Where in Canada for milder climate
 

Hi everyone. We are going through the process of getting our qualifications assessed for a move. Just want to know which areas to concentrate on to look for job opportunities. We will be moving as 2 hospital consultants/specialists with 3 young kids. Where in canada has a milder climate? I dont like snow and would rather avoid -30 degrees in the winter. I like being near cities or big towns to allow easy international travel. Anywhere to recommend for good family life (with good schools) and not so harsh winters?
Thanks in advance.

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

If money is no object then its either Vancouver area (Victoria is on an island but fairly close to Vancouver) or Windsor, St Catherines, Niagara Falls area for mildest winters. Vancouver (Victoria) probably get the least snow as well saying that guess what Vancouver has just recently got snow. All areas are subject to snowfall. There again lots of Vancouverites complain about how much rain they get compared to those in Windsor. Are you sure Canada is the right country for you?

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

Thanks for reply......
As to question about Canada being right for me....I just want a change, to move out of UK. We recently visited Dubai and struggled with the heat, then we were in Salzburg when there was the avalanche and I thought the snow was beautiful. Kids definitely prefer snow to sun but me being originally from a hot country don't particularly like it. I just want to strike a balance where they can have (mild) snow in the winter and I have a nice summer. I hope I am making sense.

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

Nothing wrong with wanting a change but your biggest concern should be will we even be accepted in Canada for a job? Many in the medical field have found it hard to secure employment in light of having their qualifications assessed to meet Canadian standards and each Province/Territory has different requirements as opposed to a Canada wide standard. Some have successfully moved over in these fields and have done quite well.

You will need to provide a few more details about yourselves eg ages, consultants and specialists is some what vague, areas you might be looking at, which route to apply under ie are you looking at a permanent move or just coming on work permits. We have a few medical people who post on here but they would also be asking these questions before they can give more insight.

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

Thanks again,
Our specialities are Infectious diseases and geriatrics. We are both dual trained in Internal Medicine. We have submitted our documents to Royal College of Physicians of Canada for assessment. Also have talked to Healthmatch BC(who have said our training looks comparable but still need to wait for final decision obviously), Nova scotia, SK, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario who are happy to help with looking for suitable job opportunities. The initial applications goes via a central website (physiciansapply) and we grant the provinces permission to look and get docs from there. So I just wanted to narrow it down. We will most likely come under provincial nomination as it sounds easier.
kids are 7, 8 and 11 years.

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

Although its early morning in most places here are the latest temps for 256 places and our temps are in Celsius and yes there are minuses in front of them :lol:

https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/canada

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

You don't like snow or cold weather, but want to move to Canada? Have I misread your post?

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

lol. I see the minuses alright! I can tolerate some of those temperatures but not -30.

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

You have misunderstood me, or maybe I wasn't clear. I don't like extremes......As I said we have been to Austria at the height of winter and I found it beautiful. I couldn't tolerate the extreme heat of Dubai either.

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

I used to enjoy my xmases in Geneva, so I can tolerate some level of snow

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

Then IMHO you should discount Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northern Ontario, Ottawa, Montreal and most of Atlantic Canada and especially the 3 Territories.

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

Austria and Switzerland in snow, yes, very nice. Picture postcard. Canada in snow, not so much. Maybe Quebec City, but then you'd get the extremes too.

Incidentally, the humidity in Canada is fairly extreme too. Stifling. An air conditioned home may be essential.

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

We live in Comox on Vancouver Island which has a maritime climate with no extremes. We moved from Alberta which has very cold winters and short, hot summers.Winter here lasts from about November through February, seldom with any snow and with daytime temperatures well above zero. Rain and grey skies some of the time are about the worst you can expect here. Crocuses and snowdrops start to come out in late January followed by a couple of nice spring months. Summers aren't very hot but it doesn't rain much until fall at around mid-September. Comox and adjacent Courtenay have a total population of about 35,000 and the nearest larger city is Nanaimo about a half hour drive away. There's a a new hospital in Courtenay and a large population of seniors who have moved here because of the mild climate. Comox is regarded as the retirement capital of Canada. Because it serves a large rural area, Courtenay has big box stores you wouldn't normally expect in a place this size, such as Canadian Tire, Superstore, Walmart, and London Drugs.Can't say much about schools but the kids seem well-behaved and there's little evidence of vandalism or littering. If you want to know more about property in the area, I recommend the realtor who sold us our house - Tracy Fogtmann at ReMax.
Best wishes with your move.

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

:nod:
It's very much looking like BC or not Canada for the OP.

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

But then one has to watch out for the cost of living in the Lower Mainland, and in some places on Vancouver Island.

Vancouver has been unusually cold for the month of February .............. I was amazed at the amount of snow that is still lying on the ground when we went out this morning. The dirty grey pile in the mall parking lot was still about 4' high!

But then dry and cold feels a lot better as a change from wet and 5-7C warmer!

As far as I am aware (from experience of friends living in Nanaimo), many people living on VI have to go to Victoria for many areas of specialist treatment, so that might be something for the OP to be aware of.

I wonder if NZ might not be a better fit??

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

As noted above, Windsor would work. It's as unfashionable a destination as exists but, because of that, one can have a lot of house, a relatively mild climate, and immediate access to all that Detroit has to offer.

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

I would add to that list, Quebec and most of British Columbia.

I'm not sure how much research OP has done on this.

The options appear to be Vancouver, with the caveat that if one isn't used to a Pacific Northwest winter, it can get very, very miserable even without snow and freezing temperatures.

Or the Golden Horseshoe, already noted as not a glamour destination.

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

The Okanagan is nice, but you have to either drive and leave your car or take a connecting flight to Vancouver for overseas travel. They were building a big addition to the hospital in Penticton last year.

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

Ohhhhhhhh you might get people from the GTA, Hamilton and Niagara Falls disagreeing with this ;)

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

Thanks for the replies...actually they make Canada more interesting somehow. I am the only one who doesn't particularly like snow (so was 4 against 1) and I would like to believe I am fairly adaptable having lived in 3 countries (europe/Africa). We did consider New Zealand but in the end decided it is way too far from family in the Caribbean. Toronto would be ideal as its a 5 hr direct flight to the parents but I discounted it as its a big city and expensive.

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

As above, BC is really your only option if you want a temperate climate. But one question that hasn't been asked is do you have a visa already? If not, do you need a job offer to get a visa? Just that if that's the case, choosing where to live may be a bit of a moot point, as you'll just have to go wherever you can find a sponsoring employer and LMIA.

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

We considered the Okanagan when we moved from Alberta but decided against it for the following reasons 1..There is a shortage of water during the summers (the Okanagan is at the north end of the Sonoran desert). 2.Winters tend to be gloomy and depressing, with heavy clouds hanging in the valley.3.Forest fires are an increasing problem. 4.The road down the west side of the lake is narrow and can't be widened because of the steep cliffs bordering parts of it.5.Some properties are on First Nations land so you don't get a freehold, just a leasehold which can be changed after you've bought the property.
I would caution against anywhere in interior BC because of the continuing and growing number of forest fires. This seems to be exacerbated not only by global warming but because of huge infestation of mountain pine beetle killing large areas of the forests.Apart from losing your home or simply being forced to leave it because of a mandatory evacuation order, smoke inhalation is a serious health problem even a long way from a major fire. We've had very few fires around Comox but even here,several hundred miles away from some of the fires in the interior of the province,about three years ago, we could smell the smoke from forests burning.

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

You're lucky if you only smelt it 3 years ago ..............

last summer was the worst year for wood smoke hanging over Vancouver, the Lower Mainland AND parts of Vancouver island, since they stopped burning slash (the stuff left over from cut blocks) about 40 years ago.

It's the thing you live with anywhere in Canada at the moment, not just BC ......... every province has had bad forest fires for the last couple of years

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

It's an expensive airport in terms of fares, taxes and fees. An advantage of being in the milder climate down near Windsor is the option of using the Detroit airport.

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

What a load of BS. "A shortage of water"? Really? Which friend of a friend did you hear that from? This is simply not true, i have lived here for 12 years and never had a water issue and that includes irrigating the lawns all summer!
Secondly nobody has to buy on leased land, Native or otherwise but if you do the price is usually reduced accordingly, having said that there are some developments that seem to be priced on the high side considering they are leased on native land yet they sell, it seems, without issue. There are literally thousands of homes available freehold throughout the Okanagan.
Thirdly the Westside Road is a great drive at the right time of year and some sections have already been widened but can be an issue in mid winter. This road is not a highway and does not have to be used to drive between Vernon and Kelowna, its a scenic alternate route for nicer days unless you live on it. Buying a property halfway between Vernon and Kelowna on this road is probably not advisable if you have to commute regularly.
Yes forest fires are a big problem but last summer there was nowhere to go to get away from it, almost the whole of BC and Vancouver Island were eventually affected as was great sections of the US so you really cannot just blame the Okanagan.
The winters can be grey and plenty of low cloud but we do have sunny days and if the weather is poor in town head up to the ski hill for a blue sky day, even if its just for a drive and a wander. Spring can start early, we have witnessed golf courses in Penticton opening late February but its also possible to still get snow in March. One things for sure the climate is much more favourable than other parts of Canada and we don't get extreme humidity in summer like some areas.

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

1. Uh, well - there's a shortage of rain, yes. This is often a plus point when people move to the desert (ok, semi-arid) :) It's not like people having to use stand-pipes, or even being told "Pools closed, you gotta swim in the lake"
2. Oh, if you think winters are gloomy in the Okanagan, you've forgotten Britain :) after 3 months in the UK, arriving late-October, my Okanagan-raised partner was crying out how "everyone here is translucent as they try desperately to generate vitamin D!". Although he was simultaneously impressed and disturbed at the ability to go outside in a t-shirt in December. And even comparing to elsewhere in Canada, at least you can go outside in an Okanagan winter. I actually found it really depressing in Winnipeg, seeing a blue sunny sky outside, but knowing that if I so much as opened a door I'd have tears streaming for about 5 seconds before they started to freeze to my cheeks.
3. Forest fires are an increasing problem literally everywhere with forests. I seem to recall a small town in Alberta being evacuated en masse a few years ago, with RCMP escorting convoys through a column of fire? And even the west coast of Vancouver island had a fire ban last summer, everywhere was so hot and dry.
4. I presume you're talking about Westside road (the northern section, from West Kelowna to Vernon)? Well, yes, that's the minor road, the highway's on the east side of the lake at that point. If you want 110kph and 3 lanes you've crossed the bridge. West Kelowna down to Penticton is largely highway on the west side (and at that point, the east side only has forest service roads over Okanagan Mountain or linking up with McCulloch)
5. Yes, some places are leases not freehold. This is a feature of western property ownership, you decide the one you want and use that to rule in or out various properties. A far weirder feature is that in Canada as a whole, a 99 year lease seems to be considered "long" (I think ones that short are done for some new builds in Britain as well, but I'd normally only ever seen ones that were remainder of 499 or 999 until I moved here).

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

Depending where you are in the UK of course and every winter is different:-). Stats show that Kelowna for example is one of the cloudiest places in Canada and if you look back the past 30 years, even a place like Edinburgh got on average more sunshine hours between November-January. February would be roughly the same but I think anybody moving for weather reasons should basically avoid most of Northern Europe (even parts of Southern Europe ) & Canada.

Winters will be long anywhere (shorter days) and there's always something to complain about. Because it's so mild for this time of the year, people are complaining that they have to cut the grass, so nothing will ever be right;). Lisbon is pretty mild right now, so maybe a better choice than Canada or UK, if there is work of course;)

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

Similarly the weather in Newfoundland doesn't have the extremes of high and low that "mainland" Canada suffers. Not sure I'd recommend it as a place to move though if you are looking for a mild climate. It's a place one lives, despite the weather rather than because of it. :-)

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

When I arrived in Winnipeg on December 13th 2007 and thought I'd wrapped up well with all my best UK winter clothes on .............. What Joke !!!

I have experienced -47 and it was perfectly tolerable with the correct outer wear - Buy the correct outfits IN CANADA and when the temperature rises from -20 to -6 you'll be out in your flip flops and shorts

Canada is Cold in Winter - Lovely in Summer - Embrace it !

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

I had to laugh to myself earlier this evening.

I am as bad as anyone in saying Vancouver and the Lower Mainland are the "Banana Belt" of Canada.

We got the total records for February earlier this evening ................

10th snowiest February on record at the Airport ....... just over 31 cm. Record was over 60 cm back in 1949

Coldest ever February on record

That reminded me that our first winter here (1968) included the record cold ever recorded here.

It was -18C on Boxing Day 1968. Arctic fog was rising from Burrard Inlet as we crossed the Lions Gate Bridge.

It snowed heavily just before Christmas, side roads were not cleared. Another snowfall after Christmas used up all the money allotted by the city for snow clearing, so not even the major roads were cleared when there was a 3rd fall a few days later. The city did not start using money from other parts of the budget after the snow clearing budget had been used up until well into the 1970s.

What I noticed that first winter was that it did not feel as cold outside to me as it had living near the Pennines back in England .................. it was so much drier than back there.

Vancouver averaged around 100 cm total snow from December to February through much of the 1970s. Of course, being Vancouver, it did not all fall at once ............ there would be a large dump, then it would thaw, and another fall 2 or 3 weeks later.

Total annual rainfall back then ranged between 1300 mm to over 1500 mm .............. even that seems to be less these days.

Part of my job required that I keep weather records, and some of those figures are deeply ingrained in my memory!

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

An acquaintance who moved to Toronto said the same thing to me recently. She says you get used to it with the right gear....

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

The reverse gear is best..

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

Your reply came on same day I got an email Invitation for a meeting (from Nova Scotia). They are coming to UK this month for physician recruitment. I have since made an appointment to meet in Manchester with them. They are also offering an all expenses paid for trip to "have a look". so will see how it goes.

I will also like to thank everyone for their helpful input. So far job discussions ongoing with BC, Ontario and Nova Scotia.

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

:rofl: There are days when the temps are minus 35C and with windchill feels like its minus 50C you hear this voice in your head saying WTF why are you living here?

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

I think the worst we've had here has been around -40 with wind chill but I remember worse than that in Montreal. We get more snow than some but less than others. We've had nothing like dbd mentions almost every year.

Maybe Atlantic Canada isn't the worst place for weather? ;)

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

Hi

1. The cold does have some perks, lived in Prince George in the early 70s, if it was -25 at 2:00 in the afternoon, Coffee was free at the Inn of the North.

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

Re: Where in Canada for milder climate
 

I've yet to see a spring. Unless it's that week between turning the heating off and having the AC on for the first time. But then you did put it in " " :lol: