If you interested in moving to Canada you should investigate more than just Vancouver. It is very different than the UK in some ways and very similar in others. Recent immigration to Vancouver has been from across the Pacific, setting the style and pace and expense. There are many locations across the country that are interesting and diverse - and closer to the UK in case you want to go home for visits. Dealing with winter is often a consideration but the country is set up for it. And being cold is countered by wearing proper clothing and being in fully heated buildings. Snow slows things up on occasion but this is part of life as well. Take a look at Halifax and Fredricton in the east, Montreal, London ON, Calgary, Saskatoon, even Toronto and Victoria.
I have to offer a different perspective. To me, Vancouver (and by extension, Victoria) is the only livable place in Canada, especially if you're coming from somewhere like Lancashire with a much milder winter. After an absence of 20+ years, a dozen of which were spent in Vancouver, we moved back to Toronto a couple of years ago. It has been pure hell, the combination of cold winters, hot & humid summers, springs that come and go before you know it, high winds all year round, etc. etc....take my advice, if you're going to consider Canada, stick with the southwest corner of the country!
And if you're coming from the UK, the housing prices in Vancouver aren't going to seem so bad, as long as you're bringing along some equity.