Re: Moving from Australia to Canada
 

So much for global warming: :rolleyes:

Asthma rates in children have jumped fourfold:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/...ort060127.html

For the original poster.... this article refers to the important issues in asthma - especially for the young.... seems they forgot to mention to keep the kids out of the cold. :rolleyes:

Also note that Nova Scotia has the highest rate of asthma in Canada. While cold dry air may trigger an asthma attack, it just isn't a major or key trigger that causes a lot of asthma in a given population. If cold air was a major trigger, then you would expect that Saskatchewan or Manitoba (extremely cold winters) would have the highest rates of asthma, not Nova Scotia which on average has the mildest climate in Canada. Also if cold air was a major deal, you would also expect that the worst season for asthma (in Nova Scotia) would be the winter. It isn't, the spring is the worst time of the year for asthma in Nova Scotia.

http://www.ns.lung.ca/news/2006.01.04.asthma_rate.pdf

Re: Moving from Australia to Canada
 

HI. I can't help you with the asthma question, not having experienced that health hazard, but I just moved from Australia (Darwin) to a small town in BC. The main thing I miss about Australia, believe it or not, is SBS television. The TV in Canada is a hard pill to swallow (I can't believe I am spending time here in Canada watching the "Home and Garden" channel!). I also think that ABC radio AM is better in terms of depth of news coverage and interesting, challenging programmes than CBC radio. Speaking of news, there doesn't seem to be much international news coverage here on TV compared to my beloved SBS. Australia might be at the end of the earth, or so it seems, but I feel more cut off from the world here in Canada.

Another thing I miss is the private health care option that is available in Australia. Here in Canada everyone is so scared to 'become like the US' that private health care is considered the tool of the devil. Meanwhile, Australia has proved that a civilized integration of public and private health care can be effective and beneficial to patients. Of course the system has its problems in OZ, but at least they have managed to develop something that more or less works. Canada is too scared to even consider such a thing.

On the other hand, overall, I find Canadians friendlier and more open than Australians. I found Ozzies to be a hostile group, and are either redneck or so self-righteously 'left' that I wanted to turn tail and run (and I'm pretty left myself). But maybe that's just Darwin.

I feel more comfortable in Canada overall, enjoy the different seasons, but should mention that I might like it better because I grew up here--It's particularly nice that my accent no longer stands out--I am an anonymous citizen again, after years of being 'the foreigner'!

Re: Moving from Australia to Canada
 

Canadians also understand that the single biggest reason for personal bankruptcy in the US is their inability to pay the medical bills. In addition, because of the NAFTA, if private healthcare clinics are permitted to operate outside of the public healthcare system in Canada, US companies can argue that they have the right to operate for profit healthcare centers across Canada. Such centers could pay doctors far higher fees than what they are paid by the public heathcare system. Ergo, accessing the public healthcare system could become more and more difficult over time. If Canada wants to permit private "for profit" clinics, then we should consider deinsuring certain areas of healthcare or specific procedures - like we already have, but to a greater extent.

Bottom line is that while I'm not disagreeing with your point, Canada has some issues to deal with that Australia might not.

Re: Moving from Australia to Canada
 

Private health care clinics already operate in Canada. They have been legal in Quebec about a year or more, since the supreme court ruled on the issue.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2005/...lth050609.html

What prevents them really taking off is that currently its my understanding that any doctors working in the private system are not allowed to work within the public system...so currently there is more money it seems for doctors to stay within the publicly funded system. And insurance to cover wholy private treatment is not available, so the market is really only there for "cash" customers.

The danger Canada faces is creating a two tiered system in an environment where we are already chronically short of providers due to the financial lure of working in the US. Two tiers here will not increase the supply of healthcare professionals, it will just direct some of the resources at those with the money to pay for treatment now rather than those with the greatest clinical need. I cant see the Canadian population, equivalent to the state of California, but spread out over a vast area, ever having enough financial draw to keep a larger number of physicians and nurses here. It might work in the large centers, but it would be extremely detremental in the smaller communities that are already struggling to attract and keep medical practitioners.

Canadas unique problem is that so many canadian trained doctors and nurses are drawn into the US system, where the insurance cash cow is regularly slaughtered and dished out between the doctors and the drug companies.

Re: Moving from Australia to Canada
 

Private clinics were legal in Alberta (at least under Alberta law) way back in the 1980's. I used to refer quite a few of my patients to the Gimbel Eye Centre in Calgary for cataract surgery. His patients would typically pay about $1,200 per eye for cataract surgery including the intraocular implant - straight out of their pockets. At the time Alberta Health Care only paid surgeons about $350 for that.

While perhaps not common in Canada, you definintely can buy healthcare insurance that is good around the world from insurance companies based in US of A, and that is just what I did when I was living in The Bahamas/USA/Mexico for several years. That type of insurance is also good in Canada - although very few Canadian residents would have it. Once private clinics become common, then insurance to cover them will also become common in Canada.

http://www.gimbel.com/

Such a rule would vary from province to province since such a rule comes under provincial jurisdiction. In Alberta, a doctor could do both for many years, but I don't know what the situation there is now..... I retired back in 1995.

The problem (as I see it) is that if you are a top surgeon, lots of patients will be willing to pay out of their pocket - depending on the surgery and cost. Take Dr. Gimbel for example... he was one of the best cataract/refractive surgeons in the world. He was so famous that he was widely known by the general public in Alberta, and was able to do about 20 cataract surgeries/day 6 days/week if I recall correctly. While the average ophthalmologist didn't do 20 cataract surgeries in a month. Too many of the "super star" doctors will go private, while the newly minted doctors will stay in the public system.... until they can build up their reputation/clientele - then they may go private.

Actually, for about the last 3 years now, Canada has been gaining more doctors from abroad than it has lost internationally.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2...009007-cp.html

I even read that more doctors have been coming back from the US than leaving for the US.

Re: Moving from Australia to Canada
 

Hi there,

I am currently living in Sydney and will be moving to Canada about the same time as yourself though initially to Vancouver not Toronto.

I cannot comment on Toronto as after living in Sydney for over 10 years it had no appeal at all but I have spent a month in Vancouver/BC during July/August and compared to Sydney summers it was heavenly as the humidity was much lower and temp was about 5 - 10% lower as well.

In terms of standard of living etc I consider the two countries to be very much on par with each other. The cost of living (hoursing etc) in Sydney versus Vancouver was about on par as well though I will agree with an earlier poster who said Canadians (at least those from BC) are more polite than your typical Aussie and I certainly didn't see as much 'road rage' in Vancouver as I do in Sydney.

Re: Moving from Australia to Canada
 

As far as I know, they still are. For example, the Salvation Army's Grace Hospital closed in 1996. However, the building has been sold or leased to private interests. The ground floor is occupied by psychologists and similar professionals who are in private practice. The middle floor has been converted into apartments. The top floor is a surgical clinic operated by a private company called Health Resources Group (HRG).

Where Alberta legislation still draws the line, as I understand it, is that private surgical clinics are allowed to perform outpatient surgery only. That is, they may not admit overnight patients.

In 2005 Premier Ralph Klein proposed a new approach to the delivery of medical care that he called "The Third Way." Apparently it would have set out a list of "basic" health care procedures that would have been covered by the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan. AHCIP would not have covered medical procedures that were deemed to be "non-essential." The provision of "non-essential" medical services would have been opened up to the private sector.

In some cases, a basic version of a procedure would have been offered by AHCIP, while a newer, enhanced version of the same procedure would not have been covered by AHCIP. Apparently something called "Birmingham hip resurfacing," whatever that is, was one of the procedures for which patients would have been charged extra.

One of the disingenuous aspects of "The Third Way" was the fact that these enhanced medical procedures were to be bundled together with other upgrades, such as better hospital accommodation. This would have made billing opaque. It would not have been possible for the patient to determine how much he/she was paying out of his/her pocket for enhanced surgery and how much he/she was paying for upgraded accommodation.

Even here in conservative Alberta, the Klein government received a great deal of negative feedback about its proposed "Third Way," and the government backed down and dropped the proposal.

However, I must admit that I am a bit mystified as to the difference between the proposed "Third Way" and the existing system. There already are a number of medical procedures that are deemed to be non-essential and that AHCIP does not cover. For example, AHCIP does not cover sex change surgery, but some other provincial health care insurance plans do cover it.

Perhaps the difference between the "Third Way" and the existing system is that the existing system completely disallows public insurance coverage of certain procedures, whereas the "Third Way" would have had AHCIP covering an "inferior" version of a given procedure while it allowed private industry to charge for a "superior" version of the same procedure.

I don't pretend to be an expert on this topic. This is just my understanding of it.

Re: Moving from Australia to Canada
 

^^^ Thanks for that info Judy.

I'm not saying that Canada should stay with the status quo.... but we need to be very careful with whatever changes we make.

For some time now, Canadians have had a two-tier system for several procedures - the ones with long waiting times. Those Canadians who waited for a year or more for a procedure - like hip surgery - in the public system, and those who went to the US and had their surgery almost right away.

Re: Moving from Australia to Canada
 

I moved to Sydney from Toronto 5 months ago. I do not find that the summers in Toronto were any hotter than they are here, you just have to make the most of them as the winter is very very cold. You mentioned that you have asthma, the air quality actually seems a lot better in Sydney than it was in Toronto. In general, I don't find Sydney anything like Toronto, although it depends what you are looking for in a place.

I find the culture here far more like Britain and the people more friendly. Grocery shopping a little cheaper in Sydney and more choice, clothes prices around the same, cars more expensive here. Feel free to PM me if you've got any specific questions.

Re: Moving from Australia to Canada
 

You're putting words into my mouth in an attempt to make it appear that my assertion is wrong and that you did not post incorrect information. Who do you think you're fooling? You posted incorrect information and I suggest you check your reasoning in the above.

Actually, I suggest I check my reasoning for even continuing with this. :zzz:

Re: Moving from Australia to Canada
 

I love these little tidbits of information that aren't in the brochures. Third Way indeed. ;)

Re: Moving from Australia to Canada
 

This is what you said, "Cold air is an especially known and common trigger." You went on to make a snide remark directed at me which was totally uncalled for regarding a serious subject. In another post, you went on to cite a number of web sites in an effort to support your inflated claim while ignoring other authoritative sources that don't, thereby distorting the importance of cold air as a trigger mechanism for asthma attacks. The information in post #31 elucidates the facts of the matter. If you can't agree with the report from the Nova Scotia Lung Association, then you can send one of your rude missives to them. I'm tired of trying to inform someone who rejects any idea that conflicts with their own.

Re: Moving from Australia to Canada
 

Yes, asthma can be triggered by cold. Three of mine are asthmatic - one severely. TO is not an option for us as a result, mainly due to air quality though rather than the cold.

Re: Moving from Australia to Canada
 

Like I stated before there is no way to determine whether the cold of the air itself or it's changed properties cause the attacks. If you took a step back from the pomposity of having to be right perhaps you'd see where you're going wrong.

The article you refer to in post 31 examines the increase in astma compared with the increase in pollutants so there's no reason for them to mention cold air. They don't claim to be writing a exhaustive list of causes.

In the same post you say that more asthma attacks occur in spring as opposed to the colder winter. Well, perhaps people wrap up warmer or go out less in winter so exposure is less.

To re-iterate there is no definitive answer! If a person feels the cold air affects them it most likely will be it due to the cold itself or an increased sense of anxiety.

Re: Moving from Australia to Canada
 

This is probably because of the proximity of Sydney to the ocean. The further inland you go you get more extremes in temperature and humidity because large bodies of water moderate this sort of thing.