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Old 08-11-2010, 10:54 AM
 
Location: Niagara Falls, Canada
10 posts, read 67,827 times
Reputation: 18

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Hello,

Looking to transplant my family to Vancouver Island from Niagara Falls, ON. We have visited several times and it's an absolute paradise. We want to live there and are DESPERATE to get out of the Falls...definitely not a place to raise a family.

I feel that we are getting too excited and moving too fast so I would like some pros and cons of Victoria and surrounding areas from people who live there.

Can anyone comment on the following? Would be greatly appreciated!

-Ease of finding new jobs (I have a Journalism degree and have worked in publishing for 5 years but will work _anywhere_) He is a roofer and will not leave that field

-Lower cost houses/condos around Vic that have a sense of community and family friendly (rec centres/kid's programs, good public schools) I am interested in Saanich, Colwood, View Royal - open to anything within 30mins of downtown

-How much we should look at spending on BC healthcare for 4 - average income $60,000

-How do you secure a place before moving? Or do you just budget staying in a hotel for a few weeks before you find an apartment?

-We are sort of open to living on the mainland but only on Sunshine Coast...any comments about jobs and cost of living around that area?



Other things I'm curious about:

What's the difference between a den and a bedroom?
Why do all the places have fireplaces? Is that generally the main source of heat?
If we are used to -40 winters, will my children ever need snowsuits there?
If it snows, does everything shut down?

Thanks!!!

Last edited by aladywhoknows; 08-11-2010 at 10:57 AM.. Reason: more questions
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Old 08-31-2010, 02:11 PM
 
7 posts, read 116,306 times
Reputation: 15
Hello!

Unfortunately I don't have answers to your questions but we are in the same situation. My wife and I (and our 15 month old daughter) are going to be moving to B.C. in the spring. We're kind of torn between Vancouver and Victoria. I've visited both, and I loved Victoria, but I'm worried about making a decent living there.

We live in Ontario as well. Bracebridge, and we used to live in Waterloo. We decided it was time for a change.

What are your plans for relocating, and general timeline? We are hoping to find a reliable RV to purchase and drive it across, taking only with us what will fit in the RV. We plan on camping while we look for a place to rent and work. Failing that, we have some friends in Esquimalt who we may stay with for a short period of time.

It's good to see someone else is thinking about moving with their family. Our relatives mostly think we're crazy for even attempting this, but it's something we feel very strongly about. Please keep in touch and let us know how your planning is going, maybe we can help each other out in some way.

- Ryan
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Old 08-31-2010, 05:24 PM
 
Location: Winter - West Valley
99 posts, read 148,330 times
Reputation: 111
Default Moving to the Island?

Quote:
Originally Posted by aladywhoknows View Post
Hello,

Looking to transplant my family to Vancouver Island from Niagara Falls, ON. We have visited several times and it's an absolute paradise. We want to live there and are DESPERATE to get out of the Falls...definitely not a place to raise a family.

I feel that we are getting too excited and moving too fast so I would like some pros and cons of Victoria and surrounding areas from people who live there.


Thanks!!!
As a ten year resident I will try to answer your questions:

-Ease of finding new jobs - at best a 50% chance of finding work in either area. Cutbacks at local papers, one TV station just about went bankrupt (bought by employee group - that may be an option if you could afford to buy in). Housing starts down, and trend is to continue, likely worse. There may be work in roofing repairs, but the outlook is only average.


-Lower cost houses/condos - the areas you mention all have a sense of community - but Saanich is probably the best - except maybe Colwood as it may not be 30 minutes from downtown especially during rush hour. What is your definition of lower cost? Condos run about $ 300,000 in the areas you mention, townhouses about $ 425,000, and houses $ 500,000. These prices may come down sooner than later - some are predicting a 30-40% 'correction'. Or are you looking at renting?

Saanich has good rec centers and schools - there are also the Juan De Fuca center between View Royal and Colwood.

-How much we should look at spending on BC healthcare for 4 - BC Medical premiums are $ 114 a month - but there are lot's of exceptions to what is paid - check their website. There is also no dental coverage. You should look for employers that offer medical and dental plans.

-How do you secure a place before moving - we did it in stages, my wife stayed behind to sell our former home, then we rented a 3 bedroom townhouse for a year ($ 1700 a month in today's dollars). It took us a year to find an affordable home - we wanted to be a 20 minute walk to downtown, finally bought in Oct 2001.

-We are sort of open to living on the mainland but only on Sunshine Coast...any comments about jobs and cost of living around that area? Can't help you there.



Other things I'm curious about:

What's the difference between a den and a bedroom?

Bedroom has a closet and usually a solid door, den doesn't

Why do all the places have fireplaces? Is that generally the main source of heat?

Most older places have wood-burning and newer ones gas. Some people try to heat their homes with the fireplace. We converted our wood fireplace to electric - basically used for ambience. Main source of heat on the island is oil or gas forced air and many with baseboard heat. Some newer homes have heat pumps.

If we are used to -40 winters, will my children ever need snowsuits there?

Won't need anything close to -40 protection, but it is a different kind of cold here. Horizontal rain is common in winter, so good rain gear is essential if you like the outdoors.

If it snows, does everything shut down?

Maybe twice in the last ten years there has been snow that taxed the areas snow removal. We seldom see snow last where we are (2.2 km from downtown on the inner harbour) - it usually melts within a day.

Further out from the ocean, more chances are the snow will be deeper and last.

Most problems are with complacent drivers who don't have enough experience with driving in snow, and don't have proper tires.

I don't want to discourage you, but I would exercise caution and patience before you commit to a move.

Here is a link to a similar request I responded to awhile back... http://www.city-data.com/forum/canad...ctoria-bc.html

We are planning to downsize next year and buy a place back in Kelowna where we spent 30 years, and buy a second home in Phoenix.
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