To anyone struggling to make connections in Vancouver: it is possible.
I’ve been traveling into Vancouver from another BC city for a while, and recently moved here. On a job expo, I made an accidental friend. We’re both internationally educated in the same field, so we instantly bonded over how long, expensive, and frustrating the BC credential process is. I’m a total introvert, so making close friends usually takes a lot of work for me. But she was just so easy to get along with. Since we live within close proximity to each other, she helped me buy my first bed, goes on Costco runs with me, and we hang out at parks once in awhile. My local roommate warned me about the infamous "Vancouver flakey culture," but showing up matters. While some of my other friends here are busy with marriages or demanding jobs, she and I both are unemployed, and share the same hobbies. If we make an effort, and be present, genuine, and reliable, we will attract the right kind of people :) Hope anyone who is struggling to make friends read this. It is indeed, possible.