Would you or wouldn't you?
Oct 22nd 2010, 10:54 pm
#16
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: St. Albans
Posts: 12
Re: Would you or wouldn't you?
Jonboy..what a small world, was in 'Berko' earlier this week, lovely place. Yes our house is a 3 bed semi and worth about £340k would be interested to see what we could get there.
Sarah,glad you are settling and your children are happy too, thanks. For the encouragement.
will see what tomorrow brings when we will find out more details about the package etc.
Thanks again
Oct 22nd 2010, 11:33 pm
#17
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,986
Re: Would you or wouldn't you?
As Flight of the Conchords say of New Zealand:
"Don't expect too much - You'll love it"
"Don't expect too much - You'll love it"
Oct 23rd 2010, 3:40 am
#18
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 49
Re: Would you or wouldn't you?
Out of all the countries in the world where you might be worried about racism, Canada must be the last one on the list. So don't let that stop you of all things!
They're very polite over here - a bit too polite perhaps. I'm in Vancouver but will prob be leaving v soon, I do actually find it dull, sleepy and uninspiring.
They're very polite over here - a bit too polite perhaps. I'm in Vancouver but will prob be leaving v soon, I do actually find it dull, sleepy and uninspiring.
Oct 24th 2010, 6:52 pm
#19
Just Joined
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 1
Re: Would you or wouldn't you?
Hello,
I understand why you must be feeling stressed; its a big decision. Last year I moved backed to my hometown of Vancouver with my wife and young son after having lived in London, UK for 12 years. Our experience is a little different in that I was moving back home largely to be near family. However, I can relate to the transition from the UK, and certainly I have come back with a different perspective on the city than when I left. I wanted to respond as I thought I might be able to give you a pretty honest assessment of the place having lived on both sides of the pond for a long time.
Firstly about the city itself: Vancouver is renowned for its great lifestyle, and people here will often remind you (a little annoyingly) that it is ranked as 'one of the most livable cities in the world'. In many respects its true, and many Brits fall in love with it instantly for the its great outdoors - the mountains, the beaches, the beautiful islands nearby. Visually it is stunning, and if you love camping, hiking, skiing, swimming and generally getting out into the wilderness Vancouver is definitely the place for you. Vancouver is the kind of city where you can roll up with your child in a stroller, easily find a seat in a in just about any restaurant to receive friendly service and great food. The population is generally extremely environmentally aware, health conscious, and prides itself on its low tolerance for racism, sexism or homophobia.
The flip-side to all of this, is that - as a number of people have mentioned on this site - as a city it is in many respects it is breathtaking dull. Arts and cultural opportunities are limited and very expensive, politically it feels very parochial and insular, and though it the people tend to be very friendly they have a reputation for being quite disengaged personally - there is certainly nothing like the kind of social pub culture you would find in the UK.
In terms of ex-pats, there are vast number of people from the UK scattered around the city. The thing to remember though is that a large portion of the early settlers of the city were British, so you won't really find them cloistered into one specific area or scene. I know 4 people at work from the UK - we had a couple conversations about living over there, but that was pretty much the extent of it.
On the health care front, I am actually going to disagree somewhat with previous posts, at least in terms of BC. I would not say it is as good as the UK here. Though the facilities are spotless and modern, and the quality of care is outstanding, you'll find yourself paying for your all prescriptions and possibly encountering long waiting lists. If not paid for through work, as a family expect to shell out over 100.00 per month for government health insurance. Also eye-tests, ambulance fees, and dentistry are not covered. The provincial government has recently introduced a small fee for each night you stay in hospital. Many employers offer health insurance packages to augment the system, but there's no private medical replacement here so don't expect anything like Bupa here. Also expect to wait 3 months from the day you land before you can get any kind of public coverage. My understanding is that many of this is not true of Toronto, so its worth investigating. That being said on the whole its still a very good level of health-care.
The school system in Vancouver is primarily based on a state system. There are a smattering of French, Catholic, Montessori etc schools, but on the whole there are scarce private options if you wanted to go that route. Traditionally the public (read state) schools are very good here (just like the UK it varies depending on the catchment area, the school's reputation etc) but generally they are quite safe, progressive and inclusive. Its worth noting though that recently there have been huge budget strains on the school system, meaning school closures, extended holidays, and a lack of resources.
In comparison to the UK, rental accommodation here is large, of a good quality and relatively affordable, particularly as you move out of downtown. In terms of buying a house, as per its reputation, Vancouver is now pretty much out of reach for most mortals. I would say it easily rivals or exceeds even London in regards to housing prices (if you can believe it). There is a general feeling the market is massively over-inflated here, but the prices still continue to soar.
Career-wise the job market in Vancouver is much smaller than Toronto. Probably not and issue for you as it sounds like you have work to go to, but unless you work in a few key areas (like mining, forestry or film for example) its a much smaller pond here - I would look to Vancouver to jump start your career.
Finally, its worth mentioning the weather. The summers are generally long, warm and sunny, and by comparison to almost anywhere in Canada the weather is mild throughout the year. Its not dissimilar to weather in Southern England, however its important to remember it rains considerably more here - 3 times as much! Vancouver will tend to dismiss this as the cost of living in such a green and fertile area. But it does rain!
Anyway, sorry for the book, guess I had a few things on my mind. You could do a lot worse than Vancouver, and like I say many people from your part of the world love it here, it really just depends what you are looking for. For ourselves the pull of family and the desire to not disrupt our child further keep us here - its a great place to raise child. If it was just me and my wife we'd probably on be on a plane back tomorrow - we really miss the buzz and stimulation of living in London, being close to Europe, and generally being in the thick of things...
Best of luck
I understand why you must be feeling stressed; its a big decision. Last year I moved backed to my hometown of Vancouver with my wife and young son after having lived in London, UK for 12 years. Our experience is a little different in that I was moving back home largely to be near family. However, I can relate to the transition from the UK, and certainly I have come back with a different perspective on the city than when I left. I wanted to respond as I thought I might be able to give you a pretty honest assessment of the place having lived on both sides of the pond for a long time.
Firstly about the city itself: Vancouver is renowned for its great lifestyle, and people here will often remind you (a little annoyingly) that it is ranked as 'one of the most livable cities in the world'. In many respects its true, and many Brits fall in love with it instantly for the its great outdoors - the mountains, the beaches, the beautiful islands nearby. Visually it is stunning, and if you love camping, hiking, skiing, swimming and generally getting out into the wilderness Vancouver is definitely the place for you. Vancouver is the kind of city where you can roll up with your child in a stroller, easily find a seat in a in just about any restaurant to receive friendly service and great food. The population is generally extremely environmentally aware, health conscious, and prides itself on its low tolerance for racism, sexism or homophobia.
The flip-side to all of this, is that - as a number of people have mentioned on this site - as a city it is in many respects it is breathtaking dull. Arts and cultural opportunities are limited and very expensive, politically it feels very parochial and insular, and though it the people tend to be very friendly they have a reputation for being quite disengaged personally - there is certainly nothing like the kind of social pub culture you would find in the UK.
In terms of ex-pats, there are vast number of people from the UK scattered around the city. The thing to remember though is that a large portion of the early settlers of the city were British, so you won't really find them cloistered into one specific area or scene. I know 4 people at work from the UK - we had a couple conversations about living over there, but that was pretty much the extent of it.
On the health care front, I am actually going to disagree somewhat with previous posts, at least in terms of BC. I would not say it is as good as the UK here. Though the facilities are spotless and modern, and the quality of care is outstanding, you'll find yourself paying for your all prescriptions and possibly encountering long waiting lists. If not paid for through work, as a family expect to shell out over 100.00 per month for government health insurance. Also eye-tests, ambulance fees, and dentistry are not covered. The provincial government has recently introduced a small fee for each night you stay in hospital. Many employers offer health insurance packages to augment the system, but there's no private medical replacement here so don't expect anything like Bupa here. Also expect to wait 3 months from the day you land before you can get any kind of public coverage. My understanding is that many of this is not true of Toronto, so its worth investigating. That being said on the whole its still a very good level of health-care.
The school system in Vancouver is primarily based on a state system. There are a smattering of French, Catholic, Montessori etc schools, but on the whole there are scarce private options if you wanted to go that route. Traditionally the public (read state) schools are very good here (just like the UK it varies depending on the catchment area, the school's reputation etc) but generally they are quite safe, progressive and inclusive. Its worth noting though that recently there have been huge budget strains on the school system, meaning school closures, extended holidays, and a lack of resources.
In comparison to the UK, rental accommodation here is large, of a good quality and relatively affordable, particularly as you move out of downtown. In terms of buying a house, as per its reputation, Vancouver is now pretty much out of reach for most mortals. I would say it easily rivals or exceeds even London in regards to housing prices (if you can believe it). There is a general feeling the market is massively over-inflated here, but the prices still continue to soar.
Career-wise the job market in Vancouver is much smaller than Toronto. Probably not and issue for you as it sounds like you have work to go to, but unless you work in a few key areas (like mining, forestry or film for example) its a much smaller pond here - I would look to Vancouver to jump start your career.
Finally, its worth mentioning the weather. The summers are generally long, warm and sunny, and by comparison to almost anywhere in Canada the weather is mild throughout the year. Its not dissimilar to weather in Southern England, however its important to remember it rains considerably more here - 3 times as much! Vancouver will tend to dismiss this as the cost of living in such a green and fertile area. But it does rain!
Anyway, sorry for the book, guess I had a few things on my mind. You could do a lot worse than Vancouver, and like I say many people from your part of the world love it here, it really just depends what you are looking for. For ourselves the pull of family and the desire to not disrupt our child further keep us here - its a great place to raise child. If it was just me and my wife we'd probably on be on a plane back tomorrow - we really miss the buzz and stimulation of living in London, being close to Europe, and generally being in the thick of things...
Best of luck
Oct 24th 2010, 10:08 pm
#20
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 49
Re: Would you or wouldn't you?
Hello,
I understand why you must be feeling stressed; its a big decision. Last year I moved backed to my hometown of Vancouver with my wife and young son after having lived in London, UK for 12 years. Our experience is a little different in that I was moving back home largely to be near family. However, I can relate to the transition from the UK, and certainly I have come back with a different perspective on the city than when I left. I wanted to respond as I thought I might be able to give you a pretty honest assessment of the place having lived on both sides of the pond for a long time.
Firstly about the city itself: Vancouver is renowned for its great lifestyle, and people here will often remind you (a little annoyingly) that it is ranked as 'one of the most livable cities in the world'. In many respects its true, and many Brits fall in love with it instantly for the its great outdoors - the mountains, the beaches, the beautiful islands nearby. Visually it is stunning, and if you love camping, hiking, skiing, swimming and generally getting out into the wilderness Vancouver is definitely the place for you. Vancouver is the kind of city where you can roll up with your child in a stroller, easily find a seat in a in just about any restaurant to receive friendly service and great food. The population is generally extremely environmentally aware, health conscious, and prides itself on its low tolerance for racism, sexism or homophobia.
The flip-side to all of this, is that - as a number of people have mentioned on this site - as a city it is in many respects it is breathtaking dull. Arts and cultural opportunities are limited and very expensive, politically it feels very parochial and insular, and though it the people tend to be very friendly they have a reputation for being quite disengaged personally - there is certainly nothing like the kind of social pub culture you would find in the UK.
In terms of ex-pats, there are vast number of people from the UK scattered around the city. The thing to remember though is that a large portion of the early settlers of the city were British, so you won't really find them cloistered into one specific area or scene. I know 4 people at work from the UK - we had a couple conversations about living over there, but that was pretty much the extent of it.
On the health care front, I am actually going to disagree somewhat with previous posts, at least in terms of BC. I would not say it is as good as the UK here. Though the facilities are spotless and modern, and the quality of care is outstanding, you'll find yourself paying for your all prescriptions and possibly encountering long waiting lists. If not paid for through work, as a family expect to shell out over 100.00 per month for government health insurance. Also eye-tests, ambulance fees, and dentistry are not covered. The provincial government has recently introduced a small fee for each night you stay in hospital. Many employers offer health insurance packages to augment the system, but there's no private medical replacement here so don't expect anything like Bupa here. Also expect to wait 3 months from the day you land before you can get any kind of public coverage. My understanding is that many of this is not true of Toronto, so its worth investigating. That being said on the whole its still a very good level of health-care.
The school system in Vancouver is primarily based on a state system. There are a smattering of French, Catholic, Montessori etc schools, but on the whole there are scarce private options if you wanted to go that route. Traditionally the public (read state) schools are very good here (just like the UK it varies depending on the catchment area, the school's reputation etc) but generally they are quite safe, progressive and inclusive. Its worth noting though that recently there have been huge budget strains on the school system, meaning school closures, extended holidays, and a lack of resources.
In comparison to the UK, rental accommodation here is large, of a good quality and relatively affordable, particularly as you move out of downtown. In terms of buying a house, as per its reputation, Vancouver is now pretty much out of reach for most mortals. I would say it easily rivals or exceeds even London in regards to housing prices (if you can believe it). There is a general feeling the market is massively over-inflated here, but the prices still continue to soar.
Career-wise the job market in Vancouver is much smaller than Toronto. Probably not and issue for you as it sounds like you have work to go to, but unless you work in a few key areas (like mining, forestry or film for example) its a much smaller pond here - I would look to Vancouver to jump start your career.
Finally, its worth mentioning the weather. The summers are generally long, warm and sunny, and by comparison to almost anywhere in Canada the weather is mild throughout the year. Its not dissimilar to weather in Southern England, however its important to remember it rains considerably more here - 3 times as much! Vancouver will tend to dismiss this as the cost of living in such a green and fertile area. But it does rain!
Anyway, sorry for the book, guess I had a few things on my mind. You could do a lot worse than Vancouver, and like I say many people from your part of the world love it here, it really just depends what you are looking for. For ourselves the pull of family and the desire to not disrupt our child further keep us here - its a great place to raise child. If it was just me and my wife we'd probably on be on a plane back tomorrow - we really miss the buzz and stimulation of living in London, being close to Europe, and generally being in the thick of things...
Best of luck
I understand why you must be feeling stressed; its a big decision. Last year I moved backed to my hometown of Vancouver with my wife and young son after having lived in London, UK for 12 years. Our experience is a little different in that I was moving back home largely to be near family. However, I can relate to the transition from the UK, and certainly I have come back with a different perspective on the city than when I left. I wanted to respond as I thought I might be able to give you a pretty honest assessment of the place having lived on both sides of the pond for a long time.
Firstly about the city itself: Vancouver is renowned for its great lifestyle, and people here will often remind you (a little annoyingly) that it is ranked as 'one of the most livable cities in the world'. In many respects its true, and many Brits fall in love with it instantly for the its great outdoors - the mountains, the beaches, the beautiful islands nearby. Visually it is stunning, and if you love camping, hiking, skiing, swimming and generally getting out into the wilderness Vancouver is definitely the place for you. Vancouver is the kind of city where you can roll up with your child in a stroller, easily find a seat in a in just about any restaurant to receive friendly service and great food. The population is generally extremely environmentally aware, health conscious, and prides itself on its low tolerance for racism, sexism or homophobia.
The flip-side to all of this, is that - as a number of people have mentioned on this site - as a city it is in many respects it is breathtaking dull. Arts and cultural opportunities are limited and very expensive, politically it feels very parochial and insular, and though it the people tend to be very friendly they have a reputation for being quite disengaged personally - there is certainly nothing like the kind of social pub culture you would find in the UK.
In terms of ex-pats, there are vast number of people from the UK scattered around the city. The thing to remember though is that a large portion of the early settlers of the city were British, so you won't really find them cloistered into one specific area or scene. I know 4 people at work from the UK - we had a couple conversations about living over there, but that was pretty much the extent of it.
On the health care front, I am actually going to disagree somewhat with previous posts, at least in terms of BC. I would not say it is as good as the UK here. Though the facilities are spotless and modern, and the quality of care is outstanding, you'll find yourself paying for your all prescriptions and possibly encountering long waiting lists. If not paid for through work, as a family expect to shell out over 100.00 per month for government health insurance. Also eye-tests, ambulance fees, and dentistry are not covered. The provincial government has recently introduced a small fee for each night you stay in hospital. Many employers offer health insurance packages to augment the system, but there's no private medical replacement here so don't expect anything like Bupa here. Also expect to wait 3 months from the day you land before you can get any kind of public coverage. My understanding is that many of this is not true of Toronto, so its worth investigating. That being said on the whole its still a very good level of health-care.
The school system in Vancouver is primarily based on a state system. There are a smattering of French, Catholic, Montessori etc schools, but on the whole there are scarce private options if you wanted to go that route. Traditionally the public (read state) schools are very good here (just like the UK it varies depending on the catchment area, the school's reputation etc) but generally they are quite safe, progressive and inclusive. Its worth noting though that recently there have been huge budget strains on the school system, meaning school closures, extended holidays, and a lack of resources.
In comparison to the UK, rental accommodation here is large, of a good quality and relatively affordable, particularly as you move out of downtown. In terms of buying a house, as per its reputation, Vancouver is now pretty much out of reach for most mortals. I would say it easily rivals or exceeds even London in regards to housing prices (if you can believe it). There is a general feeling the market is massively over-inflated here, but the prices still continue to soar.
Career-wise the job market in Vancouver is much smaller than Toronto. Probably not and issue for you as it sounds like you have work to go to, but unless you work in a few key areas (like mining, forestry or film for example) its a much smaller pond here - I would look to Vancouver to jump start your career.
Finally, its worth mentioning the weather. The summers are generally long, warm and sunny, and by comparison to almost anywhere in Canada the weather is mild throughout the year. Its not dissimilar to weather in Southern England, however its important to remember it rains considerably more here - 3 times as much! Vancouver will tend to dismiss this as the cost of living in such a green and fertile area. But it does rain!
Anyway, sorry for the book, guess I had a few things on my mind. You could do a lot worse than Vancouver, and like I say many people from your part of the world love it here, it really just depends what you are looking for. For ourselves the pull of family and the desire to not disrupt our child further keep us here - its a great place to raise child. If it was just me and my wife we'd probably on be on a plane back tomorrow - we really miss the buzz and stimulation of living in London, being close to Europe, and generally being in the thick of things...
Best of luck
I can't imagine moving from a city like London to Van - you prob wouldn't last very long here (unless you're actually from here, like the OP, or are big into your outdoor activities or know you def want a serious break from city life).
Oct 25th 2010, 5:46 pm
#21
Grumpy Know-it-all
Joined: Jul 2010
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Posts: 8,928
Re: Would you or wouldn't you?
If the choice is between Toronto and Vancouver, the choice is Vancouver. Toronto is a large spread-out city with pretty bad traffic and high taxes, although you may be able to get a house for less depending on what sort of commute you want to put up with.
Vancouver was intended to look like Britain so it does for the most part, but the problem is the rain during the winter which can do your head in. Toronto has a lot of snow, hence the reason I moved to Calgary, because it's just cold during the winter.
My experience with Toronto also is that it's very left-wing and there always seems to be someone on strike about something.
The only real advantages of living in Toronto are that it has better air links and a bigger job market.
Vancouver was intended to look like Britain so it does for the most part, but the problem is the rain during the winter which can do your head in. Toronto has a lot of snow, hence the reason I moved to Calgary, because it's just cold during the winter.
My experience with Toronto also is that it's very left-wing and there always seems to be someone on strike about something.
The only real advantages of living in Toronto are that it has better air links and a bigger job market.
Oct 25th 2010, 6:35 pm
#23
BE Forum Addict
Joined: May 2009
Location: Langley, BC
Posts: 1,956
Re: Would you or wouldn't you?
I myself really enjoy Vancouver, if you're an outdoorsy person then you will definitely prefer it. Toronto is more established though and closer to being a world class city, but I don't have much personal experience to really comment on it.
Canada is different to the UK in many ways, I prefer a lot of the differences but you may not, there's no real objective way of saying which one is better.
Vancouver was intended to look like Britain
Oct 25th 2010, 7:51 pm
#25
Born again atheist
Joined: Jul 2005
Location: Europe (to be specified).
Posts: 30,259
Oct 25th 2010, 7:59 pm
#26
Binned by Muderators
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: White Rock BC
Posts: 11,682
Re: Would you or wouldn't you?
Having said that, I think I understand what you mean. Vancouver isn't a centre for the "Arts" in the way that London is. If spending days wandering around the National Gallery or the Tate, winter Saturdays at the ROH or ENO, and summer Saturdays at Glyndebourne is what makes a person's world go round then Vancouver is not going to cut the mustard. Paris, Milan, even New York maybe, but not Vancouver.
Does this make the arts scene in Vancouver dull? Well yes, if "Art" is the preserve of DWEMs. And, if not, should Vancouver's (or anywhere else for that matter) arts scene be judged on its ability to mimic European collections and performances - a sort of artistic Epcot Theme Park?
Oct 25th 2010, 8:12 pm
#27
.........................
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,615
Re: Would you or wouldn't you?
Does this make the arts scene in Vancouver dull? Well yes, if "Art" is the preserve of DWEMs. And, if not, should Vancouver's (or anywhere else for that matter) arts scene be judged on its ability to mimic European collections and performances - a sort of artistic Epcot Theme Park?
btw, I agree - it is not right to judge the art scene on european art - there are different art traditions & why should we , it isn't europe - but as someone who often does got to art museums wherever I am, of whatever type I still need to remind myself that.
I do ok unless it is billed as a tour from europe, in which case then disappointment can occur given the best are rarely on tour - in my experience.
Oct 25th 2010, 8:17 pm
#28
Binned by Muderators
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: White Rock BC
Posts: 11,682
Re: Would you or wouldn't you?
A DWEM is a dead, white, european male.
There is art to see in Vancouver that is worth the plane ticket on its own. Not by a DWEM though so it's housed in a museum rather than a gallery.
There is art to see in Vancouver that is worth the plane ticket on its own. Not by a DWEM though so it's housed in a museum rather than a gallery.
Oct 25th 2010, 8:30 pm
#29
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 14,227
Re: Would you or wouldn't you?
Besides people should stop recreating the same old first nations images and calling it art; that style is such a worn out cliche. There is no creativity in it at all anymore. I suppose there is craftsmanship and there is value in that, but why not put that skill to use in something new rather than banging out yet another thing with a salmon, eagle or frog on it.
Oct 25th 2010, 8:35 pm
#30
Binned by Muderators
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: White Rock BC
Posts: 11,682
Re: Would you or wouldn't you?
If only Monet had found some other things to paint beside his back yard.