Call me insane, but I am getting up at 430am and driving to the ferry terminal 90 minutes south of me, with a 6 month old labradoodle and a 3 yr old female cat. Both are getting fixed tomorrow, over in the Lower Mainland. The vets in our area charge $225 and $375 respectively for these animals to get spayed and neutered here; yet in the lower mainland they cost just $56 and $75 respectively (plus some meds; total costs will be about $200 for both animals). Even WITH the ferry charges and gas, it is still worth my day to travel over and back to do it. On principle alone I feel that I must!
Sadly this isn't where the surcharges for living on the island stop. Apparently this price gouging is wide spread in many different services and businesses. Great example: hot tubs here? Average price about $5-8k. In the mainland areas there is much competition and, most online companies will deliver to you -curbside- for around $3-4k. Here, you are "too remote" to get things shipped to you. There's no IKEA, terrible dollar stores (no Dollarama), no JYSK (except about 70-90 minutes south of here), no Sears, no Bay, no Chapters, no La Vie En Rose, oh I could list about 100 vendors that you can trip over in the Greater Vancouver area but not over here. Not in my area, anyways. Possibly in Victoria(???) So for me taking these animals over at least allows me to drop in to these usual haunts and pick up some things that I would otherwise not have access to.
Be nice to pop in for a few hours and check things out.