I WANT TO MOVE TO CANADA!!!!!!!

[Green1]

Green1 - I really hope you are right about the BMW thing.....adding daytime lights and a high level brake isn't a problem - it is just that it is one of the few cars that is outlawed in the US (along with the Porsche 959 etc...)!

it should be ok as long as the glass conforms (needs to be stamped with DOT/SAE, as do all the lights) if the headlights don't match, then "E" code is usually acceptable depending on who you talk to, and if that fails it would be worth checking to see if a different model BMW that IS in north america has interchangable lights.

You say the 'for two' Smart is all you can get over there? Does this mean that my LHD 'for two' (including correct lights for your roads) would only need daytime running lights to allow me to imprt it?? YIPEE!!

no. not unless it's 15 years old (unlikely) or if it was certified by the manufacturer at time of manufacture to meet Canadian standards. (unlikely as well, but possible, I'm not entirely sure how to check... but there is supposed to be a label of some form somewhere)

[Shepherd]

Ive injoyed reading all of what was written in responce to you. Canada is big and I have a very good friend who just moved here to saskatchewan from the UK. allot of people just think of Saskatchewan as flat and boring. You don't need to venture far off the Trans Canada Highway to discover that Saskatchewan is a outdoorsman dream come true. There is not very manny people. The wide open is what my buddy from the UK loves best. The people are friendly. The wildlife and freedom to enjoy our natural resouses is awsome. The cost of living is cheap. I moved here from New Brunswick 13 years ago and love Saskatchewan. Check it out. Its worth a look.

[Mystery Machine]

Ive injoyed reading all of what was written in responce to you.

I know what you mean! This thread has been a fantastic source of information for me, but it is also really nice to see and hear everyone being SO enthusiastic about where they live, what they do and how proud they are to be part of this amazing country! :D

I also appreciate your comments and input (many thanks.... :D ) and whilst not in any way dismissing what you say, I know that Saskatchewan would probably be too remote for me (i.e. too far from the coast) which is unfortunate because it sounds real nice...

I know this is not a problem for a lot of people, but if I was to make the move over from the UK - I would certainly want to be near the sea.

At the moment, Vancouver Island is what seems to be ticking the most boxes and without the input from everyone, I'd still be clueless about where to start looking!

My trip over will hopefully give me time to explore some of the area I like the look of in this approximate order so far:

Vancouver itself (thanks Adrock! 8) )
Pemberton (well - you know what this one is all about! 8) 8) )
Squamish (thanks 39Ronin! 8) )
Powell River (thanks BC Delica! 8) )
Fanny Bay :lol: (thanks Fanny Bay Delica! 8) )
Cowichan Valley (thanks Kuan! 8) )
Victoria (any offers? :lol: )
Sidney (any offers?? )
Back to Vancouver (thanks again Adrock! 8) )

Thanks again for all the input guys and all the kind offers of shelter for my stay! :D I'll be sure to empty your fridge, drink all your booze, upset your neighbours and anything else I can do to uphold the typical 'Brit Abroad' reputaion so many of my fellow countrymen are so proud of! :lol: :lol: (not really - I can actually be a nice guy! HONESTLY! )

Cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to it :D and how far away it seems right now! :(

Take care you lot....

Bruce.

[Mystery Machine]

Bruce: I may be able to meet up with you for a cuppa on the 26th or 27th after you get in (though I bet you'll be jet lagged) but I have to be in Calgary by 10am on the 28th...

I've now booked a flight out for the 22nd March, so if you fancy that meet up & cuppa....I'll be really glad to meet you! :D

I was gutted that we would have missed each other before, but this way I hopefully get to meet Mr Green1 from Clagary!

Does anyone have any TomTom maps of CA spare? I was going to bring my TomTom/PDA, but the maps are £99!!

If someone has the PDA maps they could lend me for the fortnight I'd be REALLY grateful.... 8)

Regards,

Bruce.

[Jungle Jon]

Hi Bruce,
I had a TomTom 300 a few years ago that I had CA maps for, not sure if they would work on your PDA version, but you are welcome to use them (if I still have them backed up somewhere. ) I'll dig around tonight to see if I can find them, and send you a PM.
Jon

[Green1]

I've now booked a flight out for the 22nd March, so if you fancy that meet up & cuppa....I'll be really glad to meet you!

sounds good to me, let me know closer to the date what your schedule is... but I should be in the Vancouver area from the 22nd to the 27th (give or take a day on either side) I'd say the 23rd or 26th would be best for me... but whatever works, let me know! (and bring over some of them delica.ca stickers! :D

[Mystery Machine]

Right - I'm coming for certain now.... :D

I finalised my flight and paid for it so there is no going back now! :lol:

Flying out on the 18th March and heading back on the 4th April.

Adam and everyone else who's offered to put me up (AKA put up with me!!) I'll be sending you a PM after the weekend to see if everything is still OK and that you're all still on for me to come and invate your couch! :lol:

As well as the meet - I'm hoping to have a good old nosey around Vancouver area and Vancouver Island, so you lot are going to be having a lot of questions fired at you....

Cheers for now,

Bruce. (only 44 days to go! :D )

[BCDelica]

You have to put me down for a vote for Vancouver Island also! I have visited many corners of North America and have found the west coast of Vancouver Island to be the most magnificent location going. :D ('8)

My wife and I both grew up on the Island and would move back there if a good opportunity came up. I was brought up on Denman Island, http://www.denmanisland.com/, which gave me a real appreciation for quiet community based lifestyle. Population on Denman Is was around 200 people during the seventies, everybody knew everybody.

Powell River is some what like that, 7000 households accessible by Ferry only, which helps it be a friendly community. The outdoor recreation opportunities are awesome here! I can understand why Powell River isn't desirable for some people when you have to take long, expensive ferry rides to get many kinds of specialty services. A good Powell River websites is http://www.roughlife.com/ be sure to check out the Virtual Tours . This was taken at Dodd Lake, a favorite camping spot of ours.

Busy Powell River camping on a summer weekend means there might just be someone else camping there also. We have camped at Dodd for the long August weekend every year for six years and every long weekend there are still free camping spots available. One of the four waterfront spots are usually available on the week days too. Honestly, long time Powell Riverites consider a campsite like Dodd Lake just too busy, they just might have to camp near somebody they don't know! The water's almost always that rough too - plenty of awesome waterskiing memories here!!

Check out a web favorite of mine - http://www.bcadventure.com/, I hang around the fishing forums there. You might also be interested in a forum buddies photo site - http://www.bcscenicwonder.com/.

[josh]

Bruce, how many hours till you skip over the pond? I mean you are flying in sunday right? You probably arent sleeping anymore in anticipation.

Have a great flight, can't wait to see you at the meet. (whats your favorite brew?)

Josh

[Adrock]

he'll be here in 4 or 5 hours :)

[josh]

Welcome Bruce,

I imagine you are in Vancouver by now... Its just after 6. You are possibly coming through customs. Have a good sleep tonight trying to get over jet lag. I am off to the airport here is smithers to go pick up my wife, she was just in vancouver for work.

Anyhow, enjoy your time (if we dont work you to hard on our little Delica projects). Talk to you later.

Josh

[Thomas Porter]

Hi Bruce,
In July of 2006 I bought a 1100 square foot bi-level with a detatched heated garage, enclosed patio, hardwood throughout, two-bath, three bedrooms, etc. etc. in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
It cost less than $100,000 and is immaculate. There is lots to see and do here, you'd love it. As I've said in others posts, there is about one person per square kilometre here in Saskatchewan. There are only 900,000 people here - a land mass that the British Isles could fit into three times!
I'm the unofficial Saskatchewan outdoor spokesperson here, I even do guest lectures about "Why I love Saskatchewan."
I'm a flyfisherman and a hunter and I am out once a week in the great outdoors - which by the way is only a ten minute drive away!!!
Visit http://www.virtualprincealbert.com, http://www.smarterphoto.com or http://www.nwf.ca to learn more about Saskatchewan. We are on the verge of a boom here and housing prices are sure to spike in the next 5 years. When do you hope to move to Canada - or are you just blowing smoke.
One of my best friends here is from Bristol. He moved here about five years ago, he's part of our fishing club here. He loves it.
If you are in the tech trades, you'll do well here. The cost of living is the lowest in the country and its unbelievably beautiful.
I moved here in 1999 and you couldn't drag me back to Alberta now!
Any question, email thomas@smarterphoto.com
I'll fill in the blanks for you. I've lived in B.C. Alberta and now Saskatchewan. Moving here was the best decision I've ever made.
We are the mosted under-rated province in this country - partly because the locals haven't been anywhere else to know how good they have it here.
Cheers,
Thomas 8)

[Mystery Machine]

Welcome Bruce

Hi Josh,

Thanks for the welcome - yes I am here and already in LOVE with the place :D :D

Adam has kindly been showing me around Vancouver and I'm already thinking of ways not to have to go back! (Please don't be reading thing Amanda!

Off to Sidney/Victori today, so get to try out my cool hire car (not as cool as a Deli, but different to what we get in the UK!) and see some more awesome sights..... :D

Will update when I next get chance to get onto a computer.

.......Anyhow, enjoy your time (if we dont work you to hard on our little Delica projects).

I'll let Adam explain what he had me doing in the pouring rain within 12hrs of arriving! :lol: :lol:

Was a really fun day and Adam now has Canada's first Metal Monkeys modified Deli!

Seriously looking forward to this meet and catching up with the rest of you - if you're all as cool as Adam then I just know I'll be applying for residency as soon as I return to the UK!

When do you hope to move to Canada - or are you just blowing smoke.

Hi Thomas,

I am certainly VERY interested in moving here. The best way I could sum it up is; I would move here tomorrow if my Girlfriend could be persuaded too....she is the only real obstacle at the moment, but her wishes and needs are paramount to me and if she really does't want to do it, then so be it.

If I was single, then I would be here ASAP. I'd sell the house, stick my dog on a plane and come on over....

I'm over here right now, partly to meet all you fantastic people, but also to look around Vancouver and Vancouver Island to get a feel for what it is like over here in order to 'arm' myself with loads of amazing stories and photos to take back and wow my other half with....call it a research mission.... :lol:

Thanks for all the info BTW - as soon as I'm back home I'll look through all your info and no doubt be even MORE insired about this amazing country.... :D

Regards for now,

Bruce (about to be taken out to Tim ???'s {some ex-hockey player's place} for Steep tea and donuts! :) :) )

[Green1]

Bruce (about to be taken out to Tim ???'s {some ex-hockey player's place} for Steep tea and donuts! Smile Smile )

ah yes... Tim Horton's... the quintessential Canadian experience... (I don't think there is anything more Canadian than Tim Horton's, but to be honest, I'm not overly impressed with their food...)

as for your GF... you should have dragged her with you... once she sees the place she'd HAVE to give in!

[Thomas Porter]

My wife is an Amanda too.
Just tell her that people are more friendly here, there is more to do that costs less and she'd have no toruble finding a rewarding career here.
It doesn't hurt that things cost less here.
I work about 20-30 hours a week - if I feel like it. Depends what I want to buy for the Deli.
Why do you think you folks floated across the sea so many years ago? North America was, and still is, the place to be - especially Canada.
If you need any further info, let me know. I've lived in three provinces and travelled all over this country - something you west coasters can't afford to do with those $396,000 houses - yikes. Hope you like your jobs a whole lot. You'll be doing them until your 100!
HaHa, the Saskatchewan River Pirate strikes again!
Enjoy your TimBits and Honey Cruellers Bruce.
Thomas