Kev Davidson

Help Please!!!
We were looking to move to Calgary in July/Aug. BUT the wife has changed her mind(huuu say the men) and would love to live on Vancouver Island, warmer, see views etc. Would anybody be able to answer these 3 questions.

1, Our son is studying fine art (he is very good all A* so far)at college and would like to continue on Vancouver island, what is the best college or university for this?

2, When we visited Vancouver we noticed loads of traffic (like London) is Vancouver Island the same?

3, What areas are nice to buy a house, see views, mountains etc

Thanks for your help, i think we will be off in May for a reconnaissance

Kevin

ptolomeus3

Hi Kevin,

Shouldn´t we wait a little bit with answering, your wife may change her mind again
I think that the Malaspina College in Nanaimo does have "Art" as area of expertice. Here is a very good Forum about Nanaimo, you may ask your questions directly. http://www.nanaimoinformation.com/
I don´t think that Vancouver Island has this type of congestion as found in Vancouver.
I think that you will find many wunderful places to buy a house. You´ll have to check that yourself, you know ... taste ...
Anyhow, here some links
http://www.britishcolumbia.com/Maps/?id=30
http://www.mls.ca/map.aspx?AreaID=245

Greets Eric

Kev Davidson

Thanks Eric,
well you know what these women are like!!! thats me in trouble with all the ladladies will look at all the info you have sent

Thanks again
Kev

iaink

University of Victoria? Not so much AFAIK its pretty tranquil You know its probably the most expensive part of canada to buy into, right? Willmore, a frequent poster here, might have some insight.

claire in worthing

We are hopefully moving to Vancouver Island later this year, we have decided to settle in the Comox Valley (an hour N of Nanaimo), it is on the coast and has mountains nearby Strathcona National Park and Mount Washington (ski area).

ellsie

This is where I live. www.campbellriverbc.net Mountains,beach and reasonably priced housing. I like it here. We are north of Nanaimo, about an hour and a half and are the last big 'city' going north.

Tam Kilmarnock

Vancouver is like any big city in the UK in that it's a major commercial/financial center and as such has the congestion and general hassels that city life brings.

Victoria is a medium sized town and has a much slower pace of life in comparison. I've found that poeple tend to be more courteous and generaly more laid back than their Vancouver counterparts.

Vancouver has more work than the island, and I guess that is where I will settle even though mu heart is in Victoria. There is an excelent University (UVIC) perhaps they have what your son requires

gooding

We live in the Comox Valley, and love it. it is a smaller community and surprising how many people know each other. House prices were cheaper when we built two years ago, but in our case our house has doubled in value.
The problem is .......your son. My daughter was just 16 when we moved, and initially called me all names under the sun on arrival, despite being keen initially. If your son has been used to going out on the town in England, going to pubs clubs, listening to bands etc....... he will hate it here, big time. He will love Calgary, You cannot do anything here until you are 19, if you can you need your parents signature to do it. My daughter has actually gone backwards with things. We lived in Weymouth, where there was a lot of night life and kids grow up much quicker there than here. I call this area the land that time forgot. You may be shocked at some of the housing. You can go between almost shanty town houses that need bull dozing to modern estates that are being built so fast to meet demand.

If your son likes skiing, watersports and all outdoor activities the valley has it all. If he wants to go out after 9pm forget it. The town closes!

What there is, is a good college - the North Island College, that has a fine arts course, that is linked to the Emily Carr Institute. I am not sure how old your son is but Lisa was also doing a fine arts diploma course at a college in England and started at 16 , she was going to continue here, or thought until the college bought out the red tape. Nobody finishes school here until they are 18, and colleges tend not to take students under 19 without prior approval. They must have A levels or do a college entrance exam. I asked them the average age of students and they said 32!

There are colleges in Nanaimo, and Victoria too. Make a visit to the island and with your son. Most teenagers head to Victoria, Vancouver or Calgary for bright lights, easy of travel and a social life after dark.

All being said, my daughter actually went back to Uk for 3 weeks, and returned with a different frame of mind. She has actually settled fantastically well, and loves it here now she has met friends. She chose not to go to college here ( yet) she is working fulltime, pursuing here diving skills, which is an area she would like to work in.

The island is beautiful in summer, very wet in winter. The further north you go, the more you are looked at as an "immigrant" even now people ask us why we want ot live here, and constantly pick up on our accent as if we are from far off planet. My daughter finds this draining at time, and almost quite rude from some.
Further south there are so many immigrants from all around the world you do not get treated like some sort of alien.

We chose here, for less traffic, cheaper housing, smaller community etc.
Also to bear in mind getting work here is very hard unless you are in sales, or have a prior job offer. Much more choice in Victoria.

If you do come this way, you are welcome to pay us a visit!
good luck

hot wasabi peas

I'm from Vancouver Island but I my info relates only to Victoria... and it may be out of date as I haven't lived there in 5 years.


At one time nearly went to art school so have some knowledge of the art options in Victoria... though it's probably not completely up to date. Also, there are other options on the Island but I didn't explore them.

UVIC in Victoria has a fine arts (BA and I believe up to MA) and art history (thru to PhD):
http://www.uvic.ca/

The Victoria College of Art - 3yr diploma - probably more for artists more concerned with their art, than career. Very nice college, IMO.
http://www.vca.bc.ca/

Camosun College in Victoria has a visual arts diploma (2yrs). http://www.camosun.bc.ca/

Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design though in Vancouver it is the probably the heavyweight in terms of qualifications... likely a some what soul-sucking but wise career choice.
http://www.eciad.ca/

Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts - not really an art school but it's a great college and fantastic place to take some art courses.
http://www.missa.ca/

Vancouver Island School of Art - new and I don't think fully accedited yet.
http://www.vancouverislandschoolart.com/



No. Although there can be a lot of congestion between Victoria and the Western Communities (Colwood, Langford, etc) during the rush hours.



That's a difficult question to answer. You can live right near the ocean and not see it for the trees. Or you can live further inland, yet higher up a hill and see the ocean from the distance. You can live a tent right on an islolated beach or swanky house in Deep Cove.

Here's the view I had for a while when I lived on one of the smaller islands off Vancouver Island. Fantastic view! But the house was very rustic... to put it mildly.