I think "Canada : Dull but Worthy" conveys the reality of the country (at least Toronto). The strongest feature of Canada is that, since I've been here, nothing much has happened. Ace baguettes gained wide distribution which was nice as previously there hadn't been good baguettes. That this stands out as the major change in the past ten years speaks volumes for the stability of the place.

"Canada : Insufferably Smug and Overwhelmingly Bureaucratic" would also be fair but problem isn't what's wanted.

Actually AGB lived for several years in Cape Breton, NS and created many inventions there including the hydrofoil, maintained a summer home there througout his life, and is buried there. So Canada claims him in addition to the UK and US.

Well not in Toronto that's for sure.....

Here we have 2.
1) Sunny and freezing.
2) Sunny and boiling.

Words you always hear on British weather forecasts which you will never hear on a Toronto weather forecast....
Mild, breezy, drizzle, overcast, 'rather warm' and 'feeling chilly'.

Words you will hear a lot on Toronto weather forecasts....
Heat Advisory, smog warning, blizzard, sunny, extreme heat alert,
tornado warning, funnel cloud, freezing rain.

I guess you werent here for the wet spring and nice fall then?

How about....

Like Belgium, but larger and less interesting?

How long did that last? A week?
As far as I remember it went from snow in April to furnace in June
with a mix of snow and furnace in May
Hardly what I'd call a spring.

I don't think there's a Spring here either. There are a couple of weeks when there's a lot of mud but no leaves and then, wham, it's hot.

Funny, I remember lots of rain between March and Mid May, not just this year, but last year, and the year before that, and the year....

you get the picture.

I think the reason we dont recognise it as "Spring" is because mentally its really winter to us Brits!, and the -20to30 snow / sun season is something we dont really have a proper name for!

I guess you havent been here for the Fall? My favourite time, no bugs, cooler temps, humidity gone, beautiful trees. Good for a couple of months, often into November.

September rocks! It's my absolute fave month in Canada.

AGB certainly got around a bit by the sounds of things. Anyway, as he was a born and bred Scot from Edinburgh, I will continue to think of him as a Scot. Not that I'm biased being Scottish myself of course!!

Innovation occurs and has occured in Canada but it's generally stuff nobody understands, cares about or it's poorly advertized that Innovation X happened in Canada or by a Canadian.

One of my personal favourite Canadian innovators is Steve Pasjack although without Banting more than a few people in my family would gone for their dirt naps by now.

Hi Everyone,

First, I'd like to thank you for your input: this is proving to be a pretty insightful discussion!

Seeing that Canada's innovative nature is being scrutinized, I would just like to get your feedback on some Canadian products that are perceived to be innovative.

Research in Motion's BlackBerry (http://www.rim.com/index.shtml)

Lulemon: Lululemon is a yoga inspired athletic apparel company. Researching and setting the bar for the latest fitness trends and implementing new technical sewing and fabric usage, Lululemon features clothing for specialized sports including yoga, running, rowing, rock-climbing and "multi-sport." (www.lululemon.com)

Design for Sustainability (http://iris.yorku.ca/CompletedResear...uhUHzhjeZ.html) Design for Sustainability (DfS) is a research partnership established to tell design-led stories of business, sustainability and innovation. The focus is on Canadian small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that are leaders in designing their products, services and business strategies to preserve the environment, reconcile diverse stakeholder interests and achieve competitive advantage. 2005 Case Studies Published by Corporate Knights Magazine include: AutoShare, Beach Solar Laundromat, Busby + Associates Architects (Green Building Designers), Craik (Sustainable Living in Rural Saskatchewan), Cool Shops (Greening the Small Retail Sector), Crannog Ales (Canada's Only Organic Farmhouse Brewery), ECOgent Environmental Solutions, Future Acqua Farms, Go Bike, Hempola Valley Farms, Jackson-Triggs Winery, Looolo(Living Textiles), Markets Initiative, Raincoast Books, New Society Publishers, Pearl Poddubiuk Architects (Social Housing), and Warrens Waterless Printing.

Wouldn't these products qualify as innovative? What do they say about Canada's attributes and values?

I've used the Beach Solar Laundromat it seems like a mildly good idea if not as innovative as Suds and Duds, the laundromat with a bar.

I haven't heard of any of the others.

Canada's brand voted second-best in global poll

Interesting reading:

http://www.gmi-mr.com/gmipoll/press_...05252005.phtml

The UK gets second place, the US ties at fourth with Germany in part due to respondents labelling the US government as "dangerous."