Gozit

It's interesting you say that. I was reflecting the other day and I feel the same way. Not just about decisions related to COVID (I tend to agree with DigitalGhost and OrangeMango when it comes to that. Maybe it is an IT thing, both DG and I work in IT and they say IT people have their wires crossed differently then most.), but just in general, decisions made by governments at federal, provincial, and local level.

I think Canada in general is a cautious society, generally taking the option for the least amount of risk, and sometimes going directly in the face of what other countries are doing or scientific evidence.

Case in point, 100km/h limit on the highway, but driver licensing system is a joke. Our roads would be safer with better driver education and higher speed limits with less arbitrary enforcement, but we would rather have the perception of safety and caution because 100km/h is slower than 130km/h.


I tend to be frustrated with alot of the decisions our government makes, as i'm more of a "free spirit" risk taker, and our overall society isn't like that, and there are just certain attitudes here that will never change.

The hard part is, Canada is my happy place for a lot of reasons. Mainly people. It terrifies me to move to a country with no family or friends to support me as someone who isn't the most comfortable on my own. But in some ways I feel like I would be much happier if I lived somewhere I wasn't constantly disagreeing with the rest of society on rules, customs or practises.

I have been saying the same thing since May. With that low level of positive tests, I just can't understand why everyone is freaking out so much. Do your social distancing, wear a mask when necessary, and let's get on with our lives.

Contrary to Howefamily I have family members who work in healthcare on the front lines and they can't understand the fuss either. So not every medical professional is "towing the party line", even if they keep their opinions private.

DigitalGhost

Neither does my girlfriend to be honest but she's currently practising in Western Australia so I don't tend to bring it up on here because her perspective is likely to be different to that of medical professionals in the UK, Canada and elsewhere.

I think that's definitely true and I think you can see the evidence of it the costs that people still pay for certain things e.g. mobile phone contracts, the ridiculous liquor laws in most of the country and the acceptance of shit and also overpriced services such as Canada Post. Whether out of politeness or a fear of the unknown, it's like there's a collective reluctance to rock the boat. It's quite strange for a young country with such a diverse, dynamic and technically proficient population.

Gozit

Agreed. There is a prevalence of "it's always been this way."

It is also crazy to see the amount of people that just blindly believe whatever the government tells them is right and correct, without questioning it.

DigitalGhost

To be fair, AFAIK their government has a much better record for honesty than most others including those in Britain and America. Either that or corruption and a reluctance to rock the boat are so culturally ingrained that issues never even reach the public eye.

When I've spoken with people though, I've often observed that they accept a lot even though they know it's wrong and will mumble quietly under their breath. One area of note are TTC workers who have a reputation for being overpaid but seem to do very little and provide a generally crappy level of service. Joe Public knows the whole thing is a racket but just doesn't voice his opinions to those who matter very often.

Gozit

https://globalnews.ca/news/7251593/c...Te0xsWpUfLwBKg

After reading this article JSmth posted in the main covid thread, I think if it is true that the "pandemic management", SD, masks etc will not be going away in Canada for 2-3 years it will be time to look at pulling the plug and emigrating once I complete my diploma in December. I can't just sit around and waste the first half of my twenties while Canadian society is being cautious.

We have news of a potential vaccine being procured by the authorities yet all Tam and her counterparts can do is be negative and pessimistic and tell people that even with a vaccine we won't go back to normal, without really giving a reason why. I don't understand how people can read that and accept it.

DigitalGhost

Where would you go to though? Most of the usual destinations are behaving just as anally retentively as Canada or even worse when it comes to Australia and New Zealand.

There are those programs inviting remote workers to temporarily relocate to areas of the Caribbean and other sun drenched destinations with low infection numbers which sounds awesome but it's not really a long term solution and you'd need a remote job secured in a place like Canada beforehand.

Gozit

True, I generally trust the Canadian gov, even if I don't always agree with their decisions.

I'm an EU citizen so i'd go somewhere in the EU. Probably to Malta. They are currently having a spike in cases but no more then the spike I am having in my part of Canada. The difference being so long as they get this spike under control most things are open and will continue to be open. The public health emergency ended on 15 July there, replaced by more permanent laws relating to masks, social distancing, health protocols etc but public health doesn't have the authority to dictate from on high unless the prime minister declares another state of emergency.

The plan would be to settle down in Malta, and eventually either stay if I really like living there, or if it doesn't work out look at coming back to Canada once the public health emergency is over, or look at elsewhere in the EU.

DigitalGhost

Yeah, sounds like a good plan. They have a small but booming tech sector as well although it's a little too reliant on dodgy investment banks and online gambling companies for my tastes.

Gozit

Yep...that is to be said of Maltese society in general. But in a weird way, I like it. Everything is a little corrupt. That means you don't really have to worry about little things that you do here, like paying double the car insurance because you drove 130 on the highway and got caught

I get linkedin updates for Malta and my area in Canada, and currently where I live there are no full time IT job openings. There is a plethora in Malta, and not to toot my own horn but i'd reckon i'll be a pretty good candidate at 21/22 with 3-4 years of service desk / equipment rollout experience, a homelab, and a Canadian education that's probably better then the local equivalent. As well as actually being Maltese and speaking Maltese (albeit not fluently) that puts me above the average non-Maltese candidate.

DigitalGhost

Yeah, I don't see any major drawbacks to this plan. It would be pretty low risk with your age and background and if Malta didn't work out then you could always try somewhere like Gibraltar before calling it a day and heading back home.

I did look at a job in Malta with a normal game developer a few years ago but after doing a bit of research, even that seemed to be slightly dodgy tbh.

Gozit

Exactly.

Yeah the iGaming jobs can be sketchy depending on the company, but the good ones can also be extremely lucrative. We shall see what comes up.

I wasn't talking solely about COVID. I was generalizing Canadians in general.

In your analogy, the man taking off the parachute may well survive with negligible injury depending how close to the ground he is.

scrubbedexpat091

Oh the speed limits in Canada are so annoyingly slow, but also the highways not exactly built well or safely, we have some on ramps in BC that basically just well shove you onto the highway with no on ramp to get to highway speed, they don't properly surface the highways in BC so water pools like lakes in some areas, they basically ignored the highway system for decades and now parts are so over capacity it barely moves and lots of accidents, you can only even do the speed limit in the middle of the night, no cats eyes and poor reflective paint making it very difficult to see in the dark in the rain especially.

Basically everything you don't want a highway to be, they did in BC.

Go across to WA state and its night and day, even their mountain highways are far superior, although its not til California where you get some decent speed limits.

Also on curves instead of building the highway at a slight angle (think of a race track just less extreme) they just put in a slow speed limit, so you can go from 90 to 60 back to 90 just for a curve, where in California they have some really sharp curves but they have been engineered so you can take them at highway speeds.

Driving in Canada is so frustrating....

There are city streets in California with more lanes and higher speed limits then highway 1 has in BC....

scilly

I don't see why you guys are here in Canada if you feel that things are better elsewhere and that Canada is so bad.

Speed limits, no freeways through cities, taking care with covid-19 ....... all wrong in your eyes.

Idiots!

I've just had a little battle with what was probably covid-19, and I can tell you it was not nice! I would not wish it on my worst enemy, and that was a mild case.

Oh please lets keep the rules as they are ............... wear a mask, wash your hands, keep social distancing.

Keep calm, keep safe


and stop your bloomin' complaining!! Go elsewhere if they think they are any better!


Just for what it's worth .......... my hometown in the UK is under lock and key because they have a huge infection rate! Go there, and see what it is really like!

Twitcher1958

You’ve put into words exactly my thoughts about parts of Canadian society - spot on with the driving/speed limit comment. Things that also frustrate me is the need to always pull over for emergency vehicle, no matter what the circumstances, as opposed to sensible, prompt action and the law re dog leads/leashes. I’m not a dog owner but I’m used to responsible owners in other countries who recognize the need to train dogs well and understand when it’s appropriate or necessary for leash use. I would find it frustrating to always have to keep an obedient dog on a lead. And no need here to restrain dogs in vehicles, which is arguably worse, given the driving record.

The UK used to be referred to as a nanny state but I think Canada is more extreme in many areas.

DigitalGhost

Nobody said anything of the sort and the insults really aren't necessary.