hi there

if any of remember me posting threads before asking for advice, you will now have gathered that we change our minds daily as to where we think we will be happier and fulfil the dream we had when we left uk 2 years ago.

we are currently in kelowna. we nearly went to ns but decided as brits we couldnt realistically put up with the severe weather they get, then powell river, then the kootenays, then naniamo. my hubby and 3 year old son have gone to the island today to look at parksville..my hubby was sure this was the place for us, but already, he thinks no..to touristy for us and maybe a bit small for things to do, is now driving to courtenay tomorrow in search of some inspiration.

so can anyone give me some inspiration on courtenay that i can pass onto him?

thanks

confused brits in canada!

Pamela Anderson is from Courtenay. That should be enough to warn you of potential issues.

you mean courtenay bc, vancouver island?

living here - what do you want to know?
the more specific your questions, the easier to answer for me - i'm sorry, i'm back to work and have not the time to write pages after pages on (good researched) information that might or might not be helpful to you...

which would be, dingbat?

afaik she doesn't live here anymore - although you can never stop rumors about her buying some real estate here...

I'm going there this month for a Business trip I'll let you know what it's like when I get back.

out of my link list:

this link gives you a very rough overview over the comox valley, in the same series and still touristy: courtenay

last but not least: city of courtenay - the official one

Going to jump in here. Do you know (through experience or word of mouth) which elementary schools are considered 'good' for English tuition (Comox or Courtenay). I've checked the relevent school district site and report cards etc but if you have any pointers it would be much appreciated.

We are out there for a few days later this month so just trying to set up appointments to visit a couple of schools

Cheers

***thread hijack***

My wife's got a company from Kelowna interested in her, and she's a bit concerned about it being too small and far away from everything. How have you found the place - property, people, education, etc.?

I'm confused as to how potentially moving from a city of 100,000+ to a town of 20,000+ is going to offer more things to do? Surely you'll be far more limited in terms of amenities.

What sort of sized city are you used to living in/near? Depends on your interpretation of small. My experience of Kelowna is that it offers pretty much everything you'll need day-to-day, and it's only a few hours from Vancouver, so hardly isolated.

Before scouring the country looking for somewhere that might do, have you thought of making a list of the things you need and want from a town and the things you don't. This might help narrow it down a bit.

The first summer we were in BC we traveled pretty much the whole province by road. To make contacts for business, to explore for the sake of it and to take lots of photos. This gave us a good idea of what was out there and has been invaluable ever since.

There are lots of great places to visit in BC, whether one could live there or not depends on what you are looking for.

During our travels we saw some wonderful places, but not for us to live in. Others we liked the scenery and location, but not for our business. It's all about what you want to get out of it. We are still close by the same area we settled originally (Fraser Valley) and don't see us moving anytime soon.

In two years feeling settled in a new country is a high expectation. For us three years before we felt really settled and longer before we felt like a fixture.

Hope you settle soon.

just because a city has lots of people in it doesnt mean that a city has more to offeror that it has good infrastructure. more people often mean higher crime and drug rates, not to mention higher house prices. just few issues to mention.

i'm really sorry for not being able to help. i don't have kids - and i can't think of friends of mine with kids in elementary schools in courtenay. i know though that my co-workers nine-year-old is really happy in royston elementary.

in addition i'm not british (nor is english my first language which probably is the bigger handicap in this case ) and unfortunately have no idea what exactly you mean by "good English tuition"...
(ie are you talking about what they learn in the language classes or the quality of the english language [as opposed to canadian english?] your kids will learn - or is it more about comparing the school system to what you are used from the uk ... i wouldn't say my english is that bad but here i'm really lost. i hope it's the first one - that i don't need to answer with the question why you came / are going to come to canada then...)

i'm not sure if you really have a choice about where your kids go? unless you move into an area where the according school seems to have a good reputation.


have you already found the homepage of the school district #71?

something you might do a search about is the recently discussed reorganisation of the district which might affect your kids too. so the whole reputation thing might be getting mixed up anyway in the next few years until everything and everyone is back in its place and routine.

so, you think towns like courtenay don't have crime, drugs and homeless people??? you might not like the reality then.
you think that house prices are low here??? they might look low to you if you bring with you a good chunk of money you didn't have to earn here... fact is that the house market in the comox valley exploded the last few years and prices are still rising. many young local families with the lower wage they earn here in comparison to the lower mainland or the greater victoria area can't afford to buy a house here anymore.

not complaining or anything - i am were i belong to. but even if the comox valley has its name from the native word for land of plenty - it is not a paradise without any problems at all.


btw i'm still unable to figure out what kind of "inspiration about courtenay" you are looking for and therefore how to help you with your decision.

Just out of curiosity What has made you turn away from Nanaimo?