[QuickTidal]

Terez, on 21 September 2020 - 07:58 PM, said:

My roomie is into whale watching, so she will want to be somewhere near the coast, but she is also well practiced at finding the cheapest places to live. That's why we live in the middle of nowhere right now lol.

She also hates the cold, and she would definitely not be considering moving even further north if not for the ridiculous political situation here.

You can probably still do nearish Vancouver (Surrey, Burnaby), but living downtown is probably too much change. Prince George is probably the most affordable in BC, but it's nowhere near the coast (9+ hrs from Vancouver by car).

That said, you can whale watch on the East coast too. Nova Scotia would be ideal really. Hell, I'd move there if we weren't tied to Ontario by family and jobs.

But yeah, the more the merrier up here to escape your political doldrums.

[amphibian]

I have a friend who lives in Victoria (near Vancouver). She and her partner are bike mechanics. They make it work and live in a cheap one bedroom.

It's possible, Terez. If that's where you wanna go, at least feel it out some before abandoning.

[Gwynn ap Nudd]

Outskirts of Victoria aren't too bad price wise but, much like Vancouver, if you are far enough out that prices are a lot cheaper you will probably want a car which eats some of the savings. Elsewhere in the Island, there is reasonable growth in Nanaimo and Port Alberni from what I know, and prices are definitely cheaper there. But, some people really dislike living on the Island and dealing with BC ferries to get anywhere. I wouldn't consider moving back to Vancouver Island before I retire.

Parts of Burnaby, Surrey, Vancouver (Marpole, not downtown or East Van - though there are cheap places in East Van you do not want to live there), New West and Richmond have rental prices that aren't too bad if you are fine with an older building or basement suite. Cheap in the lower mainland probably starts around Chilliwack or Mission.

If your roomie doesn't like the cold, moving to the prairies or eastern Canada might be out. One of the biggest reasons people put up with BC housing prices is because winters in the lower mainland are much warmer than the rest of Canada. I couldn't deal with winter in Winnipeg or Regina.

[Cause]

Come on guys, I just got here

[Terez]

i'm sorry

none of us voted for him

except BK in the general maybe?

[Terez]

When I say "us" I mean the people who regularly post in this thread, and I'm pretty sure you're the only one.

[HoosierDaddy]

Cause, on 22 September 2020 - 03:15 AM, said:

Come on guys, I just got here

This too shall pass. It's not looking good, but this too shall pass. More immigrants who want to come here because of what America purports to be and is supposed to be will help right the ship Cause!

*Crosses fingers, knocks on wood, and said with a deep sigh.

[Cause]

My mission is to vote for whichever party will bring the metric system!

Seriously, America is fucking stupid in so many ways but we can fix you. Let us help you.

[Terez]

it will be years before you can vote

[HoosierDaddy]

We'll just sign him up for all that regular voting fraud that takes place. Easy peasy.

[Terez]

who needs him when we can just vote an unlimited number of times tho

[EmperorMagus]

Everyone come over to Vancouver so we can have a proper Malazan get together! Also it's expensive, but we have mountains, the ocean, skiing, great hikes, lakes, canoeing, and generally all the works!

The SkyTrain is also GREAT!! The largest computer-controlled trains system in the world!

Regarding the immigration situation, there are many ways to immigrate to Canada and I would say it is easiest for Americans and other white English people. Canada accepted 300000 PR immigrants (people who come over without a job and immediately gain the equivalent of a green card) in 2019.

The PR process is based on a score system: if you tick the boxes you're getting in.

I'd recommend talking to a Canadian immigration lawyer for 30 minutes to figure out your options (do not go to immigration consultants - they don't know what they're doing). I even know a few good ones.

/end of advertisement

[EmperorMagus]

Criteria for getting PR IN Canada through just 1 program (this is how my family immigrated): https://www.canada.c...ed-workers.html

[Tsundoku]

Cause, on 22 September 2020 - 05:14 AM, said:

My mission is to vote for whichever party will bring the metric system!

Seriously, America is fucking stupid in so many ways but we can fix you. Let us help you.

Slowly fix them inch by inch eh?

[Aptorian]

If they could fix their month, day, year nonsense and fahrenheit weirdness while they were at it, they'd seem almost civilized.

[Cyphon]

Its probably the root cause of all this madness.

[QuickTidal]

amphibian, on 21 September 2020 - 10:29 PM, said:

I have a friend who lives in Victoria (near Vancouver). She and her partner are bike mechanics. They make it work and live in a cheap one bedroom.

It's possible, Terez. If that's where you wanna go, at least feel it out some before abandoning.

Two problems.

1. I'm not just talking about rent. The closer you are to Vancouver, the more expensive EVERYTHING is. Groceries, hydro, odds and ends. Everything. So yeah, you could make it work in some lucky rental on the outskirts, but the cost of living would put you into the Vancouver bracket anyways.

2. Victoria is the island, and as such, you're talking about a ferry ride to get to the mainland, which can also add up.

I'm not trying to lead her astray, just wanting to let her know the realities of living in/around the most expensive place in Canada. Everything is going to be more pricey.

Gwynn ap Nudd, on 22 September 2020 - 02:42 AM, said:

Victoria....But, some people really dislike living on the Island and dealing with BC ferries to get anywhere. I wouldn't consider moving back to Vancouver Island before I retire.

This. My grandparents lived there for about 50 years before they passed away, and my dad's family still lives there. All of the younger people in the family bemoaned the ferries to do everything not centred around Victoria. My grandpa and step-grandma were already old enough and retired that it didn't bother them as they didn't have interest in going anywhere much. It's a pain.

And I agree with Gwynn about Alberta, Sask, and Manitoba....all freezing cold during the winter (and Sask sucks during the summer because it's insanely windy)...So you're down to BC, Ontario, Quebec (no, don't go to Quebec) and the Maritimes.

[Anomander]

Chiming in as a life long Nova Scotian currently living in Halifax. We are seeing mass numbers of people move out here, housing prices are skyrocketing in short order and primarily it's folks from Ontario and BC (because their housing prices are even more fucked). I will be upfront that any American trying to move here long term are going to face difficulties doing so. Prior to Trump and Covid it wasn't easy and could take years. Marrying someone is no guarantee although it's a huge boon (I had a British friend marry a local after being a long term resident with numerous work visas - he still had to go back overseas for a time because the application took ages to process and they grilled tons of people as to whether the relationship was valid even with a kid in tow). Additional issues I can see with a move to Canada (and the Maritimes in particular):

• Canada accepts a fixed number of immigrants per year and we're a massively popular destination so spots are surprisingly limited. They will also accept people from the most impoverished nations first and the US isn't in the top 10 of that list. This fact appears in the news pretty regularly in those "Americans plan to move North following <insert political situation>."
  
  
• As Americans your entry will likely hinge on having specialized skills needed in the Canadian job market. This was the best way to get in previously, however, Canadians everywhere are returning home in droves and there are a shocking lack of jobs available at present. The Maritimes in particular is having a rough go without the tourist season and most employers choosing to operate skeleton crews instead of risking Covid exposure. We also have the Atlantic Bubble in place so anyone entering from outside the Maritimes and Newfoundland must self-isolate for 14 days before they can even leave the house. Makes it hard to find a job and housing to say the least (we also have a housing crisis going on in Halifax - less than 1% vacancy at present).
  
  
• This is more abstract but there is a significant and growing backlash against the US as a whole throughout Canada. There is overwhelming support from residents and all levels of government to keep the US border closed to travel indefinitely and not allow Americans to enter at all. A few jackasses in multiple provinces brought the patented 'Murica mentality during a pandemic and any goodwill from the public towards our southern neighbours quickly soured. You had people using the "Alaska loophole" to drive through western Canada and road trip into Banff/Jasper/etc, there were sailors in Newfoundland who just had to go bar hopping while in port, boaters in the Great Lakes who demanded to gas up on the Ontario side of the water, and the list goes on. These stories have been constant and with a potential federal election looming there is no one willing to extend an olive branch to allow mass American migration following the your election in November.

These points aren't meant to deter you but rather warn you it won't be an easy road at all. BC has been especially attractive to foreign investment and from my understanding there is a massive push from the local populace to limit the influx as everyone is being priced out (QT speaks to that more in his previous posts). Canada is also not the promised land the internet would lead you to believe, we just benefit from living above an ongoing disaster. There are major problems with our police force (local and RCMP), indigenous issues are a travesty here and most reservations don't even have clean drinking water, the divide between Quebec and the other provinces is growing again with a re-emerging Bloc, Alberta is a nightmare under Jason Kenney, and we're squaring up for a huge face off against China any day now.

The negatives aside I absolutely love it here and encourage anyone who wants to become Canadian to try anyway. I'm also happy to answer any questions for those interested in moving to the Maritimes including from other Canadian members. I will also caution that while Nova Scotia and the neighbouring provinces have a ton of cheap housing and land in rural locations there is also practically no internet in most of these areas so beware of assuming you can work remotely from anywhere.

[Aptorian]

Should this off-topic Canada fest perhaps be moved to a new Canada thread?

[QuickTidal]

Back on topic then.

Ginsburg to lay in state at the US Capitol. The first woman to do so.