Keep in mind Israeli culture is very different from Canadian culture which in turn is yet a little different than USA culture. I can totally see where you're coming from (as someone who came to Vancouver with a cat just about 16 years ago).

There are much better places to work for in Vancouver (my opinion :). Hopefully you'll land in one (should have landed that before leaving Amazon :) ). There are definitely places with better management and where good work is noticed. That said you need to be aware of the cultural differences and that things work differently than the way you're used to. I was really lucky in terms of landing in a place with good culture and a team that I really got along with, but still there were culture clashes initially (and probably to some degree still are).

Anyways, good luck at work and surviving the grey winter ;) Let me know how to get in touch if you're interested in some more local advice.