Life in Vancouver - Canada

Hi all, well I’m a born and bred Kiwi, and sadly my year in Germany runs out in June, and as I'm not ready for my adventures to end I've decided to stay on in the Northern Hemisphere albeit it on another continent, for a wee bit longer. The mighty land of Canada is beckoning and I won’t hide that I’m pretty excited about it. I have already sorted out my visa and flights – I managed to get an extremely good deal with LTU for only €314 one way. I’ve also decided to focus my search for work in and around Vancouver, simply because anyone I’ve met who has been there raves about it, it is supposed to have the mildest climate, and the west has always appealed to my getting back to nature instincts. As yet, I don’t have a job, anywhere to live or know anyone there for that matter but I’m sure all those details will work itself out in time. Sooo my questions are relatively simply I think and what I need help on is the basics.

Which areas in Vancouver would be good to live in? I need somewhere well serviced by public transport, and that is reasonably safe to walk around in by myself at night, and that is also not extraordinarily expensive either.

I’m going to be looking for work in the event organising industry and so if you can think of any possible companies, convention centres or large hotels that might stick out let me know.

Can you think of a good bank for a basic day to day debit account with low/reasonable transaction fees? It’s highly unlikely I’m going to be saving anything so just a normal account is all I need. A good internet banking system is always a bonus.

Any medical insurance advice for foreigners?

Well that’s all for now I think, but of course if you can think of anything I may have missed let me know.

Just come back from Canada on holiday where I spent a week in Vancouver.

I would suggest starting off in a youth hostel until you find your feet. Avoid the Hostelling International one since their kitchen is inadequate. Samesun across the road is way better and also perhaps try the Backpackers one. Wasn't there as it was booked out, but was impressed with them elsewhere (www.backpackers.ca). The notice boards in all the hostels have adverts for accommodation.

For jobs, check out Monster.ca.

Bank of Montreal seems to be the most prevalent bank as far as ATM's is concerned. There are others though and it's a question better answered by Canadians on this board.

Medical insurance I would take care of from here until you have yourself registered there. Only costs about EUR 70. Canadian healthcare is reputedly extremely expensive if you're not covered.

Otherwise, the people are super-friendly and helpful. There are no unsafe areas although some people in Vancouver will tell you to avoid the area between Gastown and Chinatown at night. I heard that it's perfectly safe to walk around there and so it seemed. Just maybe keep clear of the sidestreets. Just lots of prostitutes, druggies and beggars.

Otherwise, north Vancouver and west Vancouver are supposed to be top places to live. I would try for Granville Island and the area south of downtown.

Only downside, you won't find any sheep...:-)

Have fun and good luck!

There was an article the other day in my home town paper about the lack of good trained professionals in Engineering, and Construction. Vancouver is a growing city, with lots of opportunity. Try www.discovercanada.ca to find out more about BC and the hospitality industry.

I use Bank of Montreal, not sure what my monthly rates are, as I don't pay any (my dad is retired and a cosigner so I get a seniors discount ). But the main banks are all the same B of Montral, Commerace Bank (CIBC), Bank of Nova Scotia, or Royal Bank, maybe try a credit union.

Good luck.

I'm from Vancouver, so feel free to ask more questions.
The good areas for a single person to live in would be Kitsilano Beach or the West end where you will find lots of apartments, although not cheap. The bad areas are Mount Pleasant and East Hastings. Decent nearby suburbs would be Richmond or Burnaby, but you'll likely want to be closer to downtown Vancouver if you want the nightlife. The suburb with the worst reputation is Surrey.

As for banks, you really can't go wrong with Bank of Montreal, CIBC, VanCity, TD Canada Trust, and many others.

Sorry, can't help with medical insurance.

As for jobs, you should look into the Vancouver Olympics committee and see if they need people.

Good luck. I know you'll love Vancouver.

I lived in Vancouver for 5 years, it is a wonderful city. However, be warned that it has grown like crazy in the last 10 years, housing is very expensive and there's a lot of traffic. Dawn has given you good advice on neighbourhoods, Kitsilano and the West End are your best bets if you're young and without a car. Very fun neighbourhoods, close to beaches, wonderful forested parks, and it's easy to get around without a car. I lived in North Vancouver (across the water from downtown Vancouver) and loved it, but if you don't have a car you might have a problem. Transit is not as well developed as it should be. On the other hand, North Van is that much closer to mountains -- they'll be in your back yard, ready for fantastic hiking and skiing. There is a ferry across the bay to downtown vancouver, so don't rule it out completely. East Vancouver is an arty neighbourhood, but by Canadian standards (and I suppose New Zealand as well), not the safest - lots of breakins and too close to the downtown east side, which is to be avoided at any time. You would need a car to live in the burbs - Richmond or Burnaby.

The winters are mild in Vancouver -- not unlike the one we've had here in Munich this winter. Lots of rain, get some rain gear! You'll be surrounded by temperate rain forests and they are at their best on a drizzly day. The mountains generally have lots of snow in winter, so you can literally ski and sail on the same day. The summers are mild and comfortable, you'll have a couple of weeks of hot weather in August but the summer evenings are always cool and good for sleeping.

The tourism, convention, and movie industries are big employers in Vancouver, so you probably won't have trouble finding work. Pick your bank, they all have internet banking - my personal recommendations are Royal Bank or VanCity, but just pick the one with the most convenient location.

Enjoy yourself! It's my favourite city in the world...

www.britishexpats.com has an extensive forum on Canada loads of info there

I've been to Vancouver twice and loved it. It's somewhere I could live quite easily. My brother used to live in Kitsilano near the beach. It's a very cool area to live with parks and beach front and plenty of nice little restaurants and cafe bars as I remember. Its been 11 years since I was there, and I keep trying to find a way to visit again.

Have fun.

I agree Surrey is not so safe, But when I was there, I didn't find Newwestminster to be that much better...you can always get around with the sky train, but it is a long trip. A lot of Meth-heads on the street.

Just a heads up, A guy named 'The balcony rapist' was just released and he is living in Newwest.

_{A sexual predator who once terrorized Toronto women is moving to New Westminster, B.C., residents have been warned.
Just a week ago, RCMP told Surrey residents that Paul Callow, 52, was moving into the Vancouver suburb.
Callow, known as the Balcony Rapist, had served his full sentence of 20 years in prison for a series of brutal, knifepoint sexual assaults on women in Toronto in the mid-1980s.
He had gained access to women's homes through their balcony doors.
Callow is believed to represent a high risk to the community, especially to women, New Westminster police said Wednesday.}

Don't let that put you off...Vancouver is a beautiful place and if I ever move back to Canada, that is where I will go.

Thanks for all the help so far guys, keep it coming.

Checked my emails this morning and look what I find:

Hello,

I saw your advert on easyroommate indicating you need a room.

My name is F****** ***** and I am 30 years old. I live in United Kingdom with a Great Ambition in Life...I was in Canada with my father on Jan 20th this year before I had to take him along with me because of his age. He will be 72 yrs by 5th of August and needed to taken care of by me.

He was a very successful entrepreneur and a general merchandise who deals mostly in Precious Stones, Gold, Gem, Jewelries. He was also a major supplier of watches, bracelets, wedding rings to stores in the Canada/US and Europe which I acted as marketing manager in Canada.

He bought a four bedroom flat in the Canada (Vancouver) where I stayed together with him because of the peaceful, warm and conducive nature of the neighborhood and greener environment. I happen to be the only child of my father, which makes me the sole inheritance of his property. Presently, I am still the one managing the business.

I have also resolved to continue with his line of business since he already had a large number of loyal customers in Canada.I will be getting married to an European Lady who is based in Geneva ,Switzerland and I know that after my wedding, my visits to Canada will be entirely unnecessary, if not outright impossible as my schedules would be tight.

Now I do not wish to rent out the house and I don't also want to sell it because it's my inheritance and as such I believe that I shouldn't sell it, as a mark of respect to my dad.

Therefore, I am looking for someone that is honest and trustworthy and at least averagely clean for 2 specific reasons:

*To help maintain the house while I am away.
*The international money transfer tax for legal entities (companies) in United Kingdom is 25%, whereas for the individual it is only 7%.There is no sense for me to work this way, while tax for international money transfer made by a private individual is 7% .That's why i need you To help me receive payments in[bank wire transfers] from the clients/customers within Canada, on my behalf in his/her name, and then wire the funds back to me or my dad's clientèles.

You do not need to pay me any penny for the accommodation as I stated earlier. It's Just for the purpose of keeping the business alive in Canada.

Please reply ASAP to let me know so I can allocate 5% on each payment that you receive. The house is a excellent piece of abode with clean bathrooms, walk-in closet, a gym, and all rooms come furnished with electronics.

Do get back to me if you are interested in handling my business in Canada and keeping the house neat,so that I can email you pictures of the house.

Regards,

F******

Hahaha dodgy huh.

Well hope you're all having a good day!

Ha, if it sounds too good to be true, it is. Stay away, stay far away! ;-)

I think my best advice would be just to stay away from East Hastings, I never thought it could be as bad as it was until i finally went a couple years ago, and it scared me so much, the people there are very... friendly.

As for banks, I dont think I'd go with VanCity just because outside of vancouver ive never seen one, I bank with CIBC and have never had a problem finding a machine.

if i could live in vancouver my choice would be the area around commercial drive, i think its the most fun place there, a little bit like hawthorne in portland.

Well not much longer till the big move (in 30 days to be precise). Still haven't found a job, or anywhere to live for that matter. But I'm sure everything will work it self out in time.

All the visa stuff is sorted, so at least that’s some weight off my mind. Not looking forward to leaving Germany, right when summers looks to have begun and the beer gardens are beckoning. Ahh well another adventure to be had else where.

Any more advice, would be warmly received.

oh, but walking along the ocean, taking the ferry to the Island, great microbrews and the mountains at your back.
Its a new adventure, you are not closing a door, just turning the corner.

There are definitely worse places to leave Germany for than Vancouver..

Hi, Im from Vancouver, so please dont hesitate to ask me other questions. As for accommodation, I would recommend craigslist or http://www.ams.ubc.ca/rentsline (you dont have to be a student to use it).
I lived in Kits for 3 years and loved it (by the beach but kinda yuppish). Commercial/Main areas are also good (more artsy and a bit cheaper) though break-ins as mentioned is a big problem.
You'll love it in Van Im sure! Have fun and bring a raincoat

I'm just curious how the rent situation works in Canada. As I've found somewhere to live, and they've asked for the full months rent for June, but I'm not getting there till over half way through, and I'm pretty sure someones living in my room right up till when I move in - is that normal? And thats also with a deposit on top of it. I've just always paid for the exact time I've lived somewhere, and we always did it weekly back in NZ.

Yes, it's normal for the previous renter to be living there up until you move in. Also, usually a full month's rent or sometimes a half month's rent is paid but usually never weekly. The landlord probably has other people they can rent to so if you really want it, you better just pay for the full month plus the deposit which is usually half a month's rent.

Landlords normally ask for the first month's rent in advance. The first month's rent applies to the first 30 days of your contract, so if it starts June 15th, your rent is covered until July 14th. Check this site out for more information: http://www.rto.gov.bc.ca

Yeah I knew that part was normal, I just thought that they'd be paying for the other half of the month. I just thought it was kind of cheeky.

Thanks for the link, but as I'm dealing with an already established flat (whats the non British term for that?) so I have nothing to do with the landlords. Just people looking for a roomie, so they've said that I have to pay for the weeks I'm not there. Which is unheard of back home, unless you really want the place and asked them to hold it for you, which isn't the case here.

Yeah...Vancouver...also known as 'sunshine city'...known for its hippies too...! My cousin who s from toronto lives there in vancouver now doing her masters...she also raves about the city and its surroundings..! well, i m also looking forward to visit that place n getcha fRe4k oN...! ;-)

Nikio, if your future "roomies" are pulling that stunt on you now, there's no reason to believe they'll stop there -- especially if they know they can get away with it. Sounds to me like you're signing up for a room and a pack of trouble. My advice would be to forget this place and find somewhere else to live.