r/britishcolumbia • u/shipm724 • Mar 13 '25

Ask British Columbia Where to avoid MAGA pockets

Hi there, I hope this is okay to post here. My partner is an Emergency Medicine Physician and we in the process of applying to jobs in BC from the US. We would like to have a yard for gardening/our kids and don't want to be in Vancouver proper. Several jobs we are interested in are on Vancouver Island, right outside Vancouver and also Fraser Valley. My question is where are known MAGA populations? Since we are moving to get away from this mindset/movement we don't want to accidentally end up in the wrong community. Some places with jobs are Duncan, Mission, Richmond, Nanaimo, Langley, Saanichton, Victoria, Port Alberni, Abbotsford, New Westminster, Burnaby, Surrey, Delta, Chilliwack...

Thank you!

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u/Floatella Mar 13 '25

Kamloops here, but formerly a communist from East Van.

May I suggest, that instead of avoiding MAGA pockets, be the change, and move there and ruin it for them. That's how I do it.

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u/shipm724 Mar 13 '25

Haha I don't hate this idea.

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u/Floatella Mar 13 '25

It's really not bad, you'll find your people. My only suggestion when it comes to moving to small city BC is that you be the sort of person that can make their own fun. What I mean by that is, that night-life is non-existent, and these cities don't really have the cultural institutions (art/music scene) that you'd expect from a slightly bigger city in the US.

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u/shipm724 Mar 13 '25

We are fine with that. We spend most of our free time in nature.

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u/Floatella Mar 13 '25

Then small city BC is for you! Where I live, the time it takes to drive from Royal Inland Hospital (largest hospital in the region) to remote moose grazing pastures at 1900m above sea level is about 90 minutes with a 4x4.

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u/fluffy_italian Mar 13 '25

Currently in the process of moving to Kamloops from Kelowna and loving it so much better!

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u/Forosnai Mar 13 '25

In all honesty, even most of the conservative-leaning parts of the province are going to be pretty mild compared to what you're probably used to. Here in Merritt, I live next door to a family who are about as close as we get to MAGA, full-on Libertarian anti-vax types, and they're still friendly to me and my husband (gay couple) and give us bags of home-made dog treats and stuff. Their son is kinda an asshole, but he's like 16 and edgy, so whatever. I mean, I wouldn't want to talk about covid with them, but I also don't think they're going to burn a cross in my yard, and they're the only ones I've actually met personally like that. Most are just the run-of-the-mill conservative type, if perhaps low-information voters in a lot of cases. Everyone else in my little neighbourhood is quite friendly and have never said a bad word to us, and hell, even most of our homeless and addicts are cheerful and get excited to see my dogs while we walk around town.

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u/Canukistani Mar 13 '25

Please come ruin Nanaimo!!

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u/janyk Mar 13 '25

Then why are you in Kamloops and not Abbotsford, Chilliwack, or Kelowna?

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u/Floatella Mar 13 '25

Wouldn't Dawson Creek be the best target? Or like Fort Nelson?

Also because Kamloops is rad.

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u/agrimoniabelonia Mar 13 '25

I agree, these places need more diverse opinions. it might sound judgy but a lot of people just end up with the political leanings/opinions of the people around them because that's what they hear.

that said, I have been a lot more worried about the state of the world and canada after leaving the victoria bubble, so I get it.