/diy/ - Do It Yourself

I know you are happy in America, but Canadaland has about 3 million lakes and tens of thousands of small unoccupied islands.

"But private islands are expensive"

Much of this is Crown land where it is technically owned by the government and they lease it to whoever wants it. They will sell crown land, but not if the island is in a provincial park (the good islands with easier access are in provincial parks).

People build cabins on private islands in the larger lakes and they pay almost nothing for the land. I'm talking $250 year as a flat fee. No other property taxes, but keep in mind this is just a small little island on a lake far from civilization.

Your costs come from getting the materials to the island to build your cabin. You do this in the winter when the lake is frozen and a temporary ice road is in place.

Islands in or near provincial parks may have cel phone coverage and possible 4G internet. Note that land in a provincial park may cost a bit more to lease. Remote areas have absolutely nothing though.

Here is a sample of island living in northern Saskatchewan, complete with solar powered internet and Netflix.

http://www.wsetech.com/remotecabin.php

This is overkill (solar is prohibitively expensive), but it gives you an idea what life is like in a province with 100,000 lakes and only 1 million people.