So those Lotus Eaters are really a bunch of stuck-up snobs!

http://en.video.sympatico.ca/news-in.../1696001492001

No there not all snobs but I've heard this complaint often. You do have to make an effort to meet people.

You could say the same about any Canadian city, or lots of other cities too.

I find the difference in Canada is that people lose their social skills over the winter, sat inside on the internet.

I agree with some of the detail in that report. Different cultures have different expectations and/or views of integration or inclusion.

Sometimes it has a negative impact on the current, long standing, communities and those who live there. Sometimes not.

It'll be interesting to see how the "white" british immigration figures look in the next decade or two when those coming over are classed as minorities, with potential cultural standouts.

That said, the 2nd generation immigrants tend to be very westernised.

Maybe the guy on the report comes across as an arse, or chose the wrong area to live for him and his kid (maybe they moved to surrey or richmond), or relies only on speaking to strangers in the street as a way of making friends. Who knows. His situation is the world over.

Not in Vancouver. Winter here is like your summer

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My 2 cents: it depends on where you live, it depends what age you are, it depends. I found Vancouver a lot friendlier than Melbourne initially. People at least said hello to you on the street. But finding real connections and friends takes time. I found Melbourne difficult to break into, I found Vancouver difficult to break into. But then I'm a quiet person anyway.

I've found I've made a lot of friends through spawn's public school. I'm really glad we decided to go with our local school for this reason: most of them live walking distance from our house and we have regular parties, get togethers, pub nights, etc. My neighbourhood is pretty neighbourly - people are friendly and involved in their community. It's low on pretention and snobbiness - it's not 'trendy' which we like. Go 12 blocks west, and it's totally different. People are more keep to themselves and not as interested. Vancouver has pockets of great neighbourhoods (by Van I mean Greater Van) but they are not always easy to identify as a newbie. It would be very easy to end up in a neighbourhood and be very lonely. This happened to friends who bought in Renfrew. 90% of the neighbs didn't speak english so my SAHM friend got very very lonely there. If I was to do it over (we moved a lot in the beginning): I'd look for a diverse neighbourhood without any one predominent ethnic group, that seems to work best.

I sincerely hope I've added somewhat to that perception. Now bugger off.

I dont entirely disagree, although the guy did move from small town to a very big town.....i have great friends in the city, but it can be a bit of a clique magnet. A Very highly transient place. You meet very few born and bred vacouverites in the city proper. There's a sense that a lot of people are just passing through, doing the west end thing etc.....

vancouver's rising housing costs have changed the city. There are less and less families in the area and more absent owners and wealthy immigrant asians. Lack of language/common/cultural traits and no kids popping in and out of people's houses,chatting to other parents about their kids etc, must have an impact. Asians, while generally polite, tend to be insular and very private.

A larger transient apartment renting population doesnt help form buy-in into the community. New housing builds tend to be highrises, rather than single family housing developments.

There is a tendancy to move away once a family is on the horizon to more affodable ares of the metro (and even out of teh LMD). School enrolment in vancouver is actually down year over year as many families struggle with the housing costs. The city has become exclusive rather than inclusive.

Having lived on the north shore and now whiterock, i don't find the same thing at all in these places. I hang out with neighbours, lend and borrow things, chat over the fence, share a beer, etc.....chat to people while walking the dog etc, chat to patrons at the local pub, many owner operated, independant businesses.....quite a contrast.

Until the housing corrects and the place becomes more inclusive,families return, and average joes move in, i doubt it will change. I have to say, i'm missing the place less and less these days.

The Sun has a five part series on this topic. There are hundreds of comments.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/who...173/story.html

I mean really who cares? Don't move to a 'large' city if you want to get all loved up and friendly with the neighbours. If you want all that go and live in a village somewhere. The best bit of living in a 'major' city is the anonymity and solitude it bestows. People just leave alone here, unless of course you're cooking a stonking curry or some extra prawns or crab to spare and then they come scurrying out of the woodwork like termites.

"When Jamie Shafer moved to the North Shore from Kelowna, he thought he’d see his friend in White Rock all the time. But after a few trips to White Rock, Shafer said he realized he’d better start packing a lunch."

Silly bugger. He moved 50km's away from his friend and expects to have an active social life with them?

But seriously, what do people expect? More often than not they move from an established social life where they're familiar with a community to a place where they know little to nobody. Do they expect people to go out of their way to make them feel good about themselves? Do they expect to make deep relationships immediately?

I think this is something many wouldbe immigrants play down in their planning. It seems people (espcially on this board) seem to believe they'll be welcomed to an area with open arms, smiles, and ever lasting friendships. And why not. All Canadians are nice, accommodating, lovely, and welcoming people.......or so i read in a book and saw on the telly.

You can not lose something you never had

wow, reading through some of the comments....makes the place sound like some sort of orwellian society...i get it can be a tough place at times, but some of the comments have left me scratching my head.....people don't wave when you are jogging..WTF? people in elevators ignore me....(hardly the first choice for a location to strike up conversation).....people hide under theri brollies (maybe cowering from the rain?)....really come on folks, get out and socially engage. It's not that bad. Is it?

I believe it takes three generations for Asian immigrants. The first generations remain Asian all their lives, despite their attempts to integrate they are creatures of their culture's traditional values. The second generation live double lives. They went to school in Canada, do not work in Asian orientated work places, and speak perfect English outside their home. However, they were brought up in an Asian household, will speak their parents native language in the home, and will conform to their parent's expectations of cultural values (at least in the home).

The third generation are the true banana people. Apart from their face they are indistinguishable for other Canadians who had a family that came from somewhere else.

This is so true! I also think it's true with "white" immigrants also. Quite a few of our friends here are 2nd generation Canadians with a British parent or parents. They have been many of the people who have welcomed us with open arms. Maybe they feel an affinity with the land of their parent/s even though they may never have lived there.