British Columbia

maon

Hello all,

I am new to this whole boards thing!

I possibly could be moving to BC Canada in the next few months and I was wondering if anyone knows anything about the place, standard of living, cost of living, what is a good slary, what is a really good salary, tax rates, the people, the work etc etc.

Basically any information anyone has would be great. I will not be in Vancouver but will be anywhere from 2 - 5 hours drive outside it, some where like Dawson Creek of Terrace.

I will be bringing a wife, a 4 year old and a 2 month old!!!

All or any advice and info from people who have been would be great.

Thanks all for your help.

doctorchopper

Well i'll tell you now dawson creek is not a 2-5 hour drive from vancouver, its about 14. Dawson creek/ fort st john area is quite expensive to live in due to the oil and gas exploration. Average house will cost close to 2000 cdn per month to rent, min 300000 to buy. wages are good but cost of living is a lot higher than most places. Public transport is next to nil so you will need a vehicle. Winters are hard, temps can get below -40 deg, average winter temp is -15 to -20 deg C, i've seen it as low as -54 deg C. What sort of area of employment are you looking for? Everyone works hard and plays hard, people like their toys up there, rv trailers, snowmobiles, motorbikes, boats ect... Standard vacation days are only 2 weeks a year so most people make the best of bank holiday weekends. Summers are hot, bugs can be bad, further north you go the worse the bugs are.

maon

Thanks for the info doctorchopper.

I meant to type in 2-5 hours outside Vancouver OR some where like Dawson Creek or Terrace. Should have read post before submitting!

All my experience is with utilities and that is the area I am looking at. Not sure if I will be succesful or not though.

Do you know what would be a good salary if I were to live in Dawson Creek say?

What are the taxes and the people like?

Bugs you say, I'll have to keep that one quite!

doctorchopper

Taxes on goods can catch you out as they are added at the till so what you see on the tag is ex tax, sales tax is 12%, income tax is based on what you earn, you pay federal and provincial tax
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/fq/txrts-eng.html
you'd want to be earning a average of 80000+ CDN per household to have a decent sort of living.
People are nice, some can have a bit of a strange sense of humor. Some people can be a bit particular about their private property, especially farmers and they don't take kindly to trespassing so if you go hiking and such just make sure its not private property, forests and mountains are fare game.
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_result.jsp?country=Canada&city=Fort+St+John%2C+BC

maon

Thank you very much for the help doctorchopper.

Without been too nosy, have you or do you live in Canada? If so how is it/was it for you?

Where would be a better place British Columbia or Alberta?

doctorchopper

Yes I am Canadian but living in dublin now for almost 11 years. I am from Fort st John and have lived in Chetwynd and Dawson Creek so am a bit biased when I say there is no better place than BC or Alberta. I was just back in Fort St john to visit my parents 2 weeks ago and nothing really has changed except the prices are still increasing. When I left you could buy a really nice house for under 200000 now the same house would be close to 500000. If you have any questions just fire away, I don't mind. Have a look at this link http://www.sterlingmgmt.ca/residential they are the main letting agent for the area
This is also a good website for the local area http://energeticcity.ca/

maon

Your great doctorchopper, loads of help.

What about raising kids there? What is the education system like? Is there much for two young kids to do?

My job will require some travel, are there good support networks for mothers?

From your previous post, what would you class as decent living? I know a lot of companies are unionised, so not much room for negotiating on salary or is this a company ploy?

ciaran67

maon wrote: »

Your great doctorchopper, loads of help.

What about raising kids there? What is the education system like? Is there much for two young kids to do?

My job will require some travel, are there good support networks for mothers?

From your previous post, what would you class as decent living? I know a lot of companies are unionised, so not much room for negotiating on salary or is this a company ploy?

Always negotiate... dont ask, dont get!