I was actually born in raised in Oil Country (AB) but moved to Van just over a decade ago. Love it here, especially the winters as they're so mild with no snow which is incredible. Cost of loving is very high but if you can afford it, highly recommended. As a reference for hockey fans (aka Canadians), for the cost of 2 good tickets to a Vancouver Canucks games, I can fly to San Jose or Pheonix and watch the game there for about the same price with flight, hotel and game tickets included.
Vancouver's killer for fitness buffs like ourselves as the beach season in the Summer is amazing, especially near UBC (University).