I WANT TO MOVE TO CANADA!!!!!!!

[josh]

You can get 25 acres of land and a nice log cabin in smithers area for around $200,00 (or less). It's a gorgeous ski town and super friendly. Tons of climbing, canoeing, world famous steelhead fishing, great powder... of course a little more remote than you are used to. But it is all about lifestyle not about money.

Just curious, what do you hope to do in Canada? I mean work related... but also pleasure. Just so we can be more helpful with suggestions.

Josh

(I love Brits, everytime I am travelling and have bumped into any I am always treated like thier little brother... the beauty of the commonwealth!)

[Mystery Machine]

.....big thing to remember is that Canada is big... REALLY big... so it's hard to answer what things are like "in Canada" because it varies from region to region. even one province will have huge extremes, BC alone is 925,186 km²

Thanks for that Green1 - I must say that I am finding this out more & more the further I look into it!

I think it is the southern part of BC that still appeals to me most, but as you say - even this is on a BIG scale compared to things in the UK!

I have spent HOURS reading through all the comments and scouring Google Earth! (what would I do without it! :lol: ) but all this info is certainly helping me 'define' my requirements.

Vancouver generally stays around 0c in the winter, but gets 35c or more in the summer, meanwhile in Calgary we get down as low as -40c in the winter (though average is more like -10c) and tend not to get much above 25c in the summer...

I think this info has been one of the biggest helps so far! Whilst I dream of deep snow and 4x4 adventures with the Mystery Machine in it, I am also very much a 'summer' person too (I like the extremes - just hate the mediocre grey, damp wetness in between!)

I think a place that has a similar climate to here in the UK would suit me better. It sounds again like the southern part of BC is more my thing climate-wise than the extremes you talk about in Calgary and the east coast.

I think the appeal of Canada is having the access to these opportunites. Weekends or weeks away trekking, exploring and discovering in sun or snow is my dream and that is what your country seems to offer.... I suppose I would be more suited to the milder climate for my main day to day living.

We've quoted house prices in BC and Alberta as being in the 400k-700k ranges, however if you head to the east coast, or in to saskatchewan, you can get mansions for less than that...

Mansions you say!! Maybe not my thing! Just space to stretch out, some garden/outside space for the dog to run around in, room for the Mystery Machine (undercover ideally!) and a spare reception room so my g/friend can escpae me would be ideal! I guess 3 beds, 2 bath, 2 receps, drive & garden is the minimum I am looking for - but grand buildings would probably be too much space for me to cope with! :lol:

The $500k would be mortgage free - so if I got me a job, then I could look to go higher if I felt I needed to??

Lots of variety, but that's (to me anyway) one of the things I like about Canada. If you do decide to move out here I'm sure you'll love it, and hopefully you'll find lots of time to explore, it's a great place for a road trip! (you can drive in one direction for literally DAYS and still not get to the end...)

Now THAT'S my kinda talk! Get the work done to make the time to escape it all!!

I never fly anywhere becuase there is SO much to explore in the UK without having to resort to jetting off for your holiday! Canada offers that on a scale that just makes me giddy thinking about it!

I love biking and watersports, but why not do it in scenery that was made to take your breath away before you've even got on the saddle/popped the spray-deck on! :D :D

I'm still working on the Giirlfriend though.......she will come round to it......SHE WILL COME ROUND!! :lol: :lol:

Regards,

Bruce.

[docsavage]

Well, I can try and sell you on the central interior of BC - especially a place like Kamloops. Acreages are still available and reasonably priced, it is only about 4 hours to Van on a double laned highway. The climate is warm and dry (note the dry - desert dry) and there is plenty of boating, skiing, biking, fishing, and wheeling. The city is growing rapidly has all the services and plenty of employment potential.

Thats just my two bits from Williams Lake.

James

[Mystery Machine]

I'd recommend the Fraser Valley. Ya its the burbs but if you want the great outdoors without having an hour or more of city traffic to push through, then this is the place to be.

Hi John,

Sounds a little closer to what I am looking for!

When you say Fraser Valley - is Abbotsford within it? It's just that when I type F/Valley into google earth, it takes me to between Hope & Agassiz! A bit too remote for me I think! (perfect to visit/hoilday etc...but not to live! ) Abbotsford iteslf looks and sounds kinda cool though.... 8)

If you want to frolick in the snow, then you can be up on top of Hemlock in less than an hour. Also, in less than an hour you can wheel up to sub alpine lakes for an evening supper picnic after work and look at the glaciers in the background.

This is sounding good - I'll do some more research into this soon.... :D

The average house price in Abbotsford is somewhere around $430,000, which is far below anything close in to Vancouver. If you really want to get into Vancouver, it is only 67 kms to downtown from Abby. You can be at the US border in less than 10 minutes and I have had trips into downtown Bellingham in less than 30 minutes.

Also sounding promising! Certainly a location to strongly consider... :D

Where I live in the UK (Bristol) makes it VERY easy for me to be in the countryside in a matter of minutes, yet in the city centre in no time, very easy access to London, the south coast, Devon & Cornwall, the north etc....

I would like to have the same thing if I move to Canada, easy access to places. What you have described pretty much fits that bill - so thank you! :D :D

Regards,

Bruce.

[Mystery Machine]

I'd recommend the east coast of Vancouver Island for the outdoor life and overall beauty.

Hi Pete,

Thanks for your input (all comments REALLY appreciated! 8) ) I love the sound of being near the water, but would still need to have easy access to some form of city life!

If it's OK, please could you answer a few questions for me?? (sorry to be a pain! )

How long does it take to get to downtown Vancouver approx?

Please could you name some places that you would recommend in Vancouver Island (it helps me when I can look at specific places ) Are you talking Nanaimo? Ducan? Victoria? - sorry if I sound dumb - but I know very little about the human geography and layout of Canada!

How do house prices compare with Vancouver/Abbotsford?

Many thanks if you could give me some pointers on this front... :D

Listen, just come over for a visit, rent a motorcycle and cover some ground. Be sure to take in Nelson, Williams Lake, Pemberton and the Island. Call some of us up and take us out for dinner ha ha just kidding.

Done deal!...Already planning to!

If the food is cheaper than in the Uk - I'd be happy to take you out for dinner in exchange for me quizzing you about life in the big CA! :lol: (or let me loose in your kitchen and I'll rustle up some classic british grub for you! :lol:

You might not like us though, we enjoy beer, the outdoors, we love our lifestyle and enjoy teasing one another. There is nowhere in Canada I did not enjoy except for the inside of a cop car. Or puking in everyones shoes at that party. Oh right, there was also that time I crapped the rug. Whoops, did I go too far? P

You ALL sound like my kinda people - friendly, good for a laugh and laid back! Exactly what I like!

Beer - outdoors life etc....that's me. Loving life and teasing one another....that's me! :lol:

The puking on the shoes and crapping on a rug....too far??? NO WAY....there was this time when I was coming home from......(I'll save the stories for when I come over - but remind me to tell you about the morning of my 18th birthday and the complete upheaval it caused my whole family, my g/friend and the local police! :lol: )

I reckon we'd all get along GREAT! 8) 8)

I second the island. Once here, you can always move around too. Just rent for a while until you find the place that feels the best.

The Island is sounding good! I think I'll just have to come over and let you all show me how great these places really are!

Renting would be a must to start with while the whole job thing gets sorted, while I get to know places and which places I like, while I get to know people and how not to pi$$ off the neighbours too much! (AKA learning the Canadian ways and habits.... :lol: )

Regards,

Bruce.

[Mystery Machine]

You can get 25 acres of land and a nice log cabin in smithers area for around $200,00 (or less).

Hi Josh,

I love the sound of what you have got and where you live, but I think realistically it would be TOO remote and too much of a culture shock for a city boy like me just yet!

Maybe when I'm older and more used to the Canadian ways.... :lol:

Just curious, what do you hope to do in Canada? I mean work related... but also pleasure. Just so we can be more helpful with suggestions.

Good one! I'd not thought to mention that little issue of employment!

Well I am a fully qualified teacher and taught in a state school for 10 years (taught 11yr olds - 18yr olds) teaching IT, graphics and also technology.

I am also a trained and qualified graphic designer as well as a qualified product designer and also pretty fluent in IT applications (not programming though!)

I am not precious about what I do - I'd put myhand to ANYTHING!! I'm very practical with my hands, love working on things and like working outdoors (but not when its raining! )

I can do challenging work - but also like mundane jobs where you can just lose yourself whilst doing the same thing over & over!

I guess my pet hate is paperwork! That is one of the reasons I left teaching in the UK - because the admin side was about 90% of the job....only about 10% was actually teaching! I'd like to think that the Canadian education system is a bit more focused on getting the best out of the kids, not just focused on statistics and politics?? (rant over!! :lol: )

Any suggestions would be gratefully received....

(I love Brits, everytime I am travelling and have bumped into any I am always treated like thier little brother... the beauty of the commonwealth!)

I treat EVERYONE like my Brother (if I had one! )

Life is too short to be looking down your nose at someone (all too common in the UK I'm afraid!) and I treat everyone no matter how old or young, no matter how wealthy or not, with the same level of respect and dignity that I would like to think they would treat me with.

I find life less stressful if you are happy around people. Have a laugh with someone and enjoy peoples company.....life is good..... :D :D

So like I said to Pete - I think us lot (Deli owners) would get on GREAT!!

Regards,

Bruce.

[josh]

I love the sound of what you have got and where you live, but I think realistically it would be TOO remote and too much of a culture shock for a city boy like me just yet!

Bruce,

Then I think the Squamish suggestion was a good one then. I may be biased, but I think it is on the side of Vancouver that you will enjoy the most. Abbotsford is not as mountainous and has a lot more air polution. Squamish is a lot more outdoors focused, from hippie to redneck, to dirty climber to kite surfer... and its less than another hour to Whistler from there.

Homes are still semi-affordable, (close to the same price range as Abbotsford) and you are still under an hour to vancouver.

Option 2:

I'd recommend the east coast of Vancouver Island for the outdoor life and overall beauty.

Victoria, on the Island, is still a pretty good sized city, and so you have no need to head into Vancouver on a regular basis. The ferry though is still reasonable (Around $60 if I remember correctly) And the Island is pretty mello. I wouldn't move there only because I would feel trapped, but I would assume since you live in the UK that you don't need to live on the mainland for a feeling of big open spaces. Also from the the island you can catch a ferry up to Prince Rupert (its quite a haul) and then you are only a couple hour drive from the northern pics I showed you, or else a ferry ride to the Queen Charlotte Islands (look them up, you will be blown away!).

I can do challenging work - but also like mundane jobs where you can just lose yourself whilst doing the same thing over & over!

Bruce, don't worry about employment then. It sounds like you will have no problem. If you are interested in flexibility with hours/location and good pay you could try a trade. They are in such large demand right now. However I assume you would rather not take more time retraining. I think you will have no problem finding something in your field. Try our Canada Job Bank for a few suggestions. http://jobbank.gc.ca/Intro_en.aspx

Should we start keeping our eye out for extra furniture to help you with your house warming? Or is that a tad premature?

Josh

[surferboy]

i have moved from the east coast of canada 11 years ago with nothing than a back pack, about 400$ in my pocket, did not know how to speak english as i'm a frog from Quebec, a skate board and my snowboard gear... automatically fell in love with vancouver.. the smell of the rain forest, the snow covered peaks of the north shore even in the summer, the giant trees of stanley park(or watever is left of them after that wind storm... ) the laid-back atmosphere and attitude of the west-coast, granville island market and all the squatters on their boats in false creek, and of course, monty's a find strip joint! i could'nt believe it bruce, a 10 min. bus ride accross the inlet to the capilano water shed on the north shore and i was fishing huge spring salmon returning from the sea, knee deep in a river surrounded by glacier topped mountains to my back and a huge city of over two millions of people in front of me! in the winter time, a 15 min drive from downtown to the local ski hills,(three to choose from all pretty much side by side!) were i found myself more than once snowboarding in waist deep powder (not a word fraser boy!) yup, powder!(considering the proximity and scenery you get, plus quality of terrain to ride, i didn't bitch too much about the fact that the snow was a little moist!)
then, you get back to downtown were the temperature average around 7-12 degrees celcius on a normal winter and go for some of the best sushi restaurants selection available and for dirt cheap to! rent an ocean kayak for a scroll in english bay with stunning views of the north shore, go for laps at the outdoor olympic size swimming pool on kitsilano beach, fill your mouth with magic mushrooms naked between skimboard sessions on famous wreck beach on by the university, a scenic ferry ride thru the golf islands to vancouver island for a week end of surfing the waves of beautifull long-beach on the pacific rim national park, whistler, blackcomb
the chief in squamish, man the list goes on and on, this is the best place on earth if you can deal with lots of rain in the winter, come and check it out, leave your cuppa tea in england get your yorkshire pudding ass over here for a pint of granville island winter ale!!! cheers!

[username]

Abbotsford iteslf looks and sounds kinda cool though.... 8)

[

abbotsford is NOT cool (sorry abbotsford people). ever heard of surrey? abbotsford is surrey's nasty little brother, everybody i know calls it stabotsford, because there are a lot of murders there. though i did grow up just across the river from abbotsford in a place called mission and the two towns do have a bit of a rivalry.

also, abbotsford smells really bad. every part of town has a different stench.. there is the cat food factory, the rubber mat factory, the fields of rotting asparagus stalks/cow shit fertilization and the horrid smog every summer that envelopes abbotsford...

i could go on, but i won't.

[elbosque]

Well if I had my choice of places to live, it would be Victoria. However, Abby would be my next choice. Smells? As it called the City in the Country, what would you expect. It is a city, so it has some industry. It is also close to the country, so it has some cows. As for it being the stab capital, I think you should look at the crime stats a bit closer. When we go to Vancouver we also find it stinks. Then you look at the houses which have less than 3 feet between them. We kind of actually liked Mission until we seriously started looking at houses. If you want to buy an old grow op, there are tons of moldy deals there. On one block 4 of the five houses for sale were previous grow ops. I would be a liar to say we don't have gang problems. Show me a major city which doesn't.

Bruce, my suggestion is that you take the safest route. Travel around a bit and go for the "try it before you buy it" method.

Cheers, John

[Green1]

while I'm no expert on BC... I have always figured that if I were to leave Calgary (unlikely, I love it here) that the only other place I'd want to live would be the west coast, I've even had the odd moment where I've seriously considered buying a boat and living aboard in some marina on the coast.... (when you look at house prices in comparison, it's not at all unreasonable as long as you can tollerate the smaller living quarters, and you can always take off for the weekend, house and all...)

when comparing parts of BC...
Island vs mainland... I like the climate on the island better, they get more sun and less rain, and the pace of life seems more relaxed... it's a beautiful area... the catch is that it's isolated... victoria is a major centre, but to go anywhere else you're at the whim of BC ferries, and the last time I crossed with 2 people and a vehicle it was $75+... and if you want to take any vehicle taller than 7' (mystery machine maybe?) it will be much more as you'll be considered "over height" depending on when you hit the ferry it's also a 2-3 ferry wait (1 an hour...) just to get on board...

the mainland is more convenient to the rest of Canada, and the mountains (I love the mountains...) but isn't as "clean", and I find the climate in the lower mainland positively dreary, and although it isn't always raining, it never really seems to get sunny either...

it's a tough decision...

[Mystery Machine]

Thanks for all the replies, feedback and comments.

All VERY helpful and pretty insightful too.... :D

Quite liking the idea of the Island at the moment, but following the advice of some of you, I'm hoping to come over in April to have a look for myself and make a better judgement.

Green1 - you are right about the ferry....the Mystery Machine is around 8' 6" tall!! Might be a bit costly on that side of things! No probs about the wait for a ferry though....just climb in the back, recline the seat and watch a film or two.... 8)

I'll probably look to hire a car when I come out so that I can have a look around and get to know the areas a bit better! (will probably fill up all my memory cards in the digital camera too! :lol: )

As well as hoping to attend the meet up in Pemberton (thanks for the offer of a lift Adrock! ) would any of you be up for a bit of British company maybe one evening in April? Fill me in on the 'lay of the land' etc... :D

If anyone also has a spare room for a night (sofa/floor/outhouse! :lol: ) then I'd really appreciate it if any of you could put me up (I am actually a nice guy despite what the voices in my head keep telling me! )



Some more questions for you (nice quick easy ones to answer too!)

Can UK 240v electricals be made to work on 110v mains? (computer, TV etc..)

Do you have curry or thai out there? (as in take-away indian or thai food)

Would I need to speak much French?

Are most of the cars those horrible American things?

Would I be allowed to import my very rare 1990 BMW? (LHD + all set up for your roads including lights etc...)

Do Canadians have a hatred of the English in the same way as the Australians generally do?

Thanks again for all the info and input....

.....can't WAIT to book my flight! :D :D

Regards,

Bruce.

[Green1]

Can UK 240v electricals be made to work on 110v mains? (computer, TV etc..)

In general, no, though there are exceptions (most computers have a switch on the power supply for 110/220, however you'd need a new power cord) I should also mention that we run at 60Hz whereas you have 50Hz... so even if you do find an adapter to make things work, things like clocks often won't keep time very well any more.... and be warry of travel adapters, some change the plugs to fit, but don't change the voltage... electronics don't like that much...

Do you have curry or thai out there? (as in take-away indian or thai food)

yes, though not nearly as prevelant as in the UK, but you should still have no problem finding it.

Would I need to speak much French?

the odds of you needing to know ANY french on the west coast is pretty much zero... my grandparents lived their whole lives (over 90 years!) in Quebec (the most french part of Canada) and they didn't speak french...
it all depends on who you know... in the lower mainland I think chinese would be more helpful than french...

Are most of the cars those horrible American things?

Yes... why do you think we're fighting for our right to import Delicas!
that said, we do get variety, I drive a 1983 mercedes 300SD, and there is a healthy dose of BMWs, Toyotas, mazdas, mitsubishi, etc etc... but basically it's the same vehicles they choose to import to the US that they give us up here... (oh, and we have smart cars too... but only the "for two")

Would I be allowed to import my very rare 1990 BMW? (LHD + all set up for your roads including lights etc...)

that would be a 100% guarunteed maybe.... it's over 15 years old, so in theory yes, the catch is wether or not the lights and glass have the right stamp on them to be allowed in... it would also need daytime running lights wired in, as well as a high mount centre brake light (assuming it doesn't have these already)

Do Canadians have a hatred of the English in the same way as the Australians generally do?

Not at all... generally most canadians seem to love the English (and the Ozzies actually...) we reserve most of our national hatred for the americans ;)

As for your april trip... I'd love to meet you, and I'm sure I could find a couch for ya (sorry, don't have a spare bed at the moment) but I may be a bit too far east for you...
however depending on your schedule, I do tend to visit the Vancouver area (New Westminster actually) about once a month... so may be able to catch up with you then...

[josh]

Do you have curry or thai out there? (as in take-away indian or thai food)

I lived in little india for awhile, around fraser/49th ave... check it out when you are in town... tons of indian food and really affordable and delicious. (My wife would move off the continent if the curry -and sushi, which I know is unrelated- weren't good) Any kind of curry meal for about CA$3.50 or samosas for $0.25

As for places to stay, if you do have a hankering to make it up the coast to the north (maybe a roadtrip into Alaska *grin*) I will always have an extra futon... and a lot of spare time to show (drive) you around.

Josh

[Mystery Machine]

Once again - thanks for all the kind and informative comments.

I really do appreciate the time you guys are taking to educate, enlighten and seduce me into the wonders of Candian life. 8)

I really do hope I get to meet a lot of you when I come over. To see the Deli's, to put faces to the names, but most of all......to actually meet the people who have taken the time to make me feel so welcome before I've even booked the flight! :D :D :D

Excited at the prospect is an understatement and all I can think about at the moment is coming over! I've got a big interview on Weds, yet have not given it a minutes thought! :lol:

Green1 - I really hope you are right about the BMW thing.....adding daytime lights and a high level brake isn't a problem - it is just that it is one of the few cars that is outlawed in the US (along with the Porsche 959 etc...)!

You say the 'for two' Smart is all you can get over there? Does this mean that my LHD 'for two' (including correct lights for your roads) would only need daytime running lights to allow me to imprt it?? YIPEE!!



This whole moving to Canada thing just gets better each day!! I might be having my whole garage following me :D :lol: (still working on the Girlfriend though! )

Regards,

Bruce.