What do you NOT like about living in Canada
Jul 3rd 2010, 4:13 am
#63
Home and Happy
Joined: Dec 2002
Location: Keep true friends and puppets close, trust no-one else...
Posts: 93,803
Jul 3rd 2010, 9:45 am
#66
Éireann go Brách
Joined: Mar 2006
Location: White Man in Hammersmith Palais
Posts: 2,932
Re: What do you NOT like about living in Canada
Good point - what irritates me most is there's a general lack of driving courtesy, it's very much "every man for himself" mentality. Even in the UK, if you were waiting at a side road or something, you'll generally get let out into the flow of traffic (unless you're in a BMW). I dunno if it's because there's no unofficial uniform method of signalling this i.e. flashing of lights in the UK - so it's hard to signal for someone to come out, if you're waving your hand at them, they often can't see this from the sun glare. And then if you do manage to let someone out, they just look at you like this 
and don't wave a thanks or any kind of acknowledgement 
and don't wave a thanks or any kind of acknowledgement I think Canada and Ireland are a lot more laid back and it comes through in the driving. I remember my boss in Vancouver turning into a one way street, the wrong way, while in full voice about his hatred of chinese drivers. The irony was completely lost on him
Having said that, driving in the UK is far superior to anywhere ive been.
Jul 3rd 2010, 3:19 pm
#67
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2008
Location: "Teh Westurn Zone D'oh Quebec"
Posts: 334
Re: What do you NOT like about living in Canada
Canadian drivers, with the exception of the Maritimers, are f@kkin suicidal.
Boring war story: Three years ago a garage mechanic drove into the side of my car as I pulled out of my driveway - his estimated speed was 90 KM/H (the posted limit is 30KM/H). He said he didn't see me as he flew over the crest of the hill. As he slammed on the brakes his car slid +250' feet down the snow covered street
.
Jul 3rd 2010, 3:35 pm
#68
Banned
Joined: Oct 2008
Location: the GTA
Posts: 3,824
Re: What do you NOT like about living in Canada
Agreed - I find most drivers in the UK to be polite, thoughtful and skilled. As result of their cultural road rules indoctrination, I see UK drivers applying said rules in a manner tighter than a gnat's ringpiece.
Canadian drivers, with the exception of the Maritimers, are f@kkin suicidal.
Boring war story: Three years ago a garage mechanic drove into the side of my car as I pulled out of my driveway - his estimated speed was 90 KM/H (the posted limit is 30KM/H). He said he didn't see me as he flew over the crest of the hill. As he slammed on the brakes his car slid +250' feet down the snow covered street.
Canadian drivers, with the exception of the Maritimers, are f@kkin suicidal.
Boring war story: Three years ago a garage mechanic drove into the side of my car as I pulled out of my driveway - his estimated speed was 90 KM/H (the posted limit is 30KM/H). He said he didn't see me as he flew over the crest of the hill. As he slammed on the brakes his car slid +250' feet down the snow covered street
.Your boring war story is simply anecdotal. I can scour the UK press and find many such stories occurring there.
Jul 3rd 2010, 3:47 pm
#69
slanderer of the innocent
Joined: Dec 2008
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 6,695
Re: What do you NOT like about living in Canada
I'm so glad I don't drive.
Jul 3rd 2010, 4:09 pm
#70
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 14,227
Re: What do you NOT like about living in Canada
They've invented a new car specifically designed for the needs of the Canadian market.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_...a/10497032.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_...a/10497032.stm
Jul 3rd 2010, 5:30 pm
#71
Beep
Joined: Jan 2009
Location: Here
Posts: 8,311
Re: What do you NOT like about living in Canada
It's about being courteous.
Jul 6th 2010, 12:55 am
#72
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2007
Location: Saskatoon originaly Stafford, UK
Posts: 86
Re: What do you NOT like about living in Canada
Ok in all seriousness:
- I don't like the banking costs
- I don't like the cost of mobile phone ownership
- I don't like paying tax on a 2nd hand car
- I don't like the over use of traffic lights
- I don't like the choice of cars when compared to Europe
- I don't like that you cannot filter through traffic on a bike
- I don't like it when people woooop
- I don't like.....oh, i'm bored now.
Jul 6th 2010, 4:27 am
#74
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2010
Location: Victoria, BC
Posts: 93
Re: What do you NOT like about living in Canada
Well, given that the whole premise of the thread is what people don't like about living here, it's hardly worth whingeing about the whingers.
As a Canadian I take none of this personally - in fact I'm surprised there aren't more gripes. Here are my objections to living in Canada (though I have few complaints about Victoria, BC on a sunny day like today):
-Guessing what the bloody total is on just about anything you buy, especially airline tickets and the like. Borders on fraud in my opinion.
-BBC Canada is a disgrace to the name, especially since they cancelled Eastenders in favour of more "lifestyle programming".
-Minority governments from here to eternity, thanks to Quebec. On the other hand, majority Harper could lead us down the Palin path (and that's not a Michael Palin travelogue).
-Postal service gets slower and costlier every year (even accounting for the fact they have to deliver to the Yukon and NWT for the same price stamp).
-Everybody scurries home to their own little boxes after work, no culture of after work socialising (that I've seen, anyway).
-On the topic of socialising, never see anybody buying a round, people calculate their portion of bills to the last penny and many are tight gits around tipping (though I recognise tipping in general is a point of contention for many Brits here).
-Not many jobs offer decent holidays, especially to new employees.
-No decent fish and chips, even in cities (like Victoria) where the nearby ocean is filled with tasty critters. I want a proper fillet of fish, not a tiny piece of cod fried to a crisp inside a rock-hard batter.
Just to leave on a positive note, though I have considered emigrating to the UK (for many reasons, but also to keep the possibility of European entry open to my offspring should I become a UK citizen) I like Canada because I feel it offers some of the positives of the UK and the USA without many of the downsides.
As a Canadian I take none of this personally - in fact I'm surprised there aren't more gripes. Here are my objections to living in Canada (though I have few complaints about Victoria, BC on a sunny day like today):
-Guessing what the bloody total is on just about anything you buy, especially airline tickets and the like. Borders on fraud in my opinion.
-BBC Canada is a disgrace to the name, especially since they cancelled Eastenders in favour of more "lifestyle programming".
-Minority governments from here to eternity, thanks to Quebec. On the other hand, majority Harper could lead us down the Palin path (and that's not a Michael Palin travelogue).
-Postal service gets slower and costlier every year (even accounting for the fact they have to deliver to the Yukon and NWT for the same price stamp).
-Everybody scurries home to their own little boxes after work, no culture of after work socialising (that I've seen, anyway).
-On the topic of socialising, never see anybody buying a round, people calculate their portion of bills to the last penny and many are tight gits around tipping (though I recognise tipping in general is a point of contention for many Brits here).
-Not many jobs offer decent holidays, especially to new employees.
-No decent fish and chips, even in cities (like Victoria) where the nearby ocean is filled with tasty critters. I want a proper fillet of fish, not a tiny piece of cod fried to a crisp inside a rock-hard batter.
Just to leave on a positive note, though I have considered emigrating to the UK (for many reasons, but also to keep the possibility of European entry open to my offspring should I become a UK citizen) I like Canada because I feel it offers some of the positives of the UK and the USA without many of the downsides.
Jul 6th 2010, 7:36 am
#75
Éireann go Brách
Joined: Mar 2006
Location: White Man in Hammersmith Palais
Posts: 2,932
Re: What do you NOT like about living in Canada
Still, prefer that to standing being ignored at the bar for 20 mins like in dear old blighty.
