Why so many haters ?
Coming from Europe, I can say for sure that Canada and North America as a whole is a big improvement.

Its arguable, "as a whole", but not really from a beer, cheese, travel or historical european culture perspective.

Having lived in both for an equal amount of time I can say for sure they're not.

Well with flights from Cuba, Mexico and Jamaica about to arrive and the smart ass travellers wanting to speak to me in their holiday spanish or yo man greetings maybe my coffee cup isnt completely full of coffee

oh bless you - they're still on a high from their holibobs.

Aren't you allowed to smile and ask them if they had a nice time - or do you have to scowl and look threatening?

(BO's scare the shit out of me - especially when one thought my daughters build-a-bear complete with built in headphones to plug her ipod into was a bomb concealed in a fluffy toy. Although after it was scanned - rescanned - taken apart and verified he did say "That's quite cool I might get my daughter one of those" - C8ck sucker took 25 years off my life and I had visions of rubber gloves and concrete beds )

Wow!! Thanks everyone for your replies

Over the Christmas break we have been considering when we would eventually go to Canada (we had planned to go last year, but got flooded out of our house!!) and the enormity of the move has made us wonder if we are nuts, especially given that there appear to be a lot more negative comments on the Canada forum as opposed to the Australia forum.

Cheers again!!

It's one of those ''if you don't do it, you'll never know'' type of jobbies.....good luck with whatever your future holds.

I came since I'm in the mining industry. There's tonnes more of that kind o' thing in Canada than anywhere in Europe. Lots more fun stuff to mine here, plus most of the land is near-uninhabited and there's just lots more land generally, so it's much easier to trash vast tracts of wilderness here than it is in Europe :P


what's wrong with le langue Quebecois, chalice en tabarnak?!

I don't believe for a moment that this site represents the average experience of an expat in Canada. Even accepting this you have to filter out the piss-takers, the narcissists, and the clever clogs.

Also remember that it is a huge country and someone's experience in, say, Nova Scotia or Toronto may not have any relevance to someone moving to Calgary or Vancouver.

I often suspect that I live in some sort of parallel version of Canada to many of the contributors here.

Post of the year so far ... Only a few days in, mind.

I have lived in Vancouver and Toronto and also spent a lot of time in Calgary.

As I just posted in another thread for me it's about whether the 'cost' of moving is worth it personally.

Vancouver. I loved the scenery and the skiing. I moved there in 1996 and then 1999 and found it too quiet. Now, I might feel different as it is a pretty place to live. But, it was much cheaper back then. Not sure I would pay for it now if I was moving.

Calgary. I have friends who live in Bragg Creek. Too rural for me but I understand why they like it. Huge house, great views, quiet etc. I love viisiting, but couldn't live there as I like things like restaurants, the cinema, shops etc. I appreciate that it works for them though (even if they do want to live in France really!)

Toronto. In some ways not that different from my life in the UK. But, more expensive, harder to get around, worse weather, more isolated, harder work. It's not awful but I don't think I have gained by moving here - certainly not financially in terms of housing (often held up as the reason for moving).

sense of humor too.

Yes but the French Women are worth abuse

Subjective - there are many who have the opposite view.

Are more people moving from North America to Europe than from Europe to North America?

As you say, at a personal level, much depends on where you're coming from and moving to. If you move from Central London to Toronto, you're going to have a much different view than someone who moves from somewhere else in the UK with a much lower cost of living.

Most people who move to Vancouver or Toronto aren't doing so because of cheaper housing. Similarly most people who move to London aren't doing so because of cheaper housing. Overall though, you get more for your money in Canada - but that doesn't mean it's true in every individual case.