Quit reading ET and watching/reading the news and you'll feel much better When I first found ET, I found myself getting very paranoid, myself. There are so many dooms day posts and ultra-bearish predictions. That is the most realistic way to deal with your paranoia, IMO.
The problem with this approach is that the Canadian wilderness flat out has no employment. Meaning, if I went out there, I'd have no way to generate income. I'd like to finance the acquisition of properties while also building a stash of gold/silver coins. The idea is that if there are price shocks in the US market, I'd go grab guns and fishing rods and escape. In the long run, if I find the guns and fishing rods approach works, I can just stay. Canadian immigration is somewhat of a nuisance, though I hear it's better than what the US puts other people through. They have some "province sponsorship" program where they route people (i.e., indentured servants) to business people within the provinces for employment.
God gave us masturbation for a reason. He then waited until the US financed the DARPA projects to give us the internet, on which he then enabled us to download porn. The sexual aspect of this problem is not an important one, unless you're drunk on the excess sexuality that happens to be in the western media. I am, however, thrilled that you pointed out an article about a guy who left the electric grid. That sounds like a good project.
I've heard the average temperature in Toronto is minus 30 Celsius in the summer. Also, it's a well-known fact that the Eskimos, Newfies, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police are cannibals. Also, everybody up there speaks some kind of bizarre pigeon French. But the land is cheap.
you do not! I repeat, DO NOT know what winter is like in canada! How does -40c + insane wind cutting into your face sound like? if you want to enjoy Canada's nature, move to the maritime provinces or BC, but it aint so cheap.
It seems to me that the markets are going to put more demand on land that is for the lazy humans. If I can solve the problem of existence in the freezing wastelands of Canada, I would do quite well in terms of wealth and income. Insane wind is good, because it means I can come up with some scheme for generating power. The question is how readily and easily I can solve the heat problem. If there is anyone out there with a cabin in Canada during the frigid months who'd let me stay there for a week for some money, PM me. I'll pay, if you can give me a sample of what life is like in some place like the Yukon or Northwest Territories.
I've lived in Alberta for a number of years and land up north is still relatively cheap, and Edmonton isn't too far away (Compared to N.W.T. where there is almost nothing). I guess it depends just how far you want to be away from everyone.
Um, I think ur in dreamland man. there are barely any people in those provinces, 30,000 people in each? the high wind wont work for power generation because your generators will be frozen solid and will crack to pieces if they are spinning. if you want a more reasonable place in canada, check out canmore, Alberta, beautiful mountain backdrop, good for skiing/snowboarding, and close to 2 major canadian cities (Edmonton, Calgary) no provincial income taxes and a very healthy oil economy.
I hear you brother. I live in one of the 5 largest cities in the U.S. Everybody talks about how much there is to do in the city. But on the weekends, downtown is vacant. People escape to their cabins in the country. When it comes right down to it, people don't want to be in the city. My wife and I 1) go out to eat (as if you need to go somewhere to do that), and 2) go to movies - which is just big TV. God bless NYC after 9/11, but it's the worst part of the rat race. You say you feel like your mind and body are being poisoned. Pay attention to that feeling. Want to know what you'll look like in NYC after 40 years? Look at the existing middle-class elderly in your Manhattan co-op. You have some billionaires in Manhattan, but most people end up as grizzled, old survivors with the life sucked out of them. Pay attention to your dream. Make the move.
The oil economy is the problem. The people are getting fat paychecks that are driving up the cost of real-estate in those parts of Canada. They're abusing credit and leverage to pump up the prices. I call these real estate agents and none of the properties actually sit on the market for very long. This is in stark contrast to what's going on in places in the US right now, where properties are sitting for quite some time. I want to know why anyone has over 1.5 mil on a house in Yellowknife if it's such a remote, cold place. The economics of Canada don't make sense near the cities until you look at the oil and the connected industries -- at least, on the west. The parts that look livable in terms of cost have no habitation at all, or very little of it. In those areas, the taxes are low, the land is cheap, and it's beautiful. If just the basic things are solved in some of those spots, it seems like a genuine solution to 1) retirement, and 2) low cost living. If the Canadians do have an energy solution/revolution or plop 1 nuclear plant out in some of those areas, those land purchases from remote areas would skyrocket in value. The vast majority of land plots out there don't have power/water hookups. Someone with money, resources, and political influence could create a location and profit for himself just by attacking these problems efficiently. One Canadian told me the government actually pays people to live in certain regions, so there are certainly attempts by people (through influencing the government) to try and accomplish what I'm talking about. The US is a losing game at this point, because inflation (not what the fed reports) is really eating up our incomes. $1500/month to live in a closet, then spend $5 on a gallon of milk and also a gallon of gas? Land that can be bought has been bought, and we have far more pollution and toxins in our land. The Canadian land and resources are much more pristine.