Partly to do with personal taxes, which are much higher on this side. That and the fact that many Ontarians just don't want to live in QC.

Is Gattineau fairly billingual?

Parts yes (Aylmer, Chelsea, Wakefield (last two aren't technically in Gatineau) and parts not so much (Buckingham, Masson-Angers). In reality many Gatineau residents can speak quite well in english and the native english speaking people on the Ottawa side not so much.

Years ago, most Ottawa residents headed to Gatineau/Hull at 1 am for 2 more hours of drinking. Then Ontario made last call at 2 am and the part of Gatineau closest to Ottawa (the Hull sector I believe) had a specific 2 am last call. Plus the drinking age is 18 in Quebec and 19 in Ontario. My sons grade 12 graduation party etc is going to be in Gatineau somewhere.

At my age though none of this is relevant.

Houses are cheaper in Gatineau as is day care if you can find the cheap daycare. Lots of federal government workers and federal government jobs. On the edge of the Gatineau park which is nice for hiking, cross country skiing, swimming etc.

My oldtimers soccer league plays against teams from Gatineau however very few french canadians on the teams. We've played teams of all north african, all lebanese, all portuguese, all haitian.

good idea, you start it I'll follow. But no making fun of people.

I've inly been a few times and made an effort to speak French but have almost always been answered in English. The one time we weren't immediately was in a pizza place but as soon as I asked them to speak slowly as I was deaf the barman switched to English. I did notice a conversation about " why is he speaking English? She's deaf, oh OK". Which was both considerate yet obstructive as they could speak English.

The 360 degree virtual tour is pretty good.
'We don't have many castles in Calgary,' and this one's for sale - Calgary - CBC News

Free wifi has not been easy to find in the US.

Suppose data plans are cheaper so less need for places to offer wifi free.

Do not think we will take a road trip again. Cheaper to fly...lol...could have flown cheaper then what driving has cost so far...and we still have to drive back...lol

Car did not get very good mpg in WA and Oregon. Avg of 30mpg.

Averaging 35mpg in California so far.

Twelve camels have been disqualified from an annual Saudi beauty contest after their owners were found to have used Botox.

The animals were ejected from the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, taking place near Riyadh, for violating strict beauty contest rules.

Cash prizes for camel competitions at the 28-day festival total $57million, so pressure to cheat can be intense.

I bet the owners have got the hump after being discovered
Camels disqualified from Saudi beauty contest for Botox | Daily Mail Online

Gatineau is very bilingual, almost as much as Montreal. I haven't met many people here that don't speak English (all my neighbours do). In my experience, folk will switch to English quite happily if they figure their English is better than your French.

I'd always thought that the anglo community was mostly in Aylmer (west end) but a taxi driver told me that there are lots of Brits in the east, near Masson/Buckingham.

Chelsea and Wakefield (not part of Gatineau at all) are very anglo. I saw a house in Wakefield flying the Union flag.

I chanced across this piece and for some reason it has hit a raw nerve with me.

Vegan parent complains about Lymington school's pigs - BBC News

There are two aspects to the story that prodded the nerve.

The first is that there are people out there who, for whatever reason, are prepared to disregard the views of others and seek to impose their views on others. Now I accept that this is a fact of life and we all have to put up with it and push back when appropriate.

The second, and more important, is that there are those out there in positions of authority who are sufficiently weak minded to cave in to whoever's shouting loudest. In this instance, educating the young into the mechanics of world food production. Whether or not you indulge yourself, it's simply part of the rounded educational process. It prompted me to wonder what on earth we pay these people for.

Well 41,000 is quite a significant objection. Also, it does send the wrong message about pigs, if they are identified as food rather than thinking feeling animals.

Fairly standard response by an alltogether too larger a proportion of the population who are all for free speech except when it represents a viewpoint that they don't agree with yet they fail to see the irony.

But that's 41000 random people. Perhaps they should petition the children and parents on this.

I agree it's not representative, but Dave was implying it was just one or a few loud voices. It's quite a number. The wider point is how we should be thinking about animals. I mean, I eat them, but in an ideal world we would all stop eating them, especially pigs which are said to be relatively intelligent. Schools have a role to play here, in not inculcating children with attitudes of the past. IMO.

isnt that exactly what the school is doing here? Showing children that meat isn't factory produced in plastic containers? They can see how it's raised, how it grows for piglet to pig, then death. It's real. The kids can then decide on their eating habits with full knowledge.

Probably normalising it. I think there's something odd in getting to know an animal, and then having no compunction in eating it.