That depends on where you are in the UK, I expect, and where in BC you are considering. I lived in Devon for a year, but was born in BC; I live in Victoria.

Overall, there are probably more similarities than differences. For a comparison, the closest I found to feeling “at home” was in the south of Germany—both the urban areas and the mountain terrain seemed very similar to BC.

The weather in the south of BC is mild year-round, but BC has every climate imaginable, from glaciers to desert.

Politically even our right wing government is pretty liberal.

Not sure what else you want to know; hope this helps a little

I can’t compare the two, but to comment on living in Canada in general… Beautiful country, four real seasons, fantastic people, my brief experience in the UK (London) tells me Canada is cheaper to live, Canada doesn’t have the history that the UK does, but it has its own quirks that make it unique. If you are moving here, and have the time – travel the country, you may find you are more comfortable in different regions as we are a diverse nation!
I honestly can’t imagine living anywhere else :)

I was born and raised in Canada and am currently living in London, UK (fled after finishing my degree for a TEMPORARY different culture and travel experience). Having lived in London for just over a year now I can, with the greatest of confidence, tell you that CANADA WINS hands down. Compared to the busy, rat race, expensive, polluted, big city life of London you will find the smaller “big cities” of Canada (i.e., Vancouver, Victoria) more laid back, more friendly and helpful, and more accomodating to families especially if you are planning to raise children there.

London has some advantages over Vancouver, such as the gateway to Europe, being able to travel easily between so many different countries, whereas the cities in Canada are quite spread out and it’s 3000 miles to the other side of the country – you can’t cover it in a day like you can the UK. However, if you head off to Canada you won’t regret it for a moment.

Whereas London is a spectacular tourist city and isn’t the best place to live, Vancouver and Vancouver Island are both fantastic for scenery and things to do as well as to settle down and live permanently. I’m moving back as soon as my fiance’s immigration papers go through and we can’t wait to get away from the constant pressure and hustle bustle of London life. Hope that helps!!! I may be a little biased ;)

I live on Vancouver Island in BC, and I have travelled throughout the UK.

I think the most telling explanation of what living in BC is like came from a comrade at a conference I attended. He pointed out that “when you ask a person from Vancouver what there is to do in the city, they tell you all the things you can do outside the city; you can go mountain climbing, skiing, kayaking, sailing, golfing, you name it.” This is just as true for Victoria.

Living in BC you have a feeling of being in a place which is both young and old at the same time. The trees here can be very old indeed—Carmanah grove (among several dwindling others) have trees that predate European contact with North America by a significant margin. At the same time, we declare any building more than a hundred years old as a “heritage building” and protect it. Londoners find this very cute.

Southen Vancouver Island is also home to a tremendous gourmand’s market. BC cuisine has a major focus on fresh, organic produce. We have several excellent brew pubs in Victoria. We don’t have any good outdoor markets what-so-ever.

I think other commentators have already, or will eventually, described Canadian culture, but I did want to note that The Island really has a different, friendlier pace. From Seattle, I hear Vancouver sounds like a laid-back place. Vancouver sees Victoria (on the Island) the same way. People are, by and large, quite nice here. Maybe it’s the scenery, maybe it’s the space. Who can say?

One thing to keep in mind: we are earthquake prone. Apparently, every four hundred years or so a really big quake happens and wipes everything out. (Or so they say.) As a result, we build houses out of wood instead of stone here. They flex better when the ground shakes. I can remember looking at the dome over the Great Library at the London Museum and thinking “my god, what a waste” until I realised that Britons have every reason to expect that space to stand another few hundred years. Human permanence is quite far from our minds here. Whatsoever we build, the forests will reclaim… we hope.

Coming from the States I would say Canadian cities (especially the larger) are more “livable” than American cities. Nice neighborhoods. Politically Canada beats our current regime of nitwits hands down. Even if Canada were run by a tribe of chimpanzees they would do less damage to the world and them selves in general. Expense-wise Canada tends to be cheaper than the States, plus we get a ten to fifteen percent break on the exchange rate.

People are friendly, but I find that almost everywhere. In Victoria the climate is moderate with mild winters. Earthquakes are a possibility, but if it’s not that it’s hurricanes, tornadoes or tsunamis elsewhere. And there are always the Orcas to play with.

Personally I am actively looking to move to Victoria, BC within the next year.

Well, never having been in Europe, and being born and raised in Vancouver (but now going to school in Victoria) I’ve travelled Canada quite a bit, and can easily say that south-western BC is the only place I’d want to live. There’s great diverse culture, and people are extremely accepting of people and their cultures and life styles. Vancouver has Indian and Greek markets in the summer, a large Chinatown, an Italian area with amazing food, etc. If you’re an out doors type person, then there’s a lot to do. Kayak, ski, golf, hike, bike, anything really. Politically, you’ll be getting away from Blair I guess, and live in a more Left wing culture. The weather can be crappy in the winter, but that’s no different than England. And as people have stated, even Vancouver being the 3rd largest city in Canada, it only has something like 500 000 people in the city, but about 2 000 000 in the suburbs. So it’s quite small, but a lot to do!

i’ve lived in toronto and vancouver, both of which i love. i’ve also been to london (though only for a week). i definitely wasn’t a fan of london, mostly because it was so crowded and kind of dirty. i think the biggest difference between canada and the uk is that canada is much more spread out and open. i’ve never been outside of london, but in vancouver you have the ability to go to the beach and go skiing all in one day. BC is probably my favorite place to live because you are minutes away from city life and country life….shopping, high fashion, great restaurants, and then hiking, skiing/snowboarding, sports. canada is definitely the place to be!

Thanks for all the responses guys.

Everyone seems to love Canada. I am really interested in going to Vancouver although anywhere in BC would be good. I’m basically just getting a bit fed up with the UK and I’m hoping that Vancouver would be more relaxed and fun. I’m not that much of an outgoing person though so I would worry a bit about meeting people. Everyone seems to think people are pretty friendly though and that is definitely my experience with the Canadians I have met on my travels.

Thanks again.

Matt