So the wife and I have pretty much decided that we're moving to British Columbia circa 2011. We're looking at the Quesnel/Prince George area of the Cariboo district, but also at the coast districts like Central Coast, Skeena-Queen Charlotte, and Kitimat-Stikine (sic?). Yeah, I know they're sparsely populated -- that's why we like them. I plan on "home schooling" my kids, by which I mean that I'm going to try and balance the the western humanities and sciences with practical things like sustainable farming and the social necessities. I don't want to turn this into a public school vs. home schooling fight thread -- I just want to home school them if at all practical.
So I have a few questions for people living in B.C.
1) What are the options for rural internet access? Are there companies that offer internet access with dish satellites? We won't be on the power grid, so it's probably a bit much to expect cable internet or even dial-up. I haven't found any clear-cut answers on the satellite option.
2) Are there programs in B.C. for home schooling parents like there are in the US? I generally sass the fundies in this country, but it's largely due to them that we have a large number of programs for home school kids here...
3) Are there intertie agreements available with power companies in B.C. so that, even if we're on the grid, we can at least sell them our surplus generated power?
4) Does the government own land that it makes available to settlers under land grants (like they used to/might still do in the US), or is all the land up there already owned/preserved by the government or logging/mining/etc companies?
5) Is there anything else I should know about off-grid living in BC? Keep in mind I don't want to live in the arctic circle or anything, I just want to live a few miles outside of a town like Prince George or Quesnel.
Thanks for your answers, if you have any, and I understand your numb silence if I receive that instead 8) And yes, the "Canadia" thing is tongue-in-cheek, I haven't pronounced it that way in weeks. I'm a bit of a Canada n00b, so any help is appreciated, especially the mindnumbingly obvious facts about differences between rural living in the US and Canada.
Thanks!
So I have a few questions for people living in B.C.
1) What are the options for rural internet access? Are there companies that offer internet access with dish satellites? We won't be on the power grid, so it's probably a bit much to expect cable internet or even dial-up. I haven't found any clear-cut answers on the satellite option.
2) Are there programs in B.C. for home schooling parents like there are in the US? I generally sass the fundies in this country, but it's largely due to them that we have a large number of programs for home school kids here...
3) Are there intertie agreements available with power companies in B.C. so that, even if we're on the grid, we can at least sell them our surplus generated power?
4) Does the government own land that it makes available to settlers under land grants (like they used to/might still do in the US), or is all the land up there already owned/preserved by the government or logging/mining/etc companies?
5) Is there anything else I should know about off-grid living in BC? Keep in mind I don't want to live in the arctic circle or anything, I just want to live a few miles outside of a town like Prince George or Quesnel.
Thanks for your answers, if you have any, and I understand your numb silence if I receive that instead 8) And yes, the "Canadia" thing is tongue-in-cheek, I haven't pronounced it that way in weeks. I'm a bit of a Canada n00b, so any help is appreciated, especially the mindnumbingly obvious facts about differences between rural living in the US and Canada.
Thanks!
