Thinking about coming to Canada!

[Trekhawk]

BF and I have our hearts set on working overseas for a year. Canada is the place we both agree on the most.

SOOOOOO... Ladies I need some help and information about living in the maple leaf country.

We're looking at Vancover and Toronto because there the places where the most information is readily availiable- but we're open to suggestions really.


6: Which Airline would you reccommend? BF and I would probably fly Qantas to get there, but once we're there we'd be on connecting flights - So who do you fly with domestically?

Please help me out with your opinions, BF and I are only in the planing stages and it'll probably well over 18months before we'd get there but the ideas set in our heads now and it's time to research. We'd love to know more about what it's like there.

Huge thanks in Advance!

Hey Light - I love Vancouver. My husband and I used JAL when we went from Aust years ago and it was a lot cheaper than Qantas. We flew to Tokyo and then on to Vancouver. Great way to check out Tokyo if you have the time.

[kelownagirl]

You HAVE to visit the Rockies and Banff.

[Trekhawk]

You HAVE to visit the Rockies and Banff.

I loved the drive from Banff to Jasper. It really is such a beautiful part of the world.

http://www.canadianrockies.net/icepwy.html

[kelownagirl]

DH rode that route with his brother in one day (12 hours I think?) He wants to do it again but I'm trying to talk him into us doing it in two days. Quite a beautiful ride!

[Trekhawk]

DH rode that route with his brother in one day (12 hours I think?) He wants to do it again but I'm trying to talk him into us doing it in two days. Quite a beautiful ride!

WOW what a ride!! You must post some snaps if you do this ride with your DH so we can all oooh and aaah over the scenery.

[kelownagirl]

I'm sure most of it will have me head down, sweating, and cranky. I have a love/hate relationship with hills - these will be mountains.

[Grog]

Grog's back! Sorry for not seeing this thread earlier, I've been quite caught up with work recently.

I live in Vancouver currently (and hopefully for a long time).

It does not always rain. I'd dare say the climate is slightly better than London. Summers can be nice but not too hot. However it rains a lot between October and... May. But not every day, and not the whole day. In my environment (I work in academia) people are known not to be around on a sunny day. It may be a bit different in the corporate world...

It really seldom goes under zero in the winter nowadays. Friends have told me of years long gone when they would cross country ski on the beach trails in the middle of the winter, but that's over. I've seen snow about seven times in almost three years here. I'm from Quebec so perhaps it's hard to impress me.... But generally it's really not cold.

Many, many cyclists keep riding in the winter. It takes good fenders, some gear, perhaps a winter bike if you really prize your "summer bike." If it's raining I'd rather be running. Lots of glorious trails...

Relatively busy triathlon scene. Simon Whitfield lives and trains in Victoria (across the Georgia Strait from Vancouver, on Vancouver Island).

Yes, Toronto is cold, but a LOT warmer in the summer. In Vancouver, summers are never quite hot, seldom over 25C, most likely around 20C. If you're a heat bug you may be disappointed in Vancouver.

I assume that you have checked that your teaching qualification will be valid in British Columbia. Education is under provincial jurisdiction so to be really sure you should check with each province's ministry of education.

I think it would probably not be too difficult for your partner to find some work in biotech in Vancouver. The job market is pretty busy here.

But the real estate is really expensive, and the salaries don't quite follow. Have a look at http://vancouver.craigslist.org/apa/ but, if you were to come here, DO NOT arrange anything in advance. There's lots of scam artists out there, and lots of places that don't look too bad on the screen are actually dreadful. If you're just going to be here for a year, I strongly recommend staying in Vancouver, not in a suburb...

PM me if you'd like more detailed information.