Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

I certainly don't which is why I'm very carefully thinking about just how long to stay for. I reckon being elderly here must be terrible and I really can't imagine dealing with the wintery conditions when I'm in my twilight years and breaking bones or having a heart attack while clearing more snow. Oh and the layers. Never, ever being able to just step out the house for a minute without applying layers of clothing and snow boots. Never mind being old I hate that now.

I find winters here long and oppressive and is out of everything would be my number one reason for moving back. It's great right now for the kids to enjoy the garden and run of all that excess energy but because of their young age they become prisoners of the indoors once the winter sets in and it goes on for so long here. I have no interest in winter sports and yes, I know that makes me a miserable git but neither does my Canadian wife.

From my personal perspective the winter here, at least in my neck of the woods is the biggest downside of Canada and my mindset is already dreading the onset of next winter.

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

Sure.

As Stepnek says, having to put the "right clothing on" gets to be a pain in the arse when you have to do it only because you forgot to put out the dustbin when fetching the post. Putting the right clothing on children is invariably a pain in the arse but it's not even the cold so much as the months of darkness, salt and slush that are wearing.

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

Yes I defo do want to be here forever, Ive been to over 300 cities in over 30 countries and the only place that compares for me is Japan but its too populated and cramped and also Spain - only speak a bit of the lingo and cant be bothered to learn the rest. Admittedly never been to Oz or NZ yet.

I wont be in ON forever but thats the beauty of Canada once OH kids have fled the nest we intend to move back to her native BC which is completely different to ON and the East coast, If we can afford it of course California would be nice but living in a 3rd world country where its hot all year is not my cup of tea.

God Bless Canada.

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

Yep, there's lots of fun games you can play on highways in a whiteout, like:

"Find the highway exit",
"Follow the leader",
"Stop and scrape"..to name a few...

My personal favourite is "Create a new lane". Bit dangerous, but very rewarding.

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

You forgot the local favorite....

spin the car and see how many others go in the ditch before you

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

Yes that is another classic!!!!! One for the risk takers ;)

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

Then there's road roulette - leave the snow on the roof, drive down the road, get up to speed, brake and guess where you are going!

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

It's really good when its snowed, then the temperature goes up a bit, and it turns to rain for a while, then it freezes. Then you drive onto the highway and get up to speed.

Then, the snow comes flying off in big icy chunks. Looks very pretty in the rear view mirror.

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

And remodels the car behind. Especially so when it comes off a semi trailer!

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

And you all look forward to that kind of driving like that when you're old with slower reactions? :rofl:

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

I'm already old with slow reactions. I saw the ice chunk flying off the minivan long before it sailed through my windscreen, I just didn't know what to do about it.

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

Just how did you see it coming through the 6" letterbox you look through in the winter :huh:

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

It will be even more fun then ;)

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

My favorite winter road sport is slamming the anchors on before a stop sign so I just skid slightly over the line. The look on the faces of the approaching drivers is hilarious!:thumbsup:

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

One of my faves after a dumping and you have to get to work in the morning is sitting in the car/truck and waiting several hours for the heaters to melt it - hey who wants to rush to the office!!

Then once its done for that bit of excitement dont shovel the drive just drive over the snow mound left by the city plow and try get a bit of 'air' time (parental advisory - you need a truck for this, dont try in a smart car) :)

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

Go to your local pharmacy and ask, they usually have a list of doctors that are registering new patients, out local pharmasave were tremendous with this and found us an excellent doctor just recently qualified having arrived from the lebanon.

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

Especially for treating blast injuries or the odd bullet wound;)

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

be sure your job offer includes medical benefits, as insulin etc here is very expensive, approx $1000 per month without medical cover

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

It was in the afternoon. The car had been indoors all day.

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

:rofl:I hear ya. I am still going to be over in the UK until most likely July 2009. Although I really wish to return, missing family over there etc but already I get the nerves in my stomach of living through that long Winter again. Although I ski, skate, hot tub with a Baileys or whatever is going!;) ride a horse which I adore of which I have not ridden outside in the Winter there yet ?? little nervous how that would be, do other stuff to try to get through it also but Oh Boy when will I never feel like this!!!???

Please comment who ever has found that happy medium. I know I need to be not too far from my children, but is Florida the only option for us!:confused: Any miracle cures much appreciated

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

Nor me. And I have horse.

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

Me too and I would strongly recommend unless you can dry off the beast indoors no-one should ride in winter.

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

OMG so how am I going to get through the Winter, drunk I guess! Fell off my horse twice today so I guess that is good training for falling off on the ice bumps maybe I'll just put some extra padding around my bum and hope for the best...... and there was me thinking I could ride the trails in Vivian Forest it would be so pretty, haha, just have to go have a glass of Shiraz now...

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

Ride indoors or go to Florida/Texas/Arizona/California for the season, that's what Canadians do.

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

Salt and slush, fair enough. But the darkness? Toronto (for example) is farther south than London - so during Winter doesn't that give you more daylight?

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

Maybe. But it's dark when I get to the office, around 7 and dark when I leave, around 5, so for a couple of months I don't see natural light on weekdays. I find it's a drag. The day they put the clocks back is especially depressing as, before that there is at least some light after work.

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

Sounds like you have a touch of SAD.;)

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

may i ask what the snow is like around kentville area in NS sounds like it could be fun:rofl:

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

White.

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

I don't think there's any hint of a disorder in thinking spending twenty hours a week clearing snow in the dark gets to be a bother.

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

white !!! are you really sure its white :p

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

We had no problem sorting out a doctor,actually we went to see 3 doctors at various location's and then made our choose.The only thing was all the doctors we did see were all South African,they seem to like the Island i guess.Workwise i am self employed,so cannot comment on finding a job.

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

I thought healthcare was supposed to be better in Canada than in UK?

Is it seriously a problem getting a GP?

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

Hate arenas, but thanks

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

Possibly an unanswerable question: With the hire/fire mentality in North America, how is it when you are faced with huge delays clearing 6ft of snow before a commute and the subsequent lateness? Are most employers understanding about this kind of thing? Or is this not an issue?

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

I don't let it be an issue. If I don't think I'm going to be able to get back to the office in time the next day I don't go home. It's not uncommon for people to stay in or near offices on bad weather days, especially those who depend on transit. Road conditions aren't completely predictable, of course, but last winter I missed only three billable hours due to snow.

Employer's attitudes vary but, I think I would be tempting fate to be late because of a generally avoidable cause like weather. My neighbours think they got their house at the low price they did because the previous occupant, who worked as a cop thirty miles away, was told that if he didn't move immediately he'd lose his job.

In the winter I pass lots of houses/farms that have vehicles parked at the roadside even though the house is far up a lane, people use a tractor or snowmobile to get to the road and drive from there. I suppose that, like me, they clear the snow in the evening. What they do about the windrows (the barrier built by ploughs, I don't know).

I'm actually well placed as the driveway slopes to the road, I blast down the drive, through the snow barrier and out on to the road, I can't see if something's coming but it never has been. At night I stop on the road and clear the drive before driving or towing (depending on the amount of ice) the car up for the next day. The chore with all this is changing in the car into snow pants and boots so as to be able to trudge to the tractor. There's a nasty urgency to that as, in winter, the road is only one car wide and if something comes along it's likely to hit my parked car.

Commuting however is nothing like the horror that getting water to the barn is when the line is frozen.

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

Hi Charlie1, Thanks for the info, is $1000 a month an actual price? We have tried to find out through diabetes ca website what a realistic price for insulin is in canada but can't seem to get any answers.:confused:

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

Yeah, rain isn't so bad.

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

Our next door neighbour is a GP so luckily for us we are registered with her surgery.

I felt bad at first as my friends at work still haven't got a GP and they've been here years longer than me :o

Re: The cons of Canada??!!
 

I used to think the same about snow until I got here. My wife couldn't understand it but she always had this knowing look when I used to talk excitedly about it. The extreme falls that we had here last winter killed off any last, lingering doubt of fun...?