Hey,
I've just applied for my IEC (1 year working holiday visa) with a view to moving to Vancouver but I am reading terrible things about the place and am being put off moving there.

I am 27 years old and a television producer - I'd like to keep working in TV when I move over but I am wondering if I am making a mistake with pinning my dreams on Vancouver.

Is it really as bad as everyone says it is? Where else is a better option to move to?

Please help!

Does everyone say its bad? Some think so, some don't. You should make your own mind up. If you get there and don't like it, move somewhere else.
If you want to work in TV, your options are somewhat limited.

Quite. Who is "everyone"? Vancouver is my home. But Canada is a huge place and you will have an open work permit so you can go anywhere you choose if you don't like Vancouver. Or start off in Toronto. The flight from the UK will probably be cheaper.

Move to Vancouver because you want to be within a 20-minute driving distance to rainforests, mountains, beaches, and the sea, not because you want to pursue a television career.

If you are seeking a television career, move to Toronto. Seriously.

Chris Haddock Wrote for MacGyver among other TV shows and created, wrote/writes, produced these Vancouver greats
Da Vinci's Inquest
Da Vinci's City Hall
Intelligence
The Romeo Section

Filming in Vancouver - Current Movies and TV Shows
Movies and TV Shows Filming in Vancouver Soon

Doesn't seem too quiet- includes BC filming as well but I would think a fair number would be filmed in/ around the city

Supernatural...
Bates Motel near Abbotsford
Once upon a time - Snoop sadly loves that

what do you mean "terrible things"???

I bet you've been reading about the drug problem .......... yes there have been a lot of overdoses caused by fentanyl, but that is happening all over the world.

What about the "spastic" or "zombie" drug problem in Manchester, England??

Ive lived in Vancouver since 1968, and quite honestly I never see any of these problems. Why?

One, I don't go the the one small area in downtown Vancouver where the drug and homeless problems are worst.

Two, I don't know of any friends, relatives or acquaintances who take drugs in the privacy of their own homes or at parties. Do you??

Three, it's a beautiful town with a lot of problems, but none worse that you would find in an equivalent city anywhere else in the world, including England.

It's a port city, but so was Liverpool where I lived in the early 1960s and which had incredible problems.

Do NOT believe everything that is written. Have you ever read what has been written about the place where you now live?? If so, would you go there?

I cannot answer your question about getting a job here.

Yes, there are TV studies. Yes, there are lots of movies being made here. But you will have to consider whether your qualifications fit thew requirements of the companies that operate here.

Do you have a second language? That is often a great advantage!

The worst thing about Vancouver is that it is expensive! Rents are high, vacancies are low.

https://www.hamilton.ca/hamilton-mus...ot-in-hamilton

What’s Shooting? | ACTRA Toronto

http://www.whatsfilming.ca/upcoming-...oronto-ontario

Looks like Ontario has quite a few in production too... just in case Vancouver is off the cards..

I'm sure it has but suggesting that Vanvegas had little going on was not exactly spot on. The Okanagan is being used more and more for movies- there is a reasonably large film studio (well, for here anyhow) which has been built here.

Would be helpful if you suggested what the terrible things are? Vancouver's normally rated one of the most livable cities in the world. It's architecturally stunning, surrounded by incredible natural beauty, with easy access to rivers, mountains, forests, etc, beautiful beaches steps from downtown offices, shops and homes.

If you're hearing about the drug overdose crisis then yes, anything you snort or inject yourself with could be lased with fentanyl or carfentanil, where the tiniest amount could kill you. Your parents weren't kidding when they said don't do drugs.

I'll give you the rest of it, but 'architecturally stunning'?!? Maybe it's just different strokes for different folks, but for me Bruges/San Gimignano/Bath/Venice etc are architecturally stunning. Vancouver is a fairly ordinary ugly modern city set in beautiful surroundings.

Haha - well I love Georgian architecture, so Bath definitely. Venice I'd consider a fairly standard medieval/renaissance city, as found across Europe. I'm a fan of gleaming modern skyscrapers, particularly where they have trees and gardens integrated into them way off the ground, so Coal Harbour and the like is actively beautiful to me (whereas, say, London or Winnipeg are for the most part 'ordinary ugly modern' cities, with greater use of grey concrete in the high rises).

Toronto seems to double as NYC quite a lot.

Even Moncton was featured in Taking Lives - a scene in our railway station. Except it wasn't.

I think Hamilton has it all over Vancouver in terms of the built environment but, in the end, you don't eat beautiful buildings. If Vancouver has the work you want then Vancouver's the better bet.

This. By all accounts it's a great place to live but sadly it's not cheap (pricier than London even in some respects) and the job market isn't as vibrant as Toronto.

If you're looking for an experienced opinion from a younger person then Beckiwoo might be able to help you. She is a member on here who is British, moved there on an IEC and has since become a permanent resident.