considering move to BC
 

Currently in AB, and considering a move to BC.

The biggest turn offs are:

1. High cost of housing, combined with
2. Poor job market and salaries (at least as advertised) seem low for the cost of housing

This would be hard for my young ones. Am I looking at this incorrectly?

Re: considering move to BC
 

BC is a big place, it isn't just Vancouver and the Fraser valley which skews the house price stats. Obviously as you say, you need to get a balance between house prices and job availabilty- more jobs on the coast but higher house price.

Here in the Okanagan, there are still reasonable prices but well paid jobs aren't that easy to come by. Obviously it really depends what you do as to how available the jobs are and what you get paid -where you are currently working and living in AB?

Re: considering move to BC
 

No. You will hate it. Best stay where you are.

Re: considering move to BC
 

Probably not. Young people are moving a way, some to AB due to housing cost and earnings to cost of living.

Try Prince George?

Re: considering move to BC
 

Hi Fred,
What kind of work are you looking for?

Most of the best paying jobs in BC don't get advertised as they're not looking for dozens of applicants, they want to hand pick the candidates.

There are many places in BC where the cost of living is extremely affordable. Do you have any preference?

The stats (from the gov't of BC) claim solid employment growth in BC but it does seem that a lot of the unemployed from AB are moving to fill those spots.

Re: considering move to BC
 

Apparently Kelowna is the second hardest place in Canada to find a job.

Presumably unless you work in retail. It's one big shopping mall....

Re: considering move to BC
 

Chilliwack isn't an easy place to find a job either. Especially if your looking for something not near min. wage.


While most here likely own, Kelowna is a bad place for renters, low vacancy and high rents.

Re: considering move to BC
 

[QUOTE=JonboyE;
I agree. After being in BC for almost 6 of my 59 yrs in Canada. I would agree. I am thinking seriously of relocating back to Ontario or perhaps even back to UK, even though that would be more difficult.
I have lived in Victoria, for close to 6 yrs.. I am not happy here. Not the place I thought I would retire to Things have changed and are continuing to do so Not I think, for the better

Re: considering move to BC
 

[QUOTE=Largo;12114198][QUOTE=JonboyE;
I agree. After being in BC for almost 6 of my 59 yrs in Canada. I would agree. I am thinking seriously of relocating back to Ontario or perhaps even back to UK, even though that would be more difficult.
I have lived in Victoria, for close to 6 yrs.. I am not happy here. Not the place I thought I would retire to Things have changed and are continuing to do so Not I think, for the better[/QUOTE]

Oh Largo, what an interesting response. Would you mind telling us what you dislike about Victoria? We nearly went there instead of here, and I often which I had done...possibly mistakenly.

Re: considering move to BC
 

Your right that both of these exist in unison in a lot of BC but you cannot compare it directly with a province which has seen, IMO, artificially high salaries and unsustainable growth in them fuelled by the oil and gas industry. This is only an issue now that oil and gas is in a dip.

Re: considering move to BC
 

One of the biggest turnoffs is the cost of vehicle insurance and being forced to get at least basic vehicle insurance at whatever ICBC decides to charge. You can get the rest of your cover from Canadian Direct and save a bit but for basic you can't shop around in BC as you can in Alberta.
House prices vary a lot. They're not bad on mid-and upper Vancouver Island but BC has a nasty thing called a "transfer tax" which the government charges when you buy property. Rental property is in short supply with the way the BC government acts, it will be years before there's any government funded affordable housing.
Other turn offs: about five months of miserable depressing rain in coastal communities and the increasing danger from forests fires in the interior. After living here for four years, I actually miss the crisp sunny days and blue skies of Alberta.
Jobs paying more than minimum wage are hard to come by. Most are in retail or are dead-end service jobs.
Best of luck

Re: considering move to BC
 

[QUOTE=Largo;12114198][QUOTE=JonboyE;
I agree. After being in BC for almost 6 of my 59 yrs in Canada. I would agree. I am thinking seriously of relocating back to Ontario or perhaps even back to UK, even though that would be more difficult.
I have lived in Victoria, for close to 6 yrs.. I am not happy here. Not the place I thought I would retire to Things have changed and are continuing to do so Not I think, for the better[/QUOTE]

I think Victoria is a fine little city. What's not to like? I think I'm right in saying the South VI gets half the rain of Vancouver (is that right?). Yes it is. Just googled it. Average Vancouver rain 1457mm PA. Average Victoria 705mm PA. I don't see professionals here earning less than elsewhere? Maybe they are. I don't know whether fortunate or not, but my wife and I certainly don't have to settle for anything like minimum wage - and we both work on the Island. Housing is, perhaps, a rather subjective thing. Depends where you came from (i.e. London or SE England). We have a house twice the size of our old London place and it cost considerably less - so it's all relative.

Re: considering move to BC
 

Quote:

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Originally Posted by leith (Post 12116613)

One of the biggest turnoffs is the cost of vehicle insurance and being forced to get at least basic vehicle insurance at whatever ICBC decides to charge. You can get the rest of your cover from Canadian Direct and save a bit but for basic you can't shop around in BC as you can in Alberta.

---

On the flip side though, there's no MOT cost, or road fund licence to pay. Gas is cheaper too.

Re: considering move to BC
 

Wow, you don't buy tags for your plates or have safety inspections out there ?

Re: considering move to BC
 

No safety inspections in BC unless its a car coming to BC from out of province, but once in province none needed.

Tags are part of insurance renewal process, when you renew your ICBC basic coverage, you get a new tag. Cost is built into your ICBC payment.

Re: considering move to BC
 

From what I've heard you pay a fair amount in ins so no real saving.

No safety inspections is a little worrying

Re: considering move to BC
 

I think we have lower insurance generally vs Ontario, but higher then Alberta, but so many variables hard to really compare.

We pay with 40% discount just around $140/month for 2 million liability, comprehensive and collision along with things like rental car coverage and some basic road side assistance.

No idea if this is considered high vs other provinces.

Re: considering move to BC
 

Seems a little high compared to me paying for two cars ( 2015 Santa Fe and Mini Cooper S ) at $200pm with similar liability but like u say, difficult to judge

Re: considering move to BC
 

Speaking purely for myself I find our family quality of life to be way better than it was back in the UK. We enjoy more space, a quieter environment, less crime and our disposable income seems to go further.

Re: considering move to BC
 

I don't think the cost of living is higher than London. London prices always seem higher to me. We have a town house which we bought for less than what we got for our terraced house in London (and is bigger). This was in 2015. I think wages are higher in London but I'm not a big spender so don't really notice it. I certainly don't do anywhere near as much Internet shopping that's for sure!
Also if you don't do a $ £ conversion (i.e. working out what your Canadian salary is in £, which I realized is a fatal mistake), we find our money goes about the same distance.

S

Re: considering move to BC
 

[QUOTE=rivingtonpike;12120180]We have been in the Victoria area for 3 years since moving over from the LM. Wow have we seen big changes since we have been here especially during the past year or so. Totally unsustainable development just about everywhere, mostly hideous looking condos which look like they belong in a communist country. I cannot imagine just how many trees and green space have been systematically destroyed recently which is changing the whole environment, even digging up the parts of the golf course to put more houses in. No increases in infrastructure to speak off, roads becoming grid locked especially trying to get down and back along Highway 1 during the rush hour to Victoria. House process going though the roof. Homeless and drug addicts sleeping in doorways in Victoria. Don't get me started on the local Mayors - all thirteen of them who cannot make a decision if their life depended on it and the odd one being a total megalomaniac lunatic (RP will know who I am speaking about). This place I going to be much worse than Vancouver shortly. We moved to Victoria with the view to retire here but if they carry on with the current unsustainable development there isn't going to be much left of it. Thinking about moving to Kelowna if a possible vacancy comes up next year. We really been disappointed with the Island. :thumbdown:

Re: considering move to BC
 

[QUOTE=getoutofbritainquick;12138143]I must admit we don't live in Victoria. It's just somewhere we visit at the weekend for Chinatown, the museum and haircuts. Sometimes we'll go to Uptown or Mayfair shopping but not often. I will also admit we're not often downtown in the evening/night, so rarely see the homeless in doorways. In so far as you can call it a city, I think the central core is fairly pretty. downtown, the inner harbour, ogden point - all that stuff is pleasant. Beacon Park and Cook street Village etc are pretty (ish). Nowhere is perfect. I google mapped the bit of London we left a while ago and was shocked at how crappy it looked - and this was pretty posh multi million houseville! I wouldn't go back.
Sorry!

Re: considering move to BC
 

But do the pros outweigh the cons?
I think it depends why you're even looking into moving West? What is unsatisfactory about AB for you and your family currently and what are you hoping will be different if you move to BC? You could be correct that financially you'd have fewer disposable dollars per month (hard to say without knowing more than we need to know about your personal situation) but maybe they'd go further on the things you want to spend them on in BC. Or maybe your day to day contentment and quality of life would improve and that would be worth the financial hit. I'd suggest looking at the bigger picture. It's a big move and could be great - really depends what you're hoping for...