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Living in Victoria, BC or thereabouts on Vancouver Island??

Living in Victoria, BC or thereabouts on Vancouver Island??

Old Mar 8th 2010, 10:38 pm
  #16  
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Default Re: Living in Victoria, BC or thereabouts on Vancouver Island??

And whats wrong with Hastings St - I like it there!!
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Old Mar 8th 2010, 10:45 pm
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Default Re: Living in Victoria, BC or thereabouts on Vancouver Island??

Originally Posted by The4BellsLondon
And whats wrong with Hastings St - I like it there!!

Oh yeah! I can't believe I missed that. A chance to get offended about something!!! yesss. Ahem:

What are you implying about Hastings, you? Are you saying we're all druggies??? Well I'll have you know that I'm not and 4 bells is not! How dare you paint all people on Hastings St with the same brush! Stop generalizing! That's almost racist or something!!!!
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Old Mar 8th 2010, 10:48 pm
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Default Re: Living in Victoria, BC or thereabouts on Vancouver Island??

Originally Posted by The4BellsLondon
And whats wrong with Hastings St - I like it there!!
Originally Posted by Kiwilass
Oh yeah! I can't believe I missed that. A chance to get offended about something!!! yesss. Ahem:

What are you implying about Hastings, you? Are you saying we're all druggies??? Well I'll have you know that I'm not and 4 bells is not! How dare you paint all people on Hastings St with the same brush! Stop generalizing! That's almost racist or something!!!!
Settle down ladies.

Get yourself some fine B.C. bud and chill.
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Old Mar 8th 2010, 10:49 pm
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Default Re: Living in Victoria, BC or thereabouts on Vancouver Island??

Originally Posted by Kiwilass
Oh yeah! I can't believe I missed that. A chance to get offended about something!!! yesss. Ahem:

What are you implying about Hastings, you? Are you saying we're all druggies??? Well I'll have you know that I'm not and 4 bells is not! How dare you paint all people on Hastings St with the same brush! Stop generalizing! That's almost racist or something!!!!
yeah - me and Kiwilass are often found round there on a friday night - with other upstanding members of this forum !!
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Old Mar 8th 2010, 10:50 pm
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Default Re: Living in Victoria, BC or thereabouts on Vancouver Island??

Originally Posted by The4BellsLondon
yeah - me and Kiwilass are often found round there on a friday night - with other upstanding members of this forum !!
ha, indeedy.
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Old Mar 9th 2010, 5:27 am
  #21  
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Default Re: Living in Victoria, BC or thereabouts on Vancouver Island??

Originally Posted by iQiQi
Hi Folks,

We are moving to Canada (BC) this summer.

I wanted to know if any of you have experienced living on Vancouver Island, especially Victoria or Duncan. Choice of schools might force us to decide living there rather than in Vancouver.

How is quality of life there? Boring? not-practical (being far from activity hubs)? etc...

I have absolutely no idea, so all comments are welcome.
Been living in Victoria since August 2001. Moved here when the kids were 3.5 yrs old (yup, we have twins). Found a great school for my kids and now they are both in middle school we are still happy with the schools.

To be honest my wife and I do find it quiet, sometimes a little too quiet but that can be good at times as well. Done some great events and trails here like the Burning Boot (The Great) walk and the West Coast Trail.

There are good places and bad everywhere. Duncan wouldn't be my first choice but I know people who love living there - each to their own.

If you want more specific info PM me.

Cheers - Steve
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Old Mar 9th 2010, 4:26 pm
  #22  
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Default Re: Living in Victoria, BC or thereabouts on Vancouver Island??

When we came looking round the Island, we called in at Duncan for a look round. The assistant in the toyshop told us outright that she would never move to the town especially with kids as the drug problem was really bad. She also said she wouldn't go out by herself at night.

We have lived further up the Island for 3 years now - it has good points and bad points but I have never come across drugs although have heard numerous tales. We love the Island but know it is not for everyone - horses for courses and all that.
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Old Mar 9th 2010, 6:55 pm
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Default Re: Living in Victoria, BC or thereabouts on Vancouver Island??

Wow what a thread! I am moving to Victoria in the Summer as well so have read the comments with great interest.

I live in North London and moved to Wales on the West coast about 8 yrs ago. We lived in a small village and on our first night there we were woken by the police at 1 in the morning ready to search the house for the previous occupant. He had been a fence. Then 3 weeks later the farm right in the village was raided and there was a huge drugs haul, the farmer got 15yrs or so. I worked as a community midwife in some of the less pretty areas of North West Wales and have never seen as much IV drug use in my life as I saw there.

I am back in London waiting to go, and I work in Central London and there is drug and alchol use etc here. There is no getting away from it, drug and social problems are everywhere.

BTW I love Vancouver and one of my favorite places in Van is Hastings, and I am proud to say that I have a lot of socialist values. Sounds like I may have picked a nice place to live. Watch this space...

Sarah x

Last edited by Madwife; Mar 9th 2010 at 6:57 pm. Reason: spelling
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Old Mar 26th 2010, 4:33 am
  #24  
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Default Re: Living in Victoria, BC or thereabouts on Vancouver Island??

I agree, Duncan is not the best place to move, especially if you are new to Canada or Vancouver Island.
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Old Apr 2nd 2010, 5:26 pm
  #25  
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Default Re: Living in Victoria, BC or thereabouts on Vancouver Island??

Originally Posted by suninspired
Hooooooooo boy!

Where to begin?

Seven years ago we moved to Vancouver Island, first to Victoria, then up the coast through Duncan before settling in Nanaimo.

When we arrived we were convinced that the island was heaven...God's gift to the lucky few.

Unfortunately, that impression was based on the geographic beauty of the place. For a few years we kept slapping ourselves on the back for choosing Vancouver Island as our home. And for a few years we were delusional. In her defence, I will admit that my wife was never as enamoured with the place as I was.

Vancouver Island is an incredible place to visit. I've lost count of the number of folks who've visited at some stage in their lives and think we are so lucky "to live in paradise".

God, in his infinite wisdom, did not however bless me with smarts to identify the warts in this paradise...and warts there are...it's a cess-pit.

Americans and Canadians think Victoria is so quaint, so cute, with it's "English" heritage. But then Canadians think anything 140 years old is full of history, culture and heritage. The place is a retirement village. But it is the best that Vancouver Island has to offer.

For as you move north out of Victoria is when you discover the "island folk". In fairness to Victorians, they do represent 50% of the island's population...so there is some hope. But don't hold your breath.

The people of Vancouver Island consist of retirees (from many parts of Canada) who are generally good people; other folks under the misguided impression that this is paradise, and others who are either trapped here or haven't found employment elsewhere (or anywhere). Oh...and then there's the hicks, the hoons, the druggies and the unionised who perpetually believe that British Columbia and Canada owes them. Socialists to the core.

Do I exaggerate? Hmmm...nah!

Life on Vancouver Island will expose your children to the wonder that is the BC teacher, a curious individual, devoid of fault, righteous to the point there shall be no debate...a breed created with divine right through our Maker. And with the mighty BC Teachers Federation wielding its awesome power, your children will constantly face the enjoyment of extra days off school through teacher strikes but, more importantly, will be the beneficiaries of grade-less education. For these walking-saints among us, BC's finest teachers, would not have your poor dears suffering the anxiety associated with passing grades...that's archaic...so disgustingly capitalistic (and if it means they don't have to mark papers...oh well, ho-hum, we're doing our duty and making our little socialistic heaven a little more...well, less-competitive, no?)

Vancouver Island is still heavily NDP, the one political party that did enormous financial damage to the province during the years it held provincial office not so long ago. A party committed to the ideals of socialism, with tremendous grass-root support here on the island...and especially in Duncan.

By the way, Duncan is a cess-pit. Whatever preconceived ideas you have of Duncan, you need to do more research. A lot more. I've lived here 7 years and don't know anyone who'd choose to live in Duncan.

So what do you have to look forward to on Vancouver Island?

Hicks, hoons and druggies.

Hoons? Oh yeah! This island is truck country. The bigger the better. Oooh, lovely big V8s, with raised suspensions (making them pathetically even less fuel-efficient).

BC pretends to be the patron-saint against global-warming whilst her island hicks drive cheaply built, 5.7lt V8 trucks slowing down only to toss Big-Gulp paper cups out the window or beer bottles onto the beach.

What do your kids have to look forward to on Vancouver Island? Well, apart from the "no-anxiety gradeless" schooling, drugs baby, drugs yeah!

Bless their little hearts, these dear islanders truly do know how to do the drugs thang. There isn't a day goes by that we don't see kids as young as 12 dragging on pot. "Oh, but it's only pot, practically legal" says the low-life threatening to throw a rock through our windows later that night because we've asked him not to do drugs in full view outside our backyard.

Practically legal? Ugh, no. It's top of Schedule 3 of the Banned Substance and Drugs Act 1996 list of offences. But do the RCMP do anything about it? No. Why? Because everybody's doing it man!

"Hey man, my mum and dad were doing this when I was young" is the excuse. But it was illegal then and in those days contained a fraction of the addictive strength is does today. (But yes, your mum and dad were doing it...and still are, right here on the beach in front of our million dollar property...sharing a few joints whilst their toddlers play next to them...aaagh cute).

Oh, the joys of island life. Pot laced with other serious shit. Ecstacy. You name it, it's a cellphone call away...and they'll even deliver...free!

Listen, I don't have kids. And I'm not a retiree either. I'm 44 years old and came here because we could afford to. Now, we're running as fast as we can away from this puke-hole.

You might find some of my ramblings extreme...they're meant to be. You have kids. I would NEVER bring a child up here. We've lived in South Africa, Australia, the UK and here. Your child will do drugs here. It's in the islanders' blood.

P.S. And don't think Vancouver is any different drugs-wise. Google Hastings Street and Drugs. You have been warned.
You sound a very unhappy individual if you hate our beautiful Island so much there are plenty of ferry sailings each day. I have lived hear for 9 years now ,I work,I do not drive a V8, I do not do drugs although widely available just like any were in the world now days sadly.
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