Lifestyle and Leisure
Prairie perspective
A snapshot of the communities and farm properties in Manitoba's one of Canada's prairie provinces
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the nature of the land and the size of the province, Manitoba's prairies are home to a thriving and substantial agricultural industry that takes advantage of the flat land and spacious plains.
The prairies are also home to small, friendly communities that welcome newcomers the same way as the much larger city of Winnipeg has welcomed people from all over the world for decades, creating a melting pot of cultures and backgrounds in one place.
You won't be surprised to learn, then, that the prairies are also popular with Brits looking to escape the queues and jams of the UK, to find peace and quiet down on the prairies.
Tracy Brunet of Farm Marketer knows this area well and works for a company that has the largest farm real estate website in Canada. The website is a place where real estate agents can market their farms, ranches and rural properties to people from around the world. She knows all about the advantages that living on the prairie can bring: "The prairie provinces offer a rich varied geography, abundant natural resources, an enviable standard of living and a diversified growing economy. It is for these same reasons that many European farm families choose to buy a farm in Canada and make the move."
Many of the Brits who have already relocated to the prairies will testify that the area is rich in opportunities for them to explore the agricultural sector: from dairy farming, to chick hatching and running a nursery, the opportunities for business are plentiful. The sheer size of the prairies also means that Brits can increase the size of their farms and therefore their profits, too.
Two of the properties Tracy currently has for sale are typical of the properties on the prairies. The first property is a 377-acre grain and beef farm and will set you back CDN$225,000, and the second property offers 1,049 acres for CDN$712,000.
For more information on the properties available and full listings of properties, go to: Farm Marketer
To find out about immigration requirements and restrictions on foreign ownership of Canadian farms, be sure to read 'Sowing visa seeds'
To read an extensive article about life on the prairies, get hold of a copy of the July 2009 issue of Emigrate magazine
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