heycronie

Blaaah, Blaaah, you dont know what you are talking about.

Iginla

Is that it? Blaaah, Blaaah?

heycronie

Well, instead of requoting of that, come up with your own stuff.

Iginla

Do you like my new signature?

Goodnight, don't fall asleep in class tomorrow.

owen

BORING BORING BORING BORING BORING

owen

BORING BORING BORING BORING BORING

Bleech

Throw those toys out of the pram!!!

Bob

Got pretty amusing overnight then....and it seem's he finally lost his toys out the pram then....

seacreature

I'm not being drawn into this silly argument, however I must take exception to the remarks that it's better to be poor in the UK than Canada. I strongly disagree.
I don't know about Alberta, however the poor areas of Toronto do not seem as deprived as the poor areas of the UK, not in a million years!!
I was brought up in Hull and Leeds and those cities have truly appalling areas, with hundreds of bricked up, roofless houses. Burned out cars litter their housing estates. I've not seen anything remotely approaching this level of social disintegration and poverty in Canada.
Being poor is no fun wherever you live, however to suggest the UK is somehow a good place to be poor is complete hysterical nonsense.
Whoever wrote that obviously led a very sheltered life in Britain that's all I can say. Personally I'd prefer to have no money in Canada than on some dreadful sink estate in Manchester or Liverpool. Has this person ever been to Gipton in Leeds? Openshaw in Manchester? Peckham in London? Evidently not!! The UK is nearer to the US in terms of levels of poverty and inner city decay than Canada.

Glaswegian

I'm not sure if it originated with us or not, however I stand by our statement that we would rather be poor in the UK than in Calgary. The UK welfare system is way more generous than that of Alberta.

No we have not been to Hull or Leeds but those are not the only poor areas in the UK. Both of us grew up in very poor parts of Glasgow - we do know first hand about poverty. We both worked hard, went to university and got decent jobs in the UK. Yes, we have come a long way from our origins and are looking to make life easier for our children than it was for us.

We were not talking about social disintegration - only poverty!

We can agree to disagree on this one and I wont mind.

Mrs G

seacreature

Is the level of welfare different in different parts of Canada?
I know people who rely on welfare in Nova Scotia, they're not especially poor, in fact they seem to be 'better off' than people on the dole in Britain. They get free health, free housing, free education, free use of leisure centres, free bus passes etc. In some respects that's more generous than the UK. I myself get cheap gym membership as I'm unwaged.

Glaswegian

Yes, it varies from province to province. Alberta is not as generous as, say, BC. However the level of debt carried by Alberta is (I believe) the lowest in Canada. There was a bit fanfare a while back about us being debt free but it seems it was a accounting slight of hand and that wont happen for another ten months or so.

The government does provide the poor here with free healthcare for their children I beleive.

Many of the poor in Alberta are relying on charities for some of the basic essentials of life - for example - food from the food bank. Never been there myself but I'm told that its quite a rigorous process involving a detailed explanation of why you are not able to purchase your own food. Plus the number of food bank visits in a year is limited - to two I think. Have you ever noticed the boxes of foodbank items at the front of the supermarkets?

Have you heard of the "Jacket Racket"? Every winter in Calgary there is a collection of used childrens winter coats to be given out to children whose parents cannt afford to buy them.

There are Albertan charities whose sole purpose is to make sure that children living in poverty get to take part in sports - provision of sports gear and fees.

There is a reason that there are so many more high street companies involved in charitable activities here than in the UK.

Plus there is more to a welfare state than just unemployment as I'm sure you are aware. Did you know that under certain conditions once you start working again that your unemployment money needs to be repaid to the government - at least in Alberta.

Mrs G

Bob

It does depend on the province...much like it depends on the state in the US.
But the other point to the gloom is the support network you have when at home compared to being in a new country...there's nothing wrong with wanting better, and being better off in a new country, but it is silly not to face what possible hardships that you might face in the new situation, and not no anyone to turn to.
Anyway, the trolls been banned for a month.

Glaswegian

Nope, but I grew up in the crumbling decay of Victorian tenements in Glasgow as the docks and shipbuilding went into massive decline.

I have clear memories of back courts regularly flooding with human shit from the sewers when it rained heavilly ... I especially remember the range of toilet paper colours used by my neighbours. Our evenings were illuminated by the golden light of bonfires lit to keep the glue sniffers warm on chilly nights. Masive unemployment, drug problems, gangs, rampant crime ... such sweet memories of a childhood spent in Glasgow in the 60's & 70's.

I've heard about life on the pogey in Nova Scotia and other provinces, and it's not like that in Alberta ... one of the reasons our taxes are so low is that Alberta is very tight fisted when it comes to welfare.

One of the toughest features of life in Alberta is that you can be working, but still not make enough to afford a roof over your head ... there is low cost housing here, but no such thing as a council house.

Occasionally in winter they'll get a doctor to talk on a local news show ... aparently sleeping rough isn't lethal when it gets down to -40C as long as you stay under your blanket ... if your arm or leg accidentally slips out from under your cover, chances are that you will lose it ... he described how people turn up in emergency with bright red, swollen limbs that are frozen solid after a cold night ... there's isn't much choice apart from amputation. We have a fair number of beggars in Calgary ... not all of them have a full set of limbs.

If push came to shove and I was down to my uppers, I'd still rather head back to the UK.

What a cheerful thread ....

seacreature

So evidently Alberta IS just like people here say.
i.e extremely right wing.

I'm starting to like Toronto more already.