Lychee

Have you ever lived in any other part of Canada, other than Toronto?

AdrianTO

I have met others here from Europe, not specifically the UK, but other countries, and there primary reason for moving here was economic. Not one of them said that they moved here because of the better lifestyle. Each one of them hates the N American lifestyle with a passion. Why are they here? Because they can't make the same kind of money back home.

I dated a Czech girl for a while and she had a completely negative view of Canada. The people were rude, everything was so far away, you couldn't just walk everywhere, she felt isolated with out a car, people didn't enjoy life and kept to themselves, the food sucked, people were fat.. etc... etc. These were her observations, not mine. Now, I didn't necessarily agree on all those points. But, all she wanted to do was make enough money to have her house built in the Czech Republic and go back.

AdrianTO

No, my point was to find out why people wanted to move to Canada. But, the reasons I got appeared to be quite removed from reality. I think Canada and even Toronto are not bad places to live. Many people love living here. But, there are problems. The same ones people say they are running away from.

iaink

I can make the same sort of money in absolute terms back in the UK, but it doesnt buy shit there.

However, I am categorically here for the more relaxed lifestyle. I dont need the UKs drinking culture, I dont need the class system, I dont need the net curtain twitching, i dont need to keep up with the Jonses, I dont need the casual violence and tollerated petty crime.

The czech girl makes many valid points about canada/ US life, but they are not secrets (not sure about rudeness, although in Toronto she probably has a point), most people make the move with their eyes open. Frankly I see little point in moving from say London to the GTA, many of the same social problems and overcrowding and expense issues are present in both, but moving from small town UK to small town Canada will almost certainly result in a step up in terms of housing affordability and exposure to petty crime and loutishness for starters.

AdrianTO

I think maybe you have just said what many people have avoided saying for fear of being politically incorrect.

But, even that is a fallacy. Unless you really move out to the boonies, the dream of being surrounded by only white people will be one that will not be fulfilled.

lauder99

On some levels I'm ashamed to admit it but that's probably an extremely accurate summation of my feelings on the matter.

Cheers

Tom

Steve_P

But according to your vast knowledge of Canada as a whole Edmonton, Regina and Vancouver are?

Danny B

You don't have to move to the boonies, I have been living in Kamloops since July and have not yet seen a black person!

bazzz

I've only seen a handful in Vancouver.

Whilst being in a "white" neighbourhood might seem more desirable in England, it's probably less of an issue in Canada as there seems, to me at least, to be less resentment of immigrants. And in turn the immigrants seem to feel less antipathy towards the unhyphenated Canadians.

Having said that, the lower cost of accommodation means I spend most of my time in the "nice" parts of town (downtown, West End, Kits) and I do work at a University. So I could be well insulated against "reality". Suits me. I had plenty of reality living in Walthamstow and Tooting.

AdrianTO

OK, what about Chinese, E Indian, Tamils??

Are you looking for "white neighbours"? Or "non-black" neighbours?

AdrianTO

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/sto.../to-crime.html

lauder99

I can only speak for myself but neither, its just happens to be a by product of the improvement of my social standing provided by the equity of my UK property.

R I C H

Kamloops has a handful of the above, but I can't say that the colour of my neighbour's skin had any bearing whatsoever on where I chose to live. That was just purely incidental.

Without racial diversity I'd miss out on all sorts of cultural elements, whether that means less choice of food in the local grocery store, a lack of 'foreign' restaurants or whatever. I'd agree with bazzz that racial integration here (IME) is far better and less conflicting than in the UK.

dbd33

It was really just in reference to gangs. Gang members tend not to be white.

dbd33

Ahem. I think we're out there but Kamloops? I had to fetch an atlas.