Can someone please explain Canada for me?

[quote=“Doctor Evil”][quote=“Muzha Man”]
But there are still lots of rednecks out there, lots of racists, and lots and lots of fundamentalists. [/quote]

Isn’t it true many live in Chilliwack?[/quote]

Racists? No. Some whack job tried to set up shop in Chilliwack and was run out of town.
Fundamentalists? Yes. But there’s many, many more black-stocking Dutch Reformed types, and old school Mennonites.

I don’t know why anyone would want to live there:
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About 15 years ago a survey was conducted on random city streets in all the major Canadian cities. The question was “What is the Canadian identity?” The number one reply was “…what?” The number two reply was “…we aren’t American?”

The greater Vancouver region is less than half Asian (maybe 30%?), but the main cities do seem like it’s more than 50%. Ms 914 just asked me the other day if I had any white friends in Vancouver :laughing:. The greater Vancouver area is beautiful. For a big city, it’s small. For a small city, it’s big.

The west coast has the mildest climate in Canada. On average, the coldest it gets here in Vancouver in winter is -2 C. Yeah, it’s wet and cold in winter, but the four seasons are very distinct.

The west coast also has beautiful scenery: mountains, Whistler, ocean, beaches, ferries to Washington state and other outlying Canadian islands. West Vancouver boasts “the richest postal code in Canada” and downtown east Vancouver boasts “the poorest postal code in Canada.” The downtown eastside isn’t too bad, and it’s across the street from Chinatown. Druggies stick to their business pretty much and walk round like pigeons. Many of the residents of the downtown eastside are aboriginals. I find it unfortunate, as many leave their reservations for a better life but…

It’s worth a visit at least once in your life, but better have lots of money ready to spend on tipping and GST! If you’re on a budget, Vancouver may not be on your list of must-see cities. You wouldn’t be able to enjoy the culinary delights this city offers.

Canadians live proximal to their shared border with the US because that’s where the railroads set up the cities. Look at the construction of the CPR. The engineers would much rather have taken a northerly tack thru The YellowHead Pass (Edmonton) or better yet, The Crow’s Nest Pass thru Lethbridge. Both routes would have been far easier to construct than was Roger’s Pass or The Kicking Horse. Why did they do this?

They wanted the railroad to act as a secondary border to the the 48th parallel. It was decided by the sitting government at the time, to hew their way thru the seemingly impassable Central Rocky and Monashee ranges as this was approx. 100 miles from the 48th. They feared venturing too close (Crow’s Nest Pass) would encourage the yankee dogs to swarm and swallow up the railroad. The northern route was abandoned for another reason, I can’t remember, but was soon built by The CNR anyway. As was The Crow’s Nest even later.

In Western Canada, the reason for the georaphical placement of major cities is due to the railroad.

Venturing too far north, you’ll meet unbelievably cold winters. I’ve spent time in northern BC and Alberta and there is no colder experience to have. That said, South Western Canada, with the exception of Vancouver/Burnaby and most of the southern half of Vancouver Island, are biting cold as well. Eastern Canada is a wet cold. To live there, anywhere, you need to be stoic, intrepid even about the weather. It is harsh. But when it eases, when the clouds break, you’ll nary see such beauty.

I am surprised that no one has mentioned Ottawa. If I was to return, I’d seriously consider The Gatineau Valley as a possible place to live. My folks are building a place halfway between Montreal and Ottawa. Looks sweet. I also remember attenting a wedding in a cornfield up that way. We got the northern lights in a most spectacular display. Imagine having The Aurora Borealis grace your wedding day?

As for our culture being that “we are not American” as our main cause celebre, I’d agree. It is what makes us special. We are not American, yet can pass for one. We don’t want to be one. Nor do we want to be mistaken for one. We watch your television, but balance it with our own. Our comdians remind us of the differences all the time. Our songwriters as well. Our culture, if measured in things musical includes greats like Gordon Lightfoot, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen. Our writers too remind us of the difference: Timothy Findlay, Margaret Atwood and Modecai Richler are amongst the best writers I’ve read. Look at Alex Trebek, a more erudite and politer man you couldn’t hope to meet.

Yes, we make an art out of the middle of the road. But we are happy there. Contrary to Mr. Young’s opinion, we think it’s better to rust.

Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
A Southern man don’t need him around anyhow

Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
A Southern man don’t need him around anyhow[/quote]

[quote=“Neil Young”]Southern man better keep your head
Dont forget what your good book said
Southern change gonna come at last
Now your crosses are burning fast
Southern man

I saw cotton and I saw black
Tall white mansions and little shacks.
Southern man when will you pay them back?
I heard screamin and bullwhips cracking
How long? how long?

Southern man better keep your head
Dont forget what your good book said
Southern change gonna come at last
Now your crosses are burning fast
Southern man

Lily belle, your hair is golden brown
Ive seen your black man comin round
Swear by God Im gonna cut him down!
I heard screamin and bullwhips cracking
How long? how long?[/quote]

Who’d wanna hang with a Southern Man anyhow?

Neil Young moved to LA in the late '60s.

[quote=“Dogfaces”]
Who’d wanna hang with a Southern Man anyhow?[/quote]

Watch it boy…I got a whip with your named carved on the handle.

And he eats quiche.

Sorry, but what does that have to do with the price of tea in Boston? I moved to Taiwan in the early part of the 21st century. Does that make me any less Canadian. Are you less of an American now that you live in Tainan (all cowboyism notwithstanding :wink: )?

[quote=“Doctor Evil”][quote=“Dogfaces”]
Who’d wanna hang with a Southern Man anyhow?[/quote]

Watch it boy…I got a whip with your named carved on the handle.[/quote]

What? Not going to invite me to your Lynch Party? :smiling_imp:

And he eats quiche.[/quote]

But technically, in a Canadian sense, he is a southern man.

HG

And he eats quiche.[/quote]

But technically, in a Canadian sense, he is a southern man.

HG[/quote]

From Northern Peterborough.

914 wrote:

I went to Vancouver for a day to meet some friends whilst I was staying in Whistler and we thought it was quite cheap there compared to London!

Jaborney = right on.

Canada and music (see lyrics and feeling). No MTV blingage but slowly creepin in.

Friends and family. Solidarity and distance. Urban beauty and the Country side.

1 hour North and you’re in heaven with a fishin pole, a pack of matches and a bundle of veggies (oh and a 2-4 of AK).

Make it out east and listen to our roots. Irish? ya don’t say…really??? Scotland??? no way.

Culture = the outdoors and not MTV but it all depends on where the family came from.

Multicultural…yep! But the abuse of our system is what’s putting us in the sewer. Too bad, so sad and blame it on the white man.

Gnight.

Tee Dot 4 lyfe!*

*or untill ya get robbed, jumped, argued with or shot at more times than ya can stand. Then ya move up North 45 mins and ya can leave your bike/car/basketball on the front lawn for a tad longer.

Edit: Canadian music = Edwin (I Mother Earth) - Alive (need more pm me for a various amount of home grown bands)

[quote=“Little Pig”]914 wrote:

I went to Vancouver for a day to meet some friends whilst I was staying in Whistler and we thought it was quite cheap there compared to London![/quote]

We have special discounts for those who still say “whilst.”

It’s as good a place as any to live. If my retirement plans in Vilcabamba, Equador fall through I’ll probably live in some small town in the northwest where I can buy a nice house on a little land for 25,000 Canuckbucks. If the price of energy keeps climbing like it is I’ll definitely not be living in the north.

It’s big, relatively unpopulated, beautiful in places and the people are pretty nice. If I absolutely had to go back there tomorrow, I would get on a fast track for a teaching certificate and live in a nice small town and breathe lots of fresh air most days. The winters aren’t so bad in the north. The darkness is much worse than the cold. There are many fun things to do in the snow and like Taiwan, you can make things happen if you try.

Hey, what’s the American or British music scene done for us lately?

Gotta hang your hat somewhere.

I’m hoping that the Turks and Caicos join Confederation. I’d be there in a flash.

:roflmao:

But to be fair, in the entertainment industry, that’s where the money’s to be had.

Not surprising at all. Pick 100 random Americans on the street and ask them about the capital of G8 countries. The error rate will be highest for Canada. I’ll bet the error rate is probably well above 50%, with half of those in error drawing a blank and the other half saying Toronto. I’m not talking about you, of course, since you already said you have a map on hand. :slight_smile:

Actually, Ontario is quite nice. :slight_smile: And yes, it’s cheaper than California. But then again, 49 other states are also cheaper than California, so that’s not saying much.

Vancouver is beautiful indeed and the greater metropolitan area of 2 million people (3rd largest in Canada) indeed include a very large Asian population with ethnic Chinese being by far the most numerous followed by Indians. It’s very expensive to live in Vancouver and it ranks just below London in this regard.

Toronto is the largest city in Canada and also has a very strong Chinese presence in the city (1 in 6 are ethnically Chinese). In fact, Toronto, like Vancouver, is a bilingual city with Cantonese being its de facto second language. I’m exaggerating of course, but not by much.

Montreal is the second largest urban centre in Canada. I’m not sure what you mean by “French influence probably isn’t too annoying”, but if you mean people speaking French on the streets are annoying, then Montreal will be a very annoying city for you as French is the dominant language. However, it’s not a problem living in Montreal with English only. Montreal is the hippest and coolest city in Canada. On a side note, it also a major uh…“creative” centre for porn that is made for the American market. :howyoudoin:

The prairie provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba) are indeed much like the central United States where the geography is flat, the population sparse, and the way of life is mostly farming and rural. Alberta, however, does have two cities with popluation of approx. 1 million each - Calgary and Edmonton.

All in all, given an equal sized town or city in the US that snows, the day to day living in Canada is not much different than that in the United States - the language is the same, TV and movies are 95% the same, stores and shops are essentially the same, the way the houses look are the same. Quebec (which includes Montreal) is the exception, of course, as it is a French speaking province.

[quote=“Mother Theresa”]Overall, there may be some nice places to live in Canada, but the country still seems second-rate when compared to other places one could choose to live in the world (not including Taiwan of course).

Is my understanding basically correct?[/quote]
No. And it’s not all that relevant anyways as people choose to live where they live not necessarily because the nation is “first-rate” or “second-rate”.

I may be incompetent and irrational, but my reasons for living in Canada is not. :stuck_out_tongue:

I work in high tech and I can easily pick up and move to the US to work in any of the high tech centres (Boston, Raleigh, Dallas, coast of California, etc.) and I have indeed visited the US on many occasions for job interviews and have received offers of employment. However, I’ve decided to stay put for now. I live in Canada’s capital which has a population of about 1 million in its greater metropolitan area. It’s big enough to have many amenities of a big city but small enough so that the cost of living is reasonable. I also live a short 10 minute drive away from my work. Living in the capital also means there’s an abundance of museums in this town as well as nice touristy spots and parks to take the family. It’s a 2 hour drive to hip and happening Montreal, 4 hours to lots-of-good-Chinese-food Toronto, and 1 hour away from the US border.

The fact is that even factoring in the exchange rate, my gross pay will only be marginally more in the US except for California. Yes, the taxes may be lower but higher costs of living and health care goes to offset that advantage. In California, I may be able to get a higher gross pay, but then the income taxes in California are about the same as in Canada, the cost of living is very high, and properties are virtually unaffordable. Just two days ago, I heard on the radio that a community in California is considering housing assistance for households that make US$100,000 a year. I think that’s quite telling. Oh yeah, the commute is awful as well. On the flip side, the weather is superb and the flight to Taiwan is a lot shorter. :sunglasses:

Of course, there are other reasons to live where I live besides the purely economic.

I am, however, currently contemplating a move to somewhere “second-rate” – Taiwan.

I lived in Vermont for many years, about an hour’s drive from Montreal. I love that city for all the reasons already mentioned, and It gave me the best of both worlds: I could live out in the country with fresh air and stars at night, but a big exciting urban center was close by if I wanted it. Conversely, because the majority of the Quebec population lives close to the U.S. border, they are within range of the nicest parts of northern New England.
I was always impressed by how much liesure time the Canadians seem to have. Every July they mount a tourist invasion into my state: in every campground and in every anchorage in Lake Champlain, they outnumber Americans two to one, though the intensity of these annual invasions varies with the valuation of the Canadian dollar relative to the U.S. dollar.
Whenever I hiked in the Adirondacks (northern New York state), the majority of other hikers I met were Canadian. I began to get the impression that all we Americans ever do is work! :frowning: