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Perhaps someone could tell me nicely what they like/dislike about Canada?

Perhaps someone could tell me nicely what they like/dislike about Canada?

Old Aug 4th 2006, 3:21 pm
  #16  
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Default Re: Perhaps someone could tell me nicely what they like/dislike about Canada?

Originally Posted by neill

The wrong way.

Yes, you can park your car on the street, the WRONG way around.

I got a $42 ticket for being polite.
Ouch!! I've had a few odd scowls for doing that, didn't realise it was illegal I just cannot parallel park the "wrong" way despite hours of trying, I still have to do it on the other side of the road.
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Old Aug 4th 2006, 3:28 pm
  #17  
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Default Re: Perhaps someone could tell me nicely what they like/dislike about Canada?

Yeah, although i think it's a municipally-enforced regulation, so i guess there is a chance it's NOT illegal in some towns :-)

The thing that got me; it was only 90 minutes between me parking and the ticket; It was a national holiday (the city paid workers to work to catch people on a holiday), the street was wide and was half empty.

There's something seriously screwed up with that. Something i never grew up with and will never understand. If you asked most born-canadians i'm sure they probably think i deserved the ticket!


Originally Posted by Biiiiink
Ouch!! I've had a few odd scowls for doing that, didn't realise it was illegal I just cannot parallel park the "wrong" way despite hours of trying, I still have to do it on the other side of the road.
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Old Aug 4th 2006, 3:34 pm
  #18  
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Default Re: Perhaps someone could tell me nicely what they like/dislike about Canada?

Just one big hate atm and that is the weather. I hate the summer here, people go on about the winter but the summer is 100 times worse. Heat, humidity and smog aren't a nice mix. Be warned especially if you coming on the east coast.

A few more likes and dislikes

Likes
Safety - feel safer here when it is dark in particular
OHIP - very straightforward to get - especially for a baby
Eating out is cheap
Malls - a godsend in this weather to escape from
Baby Gap - had to put it there

Dislikes
WEATHER - just would like to not be controlled by the weather in what I do each day
Food - just can't adapt to it and been here nearly 6 years now
No family nearby - with a 6 month old baby it is tough sometimes
Airfares - too expensive - just to go on a short flight
Toronto airport - 2nd most expensive airport to fly from - even charge for trolleys now, put in $2 and you get 25c back
TV - would like to be able to have a choice in what I watch more and not be told by the CRTC with their regulations - thank god for bittorent.
Purolator - just had to put that in
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Old Aug 4th 2006, 3:37 pm
  #19  
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Default Re: Perhaps someone could tell me nicely what they like/dislike about Canada?

^^^ FYI, if you go west of southern Ontario in Canada, you don't get the humidity, or the air pollution. Toronto is the most expensive airport in the world.
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Old Aug 4th 2006, 3:48 pm
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Default Re: Perhaps someone could tell me nicely what they like/dislike about Canada?

I like:

The price of beef.

The woman who brought my wife's purse home after it had been lying on the sidewalk for a day.

All the people that didn't nick my wife's sunglasses (left in plain view on top of the car in Ottawa airport for five days).

The building contractor who gave me a new blade for my mitre saw and wouldn't take any money for it.

Tradesmen that take their shoes off without being asked.

Watching the little four year old version of Bob Marley playing in the park across the street all by himself. I like it even more that I no longer find it odd that I'm keeping an eye on him without really thinking about it.

Having my groceries packed for me.

Being ten minutes from downtown Ottawa and the same distance from Gatineau Park.

Knowing that in about 20 minutes the office in the UK will have closed for the weekend and I can safely slope off to my deck and drink beer in the sun.

I dislike:

"English" pubs. You're not. Don't try. It's insulting.

The price of chicken.

Toronto airport.

Paying $1600 for an Ottawa-Detroit return.

Furniture stores that lie about delivery dates. Which is most of them.

The snowplough driver who hides around the corner until I've spent two hours clearing the drive and then shoves a load more up it.

Luba Goy.

Windchill.

Anything to do with the 401, including Timmy's.

My wife's carelessness with personal possessions.
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Old Aug 4th 2006, 3:52 pm
  #21  
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Default Re: Perhaps someone could tell me nicely what they like/dislike about Canada?

Ok, Toronto airport is even worse then, the article must have been last year when Tokyo was #1.

I can't see us relocating from this area, if anything we go back to the UK which hopefully might happen at some point next year!
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Old Aug 4th 2006, 3:57 pm
  #22  
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Default Re: Perhaps someone could tell me nicely what they like/dislike about Canada?

I like, very much like, the food. One can get almost anything (except grits) either raw or served by a native of the country of origin of the food. Some things (fresh milk for example) require a bit of buggering around to circumvent the laws but it's all available.
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Old Aug 4th 2006, 4:34 pm
  #23  
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Default Re: Perhaps someone could tell me nicely what they like/dislike about Canada?

Having read all the posts in this thread I must say I probably agree with all of the likes and dislikes- some things we just accept now because we cannot change our situation so we neither really dislike or like. I do know that when I am back in the UK I miss the space we have here. But then when I return to Canada I miss the convenience of everything in Europe - always somewhere to visit at the weekend unlike here which takes hours to get anywhere. I accept the high costs of flights/ car insurance/dairy products/ chicken because we have no alternative- we live here and that is what we have to pay. Only when I talk to my relatives do I get puzzled by these differences. Though there are bad smog warnings in parts on Ontario we have lived both east and west and the air was always much easier to breathe in the Canadian cities than their counterparts in the UK. I loved the Westerners - much more friendly than Easterners- maybe because the parents and grandparents were still alive and they themselves were pioneers and had respect for new immigrants. Older parts of Canada I have found tend to be like the UK.Living in rural Canada seems to be popular on this board and you can certainly get good value property. However we prefer cities- mainly a personal thing because having grown up in the country in the UK it was difficult as a teenager to have a decent social life when one lived miles way from one's friends. We made the decision to raise our children in an urban setting and they enjoyed all the conveniences available to them and we did not have to spend hours driving them everywhere. We always had a lot of visitors out west they loved it too, majestic scenery unlike anywhere else in the world - when we lived in Nova Scotia I remember the same group of people saying the best thing about Cape Breton was the road out- despite it supposedly being a very attractive island. The residents were the problem- poor quality B&Bs and not much help. I think if my time was here again I would stay out west and buy a place somewhere warmer for the winter. Even as skiers it regularly was so cold, especially January, sitting on those chairlifts in temps at least -20degrees plus the wind chill I haven't been skiing there for 20 years so I have no idea what the resorts are like now but liked Lake Louise- much more European than say Sunshine Village- are they still called that? Maybe Vancouver is the most likable place to be- good skiing, not a bad climate and a nice trip to the States or Vancouver Island at the weekend and that part of the world is also good- interesting cities and beautiful National Parks.
One final dislike- I do wish that Canada paid more attention to its history- some very poor conservation laws and it seems as if sometimes cities are more interested in getting more taxes than keeping a historic area. Quebec City is the finest example of what a city here should be like. Toronto the worst- classic example of the awful 50s -80s development.
I do hope that this was accepted as a nice like/dislike post
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Old Aug 4th 2006, 4:46 pm
  #24  
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Default Re: Perhaps someone could tell me nicely what they like/dislike about Canada?

Originally Posted by sinope
Thankyou all so, so much for this, it is exactly what I was looking for. The price of chicken keeps coming up in these threads - does nobody keep their own (I do at the mo and plan to wherever I end up)?

You have to be carefull where you buy then. Some townships have some very strange (and restrictive) zoning laws. Some wont even let you keep more than a couple of dogs, and others have licensing requirements for cats! I'm pretty sure some zoning will prohibit keeping poultry. We are lucky though. We dont keep turkeys, but they just come to our back yard. Chicken is about $8 for 2 boned ands skinned breasts. Sirloin Steak is cheaper for grilling
The car insurance thing is very interesting - that is around £2,000 for two cars wow. Does that come down with no claims? Also do company cars exist like they do in Britain? We have a fab company car here and fuel paid so it would be quite a factor in any move.
Not really much in the way of company cars here, its not a perk. Insurance is costly. Lots of no fault winter accidents, with high legal and medical costs is probably part of that. Eventually with canadian experience it drops, but never to UK levels. After 8 accident free years I'm paying about $900 for two cars. Its not really a no claims thing, it works in reverse, if you do claim it will go up.

Mississauga seems to have some good jobs for my partner (ops management) so it is looking a likely destination and I really enjoyed your post Tara, I have got a 15month old so family things is high on the agenda.
Think Milton Keynes without the charisma, and a major airport nearby.

I keep reading conflicting reports on Canadian education so I shall have to research a little more. I am, however, deeply unhappy about sending my daughter to a state school in this country so it may be an improvement. And anything that takes the constant exam stress out of it is a plus.
Education is less league table driven here. Thats a good thing in my opinion. Nearly all the canadian kids I know are well balanced people, and pretty well educated in the basics. I have no qualms about my kids going through the system here, but then I think parental involvement is pretty important, you cant just expect the schools to do it all on there own. Canada fares well in international literacy / numeracy comparisons.


It is all great food for thought and nothing I have heard yet has made me stop short. Obviously having a good job is important but where is that not true? Anyway, thanks so much for all of the replies, you have all restored my faith in this forum.
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Old Aug 4th 2006, 5:09 pm
  #25  
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Default Re: Perhaps someone could tell me nicely what they like/dislike about Canada?

Dislike : the Cancon regulations and their evil spawn; Rush, Nickleback, Joey and the rest.
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Old Aug 4th 2006, 5:35 pm
  #26  
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Default Re: Perhaps someone could tell me nicely what they like/dislike about Canada?

I pretty much agree with everyone's likes and dislikes but I thought I would add a few

Likes
Everyone looking out for everyone else's kids
Teenagers seem generally more confident and easy going
Kids taught practical things at school such as driving, babysitting etc
Canadians treat kids as people
Small communities which still have facilities and things to do
Fantastic icecream

Dislikes
All insurance over here is ridiculous cost and the reasons people can sue each other are insane
Gas prices hiked up every weekend/holiday/threat of hurricane/conversation about middle east/any other reason they can think of
Lack of ability to get real cream or proper chocolate
Spring and fall too short, summer and winter too long but nice to have proper seasons
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Old Aug 4th 2006, 6:27 pm
  #27  
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Default Re: Perhaps someone could tell me nicely what they like/dislike about Canada?

Originally Posted by dbd33
I like, very much like, the food. One can get almost anything (except grits) .
And why would one want those ? Only the lonesome, Bubba from Alabammy, would be in search of such slimy tasteless muck, surely ?

Rich.
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Old Aug 4th 2006, 6:38 pm
  #28  
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Default Re: Perhaps someone could tell me nicely what they like/dislike about Canada?

Originally Posted by Rich_007
And why would one want those ? Only the lonesome, Bubba from Alabammy, would be in search of such slimy tasteless muck, surely ?

Rich.
I have come to love cheese grits. I guess it's their aphrodisiac qualities.
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Old Aug 4th 2006, 7:02 pm
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Default Re: Perhaps someone could tell me nicely what they like/dislike about Canada?

Originally Posted by dbd33
I have come to love cheese grits. I guess it's their aphrodisiac qualities.
Qualities, or uses?
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Old Aug 4th 2006, 7:07 pm
  #30  
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Default Re: Perhaps someone could tell me nicely what they like/dislike about Canada?

Originally Posted by Souvenir
Qualities, or uses?
Not sure how one would use grits, the same way as yoghurt or as mashed bananas?
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