I should think not. Just imagine what it would say inside

Mmm - not really. Various grandfather clauses which you can't qualify for unless you were employed there, or you can get married to someone who is employed there or has a business there. And as for the "student" exemption, the only schools are for the children of the people who live there.

So pretty much... people employed there or have a business there.

She has a Canadian granddaughter in law. Little bit of trivia there for your edification.

That is what the issue was with my commute to Whistler, while the hourly pay I was getting was more then I get now, once gas was accounted for I take more home now since I don't have to buy a tank of gas every week just to get to/from work.

Plus the 45 minute commute sucked.

45 minute, oh please! For those that rose from the Phoenix that is/was London that's nothing. We used to catch the 7.25 train into Waterloo every weekday, change to a tube, then walk 10-15 minutes each way. Our commute was door to door 85 plus minutes each way, excluding the bomb scares - and sometimes real bombes - just to get to and from the office. We were paid well for it, I admit, but worth it with youth. Now - nah!!

I have a 45 min commute to work and it costs me a tank of gas each week and that's only because a drive a cheap on gas car. It's not perfect to have a commute but it allows me to work downtown and live in a neighbourhood I love so I just suck it up....

but have any of you attempted to drive the 45 minute commute from Squamish to Whistler and back, each way every "work" day??

It isn't like a nice little commute along the 4 or 6 lane freeway from Abbotsford to Vancouver!

It's "idiot alley", even after the massive expensive upgrading done to get the 2010 Winter Olympics. All the testosterone comes out in those 20 and 30 somethings racing from Vancouver to get the longest possible time on the slopes. There are still head-on crashes, and cars slamming into the canyon walls.

This!

Its not the same type of commute, and add in bad weather, the highway is downright scary, and lots of curves and well its a very tiring commute like a lot of mountain driving can be.

It's night and day between an urban mostly straight highway or using public transit.

I can make a bit less working in town, and not have to spend money on gas, so more money in my pocket for other things.

You also get way less fuel efficiency on a mountain road, used way more gas then the car would use on a flat urban highway.

And what was mentioned about all the wannabe racers from Vancouver and idiot driving from city folks, and it can be quite the drive.

Most of the accidents on the highway are caused by speed and I'd venture from people not from this area who do 120 on a 80 curve and end up in a ditch or hitting another car, there is a reason those curves slow to 80...


Also depends on what a job pays, if its paying a large income, well a commute is more worthwhile, for 12-13 hr, a commute makes no sense once a job locally comes around for the same pay or close to it.

I don't drive, and OH is a very safe driver ........... but there are 3 places where I hold, or have held, onto the sides of my seat scared almost to death of what the other drivers are doing

1. On the old Fraser canyon highway before the Coquihalla was built when you had tourists competing with tractor trailers to see who could overtake who before the next corner arrived.

2. On some roads in New Zealand which had only about 6" of space between the roadway and the edge of the cliff falling hundred feet or more down to the bottom of the valleys, and most of those roads are only 2 lane anyway


3. The highway to Whistler ..... it's never been a safe road, and there was very little improvement with the massive upgrading that was done.

As Jsmith says, it's a mountain highway, with all the weather conditions that implies, and nasty corners. Add speed to those conditions, and it's unsafe for anyone

My niece had to veer to avoid some idiot, and ending up sliding off the road because of ice, her car went into the cliff face. She was lucky, she "only" had a concussion and whiplash, but the car was totalled. The idiot got off scot free, and left the scene.

The so called improvements made are still not adequate, accidents are the norm on the highway, have been at least 3 or 4 in less then a week, another today in Lions Bay.

This time of year you have to add motor cycles to the mix which complicate driving on the highway further.

Long time locals of this area have called it the Ski to Die highway as a nickname, and there were some electronic signs over the winter on bad weather day's that said, don't die on the sea to sky, slow down.

The highway gets even more sketchy on the way to Pemberton, suicide hill comes to mind.

You don't really move to Banff. Canmore, Calgary, Cochrane - but Banff? No.

If none of those listed floats your boat, look deeper, like Golden, Revelstoke, Fernie, Kimberley.

Bear in mind though, that as small mountain towns, there's a lot of competition for very few jobs, most of which will be manual or menial. If you need work of a more professional nature, Calgary, Cochrane etc will be a better bet.

Also, as you realized, being a British Citizen doesn't allow you to waltz in and live here. You need to go through the arduous, tedious, and lengthy immigration process. Depending on your age, you may qualify for the IEC visa (up to 2 years 'Working Holiday' visa) which would allow you to live and work here, and get an idea if you really want to move.