Things we love about living in BC, Canada

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

What's your favourite thing about living on BC's Sunshine Coast?

[@seabow2]

Watching and photographing the wildlife.

[@annamaesawyer7482]

The weather. I lived in Ontario and was tired of the winters. Moved to Victoria in 2011 and after several moves I have now just moved to Sechelt. Love it. Thanks for the video.

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

@@annamaesawyer7482 ✅ For Canada, I don't think you can beat the lovely mild West Coast weather.

[@karenlewkowitz5858]

Is it a trade from snow to a lot of rain? Does Gibsons get rain like Vancouver?​@@LiveontheSunshineCoast

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

@@karenlewkowitz5858 Yes, the trade is rain most of the time instead of snow. Gibsons does get rain like Vancouver but not necessarily the same weather on same days. The North Shore Mountains separate us so sometimes we have different weather. Even Gibsons will have different weather than Sechelt. It can be foggy in Sechelt and blue skies in Gibsons and vice versa. As a prairie person, we would hear, "Who wants to live in Vancouver, it rains all the time!" The Coastal winters aren't all rain. We have a lot of sunny day breaks and even on the rainy days, often the weather will break and we'll get sun for a few hours. We chose the Sunshine Coast because it'll have less socked-in weather than the interior or the Fraser Valley. I'll trade the rain/mild over snow/cold over and over again!

[@tristanED]

Leaving Ontario soon to live in BC cant wait!

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

Congrats! You're gonna love it!

[@annamaesawyer7482]

@@LiveontheSunshineCoast Awesome! I moved from Ontario to Victoria in 2011 and after few moves Just moved to Sechelt. Love It.

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

@@annamaesawyer7482 You've picked lovely places to live all along! 😄

[@abeekuworldchanger380]

That's the thing I dislike about Edmonton. It snows for over half the year , and I'm into hiking, so you can't really do much of that . I miss BC a lot and I'm hoping to move there next year. Also the rain is calming. The lifestyle too is so active too in BC. Lots of people enjoying the outdoors, running. The mountains and the ocean are absolutely amazing.

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

The snow and the cold eventually got to us, too. And I agree about the rain being calming. It's nice to listen to as you drift off to sleep. Hopefully the winter won't be too grueling for you and you're eventually able to make your return to BC in 2022. Thanks for the comment. 😀

[@kevinwaters-marsh217]

Thanks for your video. Nicely done.

[@earltreptau5294]

Hi guys, soon to be an ex Edmontonian who’s moving to the Sunshine Coast as well as well. Can you do a video which touches on the ‘if we knew this before moving out to the coast’ or ‘do’s and don’t s if you’re planning the move to the Sunshine Coast. Keep the videos coming!

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

Hey Earl. Excellent suggestion. We've actually got this on our list of future topics and it should be covered in the months to come. Kind of in the same vein, we have a video with things we had to get used to that's going to be posted in late March. Thanks for watching and for the comment!

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

This video got bumped to an April 7th release. 😏

[@michaelbrin6469]

I've lived in Edmonton and on the BC Coast. I liked the temperate temperatures on the Coast, and it's lush greenery. It's only downfall is that from mid-October to the end of February the entire region is constantly overcast with dreary grey clouds and constant rain. Plus your movements are bounded by mountains and ocean. So that your movements on land are very limited. If your from the prairies it starts the eat away at you.

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

Yeeaaah, sooo, I mostly disagree! Yes October to February is the rainier season but we still get breaks in the weather where we get the sun. It's not grey and overcast that whole time. And I have never felt trapped between the ocean and the mountains. Beauty on each side and passable too.

[@rodrigoalbuquerque6872]

I used to live in Victoria and Penticton in the Okanagan Valley for 5 years in total and then moved to Medicine Hat-AB. BC is unique but insanely expensive to live in. Depending on the province's area, either the island or lower mainland, good luck trying to find affordable rent, even though you're willing to pay more for a rental good luck again, there will be 20,30,50 people competing against you for the same place. Purchasing a property? Unless you are rather wealthy or have huge equity, forget it! I would never be able to have my own property there, that's the main reason that drove me away from the province. BC is TOP but you need a roof over your head without spending more than 50% of your income only on that.

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

Well said. Affordability, less financial stress and simply having a roof over your head is good. The Prairies (AB, Saskatchewan, Manitoba) for the most part, offer that.

[@m.lea5]

Thanks for the great informative video, I too am from Edmonton and so needing a change, I've been wanting to move to B.C for so long. I'd love to see a video on what steps to take to make the move.

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

Alright. Thanks for your comment. 😄

[@louiselabrecque9573]

Very informative! Well done!

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

Thanks Louise! 💖

[@izelvanheusden6245]

Just visited the sunshine coast ...fell in love it's so magical , what is the cost of living and also what do you do for work?

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

Food is 10-15% more expensive than Vancouver and fuel is more expensive, too. But housing is the major expense. Prices have really jumped in the past 18 months and the average price of a detached home is over $800K. We're a photographer (Val), videographer (Paul), and marketers (both of us). The vast majority of our paid work revolves around marketing real estate.

[@karenlewkowitz5858]

Lovely video! Wonder about off leash areas for dogs to run off leash.

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

I definitely know of one off leash dog park near Gibsons, it's a Shirley Macey Park. www.scrd.ca/shirley-macey-park/#:~:text=Off%2Dleash%20Dog%20Park%3A%20The,off%2Dleash%20in%20dog%20park.

[@x-destinygunblade3683]

i used to live there i miss it

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

😥😥😥

[@abeekuworldchanger380]

Move back! I'm trying to. British Columbia is the best.

[@vijaymalaviya2160]

I am going to move to gibbons next month ...and my job is at port Mellon ... I don’t know anyone or anything about gibsons ... I was nervous but after watching your vlog I am inspired....thanks for that Can you please suggest me about to rent a home in gibsons

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

Congratulations on your job! You're going to love it here. We're in the midst of a pretty severe housing shortage all along the Sunshine Coast right now. We actually just uploaded a video on the subject: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6OxXqGaf72YkLM Best thing to do is to check Craigslist frequently and join the Sunshine Coast BC Real Estate for Sale and Rent Facebook page. As soon as you find something that you want, you'll need to contact the landlord quickly as rentals get snapped up very fast. Craigslist: sunshine.craigslist.org/d/apartments-housing-for-rent/search/apa Facebook: facebook.com/groups/312848975458170?sorting_setting=CHRONOLOGICAL

[@nishatajuchacko4827]

Great!! I’m moving to Sunshine Coast next month and how’s your experience there

[@crazyliv]

Do you have any insights on bowen island? Both bowen Island and gibsons appeal to me but I'm surprised gibsons has so many shops and amenities while bowen Island has almost nothing.

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

Bowen Island is really nice. I've only been once but Val's visited a handful of times. My impression of Bowen Island is that it's essentially a suburb of Vancouver and residents make frequent trips to the city. Gibsons and the Sunshine Coast are a little more remote and appreciably larger and as such, we're a little more self-sufficient. More people on the Sunshine Coast means more businesses/services. Bowen Island's population is 4,000-ish. Gibsons itself is closer to 5,000 and there's probably another 2,000-3,000 in the immediate area (Granthams Landing, Hopkins Landing, Langdale, etc). The entire south part of the south Sunshine Coast (Langdale to Egmont and NOT including Powell River) is right around 32,000. The Sunshine Coast is still highly reliant on the ferry but we're able to comfortably live here without making regular trips to Vancouver. We go to the city maybe 5 or 6 times a year but I think Bowen Island residents make the trip to Vancouver much more frequently. That's the biggest difference in my mind.

[@SteveMenardDesignDXM]

Hi guys, I have recently subscribed to your channel and I am thoroughly enjoying the videos. I work as a self-employed graphic designer and I'm based in Montreal, while my wife is a personal fitness trainer. I was hoping to get some information about the business environment in the Sunshine Coast/Gibsons area. Any insights or information on this topic would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

The two main obstacles in running a business on the Sunshine Coast are location costs and employee availability/costs. Commercial space is expensive (to lease or to buy). My advice would be to focus on eliminating that cost by finding a way to work from home. That's probably easier for a graphic designer than a personal trailer. But maybe your wife could figure out a way to work in public spaces (at the park, the beach, etc). Another option would be a home with a garage or some kind of a studio that could be repurposed as an exercise space. A common complaint we hear repeatedly is that finding employees is tough. Wages need to be high enough to offset our cost of living, and Sunshine Coast demographics trend more toward retirees than younger career-minded people. Our advice for employees would be to minimize your reliance on employees (if possible). The Sunshine Coast is an amazing place to live. Relocating and getting established can be a stress but the benefits far outweigh the challenges. We can't recommend it enough! Thanks for the sub and the comment!

[@iane21]

Very informative video. Unfortunately you forgot to mention the fact that housing in sunshine coast are ridiculously expensive. I’m a laboratory technologist and with my salary I would never be able to afford a house in your community. There’s already a position in your lab that hasn’t been filled for almost a year now. Once your labtechs retires your only few years away from closing your lab and hospital. New grads would never be able to afford working and living in your nice community.

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

You're right about housing being prohibitively expensive for most people. This video was about the things we like about the Sunshine Coast but we did a separate video about the housing crisis and some of the challenges it presents: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6OxXqGaf72YkLM You're right - it's a huge problem that has the potential to create ripples across the community. Thanks for the comment and your work at the hospital. 😊

[@JERios-wv8lx]

Very interesting; Thank you so much for the info. What is the cost of living in Gibsons? (You both make a cute couple!)

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

Thanks for the complement! Val get's the credit for 90% of our cuteness! 😊🤣 Housing is currently a killer (both to buy and to rent). Prices are WAAAY up, as are monthly rents. At the same time, housing inventory and rental supply have fallen through the floor. Bad combination. When we posted this video about a year ago, a single family home could still be bought for $600,000-ish. For the price of a really nice house in Edmonton or Calgary or Saskatoon, a person could buy a "normal" house in Gibsons. Not cheap but not outside the realm of posibility for a lot of people. The arithmetic's changed in the past year. That "normal" house is now worth $900,000+ and something "wow" would be $1.5M+. That said, if you're coming from Vancouver or Toronto, housing here probably still seems like a relative bargain. Gas is roughly the same price as in Vancouver but 25% more than in Alberta. The last time we checked, groceries are 10-15% more than in Vancouver (surprisingly, groceries in Vancouver and Edmonton were roughly the same price). It's still a gorgeous place to live and there's no place we'd rather be but if we wouldn't have bought before the current run up, we'd be priced out of the current market. We have a few other videos that touch on the cost of living on BC's Sunshine Coast compared to Edmonton. 🛒 - Cost of living in BC vs Alberta - Grocery price comparison: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h52qpneLfpx2fLM 🏘 - Affordable Housing Crisis in BC - Sunshine Coast: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6OxXqGaf72YkLM 🚗 - Moving to BC with your car: 13 things you need to know: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIDLoqZ9fdB7bbM

[@sarahmcgowan4036]

Hey I'm originally from UK living in Perth Australia, my hubby is looking at work in BC, so I've been watching many videos to try and learn about BC. I watched one with top ten places to live but on the comments they said it was all lies .. people from BC about certain places with high crime and drugs or mega expensive for properties put me off. After watching your video it's given me a bit of hope would prefer warmer area with some winter and little snow. I have two children 7 and 10 so kiddie/family friendly area with good schools with a great community spirit is what I'm looking for. Any advice appreciated!!

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

Hey Sarah. I started writing a reply but there's so much to cover. Your comment has inspired us to plan a video that'll answer your question with the attention it deserves. Watch for it in the weeks to come. In general, BC is a wonderful place to live. Vancouver is a big city and has the accompanying big city problems but I don't think they're appreciably worse than any other city of similar size. There are lots of families in Vancouver that lead very safe, happy lives. Housing can be prohibitively expensive, especially in the greater Vancouver area and southern Vancouver Island. But if you're OK with not living in those places, I think there are still pockets of BC that would work for you. We'll cover this in the video. Are you wanting to be in a city? Or is a smaller town OK for you? If you have a vision of where you want your family to live, don't let KZbin comments convince you otherwise. Thanks again for watching and commenting and giving us a topic for another video! :)

[@sakshambansal7383]

Hey but why are you choosing Canada over UK and Australia? What's the reasons behind this as both of them are great options to live and settle down.

[@crazyliv]

Hey Sarah did you end up moving to BC?

[@anitavirginillo]

I just purchased a property in Victoria, the Sunshine Coast never even occurred to me. Wondering where property prices are cheaper?

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

The Victoria Real Estate Board stats for December 2021 say that the benchmark price for a single family home in Greater Victoria is $1,066,800. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) says the benchmark price on the Sunshine Coast is $890,300. Initially, it looks like it's 20% cheaper to buy on the Sunshine Coast but our benchmark price is a little misleading as the REBGV lumps all communities on the Sunshine Coast together. Generally, prices are lower the further north you go on the Sunshine Coast. Prices in Pender Harbour/Halfmoon Bay offset the higher prices in Gibsons/Sechelt and lowers the overall average price. The average price in Sechelt and Gibsons is likely higher than that $890,000 figure. The other issue we're currently facing is that housing inventory is very low on the Sunshine Coast. According to Realtor.ca, there are only 14 single family homes for sale in Gibsons, and my guess is that 3-4 of those are under offer but the sale isn't final. There's not a whole lot to pick from. Living on the Sunshine Coast also means giving up some of the conveniences that exist on Vancouver Island. We talk more about the differences between the Island the Sunshine Coast in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3jMo6Vomdeqe5Y If you want more details about the Sunshine Coast real estate market, we interviewed a local Realtor in December and he summerized what he saw in 2021 and what he anticipates for the first part of 2022. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXmQimWefMh0Z5o Thanks for the comment. I wish I had a more straightforward answer for you.

[@anitavirginillo]

@@LiveontheSunshineCoast thank you for taking the time to write back with that info - I did catch that video. Thx

[@LesHistoiresMagiques7]

I've been looking for a place where I'd like to live in Canada for several years and it seems that BC might be the place. I've always liked cool/mild weather places (Irland, New Zealand etc) and I hate living a big city no matter the country. I'm still wondering about the language environment though: how common is the French language out of Vancouver? Thanks for the content!

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

I think the instance of Francophones here on the Sunshine Coast would be pretty low. French speakers I know personally are Val... and that's it! There's a French immersion elementary school in Sechelt and there is high school French at Chatelech (also in Sechelt), but I'm not aware of any local French clubs or groups. Thanks for the question!

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

I found a website offering French lessons in Sechelt. I bet they'd be able to give you a better idea of how common French is on the Sunshine Coast. www.frenchtogo.ca/contact-us

[@LesHistoiresMagiques7]

@@LiveontheSunshineCoast Thanks a lot! I didn't expect such a quick response I appreciate it! I don't really mind if there's noone speaking French in town but I think it's best for my daughter if she can attend to a bilingual school nearby :-)

[@deborahdoyle3004]

What is the cost to live there - housing and apartments - monthly costs ... I live on the East coast & I am retired & I am renting...

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

Cost of housing got really expensive during/after COVID. Expect to spend $800K+ for a detached home. Budget $2,500+/mth for rent. To give you an idea of what houses cost, this home is currently listed for $750K: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKPIamebn6t3jbM

[@JMZiahVideos]

New friend here👍

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

Glad to have you! 😀

[@shikarisahib6054]

Its easy to talk positives of a place but it is more valuable to talk about the negatives. Insane tax regime in BC. Insanely high rents Insanely high home prices Winters are grey and dreary--lots of rain. I like the south Alberta sunshine year round.

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

Everyplace has its pros and cons. Glad to hear you found your happy place! 😃

[@clearwaterdesignsbykimshim1164]

How long did it take to find a Dr?

[@LiveontheSunshineCoast]

Somehow we lucked out. When we needed a doctor we made an appointment at the Gibsons clinic to see whoever and that Doctor said I'll take you on as a patient because you'll need more follow-up with this issue. That was 10 years ago so I don't know if a doctor would do that again or they happen to have room for a patient then.

[@vijaymalaviya2160]

Hello

[@Tochermusic]

I hate friendly friendly means nosey

[@josecarloshernandez5520]

Hi guys I wanted to send something to your email. Do you mind sharing one? Thanks for sharing so much