Drugs are everywhere. I went to a private high school run by the nuns. In grade 13 two girls were expelled for having "drugs". That was a few years ago - but I can't believe that there isn't a drug problem of some sort even in your area of the UK, and hiding your head in the sand about it isn't realistic - until we as Canadians realistically do something about the problem - we will never get a handle on it.

BC is a beautiful area to live - as others have said there are good and bad part of the province. Personally, I wouldn't want to raise a family anywhere else. In downtown Victoria we have a tremendous problem with panhandlers, drug addicts, etc. Many of these people have mental/physical challenges and because the govt in BC has ignored this problem all in the name of a "balanced budget", the problem will not go away. These poor people need to be housed, feed and helped with their addictions. So....what you do is don't go into those areas.

I have to tell you I was 'shocked" by the lack of street people while in London. When I asked about it.....I was told that a law was passed that prohibited it from happening. Our municipal govt has tried in many different ways to get these people off the street....but our courts...come back with " we are violating their rights to be where they want to be" - doesn't matter that they harass people or do their business on the street, or leave needles, condoms, etc everywhere. The police are trying their best ....but all it really does it move the addicts from one area to another

To make a long story short (probably to late for that)....I would certainly not change my mind about considering moving to BC or any other part of Canada. It might be interesting to ask your children "how exposed and/or how readily available drugs are in their school....you might be very surprised to hear the answer.

If we ever get over to Canada, everyone is invited for a curry My husband makes his own and has been asked to set up his own restaurant by some asian friends, and my husband is Irish! In fact as I type the smell of curry seasoning cooking in the kitchen wafts past me......

On the lazy days we use Pataks....

Do you think we could extra points on the skills level for cooking curries/baking his own bread/making his own beer?

There are no extra points available for this - it is what we ladies expect of a modern man. Be happy you have one so useful and get used to hearing all the complaints of others on how useless their men can be!

Mr G comes into the 'modern' category - just in case you were wondering!

Mrs G

On the other hand - not to deny that there are panhandlers/addicts in Victoria - name a single city in North America with a population of 250,000 or over that has a cleaner downtown core with fewer brownfields than Victoria.

Yes, you're absolutely correct - sorry if my message tended to be negative - was just trying to be realistic about the problem.

Victoria and Vancouver Island really is paradise - nothing finer than going down to the inner harbour at night to hear a concert and feeling quite safe!!!! and having the ocean right at your finger tips!!!!

I didn't say anywhere that needles or condoms were all over downtown.

We live in Sidney which is the northern tip of the Saanich peninsula (about 30 mins from Victoria). Very nice place, quiet,very clean, ocean at our doorstep, houses are expensive though. We have lived here for 4 years now and hope to settle in this area.

Finding decent work on the island is difficult, and you can be assured that both partners will probably have to work to survive unless you have a really good paying job. I was lucky and managed to get a job before we arrived and we also had a place to stay (relatives of the family) which helped tonnes in settling in quickly and helped the wife in gaining employment as well.


We are just now looking into the house buying market and it does look quite grim at the moment since house prices are skyrocketing. Too many retirees coming from the states and other provinces snapping up all the houses at there over inflated prices.

Victoria is very nice to shop and wander around. There are some areas which have a lot of pan handlers such as douglas street and johnson street, you just accept it. As for drugs, never come accross any needles or such like, although victoria does have some issues with druggies especially around the johnson street parkade, avoid that at night and the Doulgas hotel.

Choosing a place to live isnt that hard, there are loads of places to rent, apartments, basement suites all over the Victoria region. Once we arrived we tapped into the local knowledge and found out which where the bad places and the good places, and decided to settle in sidney. Its just the same in the UK, you ask around and visit the places before you decide that the place is right for you.

If you visit a place that has condoms and needles on your door step everyday then dont move there period. Go some where else. There are bad parts to every city, just avoid them.

Where i live in Kent, UK there are probably many drug users but fortunately my teenaged daughter doesn't come across them at her school in Rochester, even if it does occur. I know in Rochester you frequently come across pubs/loos etc that have used needle disposers but that doesn't mean that there is necessarily a drug problem. There are also homeless people begging in the high street in Rochester (about 3 miles from our village).

Where my husband works in London he frequently has to cope with beggars, especially refugees from the Eastern European countries who even drug their children so they can gain sympathy from tube travellers and also beg in peace without having their kids annoying them in the process. I don't go to London because i hate the city and the wierd people who frequent the place. It is actually illegal to beg and to sleep in shop doorways etc but that doesn't stop the problem.

However, we don't live in London but my husband works there and spends 3 hours a day commuting to work and back. He pays high taxes and we live in the "Medway" area of Kent which isn't particularly nice eg. Chatham - lovely area - NOT! There is naff all to do other than go to the shops and spend money or sit around at home. There isn't an outdoors life here at all and the whole way of life is so money orientate. My husband works his **** off in London in a stressful job so that we can live in a 3 bedroom semi and sit around at home all weekend or go out and spend money.

I was hoping that BC would offer us a better family life than here.

Please tell me if i have misconceived preconceptions.

I did live in Kamloops as a kid and from what i remember it was fantastic, i only wish my parents had stayed here!

I'm glad to see that the only things that people seem upset about are things that I really don't care about.

Except needles and comdoms on the front porch. Ick.

Both countries definitely have pros and cons, but I think that the Canadian way of life does generally seem to be a lot more wholesome and a lot less money orientated.

Since returning to UK I can't help noticing how moany the people are here. My husband just says that that won't change as we don't get called whinging poms for nothing. It was refreshing to be in Canada with people who seemed to embrace life a lot more and who were happier with their lots.

On the flipside though there were things that really used to irritate the hell out of me in NS.

I don't know where we want to be now. I love UK but might end up so depressed here as we struggle even to be able to afford to buy a house. It is easier to stay here I think, because it is more comfortable to stay with everything you know, but I do think that the Canadian way of life offers kids a way better lifestyle so that mihgt be what we go for.

Anywhere in Canada will offer you a better family life than the UK - depending where you decide to settle and how realistic you are about work, you shouldn't the commuting issues that you have getting into London. The eastern european beggars were just turning up in London last time I worked there, they stunned me.

However .... if you decide that you will to live in blissful isolation miles away from the nearest city, but your primary source of income will be that city, then you're not gonna get much of an improvment

My experience of city life in Canada is that it's very different from the UK - then again I didn't try living in Toronto, I lived further round the lake and I don't live anywhere near downtown Calgary.

Everywhere has its share of workshy losers, you just have to work out how to avoid them.

My only regret in life is that I wish I had emigrated sooner!

Hi

I have been living in the Okanagan in BC now for nearly 2.5 years. There are drugs here but they don't effect our lives anymore or any less than they did in the UK. We choose the Okanagan for the weather, ski resorts on your doorstep, lakes, less population which brings less traffic, crime etc but the downside also is less quality jobs.

We have been all over BC to make sure there was no where else we wanted to live and are happy with our decision. I guess it is what you are used to and come from. Vancouver for us is far too big and would not have given us a better quality of life from what we had in the UK, the Okanagan does. If we could not live in the Okanagan for some reason then our next choice would be the island.

Anyone deciding where to live needs to come over and check it out for themselves as we all want different things from different places and of course are all very different people!

We have been to Ontario and Alberta and we are more than happy to have choosen BC. And yes Kamloops would be a nice place to be but again I would suggest you check it out and go from there!

JJ

Hello Peeps,

I have had a good look about everyones opinion on the drug culture in BC. My wife and I will be starting the ball rolling this month in our quest to gain PR in Canada. We will hopefully be hoping to settle in the Maple Ridge, Port Coquitlam area where my wife has family there. Does anyone have any views as to what these reas are like with regards the drug culture.
On the subject of drugs. I am from Glasgow UK. I work for the Scottish Prison Service in Scotland largest prison. I have first hand experience of the drug culture in Glasgow. Example, The prison runs a methadone programme, to hopefully get the addicts off hard class A drugs, ie heroin.
This prison is the second largest dispenser of Methadone in Europe, I believe it is second only to a prison in Barcelona,
[B]Now does that not tell you something about the drug culture in Glasgow.[/B]
Drugs are everywhere, they are part of society, they are in our schools, in our streets, next door to us. If we were all to worry about where we were to live due to drugs I think the ocean would be the best place, beside Captain Nemo.
As I have said drugs are everywhere and there is not a lot we can do about it. All we can do as responsible parents or adults is to minimise how the drug culture will impact on our own lives. You may move to beautiful area within BC or Calgary, into your dream home, only to find that your new neighbours that move into the house next door to you, that you had just bought 6 months previous are in fact drug addicts. Worst case senario of course. Take if from me, as someone who does work with drug addicts on a regular basis, drugs are here to stay. !!!!!
And always remember DRUGS ARE FOR MUGS !!!!!!!!!

My Tuppence today

Avoid visting any pig farms in Port Coquitlam

Cheers for this.
I take it Port Coquitlam is not he nicest smelling place to live in then,