BristolUK

I'd say officials are helpful too. But nobody seems to question the validity of rules and procedures or consider better ways of doing things.

If you're not in to receive a parcel or letter that needs signing for, it goes to a post office for collection. There seems no option for a new delivery date, delivery to a neighbour or to an alternative PO that could be more convenient.

I can use my credit card to pay a water bill but not property tax.

MB-Realtor

Canada's a Society that does not embrace "change for the sake of change", had Canada used Red Victorian phone boxes, they would still be on street corners.

I was looking at a book of street scenes from Winnipeg in the 70's, the designs of the store fronts have hardly changed, and the smaller shopping strip malls are exactly the same. Though having said that they all seem to be into the "big box" store style at the moment.


By the way, I'm not being critical here, I rather like that aspect of life in Winnipeg. Its comfortable, like old slippers.

Judy in Calgary

Ontario members of the forum say that Ontario has a "nanny state" mentality. By comparison with Ontario, Alberta tends to have a pretty laissez-faire attitude. Most other provinces tend to fall somewhere between those two extremes.

Although I've lived here for only a short time and haven't really accumulated any personal experience of this, forum members in British Columbia say that this province tends towards more rules rather than fewer of them. I consciously decided to endure that for the sake of the climate, ocean and vegetation.

Something you may want to think about is that, although excessive rules are a nuisance, Canada's rules about safety in work places, maximum number of hours employees can work at a stretch, etc., widely are regarded as being behind those of the UK. This is the one arena in which you might welcome more rules. For example, during my tenure as a technical writer in the environment, health and safety (EHS) industry in Alberta, two fourteen-year-old boys who were working illegally on construction sites were killed. In both cases, the maximum penalties that their respective employers faced were fines of $180,000 each. (That was earlier this decade. The safety regulations in Alberta have been strengthened since then, but still are more lax than those of Ontario.)

Another area that members of this forum complain about is that the standard fare in supermarkets has much more in the way of dyes, chemicals, non-organic ingredients, unnecessary packaging, etc.

In many parts of Canada, the mainstream supermarkets have only a small selection of green cleaning products, personal hygiene products, etc. But this does vary from location to location. Reports on the forum suggest Montreal is good. I find that, here on Vancouver Island, the selection of such products in mainstream supermarkets is much larger than it was in Calgary (which I departed in September 2008).

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I've seen posters who bitched about the bureaucracy while they were still living in the UK and then bitched about the small choice of organic food and green cleaning products when they got to Canada. That struck me as inconsistent.

I've never lived in the UK so don't have any experiential evidence of this. One thing that I saw on the forum that made me think the UK had lost the plot (if it was true) was the writing up reports about problem behaviour on the part of three-year-olds and four-year-olds at school, records that apparently would haunt them for the rest of their lives. Three-year-olds and four-year-olds. Puh-lease! I haven't heard of anything as devoid of common sense in Canada, not even in nanny state Ontario.
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G77

If you want to meet some of the biggest jobsworths on the planet - get yourself a trip down to OHIP - they are unbelievable - far far worse than anything I ever experienced in the UK, I was fuming by the time I came out of there....

For the record, I'm glad the Police made an issue out of dropping a chip paper - that's how the UK should be!

Caitilin

littering is an offense and litter-louts are offensive. They spoil the local surroundings for everyone. I'm more inclined to say jay for the policeman, and why wasn't the kid picking up after himself?

There's a good measure of proof that dealing with 'minor' crimes stops 'major' crimes.

BristolUK

I don't approve of that either.

But "That's not the way we do it" is no answer to a suggestion of doing something in, perhaps, a simpler, more efficient way. Especially when that better method of operating a scheme is actually current in the province next door.

6 limes

As I have already stated I agree that my son was wrong to drop litter and he knows that, ie. we are neither litter louts or offensive in our family!!

The point I was making was I felt the over zelous attitude of the policeman involved in my opinion wasted public money and time better spent solving a huge amount of unsolved crime in our area.

Caitilin

But the cop did solve a crime. Your sons crime.

you can't have it both ways - either you want them to tackle crime, all crime, or you don't.

bandit

Hi

Although your son did commit a crime, I personally miss the days when a police man would 'clip the ears' of youngsters causing nuisances etc, and frankly for all the paperwork caused, agree that it was someone disproportionate to the 'crime'.

However in the true eyes of the law, the officer was following his duty.

Here in Vancouver, I've found it to be quite litter free, and you'll never see a can or bottle on the street - mostly as they are money to the hobo's in the city (they exchange them for money), so that is that.

I haven't had much to do with red tape myself so can't comment.

Good luck wiht your move.

Bx