Living in Canada?

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gcninja
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Living in Canada?

Postby gcninja » 05 Feb 2009, 18:42

Me and my friend just came up w the idea of moving in Canada, he just joined the board, spiterider, we're both from Grand Canyon (i.e. the GC-ninja) and my life plan was to spend my elder years in there, I've been there once, but it was to Niagara Falls and it wasnt the best. BUT longer life span, safer, and free health care, WHY THE HELL NOT? I've been looking more West, Vancouver Island, nanaimo, cuz it looks beautiful and then theres Kei-Kon, and close to Alaska and WA. So, Ive been thinking whats rent like? Is it easy to move there, citizenship, etc.

Background info: two males, one female
Male One: 18, computer tech, high school and some college
male two: 20, computer tech, high school
female: 18, artist, beautician

Any suggestions?
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Metcarfre
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Postby Metcarfre » 05 Feb 2009, 18:51

Rent is expensive in both Victoria and Vancouver. This is due to the fact that you are living in, quite literally, one of the most beautiful places on Earth. However, if you are the type that is more likely to spend their weekends on Live rather than hiking (or whatever), it's probably not worth it. There are cheaper parts of the country.

Speaking as a Canadian, however, this country is pretty much awesome. Come on up!

Also, the health care isn't free here; you pay for it in taxes and insurance premiums based on your income. It is however, better (and in the end cheaper) than in the US. And no arguing with insurance companies.

Oh yeah, not sure about citizenship, but I believe it's not too hard to become a citizen if you're American by birth. A few years in country and you're golden (good friend of mine is Swiss, and just got his citizenship). you're better off being educated however (like a degree). Maybe go to college up here? UVic is pretty awesome too... Vancouver, as well, has a pretty solid tech industry (eg. EA has a GIANT campus out in Burnaby).

Oh,one last thing;

Do you like... hockey?
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Postby gcninja » 05 Feb 2009, 18:57

I dont watch it, then again, i havent seen it on tv anyways, I too live in one of the most beautiful places too dude. Also, I do go out and see it occasionally too. but ya, i was afraid of prices there. Ill check, this is of course, this VERY HIGH up in the air.
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Tim
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Postby Tim » 05 Feb 2009, 18:59

I grew up in Nanaimo and highly recommend it, but if you're used to big cities you might find it a bit slow.

Victoria is bigger and has more going on than Nanaimo, but Nanaimo is cheaper to live in.

Victoria has vastly superior public transit, if that affects you. Also, Kei Kon is in Victoria (as is, of course, LRR). (Victoria also has me, though I spend weekends in Nanaimo semi-regularly.)

Vancouver Island is still a beautiful place to live even if you don't go hiking and exploring all the time. The cities themselves are beautiful; you don't necessarily have to go beyond them if you don't want to.
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Postby Master Gunner » 05 Feb 2009, 19:03

As I recall, getting in is easier if your American, but as Empath can tell you, immigration can be a bitch in any country, no matter where you're coming from. BC is quite beautiful, but so are many other places in Canada. Also, about 80% of the population lives within a few hours drive of the border, so it's not difficult to go back south for the weekend if you want to. Rent also varies widely depending where you move to. Major areas like parts of BC, Alberta, and Ontario have high rent, but that quickly drops down outside of the major metropolitan areas. Out here on the East coast, you can get a good 3-bedroom apartment for around $300/month, and higher-end houses are generally under 300k. Also, be prepared to pay more for video games.
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Postby Tim » 05 Feb 2009, 19:06

Master Gunner wrote: Out here on the East coast, you can get a good 3-bedroom apartment for around $300/month...

Please tell me that's $300 per room. :(
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Postby Metcarfre » 05 Feb 2009, 19:07

A THREE BEDROOM APARTMENT FOR THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS!!!

Holy.

Shit.

One bedrooms go for at least $750 around here. Hell, I pay over $500 in a house with (thinks...) six others, nice room, but no living room or common area... geez.

That'll give you an idea of relative costs right there.

Jeepers... I think I need to lie down...
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Postby gcninja » 05 Feb 2009, 19:08

Tim wrote:I grew up in Nanaimo and highly recommend it, but if you're used to big cities you might find it a bit slow.
.


I live in a place that has a 1000people from oct to march and from april to mid oct 2000, im used to it

Master Gunner wrote:Out here on the East coast, you can get a good 3-bedroom apartment for around $300/month, and higher-end houses are generally under 300k. Also, be prepared to pay more for video games.

Thats great, the place i was looking at is 600 for a studio and houses from 1mil+ so that's lovely..

also, the boarders right there :P
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Postby Master Gunner » 05 Feb 2009, 19:16

Tim wrote:
Master Gunner wrote: Out here on the East coast, you can get a good 3-bedroom apartment for around $300/month...

Please tell me that's $300 per room. :(


Sorry, I mis-typed. That's $300 for a two bedroom apartment. Three-bedroom apartments go for around $400-500 total. Of course, it costs more on the type of apartment and the location. My brother's moving into a penthouse apartment with two of his friends in the provincial capital for $750 month.

And no, that's total, not per room. That's total. The joys of living in the ass-end of nowhere. However, still a lot of good stuff going on, just nobody pays attention to it.
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Postby spiterider » 05 Feb 2009, 19:16

holy scarlets batman, only $300, i'll pack my bags immediatly. oh wait i'm broke, any good jobs available?
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Postby Jillers » 05 Feb 2009, 19:18

I'd kill for $600 fora studio. A decent studio around me costs at least 750/month without utilities.
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Postby Master Gunner » 05 Feb 2009, 19:20

spiterider wrote:holy scarlets batman, only $300, i'll pack my bags immediatly. oh wait i'm broke, any good jobs available?


A few here and there, I'm not that sure on the current job market, I'm focusing more on school right now. I know that the current recession hasn't hit us too hard at this point, and there's a lot of expansion going on right now.
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Postby Tim » 05 Feb 2009, 19:22

MG, you are paying literally a third of the rent that I am paying. Literally one third.

As a matter of fact, my roommate and I are sharing a small basement suite with a single (big) bedroom and we are paying $500/month each.

EACH!!!

I'm going to go gorge myself on chocolate and meatballs... :evil:
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Postby Master Gunner » 05 Feb 2009, 19:32

As I said, nobody cares about us. these are some listings for the city proper. About 15-20 minutes outside of the city in the outlying communities though, the price drops closer to what I mentioned above, since everybody's moving into the city due to an extra 15 minutes been too long a commute apparently.
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Postby gcninja » 05 Feb 2009, 19:42

Master Gunner wrote:As I said, nobody cares about us. these are some listings for the city proper. About 15-20 minutes outside of the city in the outlying communities though, the price drops closer to what I mentioned above, since everybody's moving into the city due to an extra 15 minutes been too long a commute apparently.

my walk to work is 15minutes...lazy bums.
still... looking around any ways
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Postby spartanhelmet » 05 Feb 2009, 20:15

I get the idea Vancouver Island is waayy slower than I'd be able to deal with...

But let me guess... Vancouver is nice and busy, but plenty expensive?
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Postby Tim » 05 Feb 2009, 20:25

spartanhelmet wrote:I get the idea Vancouver Island is waayy slower than I'd be able to deal with...

I couldn't tell ya, to be honest. I'm a slow person, and it suits me fine.
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Postby spartanhelmet » 05 Feb 2009, 20:33

I'm definitely not down-playing how good a place it is, but it's probably not compatible with the person I've become. I lived in Bangkok for a few years, so I'm more than used to living in a metropolis... that said, the only time I lived in a smaller community (far, far, FAR east Perth - Swan Hills), I was literally on a hill with no neighbours to be seen. Maybe it IS my sort of place... who knows :)

I could have been going to UBC around about now (and I was dead serious about planning to) if they weren't refusing to take students from my Uni. So, unless I go on holiday, I doubt I'll be in Canada any time soon. The fact you guys pay through the nose for rent signals to me that this is one of those places to be, if you can.
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Postby CommanderKeen » 05 Feb 2009, 22:11

I live in a two-bedroom basement suite in Vancouver. We live approximate the exact centre of the residential are of Vancouver. We pay 950 in rent, but that includes utilities but not internet or cable tv. If you have a job that pays more then 12 bucks an hour and you're doing 40 hrs a week, you'll be fine. Public transit is something everyone complains about here, but in truth its not that bad, and 76 bucks a month for transit isn't that bad compared to the costs for a vehicle.

475+76+200ish for food depending on what you+100 for internet and mobile and you're pretty much set. Living in Vancouver only seems expensive if you don't have a job. Hell I work three days week at 13 bucks an hour and I can still easily afford to live and put a little in savings every month. I also do freelance stuff on the side, but that's all extra.

Keep in mind that even though the Vancouver Region is the third largest city in Canada, we miss a lot of concerts. Case in point, Madonna came to town about two months ago, and that was her first concert in Vancouver ever.


If you do move here, wait till after the Olympics in 2010.
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Postby spartanhelmet » 05 Feb 2009, 22:23

Uhh, well what's $12 dollars in terms of Canadian work? I know from an exchange student from Texas that in the US some people are lucky to get a few dollars an hour... is Canada (and BC in particular) more like Europe in terms of paychecks?

I sure don't know where I'll be in 5 years, but if the gaming industry gets more taxbreaks, it might be the PNW/BC region... might be the east coast... might be right where I am now or Siberia for all I know. A healthy curiousity, and a relevant thread... I've just got to ask all these nuissance questions :)
Last edited by spartanhelmet on 05 Feb 2009, 22:26, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby gcninja » 05 Feb 2009, 22:26

im loving this place more and more. omg i want to live there, hell ill hitch hike

edit: one thing ive heard though is that they treat us like some americans treat hispanics "oh, there goes the town" or "theyre taking all the jobs" etc. is this true? i suspect it in SOME places, but is it flamboyant? i dont think ill stick out and all
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Postby Graham » 05 Feb 2009, 23:03

I don't go hiking, or do anything outdoors, and I have plenty to do here.
Also, there are tons and tons of job openings here, as long as you're okay with retail.

I love Victoria, it's a great mid-sized city.
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Postby Metcarfre » 05 Feb 2009, 23:07

gcninja wrote:edit: one thing ive heard though is that they treat us like some americans treat hispanics "oh, there goes the town" or "theyre taking all the jobs" etc. is this true? i suspect it in SOME places, but is it flamboyant? i dont think ill stick out and all


We make fun of Americans a lot, but usually nothing like that. I've had lots of Yankee friends and coworkers. No problem (I do call them Yanks all the time though).
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Postby Graham » 05 Feb 2009, 23:13

gcninja wrote:edit: one thing ive heard though is that they treat us like some americans treat hispanics "oh, there goes the town" or "theyre taking all the jobs" etc. is this true? i suspect it in SOME places, but is it flamboyant? i dont think ill stick out and all

People might not be fans of "America" or "Americans" as a group, but on an individual basis we actually don't discriminate like that. It's not you, it's your foreign policies.

What I'm saying is, no. We don't hate Americans.
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Postby gcninja » 05 Feb 2009, 23:16

Graham wrote:I don't go hiking, or do anything outdoors, and I have plenty to do here.
Also, there are tons and tons of job openings here, as long as you're okay with retail.

I love Victoria, it's a great mid-sized city.

trust me, im ok with ANYTHING after this job, im 18, started here fourteen washing dishes, year later moved to serving food and still only make 7.50/hr, as much as the people who come here to work for 3months.
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