or if they are just hinting that they want me to move, but regardless, recently I have been giving these questions a lot of thought. 

The first question is pretty easy to answer - of course I’ve thought of moving to a larger city. Throughout university I was sure I’d wind up in Ottawa or Toronto, enjoying the hustle and bustle. But as I watched others who made the move to start their careers, many seemed less than satisfied with what these cities had to offer for recreation and culture, few were making enough money to live in their teeny-tiny bachelor apartments, and what little money they were able to save went towards lengthy trips back home to the East Coast. Bottom line was, while those larger cities may have the hustle and bustle, and tons of entry level jobs –  they lacked a unique culture and comfort – that coupled with a high cost of living makes for a hefty price tag.

 So the price tag of bigger cities might have been enough to have me start my career here, but why have I stayed? What is it about Halifax that keeps me here?

For me there is not just one answer, not just one thing that keeps me here. An important piece is the ability to find long-term employment, to feel secure in my job and my home, and to enjoy a competitive cost of living – all things I’ve found in Halifax. 

Topping my list might be the hospitality, the smell of the salt water in the air, the small town feel with big city amenities, the rich and vibrant culture, and being able to drive from the ocean to the city centre in under an hour – I could go on, but I think you catch my drift. For me, and people of my generation, we value some of the qualitative elements of life as much, if not more, than the quantitative elements, and when you balance Halifax’s superior quality of life against the lure of big city life - the decision to live here is an easy one.

 ** as appears in Business Voice, November 2010



Comments

[Tyler MacLeod]

I read this column when it first appeared in Business Voice and anyone glancing my way would have probably seen me nodding in silent agreement. I’ve also elected to live and work in Halifax despite working in a profession that has many more opportunities down the road in Toronto. And like the author, I attribute it to a number of intangibles. But something about the column’s conclusion didn’t sit well with me over the past couple weeks. “...when you balance Halifax’s superior quality of life against the lure of big city life - the decision to live here is an easy one.” Wait – are these mutually exclusive? Why can’t we have it both ways?

There seems to be a widely-held belief that growth of our city will erode the quality of life. I’d suggest that growth, done right, can enhance the quality of life – bringing more jobs, more amenities, and more culture. With proper planning and with the help of our peninsular geography, Halifax will not become a sprawling metropolis but rather a dense urban core that’s very human in scale. With a dense core and top notch public transit we can avoid the traffic jams of other big cities and still be minutes from the sea wherever we live in the city. Perhaps most importantly, we’ll have more of the jobs that many Nova Scotians are currently leaving the province for. And if you have any doubt about our ability to maintain our welcoming hospitality as a bigger city, you need only share a beer with Newfoundlander in Calgary or a Haligonian in Toronto to see that you can’t take the good cheer out of an Atlantic Canadian, even in a city of millions.