VANCOUVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Hi Jennifer,

As a Vancouver resident for 28 years who was actively involved in the education of my chidren before moving to Brazil I can tell you that the public school system is excellent. Actually anywhere you go in Canada it is like that. The country has a reputation worldwide for excellence in education. I don't think you will find it necessary for your kids to attend school in North Vancouver, if you are going to live in Vancouver it would make no sense since the schools are exactly the same in every way. In Canada education falls under provincial jurisdiction so the province establishes the curriculum, teaching certification, etc. The school boards operate on the municipal or county level and they are effectively only responsible for running the schools within their geographical area. In any given province the education is no different from one area to the next. Educational standards are pretty much uniform from province to province too, so you won't find much difference no matter where you go in the country.

There's really not a lot of residential property in Downtown Vancouver, the West End is really nice, but because it is also a trendy tourist area you might find it sometimes gets a bit too noisy and congested for your liking, especially during special events. However having said that, you have to weigh in the balance the benefits of being so close to Stanley Park.

Have you thought about the False Creek area? It's almost downtown and it's all residential. There are some spectacular homes and apartments there. Yaletown is nice too, but again a bit hectic. For living, I'd prefer to get a bit away from the rat race. Living and working in the same place is not always such a great idea. After work I'd far rather go somewhere a bit more relaxed and that has a change of scenery.

If you've go the bucks, I'd opt for the Shaugnessy area with it's quiet tree lined streets. Some of the homes in the area bounded by W. King Edward / Granville / W. 41st / Arbutus are worth every penny of their price tag. You really find a suburban lifestyle almost in the heart of the big city. Google Street-view the area and you'll see what I mean.

Just don't forget - as you've stated in other posts if you're worried about your US greenbacks taking a beating, Vancouver, North & West Vancouver, Surrey, Richmond are the most expensive place in all of Canada to live. While you'd be living in a true paradise you're not going to get the kind of bang for your buck that you would get here in Brazil despite the recent fluctuation of the dollar.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team