In several months I'll go to Canada via BUNAC to work for a year. I'm planning a little scouting trip to get a feel before hand.

The aim of going is really just to experience living in another culture. I keep hearing of these ex-pat communities of Brits and Aussies that apparently do nothing but bitch about Canada... which seems strange to me considering no one is forcing them to stay there.

Perhaps people expect too much perfection and forget that every country has the good, the bad and the ugly.

I'm a bit worried about being surrounded by too many Brits, as I don't want to move to a mini-Britain, I want to go to Canada. I like the idea of Americanization I hear Canadians chirping on about. Originally Toronto was on the cards, but having read more about Canada, I think Vancouver, Montreal, and other places are definitely on the table (the purposes of a scouting visit).

What are your experiences?

Paulious, I'm maybe being a bit picky, but isn't a "British Expats" website a bit of an odd place to discuss 'too many' Brits? Most overseas communities in my experience have their own groups - the French never mix with anyone else, the Italians demand their own schools and I'm sure all the different groups bitch about everyone else (doesn't every nation hate it's nearest neighbour?) just don't get stuck in the middle of any particular clic and find a mixed group of mates. Best of luck with your recce!

Surely Vancouver and the west side is where most of the Brits go?
Here in Ottawa I hardly ever come into contact with any Brits - nor am I out looking for any. Most people I know socially or through work are Canadians or Merkins. You can live here and completely avoid Brits without too much difficulty.
Also the ones who emigrate to Canada are less likely to be your average chav and will be at least somewhat educated and more socially acceptable.

You don't want Brits bitching about Canada but you do want to see the Americanisation of Canada?

Get a job in Timmeies in the back of beyond if you want to experience Canada

You've misspelled this. Canadians spell things (generally) the same as Brits (i.e. z's are rare). Americanisation.

@MillieF, what better place to ask online than at a British ex-pat forum. Looking at foreign people I know in the UK, it seems all too easy to withdraw into your own foreigner communities and become cut off from the culture. I've a friend currently living in Banff, saying that he knows Canadians tired of Brits forming cliques and isolating themselves. He said because they're so many Brits, the accent (well accents) don't get you far in clubs, which I admit I was hoping might help me a little Dunno about you, but we're quite fickle when it comes to getting our legs over each other here Anyway, perhaps that's just Banff!

@pdarwin, dunno, it's hard to find statistics because Canada is HUGE

@fledermaus, well no Canada can do what it likes. Anecdotal things I've read suggest Canada has been Americanised. That's not a bad thing, we could argue that Britain has both been Americanised and Europeanised through both influences.

@cov-canuck, hey it wouldn't be Americanisation without the z in the word?!

Can I just ask please, does this apply for words like 'colour' etc? Should the resume now be corrected to English English rather than American English ?

Half and half. Color and thru are usual but there's less use of z in Canada than in the US.

Someone wishing to see real Canada should try a week in Dundalk Ontario. Assuming of course that the person is white and a practising Christian.

From what I've seen, Canadians use the "z" but mostly (not always) spell as "colour". Edit: That's the opposite of what dbd33 says - but he's a lot closer to the US than we are, and there are a lot of Brits here.

Generally, Canadian grammar and writing construction looks appallingly mangled to someone educated in Britain, but we are constantly assured it's how they do it here.

Certainly it could vary across the country but the style book for external publications at my client du jour, a Canadian company, calls for "color".

So what would you recommend for the resume?

For o/ou, I'd say it doesn't matter in the slightest. Both are commonly used. But I would use a "z".

You misunderstood my post. You want to "see" as in view, not as in you would want Canada to be Americanised. My point was that not wanting to see British and Australian expats as you want to see the real Canada and yet wanting to see an American version are contradictory.

But to borrow your phrase. You can do what you like.

I'd use "colour" but I do that in America too, no need to stoop.

Don't come to Saskatchewan. if you tell one of my friends they Americanised they will show you the door.

we have many groups of original Canadians they live on reserves and there a few designated urban reserves in Regina, Saksatoon and Prince Albert you can live on.

You can try Yorkton oh no sorry that's a Ukranian area, even though the people are probably 2 generation Canadian they still call themselves Ukranian.

Banff - full of chinese tourists it's also a meeting place for the ski instructors/mountain climbers that have arrived from all parts of europe for the season.

Sometimes you will find that British people need a British fix now and again because we are far away from family and friends and there's nothing wrong with that.

Enjoy your time in Canada, you will find many races of immigrant who you can learn a lot from if you come with an open mind.