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pepper
writes:Hey everyone,Has anybody got an insight of how Canada is? We might move there in few years. Does anybody know how is it like to live there in terms of people,culture, job prospects, houses prices etc?It will be greatly appreciated. Reply to this Question |
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male
reader, martini  +, writes (3 October 2006):
 Nice! And definitely good luck in your endeavors to become a Canadian citizen. 8]
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female
reader, pepper +, writes (3 October 2006):
pepper is verified as being by the original poster of the questionPumpkin carving, field trips to the Planetarium, Heritage Farms, milk factory... AAWWW!!! Were they not those wonderful days..no worries, no responsibilities and absolute bliss. I would love my little one to have the same experiences.
Eh! thanks mate...i couldn't have asked for more. See i couldn't have got that description from anyone from any search engines.(Could I!!!)
I have a feeling we would have no trouble getting use to of the country. I have seen some really beautiful mindblowing views on internet....and can't wait to see them in reality.
Well hope you keep enjoying your country.
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reader, martini +, writes (2 October 2006):
You're welcome... 8] To answer your questions:
(a)People: are they friendly and nice in general, whether there is any indian community as we are Indians.
Answer: There is a huge East-Indian community. The publics schools in the GVRD are made up of Caucasians, Asian Descendents - mainly of China, India, and Middle Eastern, and the minorities are Hispanics, etc.
People are generally friendly here. In general, people are willing to help you out if you ask for directions, or if you're just walking down a street, most people would say hi or hello.
For example, I do a lot of cycling and hiking and stuff like that, and often we would come across others and there would be a mutual greeting. It's a common thing. Of course, there are the occasional non-English speaker, or the recluse...
As Ms. Anon had pointed out, generally, people here are tolerant and peaceful enough.
(b)job prospects: i am getting trained in law and i wonder if there is a good scope for lawyers there.
Answer: Actually, if you're trained in law or finances, this is a pretty good place to get job - either private or public industry. CGA's and CA's are high in demand. Small firms can't afford them, middle firms are trying to increase salary, and high profile firms such as KPMG and PWC are hiring like crazy. As for law, corporate law is a huge thing, or if you're studying law with the focus into a specific area such as IT, High-Tech, or some form of computer/engineering related specific, then it's also in great demand.
Wages I would have to say aren't as great as over in Eastern Canada like Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, but we have more convenient natural scenery and a cleaner environment. Good to raise a family.
(c)Reasonable House: We like big houses as we love parties and entertaining guests and people.
Answer: I have a few friends who live in East Burnaby and White Rock - they are kind of far from Vancouver Downtown Core. Housing outside of the Tri-Cities such as Vancouver, Richmond, and Burnaby are relatively cheaper. In the Tri-Cities, for a 1500 to 3000 sq foot house, it ranges anywhere from $380k to $1.2m depending. Outside of the Tri-Cities like White Rock, Port Coquitlam (PoCo), Port Moody (PoMo), Eastside Burnaby, Tsawwassen, Delta, Ladner, Langley, Surrey, Cloverdale, etc - all range between $200k to $600k for a 1500 to 3000 sq foot house.
I think if you don't mind a possible one hour drive to get to work, possibly even 2 hours during peak hours, then out in PoCo, Tsawwassen, even Langley, or Delta is fine. If you don't mind spending a million or two, then move to Westside Vancouver or West Van - they have some of the most beautiful homes in North America.
(d)Good school: for my 2 year old as that is the most important thing.
Answer: Public schools in the GVRD are well funded enough. I think the only two schools that I know of in the GVRD that has bad reputations are John Oliver Secondary and Charles Tupper Secondary - both in Vancouver. Elementary schools are well-funded and probably have some of the best programs compared to the high schools. There are quite a few private schools for grades 1 to 7 and grades 8 to 10 and grades 11 and 12, but you'll have to search for them yourself.
Richmond School District: http://www.sd38.bc.ca
Vancouver School District http://www.vsb.bc.ca
Surrey School District http://www.sd36.bc.ca
North Vancouver School District http://www.nvsd44.bc.ca
Burnaby School District http://sd41.bc.ca
BTW, I LOVED Preschool and Kindergarten and all the way up to grade 6. I think those years were definitely the best times in my life in general thus far. 8] Pumpkin carving, field trips to the Planetarium, Heritage Farms, milk factory... 8]
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reader, anonymous, writes (2 October 2006): I am from the Ottawa area. After reading the other posts I think people sum up quite well what Canada is like. One warning though....our winters here can be brutal. Make sure that a warm winter coat is on your list. It was about eight years ago now that we had the great ice storm....life pretty much stopped for a couple of weeks. The people here are friendly and tolerant.
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reader, pepper +, writes (2 October 2006):
pepper is verified as being by the original poster of the questionhey,guys thanks for all your responses...i really needed some insight from people who are actually living there to get the feel for how is it like to live in Canada.
Also, thanks Martini for your unbiased view towards it. I am a little disappointed by the job prospects in BC as that's probably where we end up going....and yes we would really need a job. We live in UK and are going there next year for holidays just to get the feel of how is it like before we actually move there.
My main concerns to go and live there are :
(a)People: are they friendly and nice in general, whether there is any indian community as we are Indians.
(b)job prospects: i am getting trained in law and i wonder if there is a good scope for lawyers there.
(c)Reasonable House: We like big houses as we love parties and entertaining guests and people.
(d)Good school: for my 2 year old as that is the most important thing.
It is a big step to move into a different country so i am both excited and anxious....and not sure as that's the right thing to do but we have our reasons for it.
I have been looking at the different sights on Canada...but its nothing like getting opinions fron real people.
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reader, martini +, writes (2 October 2006):
I live in the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) - more specifically in Richmond. It's located in the South Western part of Canada in British Columbia. It's not the greatest place in the world to look for jobs, unless you're a computer programmer or an engineer in VOIP technology. Labour jobs are also not too plentiful. Aside from job-rate structure, the natural environment is plentiful. Outdoor sports is a huge thing around here - we have everything. Indoor sports such as curling, ice and roller hockey, lacross, badminton, vball, etc, and all the outdoor stuff like beach vball, basketball, hockey of course, football, soccer, field hockey, etc. We have an active sports program for people of all ages.
Educational standards are also quite nice - from medium to high. Some schools are still lacking in some aspects, but we have a good school board for the cities. Some of the problems has to do with class sizes and portables unfortunately. We have active counsellors and parent/teacher relations as well.
Unfortunately, with the Harper govt in power, funding for day care isn't as good as when the Martin govt was in power. So we have some cuts here and there.
The pollution index in GVRD is rated low. You will see smog, but not too much. The air in the morning is awesome. However, since I live in the North Middle part of Richmond, close to the farmland, there are the occasion bouts of manure aromas in the air... 8/
Richmond and a lot of the surrounding areas have protected natural habitats. If you're into the strolling, rollerblading, hiking, camping, bird watching, picnics, kite flying, etc, etc, this is definitately the place to be. Crime level is moderate, and it has gotten worst over the past few years. However, it's a given since our population has increased over the years.
As far as corrupted police goes, this is a rare thing. Our law enforcement agency is moderately high in terms of training and ethics. Of course, there will still be the occasional muggings, theft, and murders. Pot growing ops is a big thing here unfortunately. Cities to live at are Richmond, White Rock, Tsawwassen, North Van, and West Van. Vancouver (Core), Burnaby, and Surrey aren't that great, unless you're young and single. 8]
There are still some racism going on here - where in the world isn't? However aside from this one annoyance, the province of BC, especially in the GVRD is quite vast in its culture. Our prominent species are the Chinese and East Indians. Minorities would be Japanese and other places. We are still considered a bilingual country - French being our second official language, but you will Chinese and Hindi in many street signs and store signs.
I think Canada with the Liberal movement, try to stay neutral in world affairs. We try to follow U.N. protocols while continuously dealing with our American 'counsins'. So overall, we are quite liked around the world.
As far as religion goes, Christianity is the dominant religion as most early settlers were of that. We have a huge gathering of Buddhists, Hindu, Jewish, and Muslims as well as Catholics and the other denominations like Mormons and J-Witnesses.
Public smoking is frowned upon but still happens. Indoor smoking in public places and restaurants, including clubs, bars, and cafes are banned.
Universities over here include Capilano College, Kwantlen College, Langara College, University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Douglas College, Emily Car, Art Institute, Centre for Digital Imagery & Sound, Vancouver Film School, etc.
Cost of rent is moderate, but if you're looking to buy apartments, townhouses, or single houses, it might be quite high, unless you buy out in Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Tsawwassen, and beyond. Back in 1997, this 1470 sq foot townhouse cost us $250k (cdn). Today's, you can get it for $390k. Imagine property tax! It's HUGE! [sobs]
Anyway, if u want more info, I suggest you look through Canada.com and look for each of the cities' web sites. Overall, the GVRD is a great place to live at. Not great for jobs, but you gain a lot and lose a bit... 8]
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reader, anonymous, writes (1 October 2006): I'm from B.C. Canada and I love it here. The weather in Vancouver where I'm from is rainy most days but in the summer it is gorgeous. The beaches are amazing and the people awesome and so friendly and willing to help. Where about are you thinking of moving. Toronto is pretty popular, it's a lot busier than B.C. and the people aren't as humble but it's great now the less. Hope I helped.
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reader, camille  +, writes (1 October 2006):
 I'm sure there would be many sites for people considering making the same move. Or information out there about all the areas you want to find out about. Maybe try a few search engines and see if there's a forum for you as speaking with people who have moved there is better than people who were born/raised/live there.
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