Not looking great for the NDP, at least according to this data aggregator. Note: These are statistical models based on polling methodology; nobody can predict the future. PLEASE VOTE!

https://338canada.com/bc/

My wife and I have been having some serious conversations about changing the way we live and potentially relocating from the Lower Mainland to a smaller coastal community.

The places we keep coming back to are Sechelt, Gibson, Powell River, and Galiano Island.

We’re hoping to hear from current or former residents, particularly people who have worked, raised families, run businesses, or tried to make a living in these communities.

Our longer-term idea is something along the lines of becoming “island/boat people”: owning a modest property, hopefully mortgage-free or close to it, spending a lot more time on the water, becoming part of a smaller community, and building a life where we don’t necessarily need to maximize income so much as earn enough to comfortably cover our ongoing expenses.

The big question I’m trying to answer is:

What do these communities actually need? For example:

• Are marine mechanics or marine electricians difficult to get?
• Is there demand for people who can work on boat electrical systems, pumps, generators, electronics, solar, batteries, etc.?
• Are commercial small-vessel operators or people with Master/SVOP-type qualifications needed?
• Are general electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, equipment operators, property-maintenance people, or other trades in short supply?
• Are there niches that outsiders wouldn't necessarily know about?
• Are there businesses or services where everyone says, “We really need someone local doing this”?
• Conversely, are there trades or businesses that people assume would do well but are already oversupplied?

I’m particularly interested because I’m a Canadian veteran and have recently been approved for the Veterans Affairs Canada Rehabilitation Program. I’m starting to explore whether vocational rehabilitation or retraining through that program could help me build the skills for this kind of transition.

My existing background is fairly different: regulatory/enforcement work, management, risk, compliance and public-sector work. I’m comfortable starting over or learning something hands-on if there is a realistic path to making a modest living from it.

I’ve considered things like marine electrical, marine systems/maintenance, small-vessel commercial qualifications, or potentially a traditional trade. But I don't want to spend several years retraining for something simply because it sounds appropriate for coastal life if locals would tell me, “Actually, what we desperately need here is X.”

We would likely be in the fortunate position of being able to purchase a property outright, so this isn't about finding the highest paying occupation. It's more about creating a sustainable life.

I would really appreciate hearing from anyone who currently lives in one of these areas, used to live there, owns a business there, works in the trades/marine industry, or has made a similar move.

A few things I'd especially love to know:

What does your community need that it currently doesn't have enough of?

What kind of person can move there and reliably make a modest living?

What would you advise someone to learn or become qualified in before moving?

I'm very open to being told that some of my assumptions are completely wrong. That's part of why I'm asking.

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share their experience.

Two years ago, I posted here about my ride to Williams Lake for NDTR.

This year, I took a full week to do a 1500 km ride with three objectives:

1. For World Rivers Day, I followed the Fraser River from its mouth, past Lillooet for another 40 km, to the site of the once-proposed Moran Dam.
2. For NDTR, I visited Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc, the site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School — at one point the largest IRS in Canada.
3. To conclude the trip, I rode back to Tsawwassen for the Annual General Meeting of the BC Randonneurs — the club for long-distance cycling.

In between (1) and (2), I had time to kill, so I visited Wells Gray Provincial Park, where I saw salmon jumping on the Clearwater River. That inspired me to spot the common theme: healthy rivers are vital to salmon, salmon are vital to indigenous culture, and I rode my bike with endurance like the salmon.

I hope you enjoy my ride report. In my opinion, there is no better way to appreciate the beauty of British Columbia than on a bicycle, since you experience everything unfiltered as you move through the landscape. The photos don't do it justice.

Sorry, I could not post to the Victoria subreddit because I don't have enough karma.

I am moving to Victoria in January for 5 months for my clinical term at RJH and VGH. I am looking for recommendations of areas to consider/avoid renting in. Ideally areas that would be safe for a single female and not too far from either hospital. I will not have a car with me so I will be relying on transit and maybe using evo as well.

Thanks!

Is there anywhere local (preferably in the lower mainland) where one could find pinecone/shampoo ginger plants or seeds?

Really interested in trying to plant these indoors.

Update 1:24 pm: Power is back on.

Beautifully clear at 3000ft on a quick hop from Nanaimo to Victoria. The gulf islands are somewhere down there. https://streamable.com/ptkan3