Originally Posted by astor

Mostly these were the reasons we left Canada for US,+ the bad experience with health system. It has been 7 years in TX and love it. But unfortunately we are running out of our visa and ends Dec.2009 (possible extension of additional 1.5 years.) Due the recent cricis, we are not able to meet certain numbers for US GC require, so sooner or later we will be back to Canada. As we will start building business once again, this time,we are looking to move to Vancouver rather than our previous home Toronto.
The above findings of Jack is accurate, but I guess human memory is it not meant to remember bad things, rather to choose remember happy times.I know we will be annoyed by all the things jack said once we will be there.
Can not wait paying 13.5% tax and provincial income tax!

Originally Posted by Jack1

I cannot speak for the whole of Canada but I can talk about Toronto and the surrounding areas. I was born and raised in London (UK) but have been here in Canada now for a few years.

Whether you live in Canada or the UK, the problems will be trivial compared to most parts of the world of course, but since you asked, there are specific problems that I can identify. Many of the problems are minor, but there are two major problems.

Minor problems include:

- People who don’t say what they mean. People here try their best to come across as polite. At first this seemed like a great thing (and this is why you often hear Canadians say they are polite people), but over time I have come to realize that this means people often say something they don’t really believe. This can make it difficult to socialize and make friends because you mistake fake interest for the sake of politeness for true interest. In London if someone’s not interested in being your friend, it’s quite obvious, they won’t talk to you!

- High tax and annoying local government. People in the UK often complain about high taxes. Don’t expect any difference here, it may even be worse. Just about all of the taxes people complain about in the UK (council, stamp duty, NI etc.) all exist here but with different names, council is property tax for example. Also income tax, at least for my bracket is higher here (although this varies by province). Also, local city government officials, particularly local by-law officers can be overzealous in issuing fines. I have been fined several times (but never for the same offense twice). The problem is, they never issue warnings, they always issue a fine. Not knowing the law isn’t an excuse, but we’re not talking about murder and robbery here, these are minor infractions that if I were just told about, would not repeat if I had known. Once the back end of my car was protruding over the pavement slightly from the end of my driveway. I was fined. Once, there was construction going on the street so I had no access to my driveway, I parked on the street (which is also against the law even though the residential street where I live are as wide as a runway). I expected the bylaw officer would see my driveway was blocked by city construction but I was fined nonetheless. There’s no point fighting these tickets because it means taking a day off work. Plus you get to pay a lovely convenience fee for paying online ☺ A colleague at work took a five-week vacation to visit family in the Philippines, when he returned he got fined for failing to cut the grass in their front garden and allowing it to overgrow.



- Overly patriotic people. I think this is one that British people could learn something from actually. I believe being somewhat patriotic is a good thing and being proud of the country you live in and helping your community is a positive thing. People in the UK are always moaning about the UK but I think they don’t always realize many great things about it. In Canada you often have the opposite, people who cannot hear a single criticism, they have blinders on and won’t accept that there is ever any problem. I would not criticize Canada whatsoever if you emigrate here, you may well be asked to leave if you don’t like it ☺

- Lack of competition in telecommunications and lack of entrepreneurial spirit in general. Rogers and Bell. There, that’s the telecommunications industry for you in Ontario. They charge ridiculous prices compared with companies in other countries (including developing countries according to one Globe and Mail report). Their data plan prices caused the delay of the iPhone launch here. Unfortunately, they are the only options so you’re stuck with them. They both have a terrible voice recognition system for filtering customer service calls. No one likes it because the ‘voice recognition’ part of the system doesn’t work too well and as we all know, people just want to speak with a human being from the start. What have Rogers and Bell done? Nothing, they don’t care. Why should they? What are you going to do if you don’t like it? The answer is simple, you can’t do anything, and you must live with it.


Now as I say, these problems are relatively minor in my opinion, I can live with them, but here are the two I think are major problems:

- Jobs. If you are a skilled worker (I work in IT/Software/Programming) then I believe the job market is better in London than it is in Toronto. Toronto is the largest commercial city in Canada so I’m guessing the situation doesn’t improve much elsewhere. If you must leave the UK (in particular London) the United States is a better bet for jobs if you can get in (that’s the hard part). It is possible to get a decent job in Toronto but it will take a long time (possibly months) and mobility is not as easy, overall, you cannot go as far, career wise, I believe in Toronto as you could in London or the USA. That said the situation in London as I hear from my friends is not so good right now either.

- The weather. I cannot stress how seriously this one needs to be taken. The weather is terrible. Many Canadians will says it’s not so bad but I’m betting they haven’t lived elsewhere. The winter weather has to be experienced to understand how cold it can get, exacerbated by the strong winds. It wouldn’t be so bad if it lasted a month, or even two or three. It lasts for about 7 months (October – April) and it’s particularly bad in December, January, February, and March. You will become intimately familiar with a salt sludge mixture that will attach itself to your shoes, car, and anything that touches the floor. The weather results in being housebound on the evenings and most weekends. You simply cannot stay outside for too long. This has an enormous affect on mood and it’s usually during the winter that I think of returning to London. I’d rather take the rain.

All that said Canada has many positive aspects. You asked for the bad so that’s what I provided but I don’t mean to sound like I hate the place, I don’t at all. It’s a great place overall, you can work hard here and make a good life for yourself. You get a lot more ‘bang for your buck’ as far property and standard of living is concerned. I don’t know if I will live here for the rest of my life but I would be possible if I find I don't want to bother moving again. You have to keep in mind cultural differences too, will you be able to survive without British TV shows, British humour etc. That can affect what you think just as much as these other concerns.

Originally Posted by astor

Mostly these were the reasons we left Canada for US,+ the bad experience with health system. It has been 7 years in TX and love it. But unfortunately we are running out of our visa and ends Dec.2009 (possible extension of additional 1.5 years.) Due the recent cricis, we are not able to meet certain numbers for US GC require, so sooner or later we will be back to Canada. As we will start building business once again, this time,we are looking to move to Vancouver rather than our previous home Toronto.
The above findings of Jack is accurate, but I guess human memory is it not meant to remember bad things, rather to choose remember happy times.I know we will be annoyed by all the things jack said once we will be there.
Can not wait paying 13.5% tax and provincial income tax!

Originally Posted by nikkihawkins84

So far the worst thing I've found is the lack of gravy granules! It's either proper gravy that needs effort or sachet stuff that doesn't come cheap and doesn't mix well.

I don't like the viagra adverts either... have two elderly people talking about getting frisky then singing "Viva Viagra" to the tune of "Viva Las Vages" is not nice to see at 2pm!

Originally Posted by nikkihawkins84

So far the worst thing I've found is the lack of gravy granules! It's either proper gravy that needs effort or sachet stuff that doesn't come cheap and doesn't mix well.

I don't like the viagra adverts either... have two elderly people talking about getting frisky then singing "Viva Viagra" to the tune of "Viva Las Vages" is not nice to see at 2pm!

Originally Posted by Mr Lee

Have you tried your local Loblaw's/Zehr's/IGA?
Our local supermarkets all have Bisto.


And maybe viagra too.

Originally Posted by HeadingNorth

I tell you what's wrong with Canada-really aggressive,abusive border guards.
Just try flagpoling for a change on your TWP at Coutts!

Originally Posted by JonboyE

If you think the Canadians are bad, try being cheeky to the US ones.

(Hint - take some lube)

Originally Posted by JonboyE

If you think the Canadians are bad, try being cheeky to the US ones.

(Hint - take some lube)

Originally Posted by Mr Lee

Have you tried your local Loblaw's/Zehr's/IGA?
Our local supermarkets all have Bisto.


And maybe viagra too.

Originally Posted by nikkihawkins84

I haven't found any of those shops around.

I'm gonna have to look for one... will bridge the gap in time before my Gravy Parcel arrives from my Mum.

Originally Posted by iaink

Besides, the ban had nothing to do with this thread

Do I need to spell out again (in public this time) that starting a handfull of innocent FAQ threads can be seen as just human nature or part of "finding your way around", but a long series of them is going to be viewed as attention seeking trolling and dealt with accordingly.

Oh, and by the way, the range of situations where "Whatever" is an appropriate response to a moderators post is very narrow indeed.

Lets all move on.

Originally Posted by julius smith

Hey, Iaink! How you doing, mate? Just thought I'd log in and see how everyone is getting along.
By the way, hearty congrats on becoming a Moderator (!!!!!!) -- shows you how long I've been away...!

And before anyone asks, yes, I am still in Blighty!