If you're an unhappy British professional looking for an escape, this might be welcome news. If you're a Nova Scotian, this smacks of modern colonialism. England's respected Telegraph paper/site/media-thingy recently published a story encouraging thrifty Brits to shop for property in our beautiful, boring, bargain-priced province. From the article:
"Property prices in Nova Scotia are half those of British Columbia," says Kilmeny Fane-Saunders, who has launched Second Home Nova Scotia (www.secondhomenovascotia.com; 0207 9397923) this year, specifically catering for British buyers. Fifty per cent of her clients are emigrating to the province. "I have had UK buyers who want a change from countries like Spain," she says. "But it's not a place for people who need to be constantly entertained. You have to be outdoorsy and crave peace and quiet." Indeed, there is little in the way of cultural events or nightlife, aside from the odd ukulele festival. Halifax is quiet in the evenings and the more touristy coastal cities tend to have a highly seasonal market too, shutting down completely in winter, when temperatures can drop to -10C. (story here)Besides the frustrating, illuminating outsider's view of NS, the piece has a great quote from local real estate agent Tim Harris, who deals with American clients looking to get away from their troubled homeland: "And the day after Bush was re-elected we had 50 per cent more hits on our website."
