What's it like to live in Canada?

[mrbeachman]

but there are several more options beside GTA.

\to summarize... you may or may not succeed in Canada. Flip a coin.

There are several other options in Canada. Yes, Calgary, Edmonton and Fort McMurray.

 

[J.M.]

\to summarize... you may or may not succeed in Canada. Flip a coin.

There are several other options in Canada. Yes, Calgary, Edmonton and Fort McMurray.

Which I totally understand because I know that the U.S. is the same way. All I'm trying to say is that if I didn't know any better, I could have easily assumed that all of Canada would offer the same treatment as one specific area. ALL of Canada is being portrayed by some as being a horrible place, or by others as some utopia. In truth, it is neither. Just like the U.S., it all depends on who you are, what you want, and what is available. The U.S. isn't any better than Canada.

 

[on-hold]

\to summarize... you may or may not succeed in Canada. Flip a coin.

There are several other options in Canada. Yes, Calgary, Edmonton and Fort McMurray.

This post is excellent both for being true and hilarious. But you forgot Winnipeg!

Canada's a small place. Parts of it are almost impossible to move to successfully (Maritimes) without a high-demand skill. Others have a crappy economy. Others are small, northerly cities, way north of what we in the States think of as an uninhabitable wasteland. Others are Vancouver. Canada's just not that big . . . When I was living in victoria I applied for work everywhere. I mean it, everywhere.

In U.S. terms: http://www.bite.ca/bitedaily/2014/01/map-us-population-measured-canadas/canada-3/

 

[toutesweet]

I agree with both you two -- nothing can change the fact that here in Canada buying a lousy house in an ugly development basically chains you to the system for life. It might be a development of the past ten years or so, people were telling me here in Edmonton prices have doubled in that time. Yesterday my wife's sister sent us pictures of the house we moved out of in Nong Khai 4 years back, in that time the trees we planted have grown up and are loaded with fruit . . .

That said, farming rice is the hardest job in the world. Let no one romanticize that to me!

Oh boy. I am not romanticizing farming rice and he doesn't do that. He bought the land for $5000 and make $500 a year renting it out to eextended family and they farm it/have it farmed. It's a pretty good return on investment. It can also be seized by the govt at any time of course as things go there.
There's nothing really romantic about it. It's just a choice of priorities and what one wants out if life and what gives one life satisfaction. It's easy to lose sight of these in Canada but still possible to get.
I forgot to mention parks. I do love Canada's parks.
All of these things are things one has to consider. Sometimes finding out what you don't want is as important as finding out what you want. I have another Thai friend who spent 20yrs in Texas. I met him in Bangkok on my first time over going through reverse culture shock. Four years later he fully appreciated his life back home rather than in the US. It all depends on where you are coming from, what you're looking for, and having children is also a factor.
That said people can try the Canadian experience and see how it goes for them. It's not a binding decision.

 

[J.M.]

This post is excellent both for being true and hilarious. But you forgot Winnipeg!

Canada's a small place. Parts of it are almost impossible to move to successfully (Maritimes) without a high-demand skill. Others have a crappy economy. Others are small, northerly cities, way north of what we in the States think of as an uninhabitable wasteland. Others are Vancouver. Canada's just not that big . . . When I was living in victoria I applied for work everywhere. I mean it, everywhere.

In U.S. terms: http://www.bite.ca/bitedaily/2014/01/map-us-population-measured-canadas/canada-3/

If you don't mind my asking, what profession were you seeking employment for? It probably won't help me since I am more blue-collar/middle class, but it might help someone else who also plans to work in your profession to be prepared for a difficult job search.






Btw, South Florida can be a very nice place to live... you just need some job security and some thick skin. Even though I posted a lot of negatives about South Florida, I would hope that my post wouldn't discourage someone from moving here or at least giving it a try. South Florida is just... diverse and it can be wonderful to many or horrible to some. I.e. South Florida is also "flip a coin" material

 

[toutesweet]

This post is excellent both for being true and hilarious. But you forgot Winnipeg!

Canada's a small place. Parts of it are almost impossible to move to sucessfully (Maritimes) without a high-demand skill. Others have a crappy economy. Others are small, northerly cities, way north of what we in the States think of as an uninhabitable wasteland. Others are Vancouver. Canada's just not that big . . . When I was living in victoria I applied for work everywhere. I mean it, everywhere.

In U.S. terms: http://www.bite.ca/bitedaily/2014/01/map-us-population-measured-canadas/canada-3/

Did i forget Winnipeg!? How rude. I love Winnipeg. I find it to be quite culturally harmonious with a bizarrely large Jamaican community considering the cold.There is an unfortunate disharmony with native/Metis communities I find quite sad, but it's beautiful, has great community values and lovely people. The weather of course is a challenge, but it's got great festivals and accessible stuff going on and I think it's a gem if you can handle the weather and get a decent job. I only lived here for four months but visited often. Winter is something else though!

 

[on-hold]

I too love Winnipeg. I spent a week there once long ago and thought it was an awesome city, affordable like Edmonton used to be. I'd move there in a heartbeat if someone offered me a comparable job.

 

[chesterbr]

One thing that *surely* helped me was visiting the country before moving. I know it can be pretty hard/infeasible, but visiting as many places as you can before taking such a decision is highly recommended (unless, of course, you are on a "can't get worse" situation). We often have no idea of what life is abroad, and may be either underestimating or overestimating anything.

That said, I love Canada (at least Toronto - where I live - and the few other places I had the opportunity to visit). I would not choose anywhere else today if asked. But I am also sure that that most of the people I know in my country (Brazil) would not fit very well here, for sheer cultural and meteorological reasons.

 

[emamabd]

ALL of Canada is being portrayed by some as being a horrible place, or by others as some utopia. In truth, it is neither. Just like the U.S., it all depends on who you are, what you want, and what is available. The U.S. isn't any better than Canada.

I agree with you with regards to the US, i have a relative (US citizen) who lived most of his life outside the US and just returned to stay there permanently (university degrees obtained from a 3rd world country) and is struggling a lot now - trying to find a decent job.

i also know some people who migrated to Australia and they had their share of "tough struggling" - they had to go back to school to upgrade their education and even afterwards - some managed to get decent employment while others could not.

So Canada is no different than US or Austrailia, any newcomer will have to struggle to find his way through - and there's no guarantee to succeed.

 

[Eowyn]

Quebec is simply a *censored word*hole , Mexico has better roads. Province is full of angry poor miserable bigoted people who believe its their birthright to get handouts from the government and enjoy screaming at Muslim women. Their government is corrupt to the core. The mafia built most of their roads which are now falling apart. That *censored word*ty province should be kicked out of Canada.


All in all most of the country is a frozen wasteland which is uninhabitable for most of the year, 90% of the population lives within 100 miles of the US border, Americans took all the nice livable parts of North America.

I'm not trying to be a jerk. I'm just curious. If you hate Canada so much, why don't you leave? You think the US took all the nice liveable parts of America? That's funny. Which natural disaster would you prefer to endure? You have your pick of hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, floods, volcanos, drought, wild fires etc.....the choice is yours. Canada may be cold, but we are reasonably unscathed by nature. Americans have a lot to deal with, so you are mistaken when you say they got the best bits.

 

[Rs85]

Hi,

I guess everyone has his own experience to share whether its good or bad. Every country has its negative sides. One has to make his own way in search of happiness.

Regarding the previous posts, what would you prefer living in Canada or Paki/Bangladesh??? The choice seems easy for me, and ready to start from low in Canada than live in these countries(no offense) just for the standard of living.

 

[keesio]

These threads are amusing but at the end of the day it depends on the individual and their desires, so I agree with J.M. in this regard. I moved to Canada and liked it right away. I already had a good job offer lined up as it was a local company that recruited me and sponsored my work visa (I am an engineer). My wife has not had such a pleasant experience. Her profession requires her to get licensed in Ontario before she can work (health profession), which is costly and time consuming. And when she is done, she will certainly get paid much less than what she got paid in the US. Coupled with the fact that taxes are higher here and things in general cost more (since she is more into shopping than me), she always comments that from a financial perspective, the move to Canada was not a positive for her. She also felt she got better quality of health care in the US (her employer provided very good health insurance). Of course she is one of the lucky ones to have such good coverage in the US (so let's avoid another health care debate here). Also the weather bothers her much more than it bothers me. Anyway, all of this just reinforces that which is better really depends on YOU.

 

[AAL1984]

The U.S is not perfect, no country is , but America doesn't need anyone to defend her. She can stand on her own, all the "stuff" comes from America. The next big idea, the next "facebook, youtube, etc." will come from America.

I think Canada should just join the U.S, Canada is pretty much like a subsidary of the United States anyway, we could join and become a terrirory like Puerto Rico or perhaps an EU style relationship.

People in Canada spend all of their time obsessed with America, people were in tears when Obama got elected, people cried (as seniors here tell me) when JFK was shot, when Canada is simply mentioned on American news it makes news in Canada! Yet go to America, most people don't know Canada exists nor do they care, I was in Houston ( a city that does tons of business with Calgary) and most people don't know what Alberta, Edmonton or Calgary is! Canada makes them yawn and laugh and they view it as a retarded version of America. Yet Canadians spend all their time obsessing over the US, could be over Manning vs Brady, Obama, U.S politics etc..Canadians know all there is to know about America.

Its like the ugly little sister, one sister is pretty and popular and get's all the attention. The other sister is nerdy, no one talks to her - that's Canada!


Canada simply drowns in this inferiority and in the shawdow of greatness cast by the US, isn't it pathetic to go crazy over someone who doesn't know you exist? It's just sad, and as a Canadian I feel ashamed. I just thank GOD my wife is from the US, best thing I ever did.

US also has tons of diversity, if you don't like a particular state you can find something to your liking. I mean how different are Florida and Alaska, or Vermont and New Mexico. There is something in America for everyone, no reason to ever travel outside the USA.

What is there in Canada besides the GTA, Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton? Rest of the places have no jobs at all. Who the heck would want to live in a dump like Winnipeg or Regina? You want native youth breaking into your car and drunks pissing on your lawn , tons of property crime, -40C?

Nasty nasty cities for the most part. We don't have anything as amazing as SoCal in Canada, or like NY or Hawaii. NY alone has more stiff to do than all of Canada.

I was in Surrey, and people there have to go shop for milk , eggs, gas, and cheese in the U.S (Blaine) because Canada rapes people on these basic items. How can you like a country when you have to cross the border just to buy basic stuff? Now Surrey is a crappy poor area but even people from nice parts of Vancouver go shop in the US. US border guards laugh at them and give them a hard time, how shameful.

 

[J.M.]

The U.S is not perfect, no country is , but America doesn't need anyone to defend her. She can stand on her own, all the "stuff" comes from America. The next big idea, the next "facebook, youtube, etc." will come from America.

I think Canada should just join the U.S, Canada is pretty much like a subsidary of the United States anyway, we could join and become a terrirory like Puerto Rico or perhaps an EU style relationship.

People in Canada spend all of their time obsessed with America, people were in tears when Obama got elected, people cried (as seniors here tell me) when JFK was shot, when Canada is simply mentioned on American news it makes news in Canada! Yet go to America, most people don't know Canada exists nor do they care, I was in Houston ( a city that does tons of business with Calgary) and most people don't know what Alberta, Edmonton or Calgary is! Canada makes them yawn and laugh and they view it as a retarded version of America. Yet Canadians spend all their time obsessing over the US, could be over Manning vs Brady, Obama, U.S politics etc..Canadians know all there is to know about America.

Several countries obsess over the U.S. because they think it is some great, amazing country; however, even more countries laugh at the U.S. and its citizens' ignorance of the world and what goes on in it. The majority never travel outside its borders and they only listen to mainstream news which is plagued with political agendas. The U.S. government thinks it is the world's police and goes about sticking its nose in places it has no right being, places the average citizen has no idea the U.S. is operating in. The U.S. is merely a curiosity of the world and some are mesmerized by the sense of entitlement it has, while others despise it. Don't get me wrong, the U.S. is a great place to live and work if you can find your way in life, but to suggest Canada be a subsidiary of the U.S. because the U.S. is somehow superior? I like the fact that Canada keeps more to itself and isn't as gung-ho to rid the world of seemingly threatening 3rd world nations, who conveniently have large amounts of oil, all in the name of peace and liberty.

I love both countries for different reasons and I find both to be wonderful places to live. One isn't better than the other in my opinion, but one can be better for others depending on your wants and needs. I am happy that you love the U.S. so much yourself and I welcome you to this amazing country, but I find Canada's more peaceful, stable disposition draws me to it and I love it just as fiercely.

I will be very thankful to move into Canada soon and turn on the news and see things other than violent gun crimes being broadcast, and to seek new opportunities in a place that is different from what I am used to. I find the Canadian populace to be more agreeable than the South Floridian population. It will be refreshing to live and work without the blatant racism and entitled attitudes I consistently face on a daily basis. Sure, Canada isn't perfect but the social climate is much better than where I currently reside.

And side note: A lot of famous actors you see in the United States are actually Canadian, and many backdrops and T.V. series are often filmed in Canada. Sure, you have to move to the U.S. to become that rich and famous actor, but I just find it interesting that several of the well-known actors are from Canada.

 

[mrbeachman]

US also has tons of diversity, if you don't like a particular state you can find something to your liking. I mean how different are Florida and Alaska, or Vermont and New Mexico. There is something in America for everyone, no reason to ever travel outside the USA.

Man, I was with you until this part. Obviously another USA cheerleader who has no clue about life outside North America. No, Americans are not ignorant just about Canada.... they are ignorant about the whole world and soon they will pay the price when China just steps over them like giant that they are.

USA gave you a passport. Please use it.