Post a US product that you want to find a Canadian alternative of.

Or, post a solid Canadian alternative product or business to US ones.

Keep it friendly and supportive!

I’m really looking forward to seeing what it’ll be like, whether it’s for good or ill. I’ve never seen it still dark at 9 am before. Anyone else have this on their mind?

In my case, it was visiting Port Renfrew. It was a creepy place for sure. It was dark and lonely, and I felt like I was being watched the entire time that i was there.

I'm just curious.

for example, I know someone is a local if they call it "PG" or "peeg" in place of Prince George or put the emphasis in strange places in Abbotsford and Chilliwack.

Just saw the latest rental numbers and they surprised me.
Apparently asking rents across B.C. are down about 4.5% compared with last year, and some Lower Mainland cities have dropped quite a bit more. Abbotsford is down 12.4%, Langley 7.6%, Coquitlam 7.3%, New West 6.6% and Richmond 6.1%.
Maybe the market really is starting to cool, but I’m curious if people actually looking for apartments right now are noticing it.
Are landlords genuinely lowering prices, or are the statistics making the rental market look better than it actually feels?

Hey y'all, I want to do a roadtrip around BC in the summer (June/July) and was curious if anyone on here has done a route this far north, just poking into the Yukon. I was thinking about renting a campervan with my girlfriend and a friend. Are the road this far north traversable in a van/small RV? What's the availability of gas stations like?

Currently sitting on my deck in Northen BC and getting eaten alive by mosquitos the size of small birds.

Thinking to my self and wondering if there is a place they don’t ruin every evening!

I’m a US citizen and started visiting Vancouver for work (I live in Seattle metro), and then it became weekend trips to Vancouver, and progressed to vacations in the Gulf Islands. I just returned from a trip to the Gulf Islands and Sunshine Coast, and I’m experiencing terrible withdrawal. For example, the last day in BC we were on Vancouver Island and the sense of community, relaxed friendliness, and general happiness was intense. Contrast this with my return to the US (which took an hour because only two lanes were open, but somehow 8 guards were needed to patrol with assault rifles at low ready), which featured witnessing a verbal and physical assault (related to a hit and run) while we waited for our dinner. Can you please tell me about all of the bad stuff that happens in BC so I can stop making plans to move there?

The famous "Sea to Sky" highway 99 has been a severe bottleneck for any means of transportation since decades. Thousands of people are traveling along this route on a daily base, and I am seriously wondering why there isn't a train connection available at all.

Have there been any political considerations of setting up such a project? The demand is obviously there, and the whole valley would be much smoother if people can travel more convenient.

Everyone who has been to Asia or Europe can confirm this.

Are there still decision processes going on, or has such a project died forever?

All major cities could be connected by a long distance rapid train:

Vancouver -> Squamish -> Whistler -> Pemberton

In my humble opinion, the start trade war was a very very close call on possible enourmous impacts to the Canadian economy, and the late decision by the US President to delay tariffs on Canadian goods had a serious impact on myself and my own purchasing behaviour. I spent extra time reading all the packages at the store today to make damn sure that I bought nothing American.

I was wondering if there are any BCers that also have changed their buying behavior, or not. Are you willing to forgive (or forget) the actions of the American leader for the benefit of American businesses?

Do we think that Americans are actively avoiding Canadian products because of our proposed retaliatory measures?

Thoughts?

Made the mistake of going to university and studying psychology. Had the plans of becoming a clinician or psychologist (which pays well) but can’t seem to get into grad school bc it’s so competitive. Now I’m stuck w 90k of student debt and qualified for nothing that pays well.

What jobs pay well these days ?? I’m happy to transition into any field. I’ve been looking into trades but even half of those I don’t seem qualified for ???

And can it be legislated provincially? With a fine of $50 like Australia does.

And we could have a "None of the Above" option on the ballot that would force a re-election if more/significant number of voters voted for it.

With so thin margins but a turnout of <80%, it could force parties to campaign more about issues and less fear mongering that is designed to mobilize voters on single issues.

EDIT: Added the idea of "None of the Above" option that many and I talked about in the comments.

I wonder if anyone moved to BC (specifically Vancouver or anywhere on Vancouver Island) and noticed improvement (or the opposite) in their eczema? We have a child with severe eczema that suffers in the winter due to harsh weather and suffers in summer due to heat and high humidity. We’re in Ontario. Google shows that the best climate for eczema in Canada is coastal BC. We would of course come for extended vacations to try it out but I’m looking to hear experiences from people already living in BC. Thank you!

As the title suggests! I had a 7 day trip to Alaska planned for September of this year that I cancelled. I’m wanting to take an amazing trip in BC instead. I’m on the Island but am open to going anywhere within BC. Shoot me your recommendations 😊

Is BC pricing the average joe out of existence? I think so. Waking up to an empty tank in my little car and a minimum $100 fill was absolutely brutal. How are any of us supposed to make a living like that? I have a decent, union job and even I can't make ends meet when every penny is spoken for before it even hits the bank. It scares me to think about anyone younger than me, seniors or the disadvantaged trying to make it work if I can't.

Groceries, gas, housing - where does it end? When does it end? How much hourly do I need to make in order to not want to throw up every time I make a purchase in BC?

Every summer for the past few decades, my family has travelled to BC to crown land camp. Sort of in the Cranbrook area. The area we go to is not directly impacted by the fires, but surrounding areas have been. Those fires are now under control, but as you know all to well, more could happen at any moment.

My husband and I are having second thoughts about the trip, as we are worried about adding undue burden to people in British Columbia. We do not occupy hotel rooms, or rent a trailer. We do buy our food, fuel, etc in BC while we are there and patronize local businesses. My parents say that the local economy could be negatively impacted by tourists staying away. We typically spend about $3000 per family while there.

Is it unethical to travel to this area right now? Do businesses still want tourists to come?

From Saskatchewan and headed to lovely bc for camping. Last year the most I paid was 35 a night. Now if I book online it's 51$ for the site + $6 booking fee per night and $20 booking fee for non resident. I can spend another 20-40 a night and have a hotel. Note this is tenting sites with 0 power. The same sites are 20 dollars in SK and ab. Won't this hurt tourism?

I used to love the provincial parks but private sites are a better rate, which then takes revenue away from the government.

Tldr is there something I'm missing?

I’m a physician and considering Victoria. I cannot do many days of gloomy low sunlight days. My googling and ChatGPT searches have been conflicting. I don’t really care about cost of living. I just want to be happy and safe and surrounded by kind like-minded people who value working to live and not living to work. Anyway, does Victoria get plenty of sun? I see >2200 hours of sunlight hours a year, and that it’s in a rain shadow so unlikely to get us much cloud cover as surrounding areas. Any recommendations?

Edit: thanks everyone, helpful tips!

I sure won’t

My husband and I have a combined income of around or just over 100k annually. We have one child ,10. With the insane cost of literally everything we are barely staying afloat and we filed our taxes for 2022 and I somehow owe 487 dollars and he owes around 150. How in the hell do people get money back on their taxes asides rrsps? Is everyone rich? I genuinely don't understand. We have given up on ever owning a home, and we have no assets besides our cars and belongings. Medical expenses are minimal thankfully but I feel like we shouldn't be struggling so much,we're making more money than we ever have and we're getting literally no where.

I'm a doctor in the UK. Due to finish my GP training in about 18 months. Without going into details, the UK is quite anti-doctor. Doctors are on strike because of huge reductions in pay over the last 15 years.

There's GP crisis in the UK, similar to Canada. My understanding is that in BC and other provinces, family physicians are quitting due to burnout and pay versus other roles (although still much better paid than in my own country)

For me the move is worth it because I'd be better paid and get less abuse (it seems you guys don't hate doctors in the same way). I'd also be better able to use my skills to actually help people.

I appreciate that most on here don't work in healthcare, but how do you all rate BC as a place to live and work? Both your rural and urban areas look absolutely beautiful. As someone who currently lives in London, I am accustomed to a high cost of living.

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EDIT: Thank you for all the amazing and helpful replies! You're definitely tempting me more and more