vash2009

So we said goodbye to London two weeks ago and headed to Toronto after my OH secured his job.We were excited as Toronto is where our friends and some close family members are located, which is the reason we wanted to live there in the first place.
Low and behold, now the company has advised OH that after some strategy meetings, the department he is assigned to will be located in Vancouver where there is a greater need. (there goes all my research into schools, childcare, and areas to live in TO)

I know nothing of vancouver, never took an interest in it as it was never on my radar except for the Rockies and Whistler .
I know I can go on google and wikipedia etc to get all the info, but i still want some insightful advice from experienced immigrants to Vancouver.

My main challenges are which areas to concentrate on for schools for my 10 year daughter and 3 yr son.
We would like to live on the outskirts as we have a family. (anyone know any good real estate agents who helped them out?)

Is it problematic to get into a school ?
Is there a website that would give me advice on schools performance (like Ofsted in the UK)

What childcare is available? ( initially family members were going to keep my son and do school runs, whilst I concentrate on job hunting)

What do you do for extracurricular activities? (I have to say, there were some posts on Van, which made me so reluctant to go)

I have heard that the weather is no different from the UK ( not very inviting)

I am extremely saddened that I will be so far away from my family again as flights are not cheap to Toronto.

Long and probably waffling post - so apologies for that.
I would love to hear of negative and positive experiences to prepare me for this unexpected turn of events!

Oink

Apart from the family bit getting transferred to Vancouver is a result. Toronto is a bit of shithole to tbh. Not midwest type of a shithole but still pretty ugly, dirty and crowded with crap weather.

1. Shouldn't be a problem. They work on a community model so the nearest school will have to fit them in I believe. Don't fret about the quality of the education/safety etc. They all do a reasonable job. Nothing spectacular but nothing too bad that can't be mitigated with a bit of work from the parents.

2. Booze

3. That's what makes Vancouver a lovely place to live. If you want hot steamy tropical weather visit Hawaii or Costa Rica. Its not pleasant for everyday living.

el_richo

Vancouver is nowhere near the rockies

Boy d

dont believe all the crap you read on here. Depends what you want. Its a nice city, near ocean and mountains (coast mountains), has mostly what you would expect a mid sized city to have (think manchester, not london). Great for access to the outdoors, which defines the place really.

Weather is like the UK but with generally decent summers. think of England on the odd years where one gets a decent summer. Gets more annual sunshine than the UK by an average of about 30 percent and about the same as TO, sans the humidity (its probably a bit warmer than most of the UK). But yes, it rains. In the winter it rains a lot.

housing is very expensive....nightlife is a bit lame, and nobody waves when jogging, don't try to strike up conversations in elevators....and have a seat....cheese is expensive.

el_richo

In the winter when it rains below, it means fresh snow on the mountains

Plus the pacific ocean is much better than a shitty lake.

If you've never been to Vancouver in the summer, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

chillingincanada

I quite like living out here

jericho

If it wasnt for the cost of housing, I would move to Vancouver yesterday.

It's a beautiful city, and a million times better than Toronto.... IMO.

cheeky_monkey

Trouble is if you didn't choose to live there..its not where you are going to want to be?

Boy d

this is a good point that CM raises. you have to go with an open mind rather than expecting to go there and dislike the place. half full vs half empty??

Vancouver can be a great city and offers a hell of a lot for a great life style. You have to decide what you are looking for.

Vancouver and the Big Smoke are apples and oranges really. I like TO for it's vibe and neat selection of victorian hoods. I detest it's urban sprawl which is way worse than here. I also don't like the humidity which i find horrific. Vancouver is well, nice, not overly exciting, but nice. It has pleasant walks along the shore line, decent beaches, spectacular views, easy access to mountains (skiing within 30 mins from downtown), lakes, fjords, scenic drives, beautiful parks, hiking, horseback riding, rock climbing, sailing, etc.....

who knows, you might actually like it.

Former Lancastrian

At least you have the option to
Keep the job and give Vancouver a try
Stay in TO and look for another job

Both are expensive cities housing wise but pretty much the same for groceries and everyday living. I bet the high humidity and heatwave in TO at the moment is making you think the cooler climes of BC is somewhat desireable
Are you renting at the moment and if so what do you have to lose by renting in another city?
I know its easy for us to sit back but its your decision be it right or wrong.
A job helps pay the bills being unemployed doesnt.

Boy d

actually, general cost of living is supposed to be highest in Toronto. Although this is using renting and not owning as a variable.

http://www.news1130.com/news/local/a...cost-of-living

Outside of buying real estate, Vancouver is not as bad cost of living wise than people seem to assume. It's not much different than other larger cities in Canada. the things i tend to notice are that gas and booze are a bit more. Everything else is much the same really. I travel alot for work and spend extended periods all over the country. Even Whitehorse! Now that is one expensive place.

jericho

Housing in Vancouver is so disproportionately out of whack with other major Canadian cities that you cannot really say "if you exclude buying real estate".
People generally want to buy... maybe not right now, but at some point. It's unlikely that house prices are going to reduce significantly enough to make property in Van affordable enough for anyone except the rich, or people who are already on the ladder there.

Former Lancastrian

One could also say the TO market is also out of whack as well and not far behind that is Calgary.
Personally I have no inclination in spending half a million plus to get a fixer upper in both of those markets.

jericho

No way near to the same extent:

If you enter the following criteria in MLS for Vancouver, Toronto (GTA) and Calgary, the results are massively different.

Residential 3 or more bedrooms, 2 or more bathrooms.
Price range: $300k to $600k

Calgary: 3133 properties meet that criteria
GTA: 663 properties
Vancouver: 107 properties

Boy d

cant disagree with that. Just pointing out that if one is renting, then it's not too bad. But yes you are right.