Moving from Alberta to BC
A guide on how to move to BC from Alberta, and the differences between Victoria and Alberta. Then, check out the “Moving to Victoria Checklist” here.
🏠 Housing
Kijiji: Not used at all in Victoria, even though we know it’s popular in Alberta. We use UsedVictoria.com, Craigslist.com (yes, we really still use it) and Facebook for finding apartments.
Renting with a dog or a cat: In BC it’s still up to the landlord if they allow cats or dogs, or not. If you’re looking at apartments, try to confirm early in your search if THAT apartment allows dogs or cats.
Rent: Many landlords still require rent to be paid with paper cheques. More are accepting Interac or direct deposit, but this can be a shock moving from Alberta.
Subletting / Subleasing: Subleasing is legal in BC.
Air conditioning: Most apartments and homes do not have air conditioning in BC. You can buy a portable in-room air conditioner for around $200. This is a wheeled, suitcase-like unit and doesn’t need special installation.
Heating: Most apartments and homes have electric baseboard heating. Forced air or central air heating is much less common. Some homes have natural gas heating. Apartments don’t come with fireplaces. Some single family homes or condos have gas fireplaces, if they have a fireplace.
Rental Deposit: In BC (and Victoria) by law a landlord cannot ask for a deposit more than 1/2 of one months rent. So, a $1,500/month apartment cannot have a deposit of more than $750. If you have pets, they can tack on a pet deposit as well, but that also cannot be more than 1/2 of one months rent.
👩💻 Jobs
How to find jobs in BC: Linkedin.com, Indeed.ca, UsedVictoria.com, BC Government Jobs website and Viatec.ca are the biggest job sources in Victoria, BC.
What are the biggest industries in Victoria?
Technology / IT: Telecommunication companies, Software companies, Web Development companies
Tourism: Tourism companies, Hospitality companies, Transportation companies
Education: K-12, Colleges & Universities
Government: Federal and Provincial agencies in Victoria
Military: The Royal Canadian Navy
Sources: Victoria Chamber of Commerce, City of Victoria report, Vancouver Island Economic Alliance
💰 Taxes
Sales tax: In BC PST (7%) + GST (5%) = 12% total. In Alberta you only pay GST of 5%.
Income tax in BC (2021):
$42,184 or less, 5.06% BC tax
$42,185 to $84,369, 7.70% BC tax
$84,370 to $96,866, 10.50% BC tax
$96,867 to $117,623, 12.29% BC tax
$117,624 to $159,483, 14.70% BC tax
$159,483 to $222,420, 16.80% BC tax
More than $222,420, 20.50% BC tax
Income tax in Alberta (2021):
$131,220 or less, 10.00% Alberta tax
$131,221 to $157,464, 12.00% Alberta tax
$157,465 to $209,952, 13.00% Alberta tax
$209,953 to $314,928, 14.00% Alberta tax
More than $314,928, 15.00% Alberta tax
Alcohol, liquor, beer tax: In BC, we have a flat tax of 10% for all alcohol. In Alberta there isn’t an extra tax.
Source: PST/HST by province, canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/gst-hst-businesses/charge-collect-which-rate/calculator.html
Source: BC income tax, turbotax.intuit.ca/tax-resources/british-columbia-income-tax-calculator.jsp
Source: Alberta income tax, turbotax.intuit.ca/tax-resources/alberta-income-tax-calculator.jsp
Source: Alcohol tax, partnershipagainstcancer.ca/topics/alcohol-policies/alcohol-tax-rates
🚑 Healthcare
In BC, our MSP (Medical Services Plan) is free, as of Jan. 1, 2020, like AHCIP (Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan).
Do not cancel your AHCIP before you move or when you move to BC. They need to cover you for the first three months, as BC makes you wait to get on our MSP.
You can’t apply for the BC MSP until you move here. Do that online once you’ve moved: my.gov.bc.ca/msp/enrolment/check-eligibility
🚌 Transportation
Buses: Run by BC Transit for all of BC.
Buses in Victoria, BC:
Our buses do not run 24 hours a day in Victoria.
If you live in the suburbs around Victoria, bus service is still limited and a challenge. Expect to need a car in the suburbs. Or, rent in the city, and then public transit is pretty ok within the city.
We take taxis from around 2am - 6am to get home.
Bus tickets in Victoria, BC: We still use paper tickets, cash or a monthly pass (you slide it like an old-school credit card or library card) to pay for the bus. You can’t buy tickets online. You have to buy bus tickets at grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies or stores like that.
Note: Yes, we know you can use a credit card or buy fares online (the “Compass Card”) for buses in Vancouver. We’re not Vancouver.
Trains: There are no trains in Victoria or Vancouver Island.
Uber and Lyft do not exist in Victoria
Biking: We don’t get snow or ice here in the winter. We’re a fairly easy city to bike in, but, there is a lot of traffic - so being a confident, aggressive-when-you-need-to-be cyclist is a must. We don’t have big hills in Victoria.
Dogs on buses: You can’t take your dog on the bus in BC, unless it’s small enough to fit in a cage and you can put the cage on your lap while you’re sitting down.
💳 Cars & Driver’s License
Do I have to take a test in BC to exchange my license from Alberta? No.
Driver’s License: In BC, you get your driver’s license through ICBC.
Learner’s Driver’s License: In BC, you get a learner’s driver’s license at 16 years old. In Alberta it’s 14 years old.
Car Insurance: In BC, you get your car insurance through “autoplan brokers” licensed by ICBC. Common car insurance companies in Victoria are BCAA, Harbord Auto, Hub International, Megson FitsPatrick, Sussex Insurance and Thunderbird Insurance.
Plates for your car: You get new plates for your car when you sign up for car insurance in BC. We have 2 plates - for the front and back of our cars. Alberta just has 1 rear plate.
❗Get your driver’s license exchanged first when you arrive in BC at ICBC, then, exchange your plates with ICBC. This will make your life a lot easier.
To exchange your Alberta Driver’s License for a BC Driver’s License
Bring a hard copy of your Alberta driver abstract (we call it a driver’s history in BC) to exchange your Alberta driver’s license for a BC driving license. Get that before you leave Alberta online or at a registry agent: alberta.ca/get-drivers-abstract.aspx
Car: If you are bringing your car from Alberta, make sure you have owned the car for more than 30 days. Otherwise, if you bought it less than 30 days ago, BC will make you pay an import tax - which could be almost $2000.
👧 Children
Child credit: This is called the “B.C. Family Benefit” or “BC Child Credit”. Families can receive up to $145.83/month for the first child, $91.66/month for the second child, and $75 for all additional children This credit depends on your family’s income - if it is higher than $80,000/year the credit goes down slightly. www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/family-social-supports/affordability/family-benefit
Sign up for the child credit through the Canada Revenue Agency: canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/child-family-benefits/canada-child-benefit-overview/canada-child-benefit-apply.html
👩👧👦 Childcare
We have two types of childcare: Licensed and “Licence-Not-Required” (LNR). Typically, a nanny, individual ECE (Early Childhood Educator) or babysitter is a LNR. A LNR can only care for 2 children who are not related to them, besides their own children.
Where do I find childcare in Victoria, BC?
On this website, the List & Prices: Childcare in Victoria, Finding Childcare pages
⚡Power, Electricity, Gas
Electricity: In BC, we get our power from BC Hydro, unless you live in the southern interior region of BC, then it’s FortisBC.
Gas: In BC, natural gas for homes comes from one company, FortisBC.
⛴️ Weird things if you’re from Alberta
We are on an island, and kind of far from Vancouver. To get to Vancouver it takes at least 3.5 hours by the ferry. You drive 1 hour from Victoria to the ferry dock at Swartz Bay. Then, the ferry takes 1.5 hours to cross. Then, it’s another 1 hour drive to get to Vancouver.
The ferry does not run 24 hours a day. The ferry runs from 7am - 9pm to get to Victoria from the Mainland. We do have an airport, so you can fly from Vancouver to Victoria.
There is no bridge to Vancouver Island (where Victoria is).
Road salt: We don’t really use road salt. We use sand, or, we just plow the streets.
We don’t get black ice usually. This gets mentioned by people who have moved from Calgary.
Underfloor heating is not common, as we don’t need it. Our winter is so mild. But, it is a thing that some Albertans miss.
We have carpet or wood floors in our homes. Finding a tile floored house or apartment is harder. Again, since we don’t get snow or ice, we don’t worry so much about snowy boots or muddy boots on our floors.
Moist air: In Victoria and the coastal cities, we have moist ocean air. Many people from Calgary and Edmonton are used to dry air, which can cause cracked skin on your hands, etc…
🏔 Environment
Bugs in the summer: We don’t really have bugs. Around our ocean, beaches or lakes. We just don’t.
Snow: We don’t get snow in Victoria. They call us the “Hawaii of Canada” for a reason.
Clean Air: This is mentioned, A LOT, by people who have moved here. We’re surrounded by ocean and mountains, and the air is very very clean. Even compared to Banff or Jasper.
🏙️ What about other cities in BC? Maybe other cities in Canada?
We have an entire section with moving guides to the biggest Canadian cities. This is a list of moving guides to more than 65 other major Canadian cities.
What about meeting new friends?
We have a mega list covering that.