New guy here
 

Hi there

I've read this forum on and off for a long while now and decided I'b better get around to introducing myself.

My wife Wendy and I moved to Canada in 2002. Initially to Kitchener Ontario, then to Calgary, then Vancouver, back to Calgary and currently in Stony Plain, Alberta (near Edmonton). We've also travelled through just about every other Province. We became Citizens last year and get to vote this time around.

I build and restore classic and sports cars for a living and Wendy is the financial controller at a local Resort and Casino. We both love living in Canada, love the lifestyle and people and would live anywhere in this country except Ontario or Quebec!

Cheers, Gavin.

Re: New guy here
 

What's wrong with Quebec?

Re: New guy here
 

But please tell us why you wouldn't live in Ontario? - so many expats head for Ontario when they move to Canada

Re: New guy here
 

Quebec, beautiful place but the French bitch and moan too much.

Ontario (well SW where we lived) excessively hot, humid even at night, smog laden summers, miserable winters, awesome amount of salt on the roads, cars rot away in no time, bad traffic, no landscape. Food tastes bad, water injected chicken, expensive, too much beaurocracy. OPP at every corner with their radar, 80kmh speed limit.

Folks out West and in the Maritimes far more friendly and easy going. Unpolluted lakes, mountains, loads of trees etc.

It's great out here!

Re: New guy here
 

I'll have you know that I've injected no fluids into our chickens.

Do you speak French?

Re: New guy here
 

Why'd they all taste of chlorine then?

And no!

Re: New guy here
 

dbd33, great blogspot by the way, now your comment makes sense to me:thumbsup:!

GavinR

Re: New guy here
 

Thanks. If you don't like what's on the shelves you've just got to do it yourself. Surely though supermarket chickens are the same in Edmonton as in Toronto as in Yorkshire, that doesn't vary by province.

If you don't speak the language how do you know that the noise the French make is bitching?

Re: New guy here
 

Stands to reason:p their lips are moving:D

More importantly, how does gavin know what your chickens taste like?

Re: New guy here
 

I don't know what they'll taste like. I was just objecting to the assertion that Ontario chickens are necessarily water injected without being too serious about it. We buy chickens that aren't watery from the market as well as boneless, skinless, tasteless watery blob chicken breasts from Loblaws. I'm quite sure Loblaws offers the latter in Alberta as well.

The only criticism of Ontario I'd quibble with is the one about the speed limit. I think that's a national curse.

Re: New guy here
 

Ha, when we lived in Ontario the chickens always tasted of chlorine and I was told by one of the battery farmers that the packers soaked the meat in water to boost the weight for selling. I don't know whether that's true or not but the chickens sure taste better here!

Subtitles and voiceovers are a wonderful thing.

GavinR

Re: New guy here
 

I was going to argue that I havent seen any overt enforcement of the 80 limit.

If you go over 100 you might get stopped, but I got flashed doing 35 in a 30 zone last time I was in the UK, and there is nothing stupid like that going on around here at least, save for the odd two day "blitz" once a year. No photoradar for the time being either. Stick within 20kph of the posted limit, and respect the school zones and I dont see any justification for the OPP on every corner comment. I wish they were on my road...

The rest of it was fair comment I guess, although there are certainly scenic bits of Ontario (niagara falls is one most people are familiar with), just none in the GTA. One has to make the distinction that Ontario is not just the GTA I think. There is landscape out where I live, its just not jagged mountains.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/226/4...6842d870e0.jpg

As for the climate, you get used to it, I even quite like it now.

Re: New guy here
 

Most of our roads are 100 and the highways 110 thank heavens. There's nothing worse than travelling at 50 mph along a straight piece of road with no other traffic around for hour after hour. 120-130 is usually ok on the Highways according to the cops I know.;)

GavinR

Re: New guy here
 

Really? And yet so many people move there and then defend it fiercely (despite the long commutes, murder, violence in schools, poor value housing etc. etc.). Seems strange doesn't it.

Re: New guy here
 

Inshallah, I shall continue to drive to work at 75mph along roads signposted 80kph. Lots of cars pass me so I think "drive the limit but in miles" is acceptable on highways 9 and 10.