Katsi

Hi,

My husband and I are planing on moving to Vancouver Island next year with our two children. We have done various research and having looked at the reasons for why some people have chosen to move back to UK I notice that there seem to be an awful lot of people from BC complaining about the high cost of living particulary the price of groceries, poor education, lacking career prospects and the residents who have been referred to as 'stuck up' and lacking in sense of humour.

I just wanted to ask the opinion of those people who choose to stay in BC particulary Vancouver Island what there thoughts are on all of the above. Your help is much appreciated,

Thanks

PMM

Hi

Where on Vancouver Island? it is 1/8th the size of the UK.

Katsi

well we are not 100% certain, but we like the idea of being close to victoria, somewhere along the coast, prehaps Sooke.

JonboyE

I moved to BC 8 years ago. I live in White Rock - a small seaside city in the Lower Mainland right by the US border.

There are only three things I find expensive. One, of course, is real estate. The Lower Mainland is very expensive, more so if you want to be near downtown or the water. It can be much more affordable if you don't mind a commute to work. I believe that prices in Victoria are equally high, but once you get away from the capital are much more reasonable.

The other two are car insurance and alcohol. I pay $1,500 to insure a small car fully comp even with maximum no claims. Beer is about $5 a pint in a pub, and wine starts at $7 a bottle in a liquor store.

Apart from these just about everything else is cheaper than the UK. My general standard of living is much better.

I can only speak of my own experience of the public Education system. The elementary schools were excellent, the secondary schools less so. Secondary school teachers see themselves as learning resources that pupils can access. This may work well for the smarter kids, but they did not provide the extra help and motivation that my son needed. I don't know if this would have been different in the UK. However, secondary schools in BC are much more civilized places that some inner-city schools in British cities. University education is of a very high standard.

I can understand the career concern, and if climbing the greasy pole is important you need to think about this. There is no big business on Vancouver island. Victoria is a government town and on the rest of the island the forest companies are most significant employers. However, there are many small businesses and if you have an entrepreneurial spirit you may be fine. Many small businesses are in hospitality/tourism. Vancouver has a much more vibrant business sector, but generally only resource sector companies are headquartered here. At the moment, the BC economy is booming and there are very many job opportunities.

Stuck up residents? Not at all in my experience. BC people of all ethnicities have been open, welcoming and friendly to me and my family. Maybe Victoria is a little different because it is a government town, but I believe the only people who don't fit in are the ones who won't fit in.

Atlantic Xpat

As a comparison, here the other side of the country, you can't buy a bottle of wine for much less than $12 and beer is definately north of $5 a pint.

Canada is an expensive country to drink in.

AX

gloveman

We moved to VI ende of May. Everyone has ben helpful and welcoming without exception. BC does stand for bring cash. Its swings and roundabouts really - somethings are very dear like insurance but others aren't. You have to way up the pros and cons but we think it is worth it.

Tableland

Ouch! But there is an upside, no? This morning on the BBC Breakfast News was a report about Britain's increasingly unpleasant nightlife, the main cause being persons of below-average intelligence getting saucered on £1 pints.

dbd33

Speaking as a person of below average intelligence I'd certainly like to be able to get saucered on £1 pints.

Atlantic Xpat

Hmm, I'm not sure that there are many places in UK where you can buy a pint for a quid these days although I do agree that Britain probably leads the world in binge drinking and senseless booze related violence. George St in St John's does come close around 2AM on a Sunday morning though!

Atlantic Xpat

But tonight that you, Novo and Oakvillian will try your best on $7 pints though?

dbd33

Noblesse oblige innit.

Tableland

I'll look into it and do some extensive research. If I survive I'll let you know. [heads out door, like Captain Scott, en route to a night of snakebite at The Flying Fist]

maddhobs

Hi, we live on Vancouver Island in the Cowichan Valley, about halfway between Victoria and Nanimo. We enjoy living here, we have always found people to be friendly and it has a more laid back feel to it. We notice there are a lot of community events always happenning and people seem to be more community spirited. We have friends who commute to Victoria and Nanaimo for work but we have just as many friends who work locally so it depends on each individuals occupation. We deliberately chose Vancouver Island because it was not so populated and we certainly have no regrets. Regarding prices I think it's the old story that everything is relative. We are not rich but we don't struggle as much as when we lived in the UK. We have a bigger house, but then most houses seem to be bigger. We have a small acreage, again we couldn't have done that in the UK. We have other English friends here and they all seem happy with where they are and how they live.
Hope I have been able to help from a VI perspective but for us this is our little paradise!

Notiaink...honest

That's just what a person of below average intelligence would say, innit

Maple Leaf

lovely post!...and i was in your neck of the woods..on Sunday...lovely area! i went to the little sunday market..the people are so freindly...our son bought a few little things to amuse himself, he wants to go back again..