VancouverGo.com - your Vancouver BC Canada online information hub

Technically you’re not allowed to bring anything in duty-free if you haven’t been out of the country for a full day. But, most things manufactured within North America are exempt, as are most electronics. Many kinds of fruits and vegetables cannot enter Canada, so if you’re not sure, Shore says don’t try to bring it back. Weapons and replica weapons, even lighters that look like weapons, are also banned.She says the most important thing to do when speaking with a border officer is to be honest, and that you can ask questions if you’re not sure about something. There is a toll free line at 1-800-461-9999 that you can call if you have any questions about items. Pressing zero twice during office hours will connect you directly to a border services officer. You can also get information at www.cbsa.bc.ca.

There’s no magic trick that will make the border lineups vanish, but there are ways to speed things up. Paula Shore with Canada Border Services says having your receipts and I-D that proves your citizenship ready to go is crucial. “We estimate it takes an additional 2 minutes to get someone out of a car and into the trunk to get their purse or their receipts fished out of whatever bag its in.” Multiply that by thousands of cross-border shoppers, and you have a problem.

From http://www.news1130.com/news

It’s amazing at how misunderstood Canada is.

As you know, Vancouver will host the 2010 Winter Olympics. Here are some questions people from all over the world are asking.

Believe it or not, these questions about Canada were posted on an International Tourism Website.

Obviously the answers are a joke; but the questions were really asked!

Q: I have never seen it warm on Canadian TV, so how do the plants grow?( England )
A. We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around and watch them die.

Q: Will I be able to see Polar Bears in the street? ( USA )
A: Depends on how much you’ve been drinking.

Q: I want to walk from Vancouver to Toronto -can I follow the Railroad tracks? ( Sweden )
A: Sure, it’s only Four thousand miles, take lots of water.

Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in Canada ? ( Sweden )
A: So it’s true what they say about Swedes.

Q: It is imperative that I find the names and addresses of places to contact for a stuffed Beaver. ( Italy )
A: Let’s not touch this one.

Q: Are there any ATM’s (cash machines) in Canada? Can you send me a list of them in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Halifax ? ( England )
A: When did your last slave die?

Q: Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Canada ? ( USA )
A: A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe . Ca-na-da is that big country to your North…oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Calgary . Come naked.

Q: Which direction is North in Canada ? ( USA )
A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees Contact us when you get here and we’ll send the rest of the directions.

Q: Can I bring cutlery into Canada ?( England )
A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.

Q: Can you send me the Vienna Boys’ Choir schedule? ( USA )
A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is…oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Vancouver and in Calgary , right after the hippo races. Come naked.

Q: Do you have perfume in Canada ? ( Germany )
A: No, WE don’t stink.

Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you sell it in Canada ? ( USA )
A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.

Q: Can you tell me the regions in British Columbia where the female population is smaller than the male population? ( Italy )
A: Yes, gay nightclubs.

Q: Do you celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada ? ( USA )
A: Only at Thanksgiving.

Q: Are there supermarkets in Toronto and is milk available all year round?( Germany )
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of Vegan hunters/gatherers. Milk is illegal.

Q: I have a question about a famous animal in Canada , but I forget its name. It’s a kind of big horse with horns. ( USA )
A: It’s called a Moose. They are tall and very violent, eating the brains of anyone walking close to them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.

Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? ( USA )
A: Yes, but you will have to learn it first.

from http://stumblingahead.blogspot.com/2007 and International Tourism Website.

I’m traveling to Vancouver and want to know what’s best - since the Canadian $ value is almost the same as the US $, should I take Us $ or should I exhange the currency?

When you shop in Vancouver, you might find some shops that will take American dollars, but they will still give you an exchange rate. Chances are that, in a shop, you will get a worse exchange rate than you would get otherwise. If you have a credit card/debit card, use that because the exchange rates the credit cards give you are usually pretty good. Otherwise, it won’t matter whether you exchange money in a bank on this side of the border or that side; you’ll get the same rate at a bank either way.

If you are worried about not being able to shop there because you have only US dollars, don’t worry; I’m sure that it will be very easy to exchange money in Vancouver.

…………………………

Go to the nearest bank in Vancouver BC and change US for Cnd; exchane rates are better that in Seattle.

…………………………

The best plan is to get just a little Canadian money as soon as you can just to tide you over until you can go to a bank in Canada. Then use your ATM card at a Canadian Bank when you get here. The only fees you pay that way are your bank fee and the Canadian ATM bank fee, and no exchange fees. (If you take US cash and exchange it at the bank you get extra charges.) This is best value, convenient and safest for carrying excess cash, as you can only take out what you need when you need it.

The one unknown is the fluctuating exchange rate. The Canadian dollar is continuing to rise as a trend. But the day to day fluctuations has been pretty wild. If you are looking at the value you have to watch that too.

I have traveled a bit in Europe and all lot in North America and ATM haven’t done me wrong. I do tend to do a mix of exchange methods especially on long trips, and especially when the currencies are expected to change. The ATM is usually my main source. But yes, in your case I would take some US cash too as back up emergency funds, but not exchange it unless you ended up needing it.

I’m an American citizen and soon to be college graduate and would like to move to Vancouver B.C. I’ve heard the process of emigrating to Canada is difficult, and that to stay in Canada for extended periods of time, one must have proof of a job being offered to them by a Canadian company.

Any thoughts or advice from others who have moved to Canada?

The best way - Trade Nafta status/ instant work permit (if you are qualified, google Trade Nafta and you can get all informatuion). You can get TN at the port of entry. Be prepared; have all paperwork handy. Advise for a recent graduate - have a good proof of work experience (minimum one year) related to your speciality…Good luck ..

Looking cabin to spend a white xmas near Vancouver with the family.

HA! Well, your first problem is with the white Christmas. I have lived in Vancouver for 26 years and in all that time I’ve only had ONE white Christmas and it was raining so the snow was slushy and miserable anyway. It almost always rains on Christmas Day. I call them brown Christmas’ because you take one step off a path or driveway and you’re ankle deep into mud.

Second problem is, cabins are hard to come by… almost everything buildable near the city has been sold for condos and housing developments. You’ve also left it incredibly late to be thinking about booking a cabin. You should have been doing this back in July!

You might get lucky and find someone on Craigslist.com that knows a friend of a friend of some guy who owns one of the cabins up on Grouse Mountain or Cypress but you’ll be trekking your groceries and bags in by snow shoe or on cross-country skis.

I’d say forget being close to Vancouver and stay at Big White. Its cheaper than Whistler, better snow (reliable powder), and it is less crowded yet it still has a great town and good amenities. Again, best of luck finding vacancy this close to Christmas.

…………….

Not easy. Look at a bed and breakfast. I think that’s your best bet. There are plenty of websites to direct you to one you want.
If you want a white Christmas, you have to go to Whistler and that ain’t cheap. There is no snow in Vancouver. There’s plenty in the Cariboo, Kootenays, Interior or other general areas. Here again, go webbing. Good luck.

I am planning to buy a small property in Vancouver Canada and start a small business but i am currently living in another country.

If you want to start working from home you can do a daycare center in your home or if you plan to buy property anyway why don’t explore putting up a Bed and Breakfast?

I will go to Vancouver with my gf and I wanna see where we can go for tourists(especially for people from HK, like us), any recommendations?

Richmond and Chinatown .. ask any cab driver and they can take you to these places.

I am moving from Vancouver to Ottawa the end of August. I was looking at having someone move my stuff for me, but this is far too expensive. I am now looking at sending some stuff by Canada Post and then renting a truck (from Budget or National) to drive the bigger stuff home.

I live in a one bedroom and it is pretty packed with stuff. A lot will get thrown out during packing, so not TOO much stuff to move.

Does anyone have any experiences with the drive across Canada? How much will the truck rental cost? What is the best company to use?

If you are young and strong, rent a truck if not have a shipper come in and let them do it.

U- Haul trucks are generally junk so check it out carefully before you rent it.

One of the good household movers will in the long run cost about the same as renting and buying gas. And you don’t have to drive the truck either.

……………………

I hear that putting boxed items on the Greyhound bus is the least expensive way to ship your belongings.
However, selling all your stuff and coming out with your suitcase would be the best.You can always buy ‘new’ second hand stuff in Ottawa.
When I moved from the West coast the company paid. If they hadn’t…I would have sold everything except my photos and 2 lg suitcases full of clothes.
The drive across Canada is long and tedious, but beautiful.It is a great way to see a part of Canada. I shared the driving as well.
I believe the rental companies are all very similar. Remember to read all the fine print.

……………….

I have used the railroad system to move from BC to Ontario. They were the cheapest way to do it, and they can handle very large items and weights, but I had to get a truck to deliver my crates at my origin, and to pick them up from the train yard at the destination. It worked out very well, and I would do it again in a flash.

I learned that all three cities are wonderful places to live in and that is why I have a decision very difficult to made.I shall appreciate any help. Until now I have only visited Toronto myself,Calgary and Vancouver I only know them from books,tv and internet. Toronto has the advantage of being the so called “capital” of canada finance and industry so jobs are quite easy to get. Calgary is in economic boom due to its natural gas reserves so jobs are even easyer to get.Vancouver on the other hand was quoted as best city to live in by the UN.
Tough decision to get,huh?!:-)

The majority of immigrants to Canada choose to settle in Toronto. It may be beause they don’t know of any other cities (my experience in the Middle East was this was often the case).

We are fortunate in that there are many wonderful places to live in Canada, whether small rural towns or large, metropolitan cities. You can choose from either coast, to vast prairies, to our nation’s capital, Ottawa.

If your English skills are good, you might be comfortable in most places. If not, you may want to settle near a community from your home country.

I would suggest that you think about the following issues:

1. do you want to settle with others from your home country
2. what kind of work do you intend to seek? Different industries are concentrated in different parts of the world?
3. do you want the urban life, or a more rural existence?
4. what kind of climate are you searching for? - these three cities are each quite different - Vancouver is most temperate, with a great deal of rain. Calgary has great sumemrs and harsh winters. Toronto has wet, cold, miserable winters and humid summers.

At the risk of causing a firestorm, I would suggest that, stereotypically, Calgary has a reputation for intolerance with respect to different races. This might be unfair, however, since Alberta apparently offers more “second language” options than any other province.

Perhaps of all the factors, your employment prospects are the most important. Without a solid employment situation, you will find it much more difficult to enjoy your new-found home.

………………..

Calgary has the lowest unemployment rate, everyone is hiring and there are good jobs. Homes are more expensive but weather is the nicer out of the three, only 1 tax compared to the others, the people are friendly and it is a good cross of cultures

…………………

lived in all 3, toronto is dirty, van is expensive, calgary is clean and has a lot of opportunity.

………………………….

Clagary is clean and cold; I lost my job in Calgary, could not find another one, I am in Vancouver looking for a job.

I saw a documentary a long time ago where people were smoking dope in a coffeehouse type place in downtown Vancouver and the cops didn’t bother them at all.
When did marijuana become legal? Where is this place ’cause I want to check it out myself!

There are a number of cafes on the Pot Block on Hastings in Vancouver. Yes, people do smoke weed there but it is not legal. The reason the cops don’t bug them is because those cafes are in the downtown east side where a bunch of hippies smoking weed and drinking coffee are the least of the cops concerns. The places get busted every now and then but they stay open for business.

Medical marijuana is legal throughout Canada but it is not legal for recreational use. However, in Vancouver (can’t speak for other cities) if you are discrete about your use and don’t cause problems for other people, the cops will pretty much just ignore you. People still get busted but every time someone I know has been busted, they’ve had their pot taken from them and that’s it. I’m sure people do get into bigger trouble than that because, well, some people love mouthing off at the cops, especially the VPD.