emmyb

Hello - as someone at the very start of the process I have a few very basic questions (some I'll start a different thread on) - the first one being the climate.

I've read tons of info from the internet and books etc but can someone who is actually there tell me what an average summer and winter is like in the two areas of Vancouver and Toronto.

Thank you.

Atlantic Xpat

Environment Canada can:

http://www.climate.weatheroffice.ec....s/index_e.html

TiggyP

Toronto - summer too hot, winter too cold.

The summer in Toronto is nice - hot, humid days (although the air pollution can get pretty bad), we were often sitting on bar patios at 1am in our shorts an t-shirts. I've only been there for two summers so I can't say if this was 'average' but I don't think it was unusual.

Winter is the reverse, you can go for weeks without the temperature getting above freezing (which is actually a good thing - no melting/freezing causing sheet ice, and your body gets used to it). It didn't ever stop me going out and doing stuff, on sunny days it was quite pleasant.

Madmac

The best thing for us is that there is a defined Summer and Winter. Autumn and Spring are a bit foreshortened but can be pleasant ( or stormy and wet).

The hot Summers are long enough to get you wishing it would get cold and the reverse is true of Winter.

Judy in Calgary

Members of this forum say that Vancouver's climate is like that of the UK, except that Vancouver's winters are wetter.

The further north in Vancouver you go, the wetter it is, and the further south you go, the less wet it is.

The Wiki on Vancouver explains this.

babsi

The winters can be unpredictable for example last winter it didn't snow until middle of January, this winter it started beg of December. And the beginning of this month it was quite warm (all the snow was melted), I even saw a few people out with t-shirts but since Saturday it has been cold.

The summer for me is bad here, the humidity is a killer. But at least compared to some countries you know not every day will be like it.

emmyb

Thans to all of you who replied.

Londonuck

Vancouver's winter is so wet you'll develop webing on your hands and feet. BUT... summer is absolutely superb. June can be a bit wet but July - September, sometimes well into October, its sun sun sun. Temps are usually around 24c. The one major difference between Britain and Vancouver is the weather can stay the same for one - two week spells. Thats include two weeks of rain btw.

Toronto winter is cold to very cold. Summer is hot to very hot. A mate of mine from Queensland said he found Toronto hotter than Brisbane most summers.

emmyb

Obviously I love the sun and I anticipate the coldness of the winters.

What I'm trying to eliminate as much as possible is the rain. Is Vancouver really that wet? - to the extent of storms etc., or is it continual drizzle?

Judy in Calgary

Yes.

RAIN STATISTICS : OCTOBER - MARCH (in mm)

LONDON, UK

Oct : 74
Nov : 76
Dec : 79
Jan : 79
Feb : 51
Mar : 61

VANCOUVER, BC

Oct : 115
Nov : 167
Dec : 161
Jan : 132
Feb : 116
Mar : 105

Although Vancouver gets considerably more rain, overall, than London gets, Vancouver does have dry summers. The average rainfall in July is 36 mm, and in August it's 38 mm. In fact Vancouver's summers sometimes are so dry that municipalities have to impose restrictions on the watering of lawns, etc.

Usually drizzle, but occasionally storms.

The summer heat and humidity in Toronto can be brutal.

I'm wondering why you're only asking about Toronto and Vancouver. I personally like Vancouver, although I've only been there as a tourist and have never experienced a full winter there. Speaking only for myself, Toronto doesn't float my boat, but I like some other towns in Ontario.

But, with all that having been said, there are other cities and towns in Canada besides Toronto and Vancouver.

Steve_P

Vancouver is that wet, both storms and drizzle.

In the winter of 2006-2007 Vancouver had measurable precipitation on:

28 of 30 days in November 2006 to see the following months click "Next Month" top right of list.
26 of 31 days in December 2006
20 of 31 days in January 2007
25 of 28 days in February 2007
23 of 31 days in March 2007

Now having said that the winter of 2006-2007 may have set a record for rainfall. Total precipitation for that five month period was 1009 mm.

Cheers
Steve

emmyb

Thank you all again for your replies. This is all very helpful to me.

The reason I only mention Toronto and Vancouver is I stayed in Cobourg, Ontario and Niagara many years ago and Toronto was the major city in the region so I lumped them all together under Toronto.

Vancouver area would be my other choice.

I would actually like to settle in a "village" area commutable to either of these cities but that leads me on to how on earth do you find out what smaller town/village to buy a house?!?!?

I didn't realise the Vancouver area was as wet as it is and although I can cope with snow I have a real aversion to rain!!

Greenhill

So, looking on the bright side, February only had 28 days that year.

bazzz

Don't move to Vancouver then. You'll hate it. Although apparently White Rock is a lot drier and still reasonably close.

Judy in Calgary

If I was moving to Canada (or any other country), this is the order in which I would do things:

1. Establish a short list of countries to which I want to move.
   
   
2. Figure out which of those countries will accept me.
   
   
3. Submit immigration application to country that I think I like best and that is likely to accept me.
   
   
4. Possibly submit concurrent application to country that is second choice and that also is likely to accept me. That's what my husband and I did over thirty years ago. There are some people on this forum who turn their noses up at people who do that. When you're essentially a refugee, as I was, you tend to be a little less fastidious about such details.
   
   
5. Research each country to which I have submitted an immigration application.
   
   
6. In particular, research whether there is a more or less even demand for people in my occupation across that country or whether the demand is concentrated in a few places.
   
   
7. If I am dead set on a specific area that I love, but if that area has little need for people in my occupation, I face a complex choice. Am I willing to switch occupations, open up a business in an entirely different field, or whatever?
   
   
8. Once I've chosen a general area to which to move, I do further research on that area.
   
   
9. I look at the Multiple Listing Service website to get a sense of how much houses in that region cost.
   
   
10. I use Google Maps to find out the driving time from various outlying towns to the city centre (recognizing, however, that Google Maps' estimated times are based on off peak hours and that driving times in snowy conditions and in rush hour may be double the stated times).
    
    
11. I also research public transportation options.
    
    
12. I search the BE forum for previous threads about the metropolitan area in which I'm interested. When I research a city and its surroundings, I use the research tip described in the Wiki for Newcomers to the forum. A search of previous threads will give me some sense of which towns are more desirable and which ones are less desirable.
    
    
13. If at all possible, I go on a recce trip to the area. A recce is useful for job hunting as well as for visiting neighbourhoods and towns and finding out how they "feel."
    
    
14. When I actually move to the area in question, I rent for six months or a year. This is all the more essential if I arrive without a job, and therefore don't know where I'll ultimately be working. The 6 - 12 month period gives me a chance to explore the region, figure out which areas I like, and also figure out which areas are feasible in terms of price and commuting to work.
    
    
15. After about a year, I buy a house.

Individual expats' situations vary. For example, Alvic is en route to a town in Saskatchewan. She and her husband bought a house there during a recce trip. I feel that's different. Because the town is much, much smaller than Toronto or Vancouver, there aren't the same issues (commuting, etc.).

Hope that helps.

I may turn this post into a Wiki article.