Thoughts on moving from NS to BC
Mar 5th 2015, 12:29 am
#91
"In cruce vincam"
Joined: May 2010
Location: Mill Bay, Vancouver Island
Posts: 3,232
Re: Thoughts on moving from NS to BC
We live in Mill Bay, 40 mins to the north of downtown Victoria. My wife works at the university in Colwood and the commute takes her 30-35 minutes.
Mar 5th 2015, 2:05 pm
#92
Just Joined
Joined: Dec 2014
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Posts: 25
Re: Thoughts on moving from NS to BC
The winters in NS can be horrendous ................. they ARE on the Atlantic Coast after all.
My daughter is well ensconced there, she and her husband have good jobs, nice house, etc .............. and they would never be able to afford to move back to BC, as they had once planned on doing
But they "suffer" winter.
It doesn't get as cold as the central provinces of Canada, but winter can be brutal .............. we've been there in blizzards that dumped 4' in less than 24 hours
BUT Dartmouth / Halifax region even clear the sidewalks as soon as possible.
Unlike the UK (and the Banana belt of BC
), people and councils do know how to handle snow ............ streets are cleared quickly. I've seen the bus service keep running even through a snow storm that was dropping about 6" an hour.
But it's the changes that get to my daughter ............... snow, ice, warms up, drops down to -15C, snow, rain, freezing rain, etc etc
Her in-laws are now retired, and very gladly leave NS at the beginning of November and return at the end of March. They have an extremely active social life down in Florida.
People get on with life in that kind of weather ........... it doesn't stop them going out
Also ................ NS is at the northern end of the hurricane route in the summer. They can get the tail end of several hurricanes every year.
Usually that just means torrential rain and high winds for a day ............ but occasionally a stronger one. Hurricane Juan was a category 2 when it made landfall in NS in 2003. Then just about 6 months later, they had White Juan ............. a hurricane strength nor-easter blizzard in February 2004. I haven't checked to see if the amount of snow dumped in White Juan was beaten by the amount dumped this past winter.
There is a common saying in the Halifax region ................ wait 10 minutes and the weather will change.
My daughter is well ensconced there, she and her husband have good jobs, nice house, etc .............. and they would never be able to afford to move back to BC, as they had once planned on doing
But they "suffer" winter.
It doesn't get as cold as the central provinces of Canada, but winter can be brutal .............. we've been there in blizzards that dumped 4' in less than 24 hours
BUT Dartmouth / Halifax region even clear the sidewalks as soon as possible.
Unlike the UK (and the Banana belt of BC
), people and councils do know how to handle snow ............ streets are cleared quickly. I've seen the bus service keep running even through a snow storm that was dropping about 6" an hour.But it's the changes that get to my daughter ............... snow, ice, warms up, drops down to -15C, snow, rain, freezing rain, etc etc
Her in-laws are now retired, and very gladly leave NS at the beginning of November and return at the end of March. They have an extremely active social life down in Florida.
People get on with life in that kind of weather ........... it doesn't stop them going out
Also ................ NS is at the northern end of the hurricane route in the summer. They can get the tail end of several hurricanes every year.
Usually that just means torrential rain and high winds for a day ............ but occasionally a stronger one. Hurricane Juan was a category 2 when it made landfall in NS in 2003. Then just about 6 months later, they had White Juan ............. a hurricane strength nor-easter blizzard in February 2004. I haven't checked to see if the amount of snow dumped in White Juan was beaten by the amount dumped this past winter.
There is a common saying in the Halifax region ................ wait 10 minutes and the weather will change.
We have been here almost 5 years now and at first the snow and cold were a novelty now it is wearing very thin!! The kids love the snow when it is powdery but when it freezes and is solid it isn't much fun!
Yes the skies can be blue and the sun can shine and it does look beautiful but when that wind blows and your face is numb it isn't so beautiful! Sitting inside watching the snow fall with a log fire is bliss though!
Summers can be lovely although I don't even remember having a summer last year! Lol! It does get humid and we have lots of bugs, they don't bother me so much but they bite my husband and some of our kids badly and it is not pleasant having swarms of the things following you and biting you so you bleed!! Not to mention the awful June bugs......they don't bite but I wouldn't want to get any stuck in my hair!!
It is also great being only 40 mins from the airport, my parents visit frequently so they can get on a direct flight and 6 hours or so be here and after a 40 minute drive they are with us.
We do have some beautiful beaches too, I love that about NS.
I may have painted a pretty crap picture of NS but don't get me wrong there are lots of good things about NS, it is beautiful (depending on where you live of course) and we are fortunate to have great jobs and a lovely home. I guess it just depends on what you are looking for. What annoys me may not you and vice versa.
Yes the skies can be blue and the sun can shine and it does look beautiful but when that wind blows and your face is numb it isn't so beautiful! Sitting inside watching the snow fall with a log fire is bliss though!
Summers can be lovely although I don't even remember having a summer last year! Lol! It does get humid and we have lots of bugs, they don't bother me so much but they bite my husband and some of our kids badly and it is not pleasant having swarms of the things following you and biting you so you bleed!! Not to mention the awful June bugs......they don't bite but I wouldn't want to get any stuck in my hair!!
It is also great being only 40 mins from the airport, my parents visit frequently so they can get on a direct flight and 6 hours or so be here and after a 40 minute drive they are with us.
We do have some beautiful beaches too, I love that about NS.
I may have painted a pretty crap picture of NS but don't get me wrong there are lots of good things about NS, it is beautiful (depending on where you live of course) and we are fortunate to have great jobs and a lovely home. I guess it just depends on what you are looking for. What annoys me may not you and vice versa.
Yeah, I think it's going to be a case of suck it and see.
I love beaches and natural beauty, I've got that on my doorstep here in Wales and it comes without the nasty biting bugs and ice storms.
However, definite positives of going to Nova Scotia for me would be;
+ Better work opportunity, lots of extra training and development that I won't have here.
+ Significantly higher wages (£14/ph to £22/ph)
+ Nicer properties and better value for money, I think the houses you can get over there for £150k are incredible.
I'm just generally fed up with the UK culture as well, I've worked hard to get where I am now and it kind of makes me feel sick seeing so many other people get everything put on a plate for them. Also, this country is overpopulated - it's so old and because we've always just built on top of the existing infrastructure it's now buckling under the strain.
I'm looking forward to going somewhere where there is an abundance of open space, low population density that still provides me with a strong opportunity financially.
In the Halifax area I'm looking at a 10 year mortgage on a $240,000 property which is fantastic - I'll be mortgage free in a good sized family home before I'm 40.
However, despite the above - I'm still a little concerned now about the severity of the winter and impact of bugs and mosquito's in summer.
I would very likely have the option to be based in New Brunswick instead of Nova Scotia should I want it - I chose NS because from what I have seen on the internet it looks really nice and both me and my partner really liked the look of Halifax.
As others have mentioned, it's ideal in that there's a direct 6 hour flight to London and the airport is so close to the city.
Is the severity of winter/summertime bugs much the same in New Brunswick as NS?
Mar 5th 2015, 4:53 pm
#95
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2013
Location: BC, Canada
Posts: 3,874
Re: Thoughts on moving from NS to BC
as regards the bugs .............
everywhere in Canada, and the US, has mosquitoes, black flies, etc., so NS is no different from anywhere else
Make sure all opening windows in your house have screens, and that you have screen doors on all doors ......... including patio doors. And make sure that you use them.
That way, you can keep the majority of insects out of the hosue.
Realise that mosquitoes are usually around only at certain times of the day .............. dawn and dusk are the usual times, although we did have the "lunch time crowd" at the cabin we owned until alst year.
Black flies will be around all the time, but worse at certain times ........... but they're usually only around for a few weeks.
Know that there are things that you can use ............... wear long sleeved tops and long trousers at the worst times, there are effective sprays, or you can get "area repellents" for use on patios and decks.
BTW, I well remember being bitten by "gnats" in the UK when I was young .............. they actually are related to mosquitoes :-)
everywhere in Canada, and the US, has mosquitoes, black flies, etc., so NS is no different from anywhere else
Make sure all opening windows in your house have screens, and that you have screen doors on all doors ......... including patio doors. And make sure that you use them.
That way, you can keep the majority of insects out of the hosue.
Realise that mosquitoes are usually around only at certain times of the day .............. dawn and dusk are the usual times, although we did have the "lunch time crowd" at the cabin we owned until alst year.
Black flies will be around all the time, but worse at certain times ........... but they're usually only around for a few weeks.
Know that there are things that you can use ............... wear long sleeved tops and long trousers at the worst times, there are effective sprays, or you can get "area repellents" for use on patios and decks.
BTW, I well remember being bitten by "gnats" in the UK when I was young .............. they actually are related to mosquitoes :-)
Mar 5th 2015, 5:57 pm
#96
Oscar nominated
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Moncton, NB, CANADA
Posts: 50,861
Re: Thoughts on moving from NS to BC
Quite different here in my experience. Sitting on the deck in the afternoon is far from mozzie free once they make their first appearance and I can be out cycling in the middle of the day well away from any greenery and suddenly feel one biting my arm.
Once they've made their first appearance of the year nowhere out is safe at any time.
Mar 5th 2015, 6:55 pm
#97
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2013
Location: BC, Canada
Posts: 3,874
Re: Thoughts on moving from NS to BC
when we were up at our cabin, about 500 km north of Vancouver, I used to find there was about an 60-90 minutes in mid-morning and in mid-afternoon when I could sit out on the grass in the sun and not be bothered by mossies.
The rest of the time, I spent in the screened-in sun porch, unless I had to be outside!
We got black flies only in early June ............. and they nip. not sting!
Mind you, we were really out in the boonies ............ 20 acres, no neighbours for about 5-6 km.
I found those little electronic devices that you clip to your belt or pocket are great ............. if you are sitting still. They're not much good if you are moving around ro working, because the "bubble of safety" cannot form around you.
Vancouver used to be completely free of mossies, especially after the powers-that-be DDT'd everywhere in the 70s. But they have been slowly reappearing over the last 4 or 5 years.
The rest of the time, I spent in the screened-in sun porch, unless I had to be outside!
We got black flies only in early June ............. and they nip. not sting!
Mind you, we were really out in the boonies ............ 20 acres, no neighbours for about 5-6 km.
I found those little electronic devices that you clip to your belt or pocket are great ............. if you are sitting still. They're not much good if you are moving around ro working, because the "bubble of safety" cannot form around you.
Vancouver used to be completely free of mossies, especially after the powers-that-be DDT'd everywhere in the 70s. But they have been slowly reappearing over the last 4 or 5 years.
Mar 24th 2015, 12:35 pm
#98
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2007
Location: Vernon BC, Canada!
Posts: 450
Re: Thoughts on moving from NS to BC
This is a really interesting thread as we are looking to move to either Kamloops, Kelowna (and the town south of Kelowna) or Lethbridge.
Apr 13th 2015, 5:38 pm
#99
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2007
Location: Halifax, NS
Posts: 473
Re: Thoughts on moving from NS to BC
The only thing that gets to me in NS is the mosquitoes, oh and this past winter!
