McPherson Logo

BLOG

Thinking about moving to Canada?

Posted on November 11th, 2016 at 4:32 am

feature-image

Why B.C. is the right choice for Americans.

On Tuesday, November 8th Donald Trump claimed victory in the U.S. elections and the Canadian immigration website immediately crashed. While the flood of Americans who caused the crash probably won’t end up moving across the border, that doesn’t mean setting up shop in Canada is a bad idea. Canada is perfect for those worried about their future, but it’s just as perfect for anyone looking to spend part of the year away from home. If you’re seriously considering checking out your neighbour (with a u) from the north, you’ll need to seriously consider checking out beautiful British Columbia. Here’s why:

  • Despite being in Canada, you won’t have to shovel snow. Victoria, the capital of British Columbia (B.C.), only sees snow for an average of 7 days a year. Vancouver, the largest city in B.C., only sees the white stuff for an average of 9 days. In fact, of the 33 largest cities in Canada, the four with the lowest snowfall are all in B.C. (Victoria, Vancouver, Abbotsford, and Kelowna). Southern B.C. sees so little snow that, when Vancouver hosted the Winter Olympics in 2010, the white stuff had to be trucked into the competition sites from a mountain range 160 miles away.[1][2]
  • You’ll enter a thriving economy. The unemployment rate is British Columbia is 6.2%, and it fell compared to 2015 despite more people looking for work. Labour income is up by 3.9% compared to 2015, and the average weekly earnings in B.C. are $923.92 a week. Retail demand is up by 5.1%, and manufacturing demand rose by 8.1%. Despite a housing market tumble in mid 2016, property demand remains strong.[3]
  • Diversity is standard. Proud Aboriginal nations, large and diverse religious communities, and hundreds of other groups peacefully contribute to life in southern B. Well over a million people in the metro Vancouver area proudly claim Asian heritage, and a deep mosaic of other cultures make B.C.’s cities an amazing place to live. If you’re looking for progressive policies, B.C. leads Canada in strong LGBTQ+ rights, safe injection sites, poverty reduction measures, marijuana legalization, and more.[4]
  • C. is home to Canada’s Silicon Valley. The original Silicon Valley is a hotbed of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, and southern B.C. is no different. Several of Canada’s largest companies got their start in Vancouver, and some of its fastest growing companies are located there. Buyatab, Canada Drives, Lululemon, Hootsuite, and hundreds of others make up a culture of success that permeates the region.[5][6]
  • World-class education. The University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, and the University of Victoria all ranked well within the top 250 universities in the world, and B.C.’s K-12 school system is the best in Canada. Not only that, the entire B.C. education system has been ranked third best in the world behind Finland and Japan. Far from relaxing, the provincial government plans to invest hundreds of millions into reducing class sizes and other major improvements.[7][8]
  • Buying power. The Canadian dollar has been falling while the American dollar has been rising and that won’t be changing any time soon. The current exchange rate gives Americans roughly an extra $0.20 on every dollar they spend in Canada, and that advantage can make a huge difference on large purchases.
  • Close to the United States. Even though the United States are in turmoil, it’s almost always impossible to completely remove all connections. Canada and the U.S. share the longest unprotected land border in the world, and a historically exceptional relationship. Short travel times make southern B.C. the perfect location for any American who risks getting homesick. The border is under an hour away from the heart of Vancouver, and it’s just under three hours to Seattle.

With Republican lawmakers controlling all branches of the U.S. government for the first time since 1928, Americans are entering a new era in their country’s history. If the new direction of the country concerns you, or you just want to put down roots in a beautiful part of the world, check out British Columbia! The perfect place to start is by reading our article (LINK) on everything you need to know about moving to B.C.

By:  Glen McPherson

[1] https://www.currentresults.com/Weather-Extremes/Canada/least-snowy-cities.php

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Winter_Olympics

[3] http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/indi02k-eng.htm

[4] http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/demo26k-eng.htm

[5] http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-tech-jobs-1.3772400

[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Companies_based_in_Vancouver

[7] http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2014/06/british-columbia-education-ranked-third-in-world/

[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rankings_of_universities_in_Canada