Moving to British Columbia

CONTACT OUR OFFICE IN VICTORIA, BC

1027 Pandora Avenue,
Victoria, BC V8V 3P6
Canada
Telephone :  (778) 403-0129
Toll free :  1-844-628-0436

TransCanadian Van Lines has a strong presence in the Province of British Colombia. Several immigrants come to Canada through the East and then move to the West, particularly to the Vancouver area. We currently have several good agents in this Province; including the Islands of Vancouver. Our service includes  full service of packing, wrapping and loading of any household goods. We advise our clients to beware of the ferry extras that movers tend to hide or add besides regular charges. We inform you that our rates is always all inclusive.  For more information please call at; (604) 628-0436.

Trivia

• B.C. is the most western province in Canada and the third largest.
• Alberta is to the east, and the Yukon and Northwest Territories are north .
• The Pacific Ocean is to the west.
• To the south, B.C. is bordered by three U.S. states – Washington, Idaho and Montana.
• There are many islands off the coast that are also part of B.C.
• Victoria, the capital city is on Vancouver Island.
• Vancouver is the third largest city in Canada.
• B.C.’s flower – Pacific Dogwood, bird – Stellar’s Jay, tree – Western Red Cedar.
• motto – “Splendour without diminishment”

The people

• B.C. is the home to over 4.2 million people. (2006)
• The largest city is Vancouver. (2.1 million estimated)
• The Northwest Coast Native peoples live in B.C.
• People came from Britain, Western Europe, East and Southeast Asia, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
• B.C. has the largest Chinese community in Canada.
• The top 10 languages spoken are English, Chinese (including Cantonese and Mandarin), Punjabi, German, French, Tagalog, Korean, Spanish, Persian, and Italian.
• About 75 percent of the people live in the southwest part of the province.

History

• The first people to live in BC : Tlingit, Sekani, Haida, Nootka, Chilcotin and Shuswap.
• They fished for salmon and seals and hunted deer, bear and elk.
• They built large wooden houses and carved totem poles.
• (1778) Captain James Cook a British explorer sailed to Vancouver Island.
• George Vancouver mapped the coastline (1792-1794).
• Alexander Mackenzie, Simon Fraser and David Thompson explored the interior of B.C.
• Fur trading posts were built.
• (1857-1858) Fraser Valley Gold Rush brought many people.
• B.C. became a province in 1871.
• Canadian government promised to build a railway to B.C.
• Thousands of Chinese labourers arrived to pan for gold and to help build the railway.
• The Japanese came to work as agricultural labourers and fishermen.
• In 1885 the CPR railway reached Vancouver.
• British settlers came by train to the west coast.

Land and water

• The Fraser River is one of the largest rivers in Canada.
• Both the Fraser and the Columbia River flow into the Pacific Ocean.
• Ferry boats take people to and from the Islands off the coast.
• There are seven national parks in B.C.
• The three main mountain ranges are the Coastal Mountains in the west, the Columbia Mountains in the centre, and the Rocky Mountains in the east.
• There are thousands of islands along the coastline,including the Queen Charlotte Islands (north) and the Gulf Islands near the southern end of Vancouver Island.

Climate

• The coastal mountains protect the Lower Mainland and the coast from the cold Arctic air masses in the winter.
• The mountains along the coast bring the coastal region a lot of rain.
• Vancouver and Victoria are warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer than the central areas of the province.

Ressources / industries

• Forestry is the largest industry. Forest covers over half of B.C.
• B.C. has the largest and oldest trees in Canada.
• B.C.’s mountains, parks and beaches attract many tourists.
• Mining is the third largest industy. (copper, coal, gold, silver, zinc, sulphur, asbestos)
• B.C. has a large fishing industry (salmon, halibut, clams, cod, crab, oysters, rockfish, shrimp and herring)
• Fraser Valley has cattle and dairy farms and farms that grow fruit and flowers.
• There are many orchards in the Okanagan Valley. ( apples, cherries, peaches, apricots, and plums)
• The province is Canada’s second largest generator of hydro electricity.
• B.C. is Canada’s second largest natural gas producer.
• B.C. is the third largest film and television production centre in North America (after New York and Los Angeles).

People and place

• Emily Carr (1871-1945) – painted the West Coast Aboriginal people
• Terry Fox (1958-1981) – tried to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research
• Chief Dan George (1899-1981) – actor and poet

• Stanley Park in Vancouver is one of Canada’s biggest city parks with an aquarium, gardens, beaches, trails and totem poles carved out of wood by the native people of the west coast.
• The mountains, the coastline and the mild weather attract thousands of tourists.
• Tourists come to ski at Whistler Mountain and other ski resorts in B.C.
• Okanagan Valley is known for the warm weather, wineries and as a fruit growing region.
• Vancouver has Canada’s largest port.
• Vancouver will host the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.