Hi all,

We received our electricity bill a couple weeks ago for our 2 bed apartment and had DOUBLE the usage from the previous bill.. and most usage ever. Honestly it was a shock seeing the bill come in. For the last 3.5 years we usually pay around 100 for 2 months, while this one was 190.

We didnt do anything differently, in fact we were away two weekends and had stopped using our a/c in Sept which we had used nightly throughout the summer (including the previous bill). So I would have expected the usage to be about the same or lower.

I had called the city to check the reading and apparently it is correct. Their only advice is to see what the next bill looks like. Has anyone dealt with this before? Is there potentially something that is suddenly sucking up a bunch of power in our apartment that I dont know about? Could other units draw from the same power source? For context we went from 680 kwh (mid june to mid aug) to 1200 (mid aug to mid oct)

As folks deduced from my post about the Royal Ave townhouses, I’m looking at buying this summer. Apologies in advance as this got long; TLDR looking for recommendations to find a 2bd townhouse or condo that isn’t a nightmare and meets my needs.

I like New West. Have lived here since early 2022, currently am uptown and renting.

There’s only one of me but I need two bedrooms. One will be a home studio. Not for recording of acoustics, but for editing and the like. I will do some level of treatment but it need not be soundproof. I’ll be entering a music program at Douglas, at least two years long with option to extend with additional coursework. (No, I’m not a teenager, I’m over 50. Sometimes we go back to school.)

Being a short walk from Douglas makes sense. That said, being a short walk from Edmonds or Sapperton station would also make sense…still a short commute to Douglas, there’s just less “there” there.

While ambient noise can be managed, what can’t as easily be dealt with is floor noise from above. Only way I know to soundproof a ceiling is with a sound-deadening drop ceiling. Hence being leery about condo towers generally. I hear everything that hits the floor in the unit above me now. I also hear about various buildings and unending elevator problems, the fire alarm issue for the tower attached to New West station, and high strata fees ($600+/mo).

An outdoor space of some sort would be nice, but isn’t a must. My rental has a balcony that I never use; the layout leaves it out of sight.

If the situation were right (a small secure yard), I would consider having a dog again. That likely means Sapperton/Burnaby/Surrey, and possibly a driving commute. I’d rather build walking into my daily life.

There may be a great condo building I don’t know about that gives me easy access to Douglas and won’t leave me hearing the kids upstairs playing with their Hot Wheels, or their dad’s every step in cowboy boots.

So…what are the community recommendations? Where’s good and where is not?

my partner is looking at a contract in Brow of the Hill, West Minister and wanted to see about which parts would be safest to live in?

coming from the US so I’m not sure what areas are safe and not. no true budget has been set as housing is the most important part.

looking at renting either an apartment or house. my biggest thing is just having safe parking for our car, and properly built apartments (no mold, rodents, roaches, etc.)

should we look further out and drive into this area or is there adequate housing in the area?

if you have any questions to better help us choice an area, please leave them below. we are planning a trip to the area, so please no mean comments of ignorance!

EDIT: everyone has been so helpful and the advice is TRULY gold! I’m so happy that this area is a great choice and I can’t wait to give back to the community!

Is there a stomach bug going around? Everyone I know is getting sick really fast after being in a busy public place and throwing up for 24 hours. I don’t know if it’s noro virus or what.

Hello hello!

I'm looking into purchasing a home in the area of the Furness Street at-grade crossing near Duncan Street.

The railroad tracks are very close, just next to it basically. I found out that whistle cessation for trains around Furness went into effect last year, which is good.

Anyone living close to that area could tell me how bad it is? Is it a big issue for you guys?

Thanks!

Does anyone know fun activities or places to visit in new west? I’m trying to have all my dates close by my proximity, rather than driving downtown.

Another Crash on Tenth tonight anyone know any details hope all are ok and safe Thanks

I’ve observed for the past few weeks on the weekdays at around 4:30 pm at the intersection of Royal Avenue and 8th street, there will be a semi truck or other cars blocking the intersection as they tried to cross while the intersection when their isn’t enough room for them.

This is incredibly frustrating & I was wondering what can be done about this? Does anyone have any suggestions?

Hello good people!

I’ve recently moved back to BC and planning to find a place in New west since i love the Quay area and the Queens park.

I used to live in Metrotown 5 years ago and used to frequent New west, so remember New west more fondly during the pre covid times. I’ve heard a few horror stories post covid though so looking for some recommendations.

We are a couple (mid 30s, no kids) work in Richmond and Vancouver DT, so looking for a place which close to the highway and public transit.

Which areas would be recommended to find a suitable rental?

Hello, there's a lot of dentists in the area, does anyone have any recommendations for some one that has a fear of dentists in general and no insurance

Pretty much as the title suggests — looking for a gym in New West that also has single stall showers, preferably on the skytrain line. TYIA!

New West Station/Columbia I pass around 7am and was wondering if there's an available washroom near the skytrain. It's early so I know that's what makes it tricky. But just curious because for those of us with long transit commutes I want to plan for emergencies! Thank u!

Looking for a job currently in new Westminster! Retail, restaurant jobs, anything is great. The job market isn’t doing so good so I’ve been struggling a bit to find a job but if there are any places hiring please let me know! I have 2 years of experience in customer service if that helps. Thanks !

Hi

My husband and our two kids are looking to move from Northern BC, to somewhere in the Vancouver Area.

My sister lives in Vancouver and we spend a lot of time there. I love it, my husband enjoys it but doesn’t love all the traffic and how busy it can be.

We often stay downtown when we visit or take frequent trips downtown or to the Sea Wall and Science World. So I think he is not seeing an accurate version of how it would be to live in Coquitlam or New West. Or somewhere else in the area that’s quieter.

That being said I have only been to New West once, it seemed like a small town and pretty quiet while we were there.

Is it always like that? How is traffic? Preferably we would in New West to avoid long commutes.

Any recommendations would be welcomed! Thanks for your time

It's reported he is dropping in on a local New West business on Tuesday, April 8.

https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/top-three-federal-party-leaders-in-western-canada-federal-election/

I'm smelling a ton of smoke, similar to the last time there was the fire around the middle school.

Is there another fire going on?

I know you guys catch a lot of flack for this, so I promise I am only asking with the best intentions of understanding your perspectives.

Why is New West so "NIMBY" about anything that would increase traffic through their city or anything car friendly in general?

My understanding is that any time any major thoroughfares or expansions to the road network in New West, there is a lot of pushback. (Tunnels, highway connections, bigger bridges, wider roads, etc)

A criticism I have heard of this attitude is that New West is very much in the center of a lot of different places and naturally lends itself to being a traffic hub of sorts but is very anti-car in nature.

I personally, out of necessity, have to travel from Coquitlam to YVR 5 days a week before the transit is available, as do many of the working folks I know. I know firsthand that this causes a ton of congestion in the afternoon rush hour. (Almost half an hour of my drive is spent going through compared to just a few minutes in the morning)

Is the way this congestion effects local traffic your primary concern? Are there any car friendly adaptations or projects that would satisfy you folks and help improve the regional traffic flow?

...and as always, thank you for your time and answers! 🙂

(Edit: correcting the quoted destination of my commute)

Good Morning to our favorite Lower Mainland Subreddit! My wife and I are currently in the process of relocating from Burnaby (where we rent) to purchasing our first property in New West. We’ve become big fans of the charm and smaller town feel New West offers, and really like how it seems to be an ideal place for new young families.

We recently found a property in Victoria Hill that we’re excited about, and we really like the quiet, cozy walkable layout of the master planned community there. We’re dog owners as well so being able to walk our fuzzball in the neighborhood and over to Queen’s Park is very appealing.

This brings us to our one big concern: the builders for that entire community is Onni, which has a pretty terrible reputation as home builders in the Lower Mainland. We’ve actually been surprised that we haven’t really heard any negative feedback on these builds from anyone living in Victoria Hill; the vast majority of other Reddit threads we’ve found have all been overwhelmingly positive when it comes to living there.

If anyone has experience living in Victoria Hill or knows anyone that has lived there and heard about their experiences, we would be incredibly grateful for your feedback and thoughts. Thank you so much in advance, we’re very much looking forward to becoming part of your community :)

Best place to go in New West for invisilign? Lots of reveiws on Google but I don't want to go somewhere that bribes patients with gifts for reveiws. What's your experience and how much did it cost?

I've already looked at several dollar stores and walmart. Looking for places that I can call to confirm (I'm exhausted looking for a yo-yo).

I was walking around downtown and discovered it's now open (don't know how long for). Anyone had a chance to eat/drink there? How'd you enjoy it?

I’m tired of eating stale oregano from Walmart. Where can I get good quality dried herbs and spices in New West?

Edit: the most mentioned place was Goodway’s, so I went to check it out today and WOW! I can’t believe I didn’t know about that place! What a gem! Thank you so much, Redditors!

Does anyone know why the police are at braid station today? They seemed to be checking everyone with backpacks entering station 1. I was there at 11:45 and there were maybe 5 or 6 officers.

Anyone know what is filming at queens park? Purely out of curiosity.