Hi all,

I would love to hear what folks truly think of living in Canada, not just the essentials like job market, and stuff like that (although I would still like to hear what you think about such issues) but also the intangibles like culture, attitudes, and stuff like that......

I'm hoping to get a good feeling for the place based on peoples impressions and perceptions. I have certain ideas about the place, so would like to see how my perceptions measure up to people's real life experiences. I welcome all geographical representations even though I am keen on Vancouver, myself. But heck, if you're in the wilds of the Yukon territory I still want to hear from you!

Don't worry, I haven't got my rose tinted spectacles on, so bring it all on, the good the bad and the uuurrgleee.

Cheers all! I'm looking forward to this.

Be sure to account for peoples locations in their responses...it can be so different even within say different parts of the BC Interior. Just some totally random stuff:

+ good stuff
great weather
4 real seasons
real snow
snow does not bring the place to a standstill (exc. Vancouver)
people do stuff other than fight/sit in pub/complain/watch TV/fight
can ski/bike/golf/swim all on same spring day (yes done it)
getting a base tan in March
wearing shorts 10 months out of 12
long hot dry sexy lazy funky summers
slower pace of life
plenty to do
access to everything outdoors
going Sasquatch-spotting
mad religious cults / kooks (free entertainment)
Kootenay ghost towns
doing mad stuff out in the bush (lawless frontier country)
extreme sports and the regular risk of injury/death (just for kicks)
friendly people (see also unfriendly people)
living in a place where most people 'come from somewhere else'
not having a load of whining Brits tramping around
dumping the land of the 'Little Ingurland' islander mentality
chance to dump the old country for the wild west
frontier mentality - simpler life, can survive on less fussy things (if you want that)
see above can basically live like a frontiersman if so wish
see above can also like like spoiled Fifi Trixibelle/mallrat/coddled/urbane sort if so wish too
actually having 'done it' and the change/impact that makes to your attitude and rounded life experience
living in the best region of the entire planet (Pacific North West)
'local travel' means a few hours drive to do/see something and not even thinking twice about doing it.
BC bud
mad/bad driving (free entertainment)
crappy TV - means you do more stuff
hot tubs in the snow and subzero temps with strong liquor
that a mere urchin from the post industrial Midlands such as myself appears to Canucks as a complex urbane sophisticated and educated funky cool cat
loads of really hot chicks (top notch eye candy)
the really hot chicks dig the suave English accent


- bad stuff
almost totally reliant on cars/trucks
poor public transit outside of big cities
racism (subtle/kept covert)
plaid / cradle Canadians
old people - lots of them, everywhere
employment market barriers
focus on seniority, presenteeism at work
poor level of worker protection (legislation)
growing poverty gap
Harper thinks we're all American now
reliance on primary industry (hauling stuff out of the ground)
generally low vacation allowance
generally lower $$$ earnings power (in BC)
can be long way from anywhere if make wrong choice of location
too much to do (how d'yer fit it all in to a weekend?)
dumb asshole rednecks (but note, generally better than chavs)
stuck up righteous tub thumping racist small minded bigots who seem to come as transplants from the 1950's (unfriendly hillbilly 6-finger types)
Albertans (see above)
city/urban types bringing their fussiness and stuck up attitude with them
faux snobs (see above)
high cost of real estate
high illiteracy rates
high poverty rates
crappy, incompetent, corrupt politicans
political scandals
incompetence and waste in public service
apathy and laziness manifests itself in many ways
losers - everywhere
drug culture (bad/nasty drugs)
asshole Brits who think you are even vaguely interested in their lack of PG Tips/Marmite/Premiership soccer

no regrets & I wouldn't have done it any other way

R.

It's America with healthcare, America-Lite if you will.

Wow - no beating Rich_007 though we'll have to differ on some!

We are in Malagash on Nova Scotia's North Shore - warm sea, great climate, grow grapes.

It took us some time to adjust to the friendliness of people, and visitors the same, finding random acts of kindness so strange - just not the UK where we were. When we got our Residency maple syrup appeared on the doorstep, balloons attached to the car, cards and gifts - so moving. Here is a link to our up-and-coming local musician Dave Gunning http://www.davegunning.com/ he has just finished a UK tour. He played a concert for us when we celebrated with everyone. Typical Scotia music - celtic, country, blues.

At the moment even negatives are positives.

We picked NB because we wanted somewhere with:

• A good attitude to work / life balance
• Affordable housing
• Four seasons - hot summer, cold snowy winter (we like x country skiing)
• Not to far from the sea (in the summer we love to paddle and look for crabs in pools etc)
• Not to far from the UK (flight time wise)

Here is my list of pro's and cons

Pros:

• 15 minute commute
• Affordable housing
• People genuinely welcome you and are helpful and friendly. The airport checkin at Fredericton got to know me and now when I check in he talks to me like an old friend and ensure I get a good seat.
• Good amenities, plus good theatre and cultural scene I was amazed by the quality of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery for a city of 70,000 people
• 1 Hours drive to St Andrews for seaside and whale watching
• 1 Hours drive to USA for bargain buying
• Fredericton Airport to have direct flights to gatwick in May 2008 (lets see if they last)
• We just had a fantastic summer, beautiful autumn and now a snowy winter and we have started snow shoeing as well as cross country skiing
• (I know we also have snow shovelling, its worth it)
• Close to wildlife and see it wandering around in our garden (deer, racoons, skunk, groundhog, chipmunks, squirrels...)
• Pace of life gives me more time with the family. If I work in the office until 6pm I am probably the only one in the office. There is no macho work style here.
• Good social life - probably more kitchen parties and fire pit drinks than I can ever remember. Plus pub nights!
• People think my Nottingham accent sounds classy
• Lots of opportunities because of smaller population - Just need to trigger the entrapreneurial spirit.
• Great camping and hiking trails in Fundy National Park and Carleton National park.

Cons

• Mosquitos and Black fly, mainly May and June once the hot summer kicks in their pools dry up. Black Fly do not suck your blood they chew a hole in your skin and lap it up like a cat They like to in your hair when they do this chewing too.
• Not much for teenagers to do, there seems to be a dearth of activities once they hit 17 until 19 when they can go into places that serve alcohol.
• Car Insurance is expensive until you have been here a few years it is like being 21 again
• Fredericton is very cliquey, it is often about who you know. The trick is to get involved, do some volunteer work, become known in your area as someone who gets stuck in.
• Poor Public transport means you need two or three cars in a family(depending on age of kids)
• Drivers because of such light traffic road positioning and all round driver awareness is awful. Drivers of small cars think they are driving 20 ton lorries ... anyway lets not go there. But as said previously it can count as entertainment but I don't get road rage anymore.
• Shopping is limited (doesnt bother me but the girls miss their shops) even more so than somewhere like Halifax
• TV programs and commercials - Poor quality, and lots of commercials. But you do get some quality UK stuff (and some rubbish too). However it does mean you spend less time infront of the TV and also after about 1.5 years you become used to muting the TV when adverts kick in and carrying on a conversation in the house until the programme comes back again

We have been here just over two years and I cannot imagine living in the UK again.

Oh don't get me wrong there's all that here, maybe on a smaller scale as it is a much bigger community/city here so maybe less of the personal touch. Plus I should mention, lots of cranky old people so that adds to the whole thing in its own unique blu-rinse manner. Sorry, no maple syrup or balloons though.

It's just a big mash up of experiences and situations and whatever else mixed in.

R.

I believe that would describe the whole of Canada, no ? And the solution is as you describe, get out and meet people, be outgoing (not always a natural thing for reserved Brits to do). Gotta get over it.

R.

Perhaps, I have only worked on a Project in Toronto and most of my time has been spent in NB. It seems more prevalent in Fredericton, probably down to it being the capital and having two universities. Most of our friends are people who don't actually come from fredericton but have moved here.

Based on my location

pros

Peaceful and Quiet
Virtually Crime Free
4 real seasons, Cold winter, moderate snow, hot summer, fantastic fall colours.
Low property costs
Nearby Towns for employment (Trenton, Belleville, Kingston, Cobourg)
Great community spirit
Fantastic bird / wildlife
No trafic problems
Enough to do in the way of facilites in the nearby towns, plus local festivals etc
Toronto or Ottawa only a couple of hours away for occasional big ticket entertainment

cons
Few of the people here have ever gone anywhere else!
Largely dependent on our cars
Bugs in the spring..OK in the yard when the skeetervac is working, but beyond that they can be a nuisance
Some poverty when you scratch the surface
A month too much winter for me
?Cant think of much else?

Brits need lubrication at the pub to overcome their reservation.

With no lubrication they can be stand offish.

Wear a toque, say eh? after every sentence, drink coffee in quantities vast enough to kick start Elvis's heart, eat beaver tails (not the real sort), drive like a maniac on speed, convince yourself Crappy Tire "Will get it right this time." etc...

....and you'll be giving yourself a damn good impression of life in Canada.

Actually I kinda like it now, eh?

I don't think so. Fredericton does have its own particular cliqueness!! We found it, and I've spoken with loads of Canadians (from there and from other parts of NB and NS) who have found the same thing.

Some of my cousins live there and are Canadian...they said the same thing.