R I C H

Be aware that traffic and commuting across Kelowna can be a chore - the summertime exacerbates it, and getting from one side to the other of the city can easily take 45min +

Phaedru5

Hi, I have just moved to Vernon last month! My wife is from Kelowna and we lived there together for a couple of years when we first met (some 12yrs ago) but have been in the UK for the past 12yrs. We have visited family many times since of course and know the okanagan very well. Personally, moving to Vancouver or anywhere on the coastal side of the mountains is akin to staying in the UK, its expensive, busy, and rainy and cloudy. The Okanagan on the other hand is a delight! Dry, cold snowy winters, hot and dry summers, very little humidity so even when its knocking on 40degC it is bareable. Kelowna is way too big and way too busy for my liking, especially in summer. Everything is spread out and far apart. That being said, people who complain about traffic here have clearly never lived in or around London (im from Berkshire).
We fell in love with Revelstoke but its very small and abit remote, especially in the winter, for a family wth kids and also little employment opportunities. Vernon was the perfect middle ground (for us) - about 40,000 people, everything is close I can drive across town in about 10minutes, if not less, it has everything you need and Kelowna is only 40mins drive for bigger shopping like costco. Vernon also has the beach on Kalamalka, far nicer than the downtown beaches of kelowna in my opinion, also the delightful kal park, ellison park, the ski hill is only 25mins drive (big white is about 50mins from kelowna) I could go on for days. We did alot of research, know the okanagan well and we just absolutely love Vernon. Someone above said something about being over 55? Everyone I have met is middle age (30-50) with kids and has moved there for the outdoor lifestyle, hiking, biking, watersports, skiing, etc. Lots of good schools, lots of parks, a cinema, skating rinks, a pool, somebody stop me now I could go on all day. As for community everyone seems to want to help, so welcoming and friendly. Any questions you have just let me know.

Phaedru5

By the way we will soon have our 2 bedroom basement suite (with its own living room, kitchen, bathroom and access to a garden and hot tub) on airbnb if you need a place to stay and some recently relocated brits for advice! It's on Middleton Mountain, South Vernon (almost Coldstream) , just minutes from the beach on Kal lake.

Danny B

If you want to do a house swap with me during the IOM TT this year (or next) let me know. I live in Kamloops, would be a good base for you to explore the area and me fulfill one of my dreams

TrickyTreeRed

What about Vancouver Island? I lived in Victoria for a 11+ years and really enjoyed life there.

While housing prices in Victoria have risen rapidly over the past few years, there are other towns on the Island where homes can be found at more reasonable prices. Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Duncan and Courtenay-Comox to name a few.

You're seeking a place to live with plenty of outdoor options. There are few places better in B.C. for this than Vancouver Island.

BristolUK

So for clarification purposes, is the underlined part your response to Snowy in that you already have the immigration requirements accounted for.

It's just that there are sometimes questions from people who are unaware there's more to it than deciding to move to Canada.

TrickyTreeRed

It depends. I now live in Metro Vancouver and observe that many (but not all) whose ancestry is from China, India other countries in Asia do not fully integrate into a Canadian way of life. They tend to conduct their lives, private and business, within their own 'communities' and stick to themselves. Sometimes the old politics of the 'mother country' also play an important role. An example being the Khalistan issue for some Sikhs. https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/...-violence.html

That being said, many of my friends are immigrants (as am I) or sons and daughters of immigrants from differing backgrounds who have fully integrated into Canadian society. I was even going to marry a lady of Tamil ethnicity (until her parents told her she could not marry a white man - but that's another story).

I've also lived in Ottawa where i noticed no issues of segregation, unless the Toronto Maple Leafs of Montreal Canadiens was discussed. Same in Victoria.

At the end of the day, anyone who wishes to embrace a Canadian way of life will be embraced.

dbd33

There's no segregation in Canada. No division of busses according to the colour of the passengers, no areas where banks will only grant mortgages to whites.

There are concentrations of people of particular ethnicities, where shops, restaurants and even house architecture tailored to that ethnicity but it's not segregation; people travel to Greeektown to eat Greek food and to Brampton for curries. There is nowhere one cannot go because of colour.

I explicitly do not embrace the "Canadian way of life". Today was a day for wearing ice hockey shirts to the office. It was plain that about 15% of people embrace that conceit and own suitable garments. There's absolutely no need nor reason to join in with what the cradles do and most people do not. Cradle Canadians are just another minority.

jandro

Canada probably has a reputation as a 'multicultural paradise' because it was the first Western country to adopt multiculturalism as an official policy back in the 70s.

I thought when I lived in London that people of different backgrounds were more integrated and there was more mutual respect between people of various ethnicities. That was over 10 years ago though. I also find in the Lower Mainland that there is a certain amount of self-segregation in neighborhoods and even in some workplaces.

dbd33

That's what a multi-culture is. Every day I here people talking, about work, in "Chinese" and in Hindi, occasionally there's a meeting in Russian. If there are people involved in the conversation who do not speak the preferred language then everyone switches to English. Canadians make a huge deal of this though, in fact, the same happens in Milton Keynes and King of Prussia.

People tend to congregate, especially if they have extended families including members who do not speak English. Over time the area is modelled to suit them (no gardens or trees in Brampton, for example). That's not wrong, that's what we do too; all trudge along to Oakville or the Beach because the pubs suit us.

Segregation, state sponsored discrimination, doesn't apply here, as it does not in the UK. I question the motive for using such a loaded term.

BristolUK

Why? Something to do with last Friday's tragedy or something else?

dbd33

Tasteless cash in on some sort of bus crash.

Danny B

No different to the plane that crashed with all the Man U players on in 1958. The country mourned together then, and still do today.

Stinkypup

And this just reminds me exactly why I very rarely publically post on here any more

scilly

what a disgusting comment


There was no money raising associated with this, at least not by the organisers.


As Donny B posted ...

The deaths of the Busby Babes caused a very similar outpouring of grief. I lived close to Manchester, and Man United were "our" team.