How do I meet people in Canada?

"I joined the Newcomers Club in my area. This is not the Welcome Wagon. Every member must be new to Canada within the past 2 years and we all help each other. It's marvelous! This is where those special life-long friendships are formed. Here's a few suggestions that are working for me: Take classes. Learn to play squash; join a running, rowing, or pickleball club. Get a part-time job doing something fun. Join a church, a knitting group, a soccer club. There are a million ways to put yourself out there. Just keep smiling and DO talk to strangers. (Don't listen to your mother.)," commented one expat who made the move to Canada.

William Russell
Get Quote

William Russell's private medical insurance will cover you and your family wherever you may be. Whether you need primary care or complex surgery, you'll have access to the best hospitals & doctors available. Unlike some insurers, we also include medical evacuation and mental health cover in our plans (except SilverLite). Get a quote from our partner, William Russell.

William Russell

William Russell's private medical insurance will cover you and your family wherever you may be. Whether you need primary care or complex surgery, you'll have access to the best hospitals & doctors available. Unlike some insurers, we also include medical evacuation and mental health cover in our plans (except SilverLite). Get a quote from our partner, William Russell.
Get Quote

"I live in the Comox Valley, which is on the east side of Vancouver Island. We have a thriving newcomers organization called the Comox Valley Newcomers Club. The website is www.cvnewcomers.ca. It has close to 200 members. You can remain in the club for up to 3 years. Once you have been in the club for 1 year, you can also join one of Newcomers Alumni groups, which also have about 200 members in total. These groups are for women only (we tend to be more social than the men), but there are some regular events that include spouses and partners. There are no children allowed. The membership is mostly age 50+. Events include weekly walks, hikes in summer, snowshoeing and skiing in winter, pickleball and bike outings. There are regularly scheduled lunches, pub crawls, appy nights, and also impromptu events like an evening at the theatre, day trips to Victoria or the north island, etc. Membership dues are $30 per year. In addition that, each of the municipalities in the Comox Valley (Cumberland, Comox, and Courtenay) have fantastic programs through their recreation centres. You can sign up for art classes, dancing, hiking, yoga, piano, the list is endless. I've been here for a year and made more friends in that short time than I ever thought possible. I'm part of a weekly card playing group (I rarely played cards before coming here), I have lunch once a month with 15-20 gals, and I go on weekly walks where you find women with your pace and strike up a conversation. Frankly, it's hard to not meet people here," remarked another expat in Vancouver, Canada.