justice for the 96

hi there can anyone give advice as we are torn between both places for expatriation! would love to read good/bad things about both places if poss.we are visiting calgary in the summer for 3 weeks . thankyou very much for your time.

Almost Canadian

The bad thing about Vancouver is that it rains more than it does in England, the good thing about Calgary is that it doesn't

bananahammock

I've lived here for just over 2 years (Vancouver Island) & can count the times I've had to shovel snow on my hands

I'm sure there are a few that will disagree with this but I don't find the rain a problem, I think maybe it rains less here than the mainland but I'm not sure . Since I left Bristol they've had rotten rainstorms, flooding etc.

It's green all year round.
I can go out with damp hair

We researched both places for 2 years whilst waiting for visas but for me the weather was a huge issue although jobwise we'd have probably (OH especially) been better off on the mainland or in AB.

Not that I'm quite old enough to worry about it yet but a fair few people come here to retire & enjoy the more temperate climate/pace, property prices are a pain in the butt compared to some other parts of Canada so we figured if we could make a go of it from the beginning & probably struggle a bit (which we have/are) it would pay off in the long run.

Judy in Calgary

Vancouver has a mild climate, but very rainy winters (when I looked up rainfall stats, I think I saw that the rainfall was double that of London, UK). Another challenge with Vancouver is that it's a large city (at least by Canada's standards), and the traffic flow is not the best.

Vancouver's scenic backdrop is gorgeous. The rain makes for very lush vegetation. Whistler is a 2-hour drive from Vancouver. The saying is that you can ski in the morning and golf or kayak in the afternoon.

In Vancouver you have access to the ocean, which you don't in Calgary.

Calgary's population is not as large as Vancouver's, so the traffic is not yet as bad as Vancouver's. In Calgary you're also a 2-hour drive from the ski slopes. Calgary has a dry climate with lots of sunshine throughout the year.

Calgary does get some cold winter weather (albeit the cold spells are broken up by warm Chinook winds). Also, Calgary's relatively dry climate means that the vegetation is less lush. In fact, the place looks quite brown for a good chunk of the winter (we get some snow, but not that much, owing to the dry climate).

British Columbia has provincial sales tax. Alberta doesn't.

In Alberta you're eligible for the provincial health care insurance plan from day one if you arrive from overseas. In BC you have to wait three months.

In Alberta you can exchange your UK driver's licence for an Alberta driver's licence with no test.

In BC you have to do a driving test.

Except for a 4-year gap in the late 1990s, I've lived in Calgary for close to 31 years. I used to like it here, but in the last couple of years the scrawny vegetation and brown winter landscape has bothered me. I am feeling drawn to the ocean and to the green, leafy environment of the west coast. But I'm drawn to Vancouver Island more than to Vancouver itself.

There are many other cities and towns in BC and Alberta besides Vancouver and Calgary. Places you might want to think about include Lethbridge in Alberta and Kelowna and Kamloops in BC. It would be ideal if you could travel from Calgary to Vancouver (or vice versa) and see everything in between. But it is a lot of territory to cover in three weeks. In three weeks you'd be able to do a superficial trip, just skimming the surface. If you wanted to stay in places, talk to local people, and fossick around to get some sense of what it would be like to live there, you'd need more time.

rae

current weather van 6c and rainy, edmonton -8 clear, but due to drop to -22 with snow as the storm hits next 2 days. bloody calgary, should have waited for CPS.

Howard1944

In Vancouver, if you can see the Mountain Tops, i is going to rain, if you can't, it is raining.

You don't tan, you rust.

Ab is a much more driven to make money society, B.C is lotus land.

BristolUK

Right now I'd prefer to have loads of rain than this bloody snow.

Bristol was one of the rainier places in the UK - unless that's a myth - so I'd be okay with rain.

The cold weather I can cope with...but repeated shovelling of deep snow is a pain. I'm hoping it's just because it's coincided with a nasty cold and the weakness of muscles etc makes it worse.

I may find I keep looking at Vancouver with envy.

Howard1944

Bristol, there is a reason God invented Snow Blowers with Electric Starts.

Yoong

The rain in Vancouver is not a problem for me,prefer the rain
than snow. Thank goodness the recent snow storm did not last
long because the rain got rid of the whitestuff
Yoong

Surrey Expat

Not in the upper Fraser Valley, we still have 10" of the stuff. At least when it stops raining we can get on with stuff.

Yoong

Just look out at the window and it is snowing again!!

Yoong

Surrey Expat

It's raining out here in the valley and a balmy 2°C - oh for the rain!

bazzz

You might want to read the answers you got last time you asked this question:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=466641

BristolUK

Yeah, but I've been here three winters now. There was nothing in the first two that was a problem.

Even with what we've had this time, including 4th highest December snowfall on record, I've managed except where three big ones became too much.

I paid $46 to have it cleared by a tractor/snowblower.

I'm not really convinced spending $1000 or more is worth it.

startwin

No comparison. Vancouver is stunning. Who cares about the rain? It doesn't stop you doing anything. In winter you can go skiing after work, just half an hour from downtown. Summer and fall are beautiful, so much to do, great beaches.

I'm not going to diss Calgary because I don't live there and don't know enough about it. Can only speak for Vancouver. Well, I guess I did diss it when I said no comparison, but for me that's how it is. And I love being close to the ocean.