Time changes some things (for some people Oink). I can look back and recall little things that bugged me when I first arrived, but now I couldn't care less - and then other things that I barely noticed two years ago loom into my vision and bug me now, where I never saw them before.

Tis the expat way. Assimilation or repatriation - or perhaps a sort of settling here and then moaning lots

Quite honestly only one thing really bugs me (in Calgary) and that is people crossing the street without looking. I have tried to get used to it but after four years it's not going to happen - it irritates the heck out me that pedestrians just assume that cars will stop for them and don't even bother to check to see whether they have been seen

J

- The whole country being smaller and further south
- Cheaper booze (in fact more US style pricing for most things)
- Stop relying on US things being adequate for Canada. i.e. you need your own 'soccer' league don't just rely on the USL/MLS. The NHL is basically American anyway.
- Get rid of the mind-numbing bureaucracy and try to actually get something done in under 10 years. Try to make official correspondence actually make some sense.
- Have media/tv/papers that are actually interesting and not just a cure for insomniacs.
- Canada needs more personality. Watching and yelling at Hockey games/UFC fights does not constitute culture.
- Stop making your schoolkids flog stuff to 'fundraise'. For something special fair enough, but not umpteen times a year for no specific reason.

I once did an academic presentation about this very subject. That in fact we are turning our children into de facto tax collectors and compulsory schooling shouldn't be subsidized by children. The amount of instructional time taken up by collecting and tabulating the enterprise is considerable. The whole coercion aspect of it etc etc. It didn't go down well. School fund raising is sacrosanct in N. America. You'd be better off attacking God.

Back to the thread. . .

How the hell do you manage to get your head above the covers each morning?

The reason, I put this one in, is my kid's pre-school has just lumbered us with some stuff to flog for 'fundraising'. The fact that we actually pay monthly fees to pay for his schooling seems to have escaped them?

Expensive booze.

I agree with you on the fundraising part...if I wanted 'gen-u-ine' Belgian chocolate I'd buy it at a reasonable price. My daughters class had been told to accentuate the Belgian part as they were told people would be more likely to buy it. I questioned the school on it and they didn't really have an answer why Belgian chocolate was to be stressed.

More sharks and venomous snakes...

The amount of time the kids and teachers put into this stuff is awful. Just be lucky you don't live in the States. Its even worse down there.

Two words for you: Coastal BC. Spring starts in March and lasts until June.

One word for you: Montreal!

Er, cos it's better than Canadian chocolate maybe? I think these kids have it easy. They ought to be fund raising with proper jobs like chimney sweep or cut-purse or some other wholesome dickensian activity; it's the only way they'll learn.

how about politicians that do what's best for the country rather than themselves/party?

Every so-called democracy in the world wishes for this.

Check out this forum :-

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=81

I've not really investigated myself as it's not tricky to pickup all the channels from Detroit here as you can imagine, but as we're in a rented house I don't want to invest in an aerial. I can get a reasonable number of channels with an indoor antenna upstairs though....

This post covers your neck of the woods, looks like it's feasible :-

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=43167

Now look - How am I supposed to make such a life-altering decision as this? Spring or chocolate, British Columbia or Montreal ?


It's just too difficult Lychee