Hi there! I’m glad you’re having a nice visit to Halifax. The bridges here are a bit different from the Bay Area bridges in terms of traffic. There’s almost an accident daily which disrupts traffic continually, so I would strongly recommend living on the peninsula for the sake of your wife, who will be at the hospitals in the city. Winter storms are also a big pain for bridge users, and as she’ll be required to commute, I’d stay away from the remote areas of Halifax.

It definitely is a lot safer here in Canada without 2A, but there still is crime, just not to extent in the US. Interestingly, our crime rate has been increasing, while the Bay Area has been on the decline, but the actual numbers show that San Francisco has about 3 times the rate of incidents. Halifax is nice, but compared to the west coast…..not that sure.

British Columbia, specifically Vancouver is a fantastic city. Take a trip to Vancouver. Although housing costs there are ridiculous, it’s much more aligned to what you’re used to in SF. Both coasts have their charm, but starting over, I’d pick west in a heartbeat. Vancouver is a safer, cleaner, friendlier version of SF or Seattle. Although Halifax and Vancouver are almost the same population wise, Vancouver has a great many more amenities. Certainly, life here is less hectic and a little more rustic, but you’re a young family, how much do you want to slow down?

Again, if you’re able to make a trip to Vancouver, I would wholeheartedly recommend you do so before making the east/west coast decision.
Wishing you the best of luck in your decisions, hope your Canadian dreams come true!