I've only been to Vancouver once. It was a little rainy, but I'd rather that over 9 months of snow any day. Vancouver is a GORGEOUS city. Cliffs overhanging the highway and when it rains (which apparently IS rather frequent) these little tiny waterfalls come over the rockface onto the road.
It is quite a bit warmer there, I guess they rarely get snowfall and ice. Last spring we still had a couple feet of snow on the ground and I saw a news clip of people there wearing shorts and hoodies.