As a BC native who has lived in several cities including Victoria I would say that the drugs and crime has gone up everywhere - not just Victoria. Victoria is super safe compared to Penticton.
Its not as bad as compared to Vancouver and Toronto (Ottawa being the worst of all cities here). But definitely something that needs to be dealt with. Unfortunately, the Mayor is too up in their butts to acknowledge it
I live in Victoria, i totally agree with you regarding the drug abuse and the travelling, however, crime is not high in Victoria, i have kids, and its very safe, and i don't lock my door! Also, you're not happy with the weather here? i used to live in Calgary and i dont miss it! I think we have the best weather in the entire country.
@@ChristopherJustin-yt2vf depends what your looking for, if you’re looking for more comfortable winters I’d definitely say move to BC. However it’s worth remembering that the cost of living is higher in BC
The discussion on rain is not accurate. Victoria is in the rainshadow of the Olympic Mountains, so it gets much less rain than other locations on the B.C. Coast. According to Environment Canada, Victoria averages 608 mm of precipitation annually compared with over 1,500 mm for downtown Vancouver. In fact, Victoria is one of the least rainy cities in Canada - it gets less rain than any of the cities in Ontario, Quebec, or Atlantic Canada. Victoria's rainfall is also very seasonal, with a late fall/winter rainy season, then a dry spring and very dry summer. Victoria has by far the driest summers of any city in Canada. For example, Victoria gets about one quarter as much rain during the summer as Calgary or Toronto, and only about half as much rain as the "dry" BC Interior cities of Kelowna or Kamloops.
The only real reason not to move to victoria is the travel, especially the ferry. You basically settle on taking severaly hours to go anywhere. The most important reason to indeed move to victoria is the beauty of being beside the ocean, and the relaxed friendly vibe.
Crime and homelessness has increased in every city so I'm not sure it would make much difference for moving there. From my experience rent is significantly cheaper in Victoria than Vancouver or Toronto. In Vancouver 1 bedrooms are $2800/month right now and that's not downtown. If you rent a studio apartment with no bedroom then you can find ones that are $2500/month. Time to move to Calgary!
Victoria is on par with Calgary for rent , homelessness but it's very bike friendly compaired to Calgary. Bikers are primary targets for assault by motorists I Calgary. Don't bike I Calgary if you value your life
To be honest victoria bc is super safe compared to Vancouver and other city’s in bc and the weather is so nice compared to other places in Canada so no hate but I do not agree with you
Agree with the homeless issues. Real estate costs are insane. Groceries expensive! We DO get snow most winters. There are many musical events and venues! People are very friendly - find others with your same interests. Easy peezy. More women here than men, however dating is not a prob for most. Yes, options to explore nature ... (but plz don't move here)
Every youtuber saying Dont move to Vancouver, Dont move to Victoria/Toronto/Calgary/Montreal. So where do we move? which city is safe and best health care
We are moving to East Saanich from Vancouver in a few months. We got a great deal to buy into a place which is part of it but Victoria really is slower. Vancouver is a nightmare now and often I will sit in traffic for hours. In Victoria we will be right on the fairly flat lochside trail which goes right into town. Can't wait, we love the island vibe.
Helpful video! As someone who has lived in Ontario and the Okanagan, Victoria still seems pretty great. I'd much rather pay a premium for Victoria and have beautiful views than pay $2M for semi-detached in the GTA with a view of my neighbours and an infuriating 3 hour commute everywhere. I just want to be in nature :)
Great video, but it seems like for me (in my 50’s) these are all great reasons to move to Victoria!….i just visited for 3 days from the USA, and I now want to move there!
Victoria BC looks pretty good. Like everywhere else nowadays it's expensive (for me at least) but always its combined with a drugs and homeless problem.
Still don’t know why people keep complaining about rain. Most of the rains here (Vancouver) are really mild to me, not like cat and mouse situations at all. I just don’t like the winds, they’re too strong. Overall, I’m still considering moving there or maybe Nanaimo instead? Any suggestions?
For the nightclub scene in Vic: Upstairs: Long wait times, expensive, and small. It gets packed in there and the music isn’t great. Younger but mostly respectful. Fights are rare. Wicket hall: This was distrikt. More space, better music, cheaper drinks, worse people. Part of sticky. Sticky wicket: Part of the same group. Bar and games room on one side and dancing on the other. Expect lots of good 90s/2000s throwback tunes. Dance area gets packed. Rooftop opens in the summer and it’s a blast. They sell drinks in buckets. Expect fights outside this area. Only place people get rowdy imo. Paparazzi: “Gay bar” but the best club in Victoria. Way more open and friendly and the music on the weekend is great. Gets super packed. Capital ballroom: 600ish person event centre. Edm events are usually house. Lots of up and coming artists play here. Lucky: Monday is 90s and 2000s night. Show up early if you want to get in. Long, thin dive bar atmosphere. Victoria Event Centre: Event space for more obscure music. Holds about 200 people and attracts the weird and wonderful. You will make friends here. Edm (house, deep dub, techno, dnb) and swing music is common. Hermann’s upstairs: Super fun open deck night on Thursdays. There are so many edm djs and producers on the island. Hit or miss with quality here but you will always leave with new sounds. Come early as they randomize the dj order. Downstairs brings in great jazz talent. The rest you need to be in the know to know ya know? 😉
Everyone has their opinion but to get honest since COVID crime is up EVERYWHERE. Look at Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax. The drug crisis is everywhere. The homeless are in every city - especially where the nice weather has a longer stretch. If you're into partying all the time there are places but not as many as Vancouver. I'm grateful for Victoria and the Island and anyone who lives here should feel the same. Be thankful regardless....we could be in Turkey.
Why Is The Mayor Of Victoria, BC , Being Cozy With The Communist Ambassador For China ? Isn’t The Parliament Of Canada Establishing An Inquiry Into Foreign ( Chinese) Interference In Our Elections? - peckford42 Is this the Mayor of Victoria’s job ? To cozy up with Communist Ambassadors ? Is she suddenly also the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Canada ? This mayor has no business courting with a Foreign Communist who represents a country that is undemocratic, totalitarian , represents everything that is the antithesis of a democratic Canada. Here is an excerpt from a recent article in the Epoch Times : ‘The Chinese ambassador to Canada and the mayor of Victoria, B.C., recently met to discuss how to deepen relationships between China and the B.C. capital through platforms such as “friendship cities.” The move came as a number of governments around the world are severing such subnational ties with the communist regime, which are also called twin, sister, or partnership cities. Cong Peiwu met with Mayor Marianne Alto in Victoria on June 27, where the two “exchanged in-depth views on the development of friendly relations between China and Victoria,” according to a June 30 Chinese-language press release from the embassy of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The two parties “expressed their willingness to make good use of platforms such as friendship cities to deepen exchanges and cooperation in a wide range of fields, promote mutual understanding and friendship, and better create benefits for the people of both sides,” the press release said.’ And it is a Press Release from the Chinese Embassy ? . How proud they must be to so successfully dupe such a Canadian elected official! This country , China, has broken international law in the strait of Taiwan and the South China Sea , continues to subjugate large segments of its population, flaunts trade laws at will and is attempting to spread its anti democratic ways globally. A country that pollutes indiscriminately while Victoria prides itself on its ‘greenness’? What hypocrisy is that? The Mayor of Victoria in her biography on the Municipal Website advocates ‘open government ‘-a concept of which the Communist Ambassador’s Government is firmly opposed! Did the Mayor consult with the Minister responsible for foreign affairs before embarking on this suicide mission? How Beijing must be celebrating another inroad into the west -right next to the USA. As the country investigates so called Confucius Institutes ( one was closed at Mac Master University) and other such surreptitious moves in our country by the Communist Chinese we have a Canadian Mayor wanting to cozy up to China? Are we condoning the take over of Hong Kong ? Have any of the MP ‘S OR MLA’S representing Victoria condemned this move? Has a Victoria council member voiced opposition to this? Has the Victoria Chamber of Commerce condemned this move? What do you think a high school student in Victoria and beyond thinks when they hear such actions by a Canadian Mayor? At a time when a controversy looms over possible foreign interference in Canadian elections, including the Chinese , we have a mayor of a Provincial Capital City elected democratically, wanting to cozy up to a undemocratic , totalitarian regime ?? Will someone please wake me from this crazy dream ? And you ask why I continue to highlight problems in my country Canada ?
Totally agree with all the points you shared. The friend circle point is the biggest let down on the island. Local people are just not as open to being friends with people who moved here from elsewhere 😔
I was born in Vancouver and over the last 40 years it’s definitely gone downhill. In the 1950s and up to about the late 1970s this attitude was not the case with Vancouverites. Strangers would end up having conversations on the street. I remember in the late 1970s people used to have open house parties in all classes of neighborhoods including rich people. Sometimes there were 40 people at these parties and rarely did anything get stolen. Today it wouldn’t happen. So what changed? Vancouver is now the most highly unequal city and all of Canada in terms of wealth, and on top of that, for most of these 40 years we had right wing political economic policies in B.C. Vancouver is now not only highly unequal, but wages have been stagnant for the past 40 years while inflation, rent, real estate, and everything else has gone up, unionization is next to nothing now. You could buy a house in kits for $10-$20,000. You should UA-cam a book, called the spirit level. He explains how inequality destroys social trust. My friend went to Sweden, and he was shocked how friendly everybody was and trust worthy, crime was next to nothing. I don’t like Vancouver very much anymore.
@@surreallife777 Firstly, she is talking about Victoria, which has always possessed a different vibe than Vancouver. Secondly, a lot of what you're saying is simply confirmation bias. It's generally connected with a certain time in a person's youth. If you meet gen xers or early millennials, they all talk about how Vancouver was at its best in the late 80's up until early 2000's. If you want to make a case for how unaffordable Vancouver is, then fine, I'm not sure many with argue with you. (Granted, Nordic countries are very expensive as well and the middle class is disappearing from essentially every place in North America.) However, Vancouver always makes the top ten list for cities with the highest quality of life, which takes crime into account, in addition to other factors.
I’m from Northern Ontario and lived in Vic for 2 years a decade ago. My rent was $860/month for a nice 1 bedroom in James Bay. I was 3 blocks from Dallas road, right off Government, and it was amazing. I’ve always regretted leaving but I did so to support and ex’s educational pursuit. I’ve been trying to convince my now girlfriend (of 3 years) who’s from here too, to move there with me. She lived in the UK for over a decade and she misses it a lot and I’ve tried to convince her that there are far more significant similarities between the UK and Vic than there are between this frozen bumpkin shithole and Vic. We pay 1k/month for a well-located 2-bedroom apartment, but this part of Canada really, really sucks. The weather is awful extremes with like 1-2 weeks of spring and summer and there’s even less to do if your hobbies aren’t fishing, hunting, riding a skidoo, or driving a pickup truck around in the bush for sport. Is the rent truly that in Vic bad now? I thought we could get a decent place for $1500-1600. Am I wrong?
It's still possible to find a place for 1500-1600 but it'll be a basement suite or extremely small. I've seen 1 beds in the range of 1700-2000 that are pretty nice.
it's closer to 1800 -2000 for a place with not much inventory, look in the slower months not in spring and summer or right after students have snapped up everything. Look in Dec and Jan, feb.
When you lived there everything was very different than now, my rent for a nice basement suite by a golf course was 900.00 and you're right you could get a good place not far from the ocean for under 1000.00. Things have changed A LOT.
I was born in Vancouver and over the last 40 years it’s definitely gone downhill. In the 1950s and up to about the late 1970s this attitude was not the case with Vancouverites. Strangers would end up having conversations on the street. I remember in the late 1970s people used to have open house parties in all classes of neighborhoods including rich people. Sometimes there were 40 people at these parties and rarely did anything get stolen. Today it wouldn’t happen. My mother and I used to go shopping on Hastings Street in the 1960s and 70s. So what changed? Vancouver is now the most highly unequal city and all of Canada in terms of wealth, and on top of that, for most of these 40 years we had right wing political economic policies in B.C. Vancouver is now not only highly unequal, but wages have been stagnant for the past 40 years while inflation, rent, real estate, and everything else has gone up, unionization is next to nothing now. You could buy a house in kits for $10-$20,000. You should UA-cam a book, called the spirit level. He explains how inequality destroys social trust. My friend went to Sweden, and he was shocked how friendly everybody was and trust worthy, crime was next to nothing. I don’t like Vancouver very much anymore.
What happened? There are a few factors but here's a major one: Single Family Zoning. Sprawl drains all our resources. The cost to deliver city services is much higher because it's all spread out. Everyone HAS to drive because it's all spread out. We can't have good public transportation because it's too expensive to deliver. And yes, social isolation and stratification are also driven by the way we build our cities. The best part: the relatively-poorer city dwellers subsidize the relatively-richer suburban dwellers because poor urban folk, while they pay less in property taxes because they are often in apartments and high-density living spaces, also are much cheaper to deliver services to -- while suburban folk don't come close to paying for the delivery of their services.
I’ve heard stories of people in homeless shelters doing crack and owning knives. Someone there said that there was also a drug distribution center which is said to make an already terrible opioid crisis ten times worse. I wouldn’t consider your third reason to be a bad reason because a laid back atmosphere is something I’d need.
I was born in Vancouver and over the last 40 years it’s definitely gone downhill. In the 1950s and up to about the late 1970s this attitude was not the case with Vancouverites. Strangers would end up having conversations on the street. I remember in the late 1970s people used to have open house parties in all classes of neighborhoods including rich people. Sometimes there were 40 people at these parties and rarely did anything get stolen. Today it wouldn’t happen. My mother and I used to go shopping on Hastings Street in the 1960s and 70s. So what changed? Vancouver is now the most highly unequal city and all of Canada in terms of wealth, and on top of that, for most of these 40 years we had right wing political economic policies in B.C. Vancouver is now not only highly unequal, but wages have been stagnant for the past 40 years while inflation, rent, real estate, and everything else has gone up, unionization is next to nothing now. You could buy a house in kits for $10-$20,000. You should UA-cam a book, called the spirit level. He explains how inequality destroys social trust. My friend went to Sweden, and he was shocked how friendly everybody was and trust worthy, crime was next to nothing. I don’t like Vancouver very much anymore.
I am 60 and have lived in many places and have travelled extensively. I ended up in Canada and have been living in Victoria for about the past 20 years. You would be very hard pressed to find a better place to live than the CRD (Capital Region District), I say CRD because Victoria proper is actually quite small and it is not necessarily the best place to live in the CRD (for example some people prefer Oak Bay or prefer Saanich). For Canadians, the only real drawback to Victoria is that it is stupid expensive; otherwise it is a fabulous place to live.
I lived there in the 1980's in James Bay. I would go to Beacon Hill Park weekly. Over the years watching crime and homelessness move in there has been so sad. When I first moved there I would take a day and get a bus pass and travel all over to see different neighbourhoods.
your weather - rain description is inaccurate. victoria has rainy season in winter and dry season in summer. so during the summer it usually doesnt rain for several months and there is mostly clear sky most of the time. Temp around 20 degrees, sunny days and ocean breeze. It is literally perfect in summertime!!! The winter is quite depressing and gets rain for couple of months. I would say the worst months are november to february. But still, Victoria has much better weather than vancouver. vancouver gets more rain and less sunshine. I have lived in both places and prefer victoria for sure. if you check climate data chart you can see that victoria is one of the sunniest cities in canada with annual average of 2203 hours of sunshine per year. Victoria gets even more sunshine than "sunny okanagan" Kelowna 1949, Penticton 1923 hours. Vancouver gets 1938 hours. Only calgary gets most sunshine of 2396 hours, but terrible freazing temperatues... So Victoria is an absolute winner in terms of weather.. I have moved out of victoria when pandemic hit and I regret it since. I would like to move back some day. it is the best place to be for nature lovers. Ocean, lakes, hills, waterfalls all around. no place like it!
I only agree with the cost of living and how it can be difficult in finding friends. Victoria is probably the most expensive place to live in Canada. The rent and housing market is in the top 3. Food, retail, gas and services are the most expensive across Canada and likely North America. As for friends, it can be difficult because it’s not a small town but there are many ways to help this like volunteering, joining sports and fitness groups, joining arts, crafts, and misc recreation type groups, joining Meetup groups, joining any type of class or course, and participating and just going to local events and being courageous enough to put yourself out there by introducing yourself as often as possible. It’s been my experience in many cities, even small ones, that meeting new people always takes much more effort than most of us are used to compared to when you grow up and live in the same city. ❤
I'm surprised you said there was no clubbing. When I lived there ten years ago there were 5-6 fantastic nightclubs and I partied hard three times a week.
It’s more of a drug addiction problem than a homeless problem. I think the armed bank robbery was just a one off. I agree that the rain is a bit of a bummer on the mental health. I love the slower pace though!
I was born here 60 years ago. Vancouver has become less progressive, politically and economically. Vancouver is now the most highly unequal city in all of Canada. It’s been proven that the more highly unequal economically a society a society crime increases addiction increases and social trust decreases,,
I think these are not the true reasons for not moving to Victoria, because I have lived in Victoria for almost 15 years and it's the most charming city I have ever seen. These are your own selfish reasons to make people not to move to the city as you mentioned that the people in here are very welcoming, how contrast !!!.Anyway I consider this video as an encouragement as well as a great push and motive to move to 😂, thanks but no thanks
the homelessness problem in canada and especially BC is gettting pretty disturbing and should make people really reconsider how they view canada and what canada stands for.
Dont see in the third world countries people doin the drugs openly on the st., punching people out, violence behavior, MENTAL HEALTH, with the homelessness.
It's funny how perspective changes your opinion I'm from Seattle and I'm in Victoria right now and I think it's like the most clean and homeless free city ever. I'm sure it's ignorance lol
@@smallviolin3842 you aren't canadian, you have no clue what's going on here in this country, victoria is the capital of BC and has bi-laws preventing them from having tent cities like the rest of canada does
I lived in Vic from 2000 to 2006 during my University years. Never did I encounter any crime. The only illegal activity I encountered were the guys selling me weed downtown. Miss those years. It was expensive though. I almost bought a van to live in, but thought I wouldn't get laid if I lived in a van. Anyways, no where to park.
As a toronto native I would live anywhere but toronto right now, the stabbings are insane every week someone gets stabbed on the ttc and homelessness, cost of living has gone wild….
I had a friend who lived there for 15 years say that If I don't like rain that I wouldn't like it there? I wonder how different downtown would be rather than the more nature parts
@@Shaidarabie all good. if you make a video called "top reasons to live in Victoria" you really need to include "barely any mosquitoes". It's the single reason I moved here from the prairies... and one of the best things about it here. Bless you. Thanks.
Rain? We live in Shawnigan Lake where many people think has a lot of rain. Official statistics will surprise you as Shawnigan Lake has 1/2 as much rain as YVR, Vancouver, BC.
Super uptight, which is why I left the city 3 years ago. My social life was ZERO, everyone always had to "take a look at their schedule" ! Men included. Everyone was so arrogant and dating in Victoria (for a guy like me) was a joke. It was horrible. Never coming back.
-40C and shoveling snow or mild. So it is so cold it hurts or is damaging to your lungs to breath and frost bite happens in minutes or mild. Now which one should I pick?
This equating crime and drug use to homelessness and labelling it as why you should NOT move to Victoria, simplifies and vilifies a much more complex issue. I see the same thing when it comes to travelogues on Vancouver. This is very problematic and speaks to a lack of awareness made worse by tourism that discounts the "negative" aspects of a city, the historical exclusion of peoples from colonial system of power and the continued maltreatment and dehumanization of the street entrenched populous of the traditional lands and waterways of the Lekwungen speaking Peoples.
First point about crimes, my friends are there currently in downtown and they don’t feel there’s lots of crimes happening around them. So I don’t know. Only thing that sucks they said is there’s no bridge connecting it to the mainland. So if you don’t like laidback and want to move around at night, you gonna be pissed as you can simply drive to vancouver just in case.
I think you missed one: Traffic. If you need to commute anywhere during the morning and night rush? It is goddamn mental. I grew up in Sooke, lived in Victoria for a bit, and in Langford. For much of it, I lived by my bike, which....worked fairly well, but you still have a lot of drivers who are complete dickheads, and think bicyclists should ride on sidewalks, or not exist or something. Before I moved to Edmonton, I lived in Langford, and worked downtown on Princess Ave. It was just 15km drive, and on average, it would take 40 minutes, or over an hour if there was an accident or something on the highway. I usually ended up taking a 30k round about route through the highlands and come out roughly at the same time. Yes, they did, finally put in the overpass at Admirals, but that was like, 30 years overdue, and still doesn't alleviate the congestion caused by the lights at Tillicum, that I can imagine, since I've been gone for...6 years, and they hadn't finished it before I left. I remember getting to Edmonton, and a 60km in the same time. Victoria has a bad traffic problem, but I also don't see a fix for it because of the geography.
Omg! Number 1 reason I want to move to Victoria Canada is I thought its safer compare to california where crime is high! and the first thing mention was crime is high in victoria?
@@mathematicaleconomist4943 Yes. Compared to tent city Cali and Washington. But i would say it might be "higher" in certain ways or higher period than whatever it was before.
@@marlak4203 Agreed! At least from what I am hearing. I am sure many impoverished (even homeless) people find their way to Victoria from colder parts of the country. Its mild climate would make poverty more comfortable than it would be otherwise. That's for sure!
Homelessness & drug abuse not just a problem in Victoria. Any city in BC that applies. Come on not only Victoria. Any suburb of Vancouver has same problems
Man, I swear.....if you literally took every subjective geographical piece on UA-cam and tried to make an informed decision on where to live...you wouldn't be able to. It's maddening being on the outside trying to figure out what's a good place and what's not.
Folks from tropical and dry heat places, if you move to Canada, bring your own heater attached to your face. That way, you wouldn't feel the need to adapt. Canada is a cold country with few days of warm toasty hellish sunny days. I am South Indian; love the coldness of it all here. If you want your warm toasty hellish sunny climate, why not move to the nearby desert or equatorial places, eh? Cost of groceries is a valid point. Drug issue is not just there but everywhere.
Island time for real. I spent so much time in Vancouver in my teens/early 20s 9pm hits way different here. Way too expensive to have nothing to do after 9-10. Guess I’ll go stand by the ocean in the freezing rain idk
I’m thinking of moving to Victoria but I am worried it’s going to be too boring. On weekends we go to Yale town which is very active but I don’t know if Victoria has anything similar like that. Years ago, Robson Street in Vancouver was packed with people going for coffee and restaurants and socializing. Are there any places like that in Victoria or Nanaimo? My wife is from Vietnam and she thinks Vancouver is boring. I’m wondering what she’s going to think if we move to Victoria. 😢
Victoria is boring unless you actively get involved and seek out the events. Also quite a cliquey place I’ve found. It’s difficult to socialize unless you have hobbies.
I was born in Vancouver and over the last 40 years it’s definitely gone downhill. In the 1950s and up to about the late 1970s this attitude was not the case with Vancouverites. Strangers would end up having conversations on the street. I remember in the late 1970s people used to have open house parties in all classes of neighborhoods including rich people. Sometimes there were 40 people at these parties and rarely did anything get stolen. Today it wouldn’t happen. So what changed? Vancouver is now the most highly unequal city and all of Canada in terms of wealth, and on top of that, for most of these 40 years we had right wing political economic policies in B.C. Vancouver is now not only highly unequal, but wages have been stagnant for the past 40 years while inflation, rent, real estate, and everything else has gone up, unionization is next to nothing now. You could buy a house in kits for $10-$20,000 in 1970. You should UA-cam a book, called the spirit level. He explains how inequality destroys social trust. My friend went to Sweden, and he was shocked how friendly everybody was and trust worthy, crime was next to nothing. Anyway, this is my opinion thanks for getting back to me. I don’t like Vancouver very much anymore.
great points. visited Victoria (from Toronto) last year September with my wife. it was my fifth trip to Victoria (and Vancouver) and my wife's first. what I noticed the most about Victoria from the last time I went in 2009 was how multicultural Victoria became. I would like to retire in Victoria in about 10 years time and all the points you made (except for the last one) don't bother me as we have them here in Toronto. I like the island vibe and I noticed last year alot more people planted palm trees in there houses than the last time I went. I loved the vibe on Douglas Street across from the Bay Centre as it reminded me of Yonge Street in Toronto in the late 1980's & 1990s.
I ended up in Langford. Much calmer area and very little crime visibly anyway. I've been here for a year and it's considerably safer overall. Yes it's extremely expensive here but you get what you pay for. It's not far from Victoria and if you like sooke it's 20 minutes away . It's a lot nicer then sannich or Esquimalt area .. The hole area is beautiful all the way up to Sidney but in my opinion if you want a relaxed area near Victoria Langford is definitely the nicer of all the areas around here.
@@Shaidarabie ya I'm just down from there. It's beautiful there and ya lots of money up there and kind out of the way for people so ya it's definitely safer. And it looks really nice up there. I drive up to the look out and look down over the area . It was one of the first places I found with that kinda view. Then obviously the lagoon in my pic you see. It's a beautiful area Langford and colwood
Funny part about this is just today I got back to an rcmp parked in my driveway talking about someone that was trying car doors and stuff in the building parking next to me. It's not often but it still happens here. At least the rcmp were here to deal with it and we all have extensive cameras up and security on this street. I'm right on goldstream ave .. it's super safe here normally considering I'm across from Langford town hall and 3 blocks from the rcmp station. But it still can happen I guess. Lol Nothing to bad though to be honest.
I was planning to move to Victoria.i'm working presently working here in japan for 14 yrs in different factories as machine operator and assembling of car parts.are there factories suited for me in Victoria?
I get that it's a year old.... She must never go anywhere else. It seems she has no idea that the crime/drug/homeless problem is in every city in North America and the moderate climate, island vibe, less crowded everywhere are just some reasons why so many people want to move there. Vancouver is the most expensive city in Canada.
The 11pm curfew in Victoria for people between 16 and 21 is disappointing. The enforcement is brutal, and any resistance on the part of the young person when a police officer catches them lands them in jail for the night and a criminal record that can stay with them for the rest of their life. Another negative is all the hippies here, playing congas on the streets, openly smoking dangerous drugs, and wandering about stark naked.
You're best bet for any sort of long term future sustainable goal is living in a Van by the river and waiting all this out (it will take years). It's psychosis to think this is all a little blip the economy is going through.
Thank you for this very informative video! It's very sad to hear about the crime and homelessness problem. I assumed that would be isolated to just Vancouver but apparently not. Thank you for being honest about it.
I was born in Vancouver and over the last 40 years it’s definitely gone downhill. In the 1950s and up to about the late 1970s this attitude was not the case with Vancouverites. Strangers would end up having conversations on the street. I remember in the late 1970s people used to have open house parties in all classes of neighborhoods including rich people. Sometimes there were 40 people at these parties and rarely did anything get stolen. Today it wouldn’t happen. So what changed? Vancouver is now the most highly unequal city and all of Canada in terms of wealth, and on top of that, for most of these 40 years we had right wing political economic policies in B.C. Vancouver is now not only highly unequal, but wages have been stagnant for the past 40 years while inflation, rent, real estate, and everything else has gone up, unionization is next to nothing now. You could buy a house in kits for $10-$20,000. You should UA-cam a book, called the spirit level. He explains how inequality destroys social trust. My friend went to Sweden, and he was shocked how friendly everybody was and trust worthy, crime was next to nothing. I don’t like Vancouver very much anymore.
I could never move back to BC because of the RAIN! I’m in Texas right now and the SUN is the most amazing thing ever! Great weather too and cheaper housing so I can afford better healthcare insurance. Never going back.
I'm not sure what Victoria, BC she is from when she says that when it rains, it pours. I've lived back east when it rains hard, Victoria is more like a drizzle.
Victoria had it peak in tourism and popularity from the 80s to the mid 2000. Most businesses are gone and the malls have dauled out. Mayfair was the best mall in the city, full of men's and women's clothing stores, Sony store, HMV, even had a Shoppers drug Mart until it left in 2001. I was also stunned by the homeless and addict situation. Vic needs a Sky train system to run from city to the Swartz Bay ferry terminal ! It's not a safe city and a lot of hoodlums going around in the middle of the night looking to break in to people's business or house. I wouldn't recommend anyone to move to Vic RIP old Victoria.
To be honest it sucks , everything closes down at 5 , it's always raining in the winter , it's small city , there I bearly nothing going on , it's hard to get things you need
As a Canadian I have to sadly agree with you. You are not allowed to have a beer on the beach but the rampant public drug abuse and the associated crime is totally out of control and everyone seems to be okay with it. Not sure why the politicians think that is OK.
Hellooo, I'm moving to Victoria for 4 months and studying in Camosun College. Do you have any advice for my situation? Thanks in advance! Also I have to work while studying 😺
What would you say you have to make in Victoria to “break even”? Looking to move and want to know the base point. I’ll already have a job but my wife is going to be looking
Really depends on if you’re renting/buying and your lifestyle. If you’re patient, you can find a decent basement suite or apartment for 2k a month. Shopping at walmart and superstore is your best bet. Eating out, drinking, and activities are very expensive. Definitely recommend a fuel efficient car as gas is $1.80+ per litre and traffic is stop and go most of the time. All that said, you could live comfortably for $80k combined I would say.
Average rent to median income is now higher than Vancouver. Renters are demanding Vancouver level rent and Victoria doesn't produce the wages you'll find in Vancouver. The homeless problem is much worse than government will admit. I often find homeless tents when I explore in the woods of public parks. There are VERY FEW public washrooms and more stores are demanding you buy something in order to use a washroom. This town for some reason has produced and attracted a lot of very hard leftists and fake disingenuous people. There are Communist and Socialist posters routinely put up around town promoting events and someone in Oak Bay even ran as a Communist in their riding.
I plan on writing a book called "The town that hated me". These peopel cannot handled anything. The homeless problem here is NOTHING compared to Seattle or what goes on in the States. I grew up in Washington D.C., moved to Seattle for sixteen years and came to Victoria from Seattle b/c Vancouver (at the time) reminded me too much of Seattle (I now deeply regret using that logic) and spent two months here, but I did not actually experience the horrors of Victoria until I moved here. I have been left to die at a local hospital for being Indigenous and abused for that as well as for dressing flamboyantly. I have four college degrees and 36 years of work experience and I now cannot get a job b/c nobody wants to hire someone here unless they know them. To not mention that Victoria demonizes anyone who wears bright colors and who is not homogenized like them, as well as horrific discriminatino of Indigenous people, itis just not accurate. I get called a "freak" every day and harassed for wearing bright colors, so it is important to mention what Victoria does to people who are different and wear bright colors, , even just the minute I walk outside and cross the street from my apartment, or at stoplights, or just walking through a mall. It is constant. I look about 30, but I am 50 years old! So I get bullied by young people and have even seen young people being encouraged by their parents to bully me. My husband and I are now stuck here b/c of Immigration reasons and my husband's job is closeby. I have so much more to share. Do you have a website or email?
1. Drugs Homelessness, Crime. These are problems for Victoria. Whether some places around BC are better or worse, is immaterial (cough Kelowna=drug and drug violence central). 2 Weather. It gets very chilly at nights here, and even many days in the off-season despite what this gal says. Ask her to spend a night on the street between say, Oct-April and she quickly discover what cold can really feels like here. That ocean doesnt do the city many favors. The summer season, sure, is very nice indeed. 3. Cost of Living. The worst, she probably understates it if anything and this problem overshadows everything else in this not very good clip. And it gets worse all the time. 4. Travel. I guess but this is really a subset of Cost of living. Yes going to the mainland has gotten stupid a while back, but, I dont really see 'travel' as being a specific enough reason to, or not to be here. 5. Nightlife. I am old and was never one of the cool kids in my prime, so, this one doesn't mean much to me. 6. Small community. Again, this comment seems like a subset of Nightlife in a way and I dont find the arguments she makes all that compelling or relevant. Friends. Again, another subset of Nightlife and Small Community. Canadians dont really like to make new friends overall, and this is not really a Victoria thing. A lot of Canadians can be fairly 'friendly' but also not very outgoing or eager to make new friends at the same time It seems like a paradox but it is not. My 2cents on that one.
The night life in Victoria is disgusting. Mostly vomit, ambulances, cops, fire trucks etc...I'd rather live in Cork IR; at least they know how to dance.
I was born here along time ago. It’s changed Vancouver is not the same. Since Canada and Vancouver have moved more to the right politically and economically addiction increases crime increases and social trust decreases. Economically Vancouver is the most highly unequal city and all of Canada.
It’s nice there ,very costly like the rest of BC… beautiful province….. it’s a place where a woman that we know tried killing her son by choking him at about 3 to 4 years old can go & social services won’t do anything about it…
I’m an American from Missouri and I’ve been there three times. Twice in the army and once with the wife five years ago. Advice for the rest of the island as a tourist. Skip it. Only go to Victoria..
UVic used to have a night club, Vertigo, that at some point in the early 90s was one of the most risqué places in town, with BDSM- and queer-themed shows. Then there's the pub, Felicita's, that last time I visited (right before Covid) was still there.
Hello fellow Islander! Im Willow, live off MacKenzie near mount Doug I returned 23 yrs ago,and was in my late 30s, nobody here my age, but things are changing seagull poop, and slow costal isl, I cant live aanywhere else Its hard to describe to people, say in T.O. they dont get it! warm hugs xx
As a BC native who has lived in several cities including Victoria I would say that the drugs and crime has gone up everywhere - not just Victoria. Victoria is super safe compared to Penticton.
Lmao penticton? How is penticton dangerous u gotta be kidding
Dude I thought Penticton was a chilly place lmao it's full with old people so it can't be dangerous
I have lived here for 2.5 years and have had a few assaults.
Its not as bad as compared to Vancouver and Toronto (Ottawa being the worst of all cities here). But definitely something that needs to be dealt with.
Unfortunately, the Mayor is too up in their butts to acknowledge it
IT IS NOT SAFE! I live here!
I live in Victoria, i totally agree with you regarding the drug abuse and the travelling, however, crime is not high in Victoria, i have kids, and its very safe, and i don't lock my door!
Also, you're not happy with the weather here? i used to live in Calgary and i dont miss it! I think we have the best weather in the entire country.
Gettin to be like little vancouver!
Would you advise someone to to move to bc instead of Calgary?
@@ChristopherJustin-yt2vf depends what your looking for, if you’re looking for more comfortable winters I’d definitely say move to BC. However it’s worth remembering that the cost of living is higher in BC
@@goldenunited8380 alright
Thanks alot
The rain sucks, I'd take dry and snow any day
The discussion on rain is not accurate. Victoria is in the rainshadow of the Olympic Mountains, so it gets much less rain than other locations on the B.C. Coast. According to Environment Canada, Victoria averages 608 mm of precipitation annually compared with over 1,500 mm for downtown Vancouver. In fact, Victoria is one of the least rainy cities in Canada - it gets less rain than any of the cities in Ontario, Quebec, or Atlantic Canada. Victoria's rainfall is also very seasonal, with a late fall/winter rainy season, then a dry spring and very dry summer. Victoria has by far the driest summers of any city in Canada. For example, Victoria gets about one quarter as much rain during the summer as Calgary or Toronto, and only about half as much rain as the "dry" BC Interior cities of Kelowna or Kamloops.
The only real reason not to move to victoria is the travel, especially the ferry. You basically settle on taking severaly hours to go anywhere. The most important reason to indeed move to victoria is the beauty of being beside the ocean, and the relaxed friendly vibe.
Quakes! are fun too!
girl i am from Mexico do you think i'm scared of bank robbery or homeless trust me i can handle that
Hahaha I’m Mexican too and I was about to say that 😂 totally agree with u
Nothing to be proud of
Maybe the rest of the world doesn't want that though.
😂😂😂😂
Crime and homelessness has increased in every city so I'm not sure it would make much difference for moving there. From my experience rent is significantly cheaper in Victoria than Vancouver or Toronto. In Vancouver 1 bedrooms are $2800/month right now and that's not downtown. If you rent a studio apartment with no bedroom then you can find ones that are $2500/month. Time to move to Calgary!
Victoria is on par with Calgary for rent , homelessness but it's very bike friendly compaired to Calgary. Bikers are primary targets for assault by motorists I Calgary. Don't bike I Calgary if you value your life
To be honest victoria bc is super safe compared to Vancouver and other city’s in bc and the weather is so nice compared to other places in Canada so no hate but I do not agree with you
Lol go to Winnipeg
Thats a lie this is the worst place to live
@Nomad Victoria is safe
@@Lovelessvalentine66 lmao try living in Regina!
She's probably just making a open minded video. Plus there are some people that don't like where they come from.
Victoria has my heart💓. I moved to sooke few months ago. I really miss victoria, not too fast paced not too slow, A perfect city💞.
Agree with the homeless issues. Real estate costs are insane. Groceries expensive! We DO get snow most winters. There are many musical events and venues! People are very friendly - find others with your same interests. Easy peezy. More women here than men, however dating is not a prob for most. Yes, options to explore nature ... (but plz don't move here)
Every youtuber saying Dont move to Vancouver, Dont move to Victoria/Toronto/Calgary/Montreal.
So where do we move? which city is safe and best health care
Regina Sk lol, jK 😅😂
We are moving to East Saanich from Vancouver in a few months. We got a great deal to buy into a place which is part of it but Victoria really is slower. Vancouver is a nightmare now and often I will sit in traffic for hours. In Victoria we will be right on the fairly flat lochside trail which goes right into town. Can't wait, we love the island vibe.
Helpful video! As someone who has lived in Ontario and the Okanagan, Victoria still seems pretty great. I'd much rather pay a premium for Victoria and have beautiful views than pay $2M for semi-detached in the GTA with a view of my neighbours and an infuriating 3 hour commute everywhere. I just want to be in nature :)
Great video, but it seems like for me (in my 50’s) these are all great reasons to move to Victoria!….i just visited for 3 days from the USA, and I now want to move there!
Victoria BC looks pretty good. Like everywhere else nowadays it's expensive (for me at least) but always its combined with a drugs and homeless problem.
Still don’t know why people keep complaining about rain. Most of the rains here (Vancouver) are really mild to me, not like cat and mouse situations at all. I just don’t like the winds, they’re too strong. Overall, I’m still considering moving there or maybe Nanaimo instead? Any suggestions?
dont move to nan vic is overall better although it gets boring
Buy a mood light. Helps with the days and days of gloomy rain.
For the nightclub scene in Vic:
Upstairs: Long wait times, expensive, and small. It gets packed in there and the music isn’t great. Younger but mostly respectful. Fights are rare.
Wicket hall: This was distrikt. More space, better music, cheaper drinks, worse people. Part of sticky.
Sticky wicket: Part of the same group. Bar and games room on one side and dancing on the other. Expect lots of good 90s/2000s throwback tunes. Dance area gets packed. Rooftop opens in the summer and it’s a blast. They sell drinks in buckets. Expect fights outside this area. Only place people get rowdy imo.
Paparazzi: “Gay bar” but the best club in Victoria. Way more open and friendly and the music on the weekend is great. Gets super packed.
Capital ballroom: 600ish person event centre. Edm events are usually house. Lots of up and coming artists play here.
Lucky: Monday is 90s and 2000s night. Show up early if you want to get in. Long, thin dive bar atmosphere.
Victoria Event Centre: Event space for more obscure music. Holds about 200 people and attracts the weird and wonderful. You will make friends here. Edm (house, deep dub, techno, dnb) and swing music is common.
Hermann’s upstairs: Super fun open deck night on Thursdays. There are so many edm djs and producers on the island. Hit or miss with quality here but you will always leave with new sounds. Come early as they randomize the dj order. Downstairs brings in great jazz talent.
The rest you need to be in the know to know ya know? 😉
Victoria is trash and the nightlife is trash too.
Your opinion on the MInt?
Make friends - countless parties here with live bands!
@@Bluemoonjellyfishh I actually haven’t been to anything at the mint. I’ll change that and report back
@@SpeedoSauce thank you 😀😄😄😄
Everyone has their opinion but to get honest since COVID crime is up EVERYWHERE. Look at Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax. The drug crisis is everywhere. The homeless are in every city - especially where the nice weather has a longer stretch. If you're into partying all the time there are places but not as many as Vancouver. I'm grateful for Victoria and the Island and anyone who lives here should feel the same. Be thankful regardless....we could be in Turkey.
Why Is The Mayor Of Victoria, BC , Being Cozy With The Communist Ambassador For China ? Isn’t The Parliament Of Canada Establishing An Inquiry Into Foreign ( Chinese) Interference In Our Elections? - peckford42
Is this the Mayor of Victoria’s job ? To cozy up with Communist Ambassadors ? Is she suddenly also the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Canada ?
This mayor has no business courting with a Foreign Communist who represents a country that is undemocratic, totalitarian , represents everything that is the antithesis of a democratic Canada.
Here is an excerpt from a recent article in the Epoch Times :
‘The Chinese ambassador to Canada and the mayor of Victoria, B.C., recently met to discuss how to deepen relationships between China and the B.C. capital through platforms such as “friendship cities.” The move came as a number of governments around the world are severing such subnational ties with the communist regime, which are also called twin, sister, or partnership cities.
Cong Peiwu met with Mayor Marianne Alto in Victoria on June 27, where the two “exchanged in-depth views on the development of friendly relations between China and Victoria,” according to a June 30 Chinese-language press release from the embassy of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
The two parties “expressed their willingness to make good use of platforms such as friendship cities to deepen exchanges and cooperation in a wide range of fields, promote mutual understanding and friendship, and better create benefits for the people of both sides,” the press release said.’
And it is a Press Release from the Chinese Embassy ? . How proud they must be to so successfully dupe such a Canadian elected official!
This country , China, has broken international law in the strait of Taiwan and the South China Sea , continues to subjugate large segments of its population, flaunts trade laws at will and is attempting to spread its anti democratic ways globally. A country that pollutes indiscriminately while Victoria prides itself on its ‘greenness’? What hypocrisy is that? The Mayor of Victoria in her biography on the Municipal Website advocates ‘open government ‘-a concept of which the Communist Ambassador’s Government is firmly opposed!
Did the Mayor consult with the Minister responsible for foreign affairs before embarking on this suicide mission? How Beijing must be celebrating another inroad into the west -right next to the USA.
As the country investigates so called Confucius Institutes ( one was closed at Mac Master University) and other such surreptitious moves in our country by the Communist Chinese we have a Canadian Mayor wanting to cozy up to China?
Are we condoning the take over of Hong Kong ?
Have any of the MP ‘S OR MLA’S representing Victoria condemned this move? Has a Victoria council member voiced opposition to this?
Has the Victoria Chamber of Commerce condemned this move?
What do you think a high school student in Victoria and beyond thinks when they hear such actions by a Canadian Mayor?
At a time when a controversy looms over possible foreign interference in Canadian elections, including the Chinese , we have a mayor of a Provincial Capital City elected democratically, wanting to cozy up to a undemocratic , totalitarian regime ??
Will someone please wake me from this crazy dream ?
And you ask why I continue to highlight problems in my country Canada ?
TIME TO GET OUT OF THE CITIES!
Totally agree with all the points you shared. The friend circle point is the biggest let down on the island. Local people are just not as open to being friends with people who moved here from elsewhere 😔
I was born in Vancouver and over the last 40 years it’s definitely gone downhill. In the 1950s and up to about the late 1970s this attitude was not the case with Vancouverites. Strangers would end up having conversations on the street. I remember in the late 1970s people used to have open house parties in all classes of neighborhoods including rich people. Sometimes there were 40 people at these parties and rarely did anything get stolen. Today it wouldn’t happen. So what changed? Vancouver is now the most highly unequal city and all of Canada in terms of wealth, and on top of that, for most of these 40 years we had right wing political economic policies in B.C. Vancouver is now not only highly unequal, but wages have been stagnant for the past 40 years while inflation, rent, real estate, and everything else has gone up, unionization is next to nothing now. You could buy a house in kits for $10-$20,000. You should UA-cam a book, called the spirit level. He explains how inequality destroys social trust. My friend went to Sweden, and he was shocked how friendly everybody was and trust worthy, crime was next to nothing. I don’t like Vancouver very much anymore.
@@surreallife777 Firstly, she is talking about Victoria, which has always possessed a different vibe than Vancouver. Secondly, a lot of what you're saying is simply confirmation bias. It's generally connected with a certain time in a person's youth. If you meet gen xers or early millennials, they all talk about how Vancouver was at its best in the late 80's up until early 2000's. If you want to make a case for how unaffordable Vancouver is, then fine, I'm not sure many with argue with you. (Granted, Nordic countries are very expensive as well and the middle class is disappearing from essentially every place in North America.) However, Vancouver always makes the top ten list for cities with the highest quality of life, which takes crime into account, in addition to other factors.
@@surreallife777no body cares about vancouver
disagree
I’m from Northern Ontario and lived in Vic for 2 years a decade ago. My rent was $860/month for a nice 1 bedroom in James Bay. I was 3 blocks from Dallas road, right off Government, and it was amazing.
I’ve always regretted leaving but I did so to support and ex’s educational pursuit.
I’ve been trying to convince my now girlfriend (of 3 years) who’s from here too, to move there with me. She lived in the UK for over a decade and she misses it a lot and I’ve tried to convince her that there are far more significant similarities between the UK and Vic than there are between this frozen bumpkin shithole and Vic. We pay 1k/month for a well-located 2-bedroom apartment, but this part of Canada really, really sucks. The weather is awful extremes with like 1-2 weeks of spring and summer and there’s even less to do if your hobbies aren’t fishing, hunting, riding a skidoo, or driving a pickup truck around in the bush for sport.
Is the rent truly that in Vic bad now? I thought we could get a decent place for $1500-1600. Am I wrong?
Windsor, Ontario rent is like this. Ps. Yes, Victoria is a lot more like the UK, and same with Niagara Falls.
It's still possible to find a place for 1500-1600 but it'll be a basement suite or extremely small. I've seen 1 beds in the range of 1700-2000 that are pretty nice.
BC a decade ago was a different beast for sure
God bless
it's closer to 1800 -2000 for a place with not much inventory, look in the slower months not in spring and summer or right after students have snapped up everything. Look in Dec and Jan, feb.
When you lived there everything was very different than now, my rent for a nice basement suite by a golf course was 900.00 and you're right you could get a good place not far from the ocean for under 1000.00. Things have changed A LOT.
I live in Vancouver and love Victoria! All these reasons are pretty nit pick! Pretty bad video. It’s a smaller town! Live with it!
I was born in Vancouver and over the last 40 years it’s definitely gone downhill. In the 1950s and up to about the late 1970s this attitude was not the case with Vancouverites. Strangers would end up having conversations on the street. I remember in the late 1970s people used to have open house parties in all classes of neighborhoods including rich people. Sometimes there were 40 people at these parties and rarely did anything get stolen. Today it wouldn’t happen. My mother and I used to go shopping on Hastings Street in the 1960s and 70s. So what changed? Vancouver is now the most highly unequal city and all of Canada in terms of wealth, and on top of that, for most of these 40 years we had right wing political economic policies in B.C. Vancouver is now not only highly unequal, but wages have been stagnant for the past 40 years while inflation, rent, real estate, and everything else has gone up, unionization is next to nothing now. You could buy a house in kits for $10-$20,000. You should UA-cam a book, called the spirit level. He explains how inequality destroys social trust. My friend went to Sweden, and he was shocked how friendly everybody was and trust worthy, crime was next to nothing. I don’t like Vancouver very much anymore.
What happened? There are a few factors but here's a major one: Single Family Zoning.
Sprawl drains all our resources. The cost to deliver city services is much higher because it's all spread out. Everyone HAS to drive because it's all spread out. We can't have good public transportation because it's too expensive to deliver.
And yes, social isolation and stratification are also driven by the way we build our cities.
The best part: the relatively-poorer city dwellers subsidize the relatively-richer suburban dwellers because poor urban folk, while they pay less in property taxes because they are often in apartments and high-density living spaces, also are much cheaper to deliver services to -- while suburban folk don't come close to paying for the delivery of their services.
@@sachamm
Why do you keep pasting this after every comment? Odd.
@@Mistadobalina111 : I’m spreading the gospel, just like Jesus did. I’m educating the ignorant and the stupid.
I’ve heard stories of people in homeless shelters doing crack and owning knives. Someone there said that there was also a drug distribution center which is said to make an already terrible opioid crisis ten times worse. I wouldn’t consider your third reason to be a bad reason because a laid back atmosphere is something I’d need.
I was born in Vancouver and over the last 40 years it’s definitely gone downhill. In the 1950s and up to about the late 1970s this attitude was not the case with Vancouverites. Strangers would end up having conversations on the street. I remember in the late 1970s people used to have open house parties in all classes of neighborhoods including rich people. Sometimes there were 40 people at these parties and rarely did anything get stolen. Today it wouldn’t happen. My mother and I used to go shopping on Hastings Street in the 1960s and 70s. So what changed? Vancouver is now the most highly unequal city and all of Canada in terms of wealth, and on top of that, for most of these 40 years we had right wing political economic policies in B.C. Vancouver is now not only highly unequal, but wages have been stagnant for the past 40 years while inflation, rent, real estate, and everything else has gone up, unionization is next to nothing now. You could buy a house in kits for $10-$20,000. You should UA-cam a book, called the spirit level. He explains how inequality destroys social trust. My friend went to Sweden, and he was shocked how friendly everybody was and trust worthy, crime was next to nothing. I don’t like Vancouver very much anymore.
I am 60 and have lived in many places and have travelled extensively. I ended up in Canada and have been living in Victoria for about the past 20 years. You would be very hard pressed to find a better place to live than the CRD (Capital Region District), I say CRD because Victoria proper is actually quite small and it is not necessarily the best place to live in the CRD (for example some people prefer Oak Bay or prefer Saanich). For Canadians, the only real drawback to Victoria is that it is stupid expensive; otherwise it is a fabulous place to live.
It rains 50% less than Vancouver, the weather is awesome.
#1. Corrupt government (federal and provincial) #2. extraordinary high cost of living. This woman is not a critical thinker.
Awh you’re so nice
@@Uinta_wildlife ❤️
I am honest
BC'ers ..and Canadians in general, are totally blind to the insane levels of corruption here. Its an organized criminals wet dream
I lived there in the 1980's in James Bay. I would go to Beacon Hill Park weekly. Over the years watching crime and homelessness move in there has been so sad. When I first moved there I would take a day and get a bus pass and travel all over to see different neighbourhoods.
your weather - rain description is inaccurate. victoria has rainy season in winter and dry season in summer. so during the summer it usually doesnt rain for several months and there is mostly clear sky most of the time. Temp around 20 degrees, sunny days and ocean breeze. It is literally perfect in summertime!!! The winter is quite depressing and gets rain for couple of months. I would say the worst months are november to february. But still, Victoria has much better weather than vancouver. vancouver gets more rain and less sunshine. I have lived in both places and prefer victoria for sure. if you check climate data chart you can see that victoria is one of the sunniest cities in canada with annual average of 2203 hours of sunshine per year. Victoria gets even more sunshine than "sunny okanagan" Kelowna 1949, Penticton 1923 hours. Vancouver gets 1938 hours. Only calgary gets most sunshine of 2396 hours, but terrible freazing temperatues... So Victoria is an absolute winner in terms of weather.. I have moved out of victoria when pandemic hit and I regret it since. I would like to move back some day. it is the best place to be for nature lovers. Ocean, lakes, hills, waterfalls all around. no place like it!
Good advice!
Thank-you for the video.
I only agree with the cost of living and how it can be difficult in finding friends.
Victoria is probably the most expensive place to live in Canada. The rent and housing market is in the top 3. Food, retail, gas and services are the most expensive across Canada and likely North America.
As for friends, it can be difficult because it’s not a small town but there are many ways to help this like volunteering, joining sports and fitness groups, joining arts, crafts, and misc recreation type groups, joining Meetup groups, joining any type of class or course, and participating and just going to local events and being courageous enough to put yourself out there by introducing yourself as often as possible. It’s been my experience in many cities, even small ones, that meeting new people always takes much more effort than most of us are used to compared to when you grow up and live in the same city. ❤
I'm surprised you said there was no clubbing. When I lived there ten years ago there were 5-6 fantastic nightclubs and I partied hard three times a week.
That was 10 years ago.
You can club some seals
right on!
It’s more of a drug addiction problem than a homeless problem. I think the armed bank robbery was just a one off. I agree that the rain is a bit of a bummer on the mental health. I love the slower pace though!
Rain is in the eye of the beholder. The more it rains, the happier I become. Shrug
I was born here 60 years ago. Vancouver has become less progressive, politically and economically. Vancouver is now the most highly unequal city in all of Canada. It’s been proven that the more highly unequal economically a society a society crime increases addiction increases and social trust decreases,,
@@surreallife777 lol stop with the copy paste fake story.
@@sceneitallwithjeffandjon6984 no. Lol
I think these are not the true reasons for not moving to Victoria, because I have lived in Victoria for almost 15 years and it's the most charming city I have ever seen. These are your own selfish reasons to make people not to move to the city as you mentioned that the people in here are very welcoming, how contrast !!!.Anyway I consider this video as an encouragement as well as a great push and motive to move to 😂, thanks but no thanks
VICTORIA IS AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the homelessness problem in canada and especially BC is gettting pretty disturbing and should make people really reconsider how they view canada and what canada stands for.
Dont see in the third world countries people doin the drugs openly on the st., punching people out, violence behavior, MENTAL HEALTH, with the homelessness.
It's funny how perspective changes your opinion I'm from Seattle and I'm in Victoria right now and I think it's like the most clean and homeless free city ever. I'm sure it's ignorance lol
@@smallviolin3842 you aren't canadian, you have no clue what's going on here in this country, victoria is the capital of BC and has bi-laws preventing them from having tent cities like the rest of canada does
I lived in Vic from 2000 to 2006 during my University years. Never did I encounter any crime. The only illegal activity I encountered were the guys selling me weed downtown. Miss those years. It was expensive though. I almost bought a van to live in, but thought I wouldn't get laid if I lived in a van. Anyways, no where to park.
As a toronto native I would live anywhere but toronto right now, the stabbings are insane every week someone gets stabbed on the ttc and homelessness, cost of living has gone wild….
Is victoria is good for international students? I got admission in camosun college?
Yes there are a lot of international students here :)
Great. It is a great place for not working in. Kids, students, seniors.
I had a friend who lived there for 15 years say that If I don't like rain that I wouldn't like it there? I wonder how different downtown would be rather than the more nature parts
It's NOT the most expensive in Canada to rent. It's 4th-5th, on every list I've seen.
dailyhive.com/vancouver/victoria-second-most-expensive-city-canada-rent
That's my bad, looks like its second
@@Shaidarabie all good. if you make a video called "top reasons to live in Victoria" you really need to include "barely any mosquitoes". It's the single reason I moved here from the prairies... and one of the best things about it here. Bless you. Thanks.
Rain? We live in Shawnigan Lake where many people think has a lot of rain. Official statistics will surprise you as Shawnigan Lake has 1/2 as much rain as YVR, Vancouver, BC.
You say laid back I say up tight.
Dude the MOST uptight. I grew up here and I hate it.
Up tight in reference to the people here? Would love to hear more of your thoughts on this
@@Shaidarabie Yes the people.
Super uptight, which is why I left the city 3 years ago. My social life was ZERO, everyone always had to "take a look at their schedule" ! Men included. Everyone was so arrogant and dating in Victoria (for a guy like me) was a joke. It was horrible. Never coming back.
-40C and shoveling snow or mild. So it is so cold it hurts or is damaging to your lungs to breath and frost bite happens in minutes or mild. Now which one should I pick?
Cold is better for you tbh. Good for cells.
Hi - about rain, is it pouring and short or trickle and long lasting (all day)?
Depends on the season!
It rarely has heavy rain here in Victoria, it does drizzle alot in the winter though
This equating crime and drug use to homelessness and labelling it as why you should NOT move to Victoria, simplifies and vilifies a much more complex issue. I see the same thing when it comes to travelogues on Vancouver. This is very problematic and speaks to a lack of awareness made worse by tourism that discounts the "negative" aspects of a city, the historical exclusion of peoples from colonial system of power and the continued maltreatment and dehumanization of the street entrenched populous of the traditional lands and waterways of the Lekwungen speaking Peoples.
First point about crimes, my friends are there currently in downtown and they don’t feel there’s lots of crimes happening around them. So I don’t know. Only thing that sucks they said is there’s no bridge connecting it to the mainland. So if you don’t like laidback and want to move around at night, you gonna be pissed as you can simply drive to vancouver just in case.
I think you missed one: Traffic. If you need to commute anywhere during the morning and night rush? It is goddamn mental.
I grew up in Sooke, lived in Victoria for a bit, and in Langford. For much of it, I lived by my bike, which....worked fairly well, but you still have a lot of drivers who are complete dickheads, and think bicyclists should ride on sidewalks, or not exist or something. Before I moved to Edmonton, I lived in Langford, and worked downtown on Princess Ave. It was just 15km drive, and on average, it would take 40 minutes, or over an hour if there was an accident or something on the highway. I usually ended up taking a 30k round about route through the highlands and come out roughly at the same time.
Yes, they did, finally put in the overpass at Admirals, but that was like, 30 years overdue, and still doesn't alleviate the congestion caused by the lights at Tillicum, that I can imagine, since I've been gone for...6 years, and they hadn't finished it before I left.
I remember getting to Edmonton, and a 60km in the same time.
Victoria has a bad traffic problem, but I also don't see a fix for it because of the geography.
Traffic 😂Ahahahaha are you for real, there is literally no traffic in Victoria compared to virtually any major city in Canada, get a grip will you.
Omg! Number 1 reason I want to move to Victoria Canada is I thought its safer compare to california where crime is high! and the first thing mention was crime is high in victoria?
It is very safe here,she don't know what she's talking about
It is MUCH MUCH safer in Victoria, Canada than ANYWHERE in California. I see she hasn't been around very much! Of course...she DOES look very young!
Here's a reference: www.timescolonist.com/local-news/why-crime-severity-score-is-victoria-148-oak-bay-29-hint-partying-5652258
@@mathematicaleconomist4943 Yes. Compared to tent city Cali and Washington. But i would say it might be "higher" in certain ways or higher period than whatever it was before.
@@marlak4203 Agreed! At least from what I am hearing. I am sure many impoverished (even homeless) people find their way to Victoria from colder parts of the country. Its mild climate would make poverty more comfortable than it would be otherwise. That's for sure!
Homelessness & drug abuse not just a problem in Victoria. Any city in BC that applies. Come on not only Victoria. Any suburb of Vancouver has same problems
Man, I swear.....if you literally took every subjective geographical piece on UA-cam and tried to make an informed decision on where to live...you wouldn't be able to. It's maddening being on the outside trying to figure out what's a good place and what's not.
Yeah thats why you just gotta go visit yourself
Folks from tropical and dry heat places, if you move to Canada, bring your own heater attached to your face. That way, you wouldn't feel the need to adapt. Canada is a cold country with few days of warm toasty hellish sunny days. I am South Indian; love the coldness of it all here. If you want your warm toasty hellish sunny climate, why not move to the nearby desert or equatorial places, eh? Cost of groceries is a valid point. Drug issue is not just there but everywhere.
Island time for real. I spent so much time in Vancouver in my teens/early 20s 9pm hits way different here. Way too expensive to have nothing to do after 9-10. Guess I’ll go stand by the ocean in the freezing rain idk
Another reason not to move to Victoria is the extreme lack of diversity. If you are a minority you WILL stand out lol
I’m thinking of moving to Victoria but I am worried it’s going to be too boring. On weekends we go to Yale town which is very active but I don’t know if Victoria has anything similar like that. Years ago, Robson Street in Vancouver was packed with people going for coffee and restaurants and socializing. Are there any places like that in Victoria or Nanaimo? My wife is from Vietnam and she thinks Vancouver is boring. I’m wondering what she’s going to think if we move to Victoria. 😢
if she thinks van is boring dont move here
Move to kelowna
Victoria is boring unless you actively get involved and seek out the events. Also quite a cliquey place I’ve found. It’s difficult to socialize unless you have hobbies.
I was born in Vancouver and over the last 40 years it’s definitely gone downhill. In the 1950s and up to about the late 1970s this attitude was not the case with Vancouverites. Strangers would end up having conversations on the street. I remember in the late 1970s people used to have open house parties in all classes of neighborhoods including rich people. Sometimes there were 40 people at these parties and rarely did anything get stolen. Today it wouldn’t happen. So what changed? Vancouver is now the most highly unequal city and all of Canada in terms of wealth, and on top of that, for most of these 40 years we had right wing political economic policies in B.C. Vancouver is now not only highly unequal, but wages have been stagnant for the past 40 years while inflation, rent, real estate, and everything else has gone up, unionization is next to nothing now. You could buy a house in kits for $10-$20,000 in 1970. You should UA-cam a book, called the spirit level. He explains how inequality destroys social trust. My friend went to Sweden, and he was shocked how friendly everybody was and trust worthy, crime was next to nothing. Anyway, this is my opinion thanks for getting back to me. I don’t like Vancouver very much anymore.
UNBELIEVABLE! all the museums,stores shuttin g down, GONE!
great points. visited Victoria (from Toronto) last year September with my wife. it was my fifth trip to Victoria (and Vancouver) and my wife's first. what I noticed the most about Victoria from the last time I went in 2009 was how multicultural Victoria became. I would like to retire in Victoria in about 10 years time and all the points you made (except for the last one) don't bother me as we have them here in Toronto. I like the island vibe and I noticed last year alot more people planted palm trees in there houses than the last time I went. I loved the vibe on Douglas Street across from the Bay Centre as it reminded me of Yonge Street in Toronto in the late 1980's & 1990s.
What multicultural? it is still whyte AF
I ended up in Langford.
Much calmer area and very little crime visibly anyway.
I've been here for a year and it's considerably safer overall.
Yes it's extremely expensive here but you get what you pay for.
It's not far from Victoria and if you like sooke it's 20 minutes away .
It's a lot nicer then sannich or Esquimalt area ..
The hole area is beautiful all the way up to Sidney but in my opinion if you want a relaxed area near Victoria Langford is definitely the nicer of all the areas around here.
I've lived in bear mountain and have to agree - feels safer, cleaner and calmer!
@@Shaidarabie ya I'm just down from there.
It's beautiful there and ya lots of money up there and kind out of the way for people so ya it's definitely safer.
And it looks really nice up there.
I drive up to the look out and look down over the area .
It was one of the first places I found with that kinda view.
Then obviously the lagoon in my pic you see.
It's a beautiful area Langford and colwood
Funny part about this is just today I got back to an rcmp parked in my driveway talking about someone that was trying car doors and stuff in the building parking next to me.
It's not often but it still happens here.
At least the rcmp were here to deal with it and we all have extensive cameras up and security on this street.
I'm right on goldstream ave .. it's super safe here normally considering I'm across from Langford town hall and 3 blocks from the rcmp station.
But it still can happen I guess. Lol
Nothing to bad though to be honest.
@@bluewater7211 the rcmp is stupid, not to mention theres tgb members in lang and all your bearmace buddys
Please leave Sooke out.
I love Victoria. I lived there for about 3 years. It is the best city of Canada with the best weather and air.
NO FIRES! OR SMOKE!
I was planning to move to Victoria.i'm working presently working here in japan for 14 yrs in different factories as machine operator and assembling of car parts.are there factories suited for me in Victoria?
It’s a great city and I fully disagree but no hate!
I get that it's a year old.... She must never go anywhere else. It seems she has no idea that the crime/drug/homeless problem is in every city in North America and the moderate climate, island vibe, less crowded everywhere are just some reasons why so many people want to move there. Vancouver is the most expensive city in Canada.
Not anymore. Toronto takes the spot. Seen its number 1 in North America actually.
I will move wherever I want to!
The 11pm curfew in Victoria for people between 16 and 21 is disappointing. The enforcement is brutal, and any resistance on the part of the young person when a police officer catches them lands them in jail for the night and a criminal record that can stay with them for the rest of their life. Another negative is all the hippies here, playing congas on the streets, openly smoking dangerous drugs, and wandering about stark naked.
You're best bet for any sort of long term future sustainable goal is living in a Van by the river and waiting all this out (it will take years). It's psychosis to think this is all a little blip the economy is going through.
Lie I live in Victoria BC and it barely rains so yeah
Nice presented. But seem this is concept of young people of 20-30+ . If you are 40 plus.. thing will be different.
absolutely. You appreciate things more.
Thank you for this very informative video! It's very sad to hear about the crime and homelessness problem. I assumed that would be isolated to just Vancouver but apparently not. Thank you for being honest about it.
I was born in Vancouver and over the last 40 years it’s definitely gone downhill. In the 1950s and up to about the late 1970s this attitude was not the case with Vancouverites. Strangers would end up having conversations on the street. I remember in the late 1970s people used to have open house parties in all classes of neighborhoods including rich people. Sometimes there were 40 people at these parties and rarely did anything get stolen. Today it wouldn’t happen. So what changed? Vancouver is now the most highly unequal city and all of Canada in terms of wealth, and on top of that, for most of these 40 years we had right wing political economic policies in B.C. Vancouver is now not only highly unequal, but wages have been stagnant for the past 40 years while inflation, rent, real estate, and everything else has gone up, unionization is next to nothing now. You could buy a house in kits for $10-$20,000. You should UA-cam a book, called the spirit level. He explains how inequality destroys social trust. My friend went to Sweden, and he was shocked how friendly everybody was and trust worthy, crime was next to nothing. I don’t like Vancouver very much anymore.
I could never move back to BC because of the RAIN!
I’m in Texas right now and the SUN is the most amazing thing ever!
Great weather too and cheaper housing so I can afford better healthcare insurance.
Never going back.
I'm not sure what Victoria, BC she is from when she says that when it rains, it pours. I've lived back east when it rains hard, Victoria is more like a drizzle.
In most places with a larger population the crime and drug use has gone through the roof with the increased homelessness issues
Victoria had it peak in tourism and popularity from the 80s to the mid 2000. Most businesses are gone and the malls have dauled out. Mayfair was the best mall in the city, full of men's and women's clothing stores, Sony store, HMV, even had a Shoppers drug Mart until it left in 2001. I was also stunned by the homeless and addict situation. Vic needs a Sky train system to run from city to the Swartz Bay ferry terminal ! It's not a safe city and a lot of hoodlums going around in the middle of the night looking to break in to people's business or house. I wouldn't recommend anyone to move to Vic
RIP old Victoria.
Sounds like an introvert's heaven hahaha! You sold me! Hope it gets cheaper when it's my turn to move hahahaha
To be honest it sucks , everything closes down at 5 , it's always raining in the winter , it's small city , there I bearly nothing going on , it's hard to get things you need
Sounds like it should be called three reasons not to move here and four reasons you should move here. Sounds pretty good to me.
I LIKE THE QUAKES NEAR BY!
Fantastic work , Wow it’s changing there , long as my Coho boat stil operates there and the empress for cup of tea 🍵 and cake still great place 👍🇦🇺🇨🇦
You just wanted to make a video ! Victoria is a great city to live in !
As a Canadian I have to sadly agree with you. You are not allowed to have a beer on the beach but the rampant public drug abuse and the associated crime is totally out of control and everyone seems to be okay with it. Not sure why the politicians think that is OK.
Hellooo, I'm moving to Victoria for 4 months and studying in Camosun College. Do you have any advice for my situation? Thanks in advance! Also I have to work while studying 😺
Consider renting a room - not apartment or basement suite.
I love Victoria but boy is it expensive. If I were rich I'd move there.
Agreed - especially in the last few years
What would you say you have to make in Victoria to “break even”? Looking to move and want to know the base point. I’ll already have a job but my wife is going to be looking
Really depends on if you’re renting/buying and your lifestyle. If you’re patient, you can find a decent basement suite or apartment for 2k a month. Shopping at walmart and superstore is your best bet. Eating out, drinking, and activities are very expensive. Definitely recommend a fuel efficient car as gas is $1.80+ per litre and traffic is stop and go most of the time. All that said, you could live comfortably for $80k combined I would say.
Crime is everywhere and I love the rain!❤
Average rent to median income is now higher than Vancouver. Renters are demanding Vancouver level rent and Victoria doesn't produce the wages you'll find in Vancouver. The homeless problem is much worse than government will admit. I often find homeless tents when I explore in the woods of public parks. There are VERY FEW public washrooms and more stores are demanding you buy something in order to use a washroom. This town for some reason has produced and attracted a lot of very hard leftists and fake disingenuous people. There are Communist and Socialist posters routinely put up around town promoting events and someone in Oak Bay even ran as a Communist in their riding.
I plan on writing a book called "The town that hated me". These peopel cannot handled anything. The homeless problem here is NOTHING compared to Seattle or what goes on in the States. I grew up in Washington D.C., moved to Seattle for sixteen years and came to Victoria from Seattle b/c Vancouver (at the time) reminded me too much of Seattle (I now deeply regret using that logic) and spent two months here, but I did not actually experience the horrors of Victoria until I moved here. I have been left to die at a local hospital for being Indigenous and abused for that as well as for dressing flamboyantly. I have four college degrees and 36 years of work experience and I now cannot get a job b/c nobody wants to hire someone here unless they know them. To not mention that Victoria demonizes anyone who wears bright colors and who is not homogenized like them, as well as horrific discriminatino of Indigenous people, itis just not accurate. I get called a "freak" every day and harassed for wearing bright colors, so it is important to mention what Victoria does to people who are different and wear bright colors, , even just the minute I walk outside and cross the street from my apartment, or at stoplights, or just walking through a mall. It is constant. I look about 30, but I am 50 years old! So I get bullied by young people and have even seen young people being encouraged by their parents to bully me. My husband and I are now stuck here b/c of Immigration reasons and my husband's job is closeby. I have so much more to share. Do you have a website or email?
" The two people robbing the bank actually died "......sounds like they had it under control.
1. Drugs Homelessness, Crime. These are problems for Victoria. Whether some places around BC are better or worse, is immaterial (cough Kelowna=drug and drug violence central). 2 Weather. It gets very chilly at nights here, and even many days in the off-season despite what this gal says. Ask her to spend a night on the street between say, Oct-April and she quickly discover what cold can really feels like here. That ocean doesnt do the city many favors. The summer season, sure, is very nice indeed. 3. Cost of Living. The worst, she probably understates it if anything and this problem overshadows everything else in this not very good clip. And it gets worse all the time. 4. Travel. I guess but this is really a subset of Cost of living. Yes going to the mainland has gotten stupid a while back, but, I dont really see 'travel' as being a specific enough reason to, or not to be here. 5. Nightlife. I am old and was never one of the cool kids in my prime, so, this one doesn't mean much to me. 6. Small community. Again, this comment seems like a subset of Nightlife in a way and I dont find the arguments she makes all that compelling or relevant. Friends. Again, another subset of Nightlife and Small Community. Canadians dont really like to make new friends overall, and this is not really a Victoria thing. A lot of Canadians can be fairly 'friendly' but also not very outgoing or eager to make new friends at the same time It seems like a paradox but it is not. My 2cents on that one.
The night life in Victoria is disgusting. Mostly vomit, ambulances, cops, fire trucks etc...I'd rather live in Cork IR; at least they know how to dance.
I was born here along time ago. It’s changed Vancouver is not the same. Since Canada and Vancouver have moved more to the right politically and economically addiction increases crime increases and social trust decreases. Economically Vancouver is the most highly unequal city and all of Canada.
nightlife is awesome, tons of rooftops to paint!
EVERY REASON EXCEPT 1 IS ALL PR0S TO ME, LOL.
It’s nice there ,very costly like the rest of BC… beautiful province….. it’s a place where a woman that we know tried killing her son by choking him at about 3 to 4 years old can go & social services won’t do anything about it…
I need a studio room near Colwood or Langford. Please help me to find. I will Move in Victoria 1st of May.
I’m an American from Missouri and I’ve been there three times. Twice in the army and once with the wife five years ago. Advice for the rest of the island as a tourist. Skip it. Only go to Victoria..
This is why I live in Toronto
Fuck Toronto, NYC!
I wonder where atmospheric rivers are on this list?
UVic used to have a night club, Vertigo, that at some point in the early 90s was one of the most risqué places in town, with BDSM- and queer-themed shows. Then there's the pub, Felicita's, that last time I visited (right before Covid) was still there.
Google galaksi
Google Earth
From Victoria. Went there In Sept. 2022. People doing drugs on the sidewalks downtown! Wouldn't live there for anything!
Yeah it's a big problem :(
I met somebody from Victoria who remarked that it's a place for "the newly wed and the nearly dead" 😀🤣
Okanagan is by far the best
@@Sugarshane88 My wife and I are considering moving to the Okanagan but the threat of forest fires and smoke filled air are holding us back.
@@megabuxman93 the past decade only 2 bad summers
Not a lot of diversity on the island compared to the Metro Vancouver region. But somehow more affordable
Have to agree...
A year later and the urban decay and crime has escalated where Victoria is now the crime capital of BC says stats Canada.
Hello fellow Islander! Im Willow, live off MacKenzie near mount Doug
I returned 23 yrs ago,and was in my late 30s, nobody here my age, but things are changing
seagull poop, and slow costal isl, I cant live aanywhere else
Its hard to describe to people, say in T.O. they dont get it!
warm hugs xx
MASS IMMIGRATION HAS RUINED VICTORIA. I'M GOING TO LIVE OVERSEAS IN 1 YEAR. OVER POPULATION IS A NIGHTMARE
Can anyone comment on Richmond? Has it been able to avoid most of the Insanity of Vancouver or Victoria?
Richmond is not on Vancouver Island.
You're so constructive and smart, thanks for the video! I will subscribe to your news, and to your Instagram.