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if you really want to work in actuarial field in canada, i would suggest waterloo.
canada's life insurance industry is dominated by the big three, namely manulife, great west life, and sun life (ranked by market cap). both manulife and sun life have their canadian headquarter in waterloo and corporate (global) headquarter in toronto. alumni of waterloo have dominated actuarial departments (even non-actuarial functions) of these two companies. great west life locates its headquarter in winnipeg, manitoba, and has canada life as a subsidiary in toronto and london life another in london, ontario. although there are not as many waterloo alumni as in the other two, waterloo students still have quite some presence in great west life. in addition to the big three and life, waterloo also have network in property and casualty, reinsurance, pension fund, consulting, academia and government agencies. in one word, the network of waterloo could not be matched by any other, and network is where opportunity comes from. in job hunting, you will have resources inaccessible by competitors from other schools (unless they wish to diversify employee base on purpose).
please be aware that enrolling in a co-op program does not guarantee a co-op position. if you cannot find a co-op, then you are out of the game and have to be in the regular program. of course, companies (especially manulife) will hire co-ops specifically and the pool of competitors will be much different from that of full-time. I won't deny that fighting for a co-op may be less competitive, but i incline to think that it is rather a sense of security than a reality. say you are a waterloo co-op (undergraduate; they just don't call graduate student co-op). co-op positions are mostly for waterloo students as other school don't have that huge supply, so you are competing with your fellow students and your ("prestigious") school or program does not distinguish you, even your manager or interviewer is an alumnus or alumna. but if you are looking for a full-time, school helps a lot, especially in the first few rounds and if you are not that outstanding (though i wish not the case). people always claim they hire the best but they usually don't partly because misinformation comes into play. reputation is a kind of misinformation that could work in favor for you if properly used (of course i don't mean something else). back to the topic, do you still think finding a co-op is easier than a full-time? when it comes to job hunting, there is no difference between co-op and full-time. take both seriously.
it is widely observed that co-ops do land in a better full-time position or find a full-time job more easily than regulars. please note that it is an observation or relation, but explanations could vary and could be complex. yes, the industrial experience gained on a co-op significantly enhances one's skills and increases the odds of employment. is it the only explanation (i am being cautious here by avoiding the word "reason") to the observation? not everyone is able to be in co-op: co-ops are "left-truncated". those who are incapable to find a job quickly (no matter co-op position or full-time) will never be in co-op program or be kicked out; those who survive can still find a job quickly even without co-ops. this also makes statistics of co-op look fancy because this is a "conditional probability". so co-op helps the good become the better, and it hardly transforms the uncompetitive to the good. this effect should be taken into account when you interpret the numbers on hand. i hope you belong to the good, so co-op only "helps" you but you should be fine without it. your goal is a full-time position anyway.
if you are eager for working experience before graduation, no one will stop you finding an intern. simply take a term break and work as an intern (though procedures should be followed). on the other hand if you are tired of co-ops, just quit it. schools won't force you to finish your degree as soon as possible. neither will they plan or schedule for you. you are the master of your study and career. so please forget about things like one-year or two-year.
there are tons of chinese on waterloo campus, which may not be a good thing. however, there are even far more chinese in greater vancouver, which may also not be a good thing. in terms of english communication and cultural integration, neither is more helpful than the other. you have to be self-disciplined anyway. just don't let it complicate your decision.
by the way, waterloo is not as stellar as outsiders think. neither is actuarial science (compared to investment banking, portfolio management...). no matter which school you attend, what subject you learn, it is almost always true that no pains no gains. good luck.
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