Relocating to this Island Paradise!

Funny, relocating sounds exciting; moving, on the other hand, just sounds like a whole lot of work. But whatever the term, living in Nanaimo is well worth the effort it takes to get here. Words cannot describe our feelings as, after driving for five days from Ontario, we came across on the Horseshoe Bay Ferry knowing that we were not tourists enjoying this spectacular scene, we were residents coming home! These were our mountains, our islands, our ocean!

As familiar as we were with moving, there were a few things we learned from our long-distance move. First, moving companies charge by weight, so look very carefully at all your precious belongings and decide how much you value them and compare that to how much it’s going to cost to move them. (This also works as an economically sound reason to buy new on this end!) Second, pack each box as though it is going to be the bottom box in a stack of ten and it is going to be tossed (oops, carefully carried) on and off the truck several times before it gets here. And last, colour code boxes for different rooms, keep an inventory of what’s in each box, and number them so you can check them off after they have arrived. (Movers number and check off, but unloading is frantic and you’re likely exhausted, so assume that on that day you’re going to be brain dead, and have your own back-up system in place that you can consult at your leisure as you regain brain function.)

There are many arrangements on this end you’ll want to make ahead of time. Health coverage and vehicle licensing and insurance are all through government agencies, and can, for the most part, wait until you are here. One thing you will need is a “claims record” from your current insurance company to apply for discounted rates with ICBC, the government-based auto insurance company here. See the website below for details. Here are phone numbers for utilities and so on to get things ready for your arrival.

Additional Links

Health Insurance and Pharmacare
www.hibc.gov.bc.ca

Vehicle Registration, Licensing and Insurance
http://www.icbc.com/Insurance/insura_getsta_howbuy_moving2.asp

Relocating to Nanaimo
www.relocatecanada.com/nanaimo/index.html

HiFX inc:Foreign currency exchange
www.hifx.com

The Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society
www.cvims.org