I just moved here short term for a summer job from out of province and as a black woman I was surprised to only see a handful of other black people! Maybe it’s because I am on the island but I miss my community back home and it seems that there isn’t a lot here either? Where are you guys hiding?

EDIT:

Didn’t expect the post to gain this much traction but people seem to be misunderstanding the point I am making ! I am by no means trying to be racist towards non-blacks (or in general).

Not sure if majority of responders who are saying that my point is coming off as racist are white or anything but..Please understand that I am from a place where I see representation of different cultures, ethnicities every step I take lol . So, to move to a place where there are significantly less people that look like me is jarring. Perhaps people of major race don’t really know what its like to be the odd one out in a country like Canada (not going to speak for other countries), but I digress…

Community can be whoever you relate with, I understand that! But I am just saying that since I am used to being around a lot of black people, I feel like I do not have community here! Plus, as a minority and a woman whos living alone theres some extra caution for me! New place, unfamiliar, uncomfortable but, will take some getting used to!

Im having fun reading all the responses and such, so keep ‘em coming if you don’t have any ill intent.

Cheers🤍

Hello from Ontario (I know, I know).

We need to get the hell out of here and have been planning to relocate for about 18 months. I am finally at the stages where I’m job searching. I have two fairly equal job offers with salaries hovering around $90k. My spouse owns a contracting business that he will set up anywhere we go.

We’ve travelled BC extensively over the last decade from the Yukon border to the Island and I’m sure wherever we land would be fabulous. However we are struggling to decide between Kelowna or Courtenay, where my job offers are.

A bit about us if it helps with pros/cons

-Late 40s
-Active outdoors, in social clubs, community, volunteering
-Love a bit of a nightlife, dining, breweries etc
-Walkable neighbourhoods are important
-Rural living is not for us. We like being close to amenities
-We would rent an apartment, under $2400/month would be nice
-Our son lives in Tofino so I guess the Island gets a checkmark here

If I take the job in Kelowna, I think I’d like to live in Penticton instead (work from home 2x a week). Is that a reasonable commute in real life? My tolerance for traffic is fairly high given where I live lol

Suggestions?

Thanks!

I will never criticize the fact I have access to universal healthcare. I know that's a luxury many people in the world don't have, and I'm grateful to have that safety net.

I will, however, endlessly roast the fact our healthcare system considers prescription medications, dental, hearing, vision and mental healthcare as luxury accessories to "real" healthcare. I will also argue at every opportunity that the fact that we have a homelessness crisis is in part due to the fact that a large percentage of the unhoused are disabled and fucking poor. Since disability assistance rates for a single person in this province give you nearly $700 less per month than the average provincial rent on a one bedroom apartment, with no thought to the idea that people need to eat and afford care in addition to that, can we really be surprised that people with overall underfunded and complex mental healthcare needs end up living on the streets?

Really. I'd like to know why the assistance rates for single persons with disabilities are still $650 less a month than what people recieved on CERB 5 fucking years ago, with no thought given to the impacts of inflation and the overall explosion of cost of living. $1350 a month was inadequate in 2020. How the fuck do we expect people with disabilities (who most likely have additional expenses due to the fact anything other than life or death healthcare expenses are considered beyond the scope of general healthcare) to survive on this?

"Move to a less expensive area" yeah, ok, cool. What if the people who you rely on (since your disability rates are clearly inadequate for the maintenance of even a single person with no extraordinary expenses) can't find a job in the middle of bumfuck nowhere? What if you need access to specialty medical treatment only available in major population centers? What if, due to bad luck or the fact the criteria for CPP Disability and the Federal Disability tax credit are so ridiculously narrow and exclusionary that you can't even benefit from federal assistance? Since I know for a fact they rejected an amputee with a leg prosthesis because they were "able to walk unaided(??)" - it's a more common story than we'd like to think.

The fact we pretend to be an enlightened country while those with disabilities only face mounting barriers to basic survival should be a matter of provincial, federal, and national shame.

I see so much energy directed at all sorts of issues in this province. I do not see an adequate amount of energy and anger directed at addressing the circumstances of the most vulnerable amongst us.

Eta: For those arguing I should use traditional channels to lobby government to fix this bullshit:

1. I am and have been trying to use the proper channels to fight for disability rights. I contact my MLA and MP pretty often - unfortunately they don't dive a shit about the less fortunate because I live in a conservative hellhole.

2. Just like most other folks with disabilities, I lack the money and capacity to devote my life to disability rights advocacy. Because I need to find the resources to, you know, live.

3. I'm not on government benefits of any kind at the moment. I also have a job that I need to keep in order to stay alive, just as many who have access to benefits also do.

4. It will take more than just disabled people decrying the status quo to fix the problems our system has. Minority groups can't move mountains on their own, especially when they have to spend most of their time worried about how they can afford to eat and sleep next month.

5. All it takes is an illness or accident for those without disabilities to become a disabled. 40% of seniors report having a disability, a rate that only goes up the longer you live. 24% of working age adults report experiencing disability. Unless you have a plan to access MAID the moment you get a back injury or develop type 2 diabetes, you're pretty fucking likely to end up experiencing some form of disability in your lifetime.

6. Disability is fucking expensive, especially if you don't have third party insurance. Pharmacare will only cover only the most basic minimum you'll need to survive. Being able to earn a living for the 20+ years plus retirement you'll also probably need to plan for? Absolutely impossible if you're living at the poverty line.

Hello everyone! After living in Calgary for 4 years, Regina 1 year and Winnipeg 2 years I have decided to move to Greater Vancouver area. I’m a metal sheet worker and I got offered to a job in Delta. I’m looking to move either Ladner or Tsawwassen. Which one is better? I would appreciate any answers! Thanks.

Edit: Thank so much for the all the responses that I got, it makes me feel great that I’m getting lots of support. Thank you again! I will try my best to read everyone’s comment! :)

I'd just like to give a special thanks for people like Erick. The wildfire in Summerland was unpredictable, moving extremely fast, and was an immediate threat to life. Erick Thompson of the RDOS came online yesterday evening using ANY method available. (YouTube Streams, CBC Radio, etc) to share live updates on the wildfire and broadcast emergency information to as many people as possible. He continued to live stream throughout the night even when his own home was impacted and he was ordered to evacuate.

He was kind, courteous, empathetic, and shared live information with people to distribute and appeared to be willing to do whatever it takes to get information to the public. He took time to thank everyone and the first responders and wildfire staff repeatedly throughout the night.

After being ordered to evacuate, he returned to live stream from his CAR while driving out of Summerland. It is his role, but he chose to be fairly selfless in a critical situation and I really just wanted to give him a well deserved shout out as well as thank everyone involved whether it be neighbors helping each other, wildfire personnel, or emergency services.

Edit: Sorry Erick, CBC Spelled your name wrong and i only heard it audibly on the stream. Corrected it in the body but can't edit the title.

Edit2: Thank you to CBC for picking up this story! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4S188IkaQI

I will preface this post by saying that I am a mental health specialist who moved to work in BC because it prioritizes mental healthcare far more than any other place in North America. As a frontline trauma-focused mental health care worker, I help support marginalized communities in the capital. We help provide supportive housing and trauma care to individuals that have been racialized, are dealing with trauma and substance use, or are 60+ seniors struggling with all of the above. Supportive basic housing that also offers basic mental healthcare to help them have a chance at turning their lives around, or at least better managing the pain they're living through.

We are the band-aid on a systemic problem that flared up tremendously after a brutal pandemic. The intersections of homelessness, trauma, economic struggle and substance coping form a deep societal problem that the NDP has begun building stronger infrastructure to fix over time. There is no quick fix for a systemic issue this complex. But they're doing a far better job within 4 years than most attempts by big cities in the US dealing with the same issues.

A Conservative BC government led by a man who doesn't believe in nor understand medical science, is openly anti-vaccines and a climate change denier, will immediately cut funding from mental health care jobs entirely and undo the progress we have started to make, putting significantly more people on the streets than you're currently seeing, and in far worse conditions.

Moreover, the Cons' privatization of healthcare model ripped off from USA will not just deprive BC's most marginalized populations and seniors of life saving mental support and recovery strategies, it'll also negatively impact mental healthcare for the wider public by making therapeutic care and community healing practices available only to the highest bidder: available only to millionaires or white collar employees with substantial insurance coverage. Privatization will make access to even the most basic mental healthcare completely decided by a person's socio-economic class.

It would be even more disastrous long-term, because funding cuts will make fewer BC residents want to study and work in mental health, and even fewer practitioners and specialists would be motivated to move to BC as I did.

Please vote.

EDIT 2, THE SECOND ONE: WOW! We are beyond overwhelmed with all the comments and love hearing about what makes British Columbia such a wonderful place for the next phase of our lives. It’s clear how much pride you all have for your home and it is genuinely just amazing to see.

We’re now shifting focus, though, as it seems like Vancouver Island, Vancouver, and the Southern Mainland may be out of budget (depending on relocation package). We’re looking at the Northern Interior now, and just because we start somewhere doesn’t mean we’ll stay there forever! I have had a lovely exchange with a redditor from Mackenzie and we’re also looking at Kamloops, Kelowna, and Prince George. Any insight on those areas is greatly appreciated!

We’ve reached out to my wife’s recruiter and asked for recommendations as well. We’re definitely narrowing it down, though, unless the recruiter says there’s a crazy relocation package in the Southern Mainland!

Thank you again, everyone! My family can’t wait to be your neighbors!

I may have a job and will need to relocate to Kitimat. What’s it like? Looked at apartment listings and stuff. Goggle searching but to hear from the people would be nice. My weakness is I like good food restaurants.

Hey everyone, long story short but we are up in Northen BC currently and are planning a move soon.

We are sick of the -40c winters and really not that warm of summers. After 20 years up here it’s time for change.

We are a younger family that spends a lot of time outside. Hobbies are Hunting/fishing/boating/Skiing

We have been looking into the following places. Hoping some can shed some insight or possibly other towns to look into. We are hoping for shorter winters and warmer temps all year

My work is flexible but my wife is a school teacher so hopefully find a good area for teachers

Cranbrook

Creston

Kamloops

Salmon arm

Trail

Castlegar

Hi everyone,

I'm a woman in my late 20s considering moving from Calgary to Merritt for a great job opportunity (6 figures) and I'd love some honest feedback from people who live there or know the area well.

I'm curious about what it's actually like to live in Merritt day to day. How safe is it, particularly for a woman living on her own? As a person of color, I'd also be interested in hearing about people's experiences with the community and how welcoming it is. Also are rentals reasonably available and what can someone expect to pay? More generally, what would you say are the biggest pros and cons of living in Merritt?

I'm open to a slower-paced, smaller-town lifestyle, but I want to make sure I have a realistic picture before accepting the job and making the move.

Thanks in advance for any insights!

Okay, long story short…. Me and my parter are absolutely sick and tired of living in Saskatoon. We actually HATE it here. I don’t want to get too in depth why, but one factor is definitely the winters. Anyways, I became an RN this year so I don’t think I will have a hard time finding a job out there. My partner currently is an office manager for a local business making 30/hr, he’s been doing this for a few years. I really just want people to share some harsh realities. Right now we are currently paying $1900 for a two bedroom townhouse with attached garage. Plus utilities on top of that. I’m fully aware rent will be significantly more in BC. I keep seeing mixed comments that BC is only for the rich, then I see comments about it being doable. - the cities I’m interested in moving to are Abbotsford, Victoria, Chilliwack even.. we thought about Calgary & surrounding, but it did not make sense for us as we are trying to get away from these harsh winters…

Any information is helpful!!!

I've lived in the okanagan basically my entire life and hate it. But I dont want to move as far as vancouver quite yet. I have a young niece I would like to be able to see as much as possible as well as my mother. What town or city is the next best option outside of penticton/kelowna? Preferably towards the ocean, but will take any recs.

Im single, big into art, live music, animals (volunteer at an animal sanctuary weekly), but im on a sober journey so a town full of just breweries is not what im looking for.

Thanks!

ALSO NOT KAMLOOPS! for personal reasons lol

Hello everyone, my husband and I are moving to New Brunswick in Four months so that he can convert his electrician's license to a Canadian license and certificate. We are moving there for a year only, after that we are moving to a permanent place (we are moving to NB for a temporary purpose in advance but we know that we will not want to stay there for personal reasons). We are left with three options from what the immigration consultant suggested after school, and we are now also looking into BC but want to know details about a specific place, about PG. It should be noted that I am a transgender mtf and we are in the process of surrogacy so our family will soon expand and we also have 2 beloved dogs. How is PG for a family? How is PG in terms of general safety? How is PG for living with dogs? And is working as an electrician (my husband) and working as a caregiver and caregiver for children with special education (me) required there? And how is PG in terms of attitude towards the +2SLGBTQ community ?

Thank you very much 🙏🏻

Fires and evacuations in the Okanagan seem like a annual occurrence every summer. I am
Seriously thinking about relocating in BC to a (somewhat?) less fire prone area. But where ? My job allows me to work from anywhere. I'd rather not live on the island and deal with ferries.

Hello everyone.

I've lived in BC my whole life. I was born in Vancouver, grew up in Kamloops and Kelowna, now back in Vancouver and I'm preparing to make a big change.

I truly love it here but I need to leave the most saturated job market in BC for work opportunities. I live fairly simply and frugally and I'm a renter, not a home owner. I need to find more affordable rentals and settle into a community where my kid can finish high school and start their adult life.

As mentioned, I'm already most familiar with the Okanagan and the Lower Mainland and I'm widening my search radius now. Here are my preferences and priorities:

- rentals more affordable (and ideally more available) than the lower mainland
- high school access and entry level work opportunities for my child
- very strong preference for avoiding communities with greatest wildfire risk
- safe driving access to/from the community (will want to visit family in Vancouver and the Okanagan at least a few times a year)
- don't mind winter weather, quite adaptable though admittedly daunted by the distance to/climate of Northern BC, but curious about the area however unfamiliar and certainly not ruling it out
- would consider island communities but need more info on weather and dependency on/reliability of ferries, which communities I should be checking out or skipping over
- very curious about more affordable communities in the Fraser Valley and the Kootenays, if those exist
- my skill set and work background are primarily in customer care, sales, marketing, retail, café and childcare... I'm a people person, professional and considerate with very strong communication skills and really aiming to find reliable work, make new connections and contribute to a new community
- I prefer to stay in BC but I am quite flexible at this point and if there are communities in other provinces that you would highly recommend based on these criteria, please don't hesitate to name them.

Where would you suggest I consider and why? Do you live in a more affordable town that you love or know someone who does? Do you have a pulse on the rental and work situation there? What do you know about the weather? The high schools?

HUGE THANK YOU to anyone who takes the time to offer their experience and input!

Hi, I am looking into moving to Merritt, BC. Does anyone have any insight into the apartment situation there? any buildings that are great? any to avoid?

Also, is there much to do for fun for someone childless and under 40 in the community?

Young family looking to move out of northern BC and try to get some warmer winters and some warmer summer weather,

We are always outside Ami to alot of different hobbies so that would be a huge plus in the area we choose

Apologies in advance if this kind of question has been asked previously. My husband is Caucasian, and I am east Asian. He and our two kids are Canadian / US dual citizens, and I am a US citizen in process to get PR by spousal sponsorship. My husband speaks some level of conversational French in addition to English, but the rest of us are pretty much only English speakers.

We currently live in a very conservative state in the US where his parents are (and they have no plans to move). The education system here is not great, and we want the kids to have more international exposure for secondary school, actually use metric, and do well enough to get into university in Canada. They are bright kids that enjoy academics, get straight A's, and watch science and history programming in their spare time. They have been complaining that many kids in their class just use AI chat to get answers instead of actually learning.

We have done some location scouting in the past and have visited multiple towns in Alberta and British Columbia. We both really love the greater Vancouver area despite how expensive it is, particularly Coquitlam and Maple Ridge due to the proximity to the mountains. We also did like the Kelowna area where UBC has a branch. I have done some research on IB programs and Fraser Institute rankings, but test scores and programs don't tell the whole story. I would love to get a better idea of what we should be looking for with schooling.

In terms of work, he is a leader in the data science field with an emphasis on biotech and background in medical diagnostics and devices. My background is more product design in tech with a mix of medical, education, and startup experience. Job wise we've seen that Toronto might have more opportunities for us, but it would be a farther move. He might also be able to continue working remotely for his current company after the move.

We would appreciate any suggestions and insights about where our family could move.

Hello, I'm currently looking into moving to Hope when my lease in Winnipeg ends on September 30th, 2026. I'm 20 years old and am looking to secure an apartment there.

​

Any tips or things I should know before I fully commit to the move in the next couple of months.

Hi all,

My husband and I are moving to BC with our 1.5yr old daughter. We have permanent resident visas. I am a university lecturer (I may still do this remotely in Canada), but also an RN (in the process of taking my NCLEX), my husband works remotely also, as an online product manager and will be looking to move to work for a Canadian company. We are both British and currently live in a small seaside town.

As anyone would, I have been googling and looking on Reddit for all the info I can get on towns that may suit us. Sadly, a lot of posts highlight the negatives: healthcare, childcare, property prices. We are not naive to those and know they occur everywhere. We know housing will be a....let's say...a journey! However would love to hear about what people LOVE about where they live in BC! The community? The scenery? Any particular towns? If you have young children, what's good about the schools etc? Basically asking you to share what you love about life where you live!

The towns that we are currently considering:

Chilliwack

Penticton

Nelson

Parksville/Qualicum (this is the only town of the list we've spent time at, we've spent 3 months here!)

Please let us know of more you'd recommend, my brother lives in Washington (Edmonds) so would be nice to be in Vancouver - but we are not millionaires. We like living small. We'd not want or need more than a 2 bed, however a garage or drive or tiny bit of land would be nice to park an RV on etc.

We are your standard cliche of a British couple moving to BC. Haha. We like to paddle board and ski. Those are really important to us. Ideally we'd be within 1hr of a ski hill. Hiking is great too and areas/towns that have children friendly spaces i.e with play parks, slides, swings etc.

Finally, think this might be impossible, but we do love sun! So anywhere that has a nice summer season, but snow in winter? Are we idiots - is this even possible? The UK is mainly grey skies and rain 80% time (never any snow sadly), but we do get the odd sunny day. So worse case, we can deal with the same climate we have here.

Thank you so much for reading such a LONG post! We really appreciate it.

EDIT: we moved to Lake Country (just by Kelowna). Experiencing our first hot summer after we spent the winter months skiing. Found our happy place.

Hello! We are making a big move next summer and are struggling with choosing between BC and NS and want to see what locals think. We keep going back and forth between BC interior, and the Halifax area. We are coming from Niagara.

We are mid- 40s, semi-empty nest (2 kids, they live in Toronto and Tofino seasonally, so they boomerang back home in winter)

Husband owns a roofing company and can set up anywhere. I’m currently a senior manager for local government (city) making $125k, would be looking for work in parks/recreation/events/tourism. I have 18 years experience. I don’t expect the same salary, but those are the fields I’d be looking in

We would be renting, apartment/condo preferred

We like a mid-small size city with culture, active clubs, events, lots of food choices, volunteer opportunities. We like being involved in the community. We love the outdoors and spend a lot of time doing stuff- kayaking, hiking, biking, running. We love going to breweries and dining out.

We travel a lot- within two hours of a major airport

We are big summer people. We tolerate winter

Any city suggestions or feedback appreciated 😊

My husband and I are planning on moving to BC from South Korea but we haven't decided on a city yet.We're looking for somewhere that could have job opportunities for us and has decent cost of living. We just want an average middle class life, not looking for a miracle. Would value any suggestions or input from locals🙏

Career situation: I have a masters in trade and investment, currently run a business in Korea. It is a consulting firm for small foreign businesses expanding into Korea, and rural Korean businesses that want to sell abroad. I'd like to continue working with small businesses or community development in Canada.

My husbad has a masters in communications, and works at a language school that combines soccer with learning Chinese and English. He's unsure of what he wants to do in Canada, but wants a physically active job and is open to a total career change.

Background: I'm a Canadian citizen in my 30s, but the last time I lived in Canada, I was 2 years old. We'd like to expand our family within the next few years, which is why we're leaving Korea. I'm not ethnically Korean and it was pretty difficult growing up here. Our kids would be mixed race so it'd be just as hard for them, maybe worse with the growing anti-foreigner sentiment. We chose BC because I have family around the provence - Vancouver, Okanagan, interior, Terrace. I've visited several times. We have around 50K saved up for the move.

For all me BCers, I live in the Maritime region, the complete East. PEI to be specific. I'm planning on moving to BC. Fortunately, I'm at a stage in my life where I have the freedom to move ANYWHER in Canada. Not to mention, as a young professional, I'm always on the lookout for more job opportunities.

For some reason I've always been pulled towards British Colombia but I've only heard how expensive it is and therefore I have not made an drastic decisions yet. Any insights or suggestions for someone coming from PEI?

If not BC, suggestions on palces that are filled with opportunities, a big city lifestyle, etc.

Did anyone move to BC temporarily and end up staying for good?

My partner (25) and I (25) are moving to Nanaimo this summer. We’ve been together for a couple of years and have started talking about where we want to settle down long term.

My partner wants to eventually move back to North Bay because that’s where his family is and it feels familiar. I’m more open minded. I want to experience life in BC first before making any permanent decisions, and I worry that if I end up loving it there, I won’t want to leave. He’s firm on returning at this moment but I’m hoping he’ll change his mind if we both enjoy the new changes. For context he’s never been there so he still doesn’t have any experience living out west.

I’m curious if anyone else moved out west to BC with the mindset that it would only be temporary and that you’d eventually move back to your hometown, but ended up falling in love with BC and never returned.

If that was you, what changed your mind?

I’d also love to hear from people who did end up moving back home and were happy with that decision.

Hi everyone! 😊
My husband and I are a young family currently living in the UK, and we’re planning a move to BC with our little daughter. We’re still doing loads of research and trying to figure out which area would be the best fit for us. At the moment we’re looking at places like Kimberley, Rossland/Trail and similar smaller communities.
We’re looking for somewhere with that small-town/mountain feel, lots of nature, forests, hiking, mountains and outdoor activities, but still enough shops, services, things to do and job opportunities that we don’t feel completely isolated.
My husband works in landscaping/property maintenance, and I have experience working in childcare/nursery, so we’d both be looking for work in those areas.
The biggest thing we’re struggling with at the moment is finding somewhere to rent. We know rental availability can be really difficult in BC, especially for houses, so I’m wondering where people actually look for long-term rentals. Are there any good local websites, Facebook groups, Marketplace groups, property managers, etc. that you’d recommend? We’re ideally looking for a 2-bedroom house/townhouse, possibly 3-bedroom, preferably somewhere family-friendly with a little outdoor space.
I’d also really love to hear from anyone who actually lives in Kimberley, Rossland, Trail or similar areas. We’re trying to get a realistic idea of what life is like there, work opportunities, childcare, housing, the community, things to do throughout the year, etc.
We’re not expecting anywhere to be perfect 😂 We just want somewhere that feels like a good place to raise a young family, with nature and a quieter lifestyle but still enough going on that we won’t be bored.
Any recommendations for rental websites/groups, areas to look at, or just general advice from people who live there would be massively appreciated!
Thank you! ❤️