And I bet you have a lovely pout for a bloke

Thank you PandM and Greentea3 for some support and some logic. I will try to win the toss with the tossers!
Firstly, “I considered arguing that the UK is more multicultural than Waterloo” was a comment comparing a city to a country. Not a Canadian city to a UK city. I never mentioned anything about seeing any Canadian city as more Multicultural than any UK city. You really should read more carefully.
I am not talking about numbers and stats in my references to Multiculturalism, although…
As of 2007, almost one in five Canadians (19.8%) were foreign-born (28% for Ontario). Half of Toronto's population was born outside of Canada. 47% are visible minorities. 51% of Vancouver's population are.
252,124 permanent residents arrived in Canada in 2009 . Canada is aiming for between 240,000 and 265,000 new permanent residents in 2010 (Canada has the highest per capita rate of immigration in the world.)
Info not anecdotal, but from http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca www.toronto.ca www.statcan.gc.ca/ www.cicnews.com

My point is on the type of multiculturalism and the infrastructure for newcomers. Every city of any reasonable size here in Canada has a myriad of services for newcomers, a mix of ethnic festivals where Canadians and immigrants mix happily and media which promotes multiculturalism, rather than criticizes it. And of course, there’s the Canadian Multiculturalism Act (1988).
As this forum is about Waterloo, let me give you some examples:
20 % of the population were born outside of the country. Immigrants make up 22.3% of the population of Waterloo Region. 13 % are visible minorities. There are 80 cultural/ethnic community groups listed in the city. 4 organisations (with almost 70 staff) provide settlement support. 6 ESL sites providing English classes for hundreds of students. There are at least 10 ethnic festivals in the city in the summer.

Back in my home city in the UK I struggled to find settlement services, saw very few free ESL classes and witnessed not one ethnic festival, despite the fact that the city has a similar population , an above-average population of foreign born residents and a cultural mix of many different nationalities. And it is known as a middle-class “liberal” city.
You just have to look at the number of hate crimes reported in the UK (28,485 in a population of 61,414,062 compared to 1,036 in the Canadian population of 33,311,400), open a newspaper or look at the disgusting refugee system there (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/ma...idence-ignored) to see the difference between the concept of multiculturalism there and here.
Re: Nature/The Environment. I said that “There is an abundance of activities and events for all the family to get involved with Nature””. Here is the evidence:
There are 12 conservation areas within 20 miles of KW, 55 within 50 miles. Many conservation areas and nature centres host special events and family fun. There are 3 provincial parks nearby. 14 major natural areas exist in KW and 20+ smaller ones. There are 4 environmental summer camps for kids. Kitchener alone offers over 100 kilometres of community trails throughout the City. Trails Open Ontario 2010 is a a provincewide natural heritage program & initiative of the Ontario Heritage Trust. There is the Grand Valley Trail. There are over 300 campsites within the city boundary.
In conclusion, having lived in KW for 8 ½ years now and worked with newcomers during that time, I’m sure I have more experience in this area than you do. The Environment is my passion. Having been active in this area in both countries, my opinion is very valid.
I love and miss England and often complain about Canada but as I said before 2 things I LOVE about Canada - the multiculturalism and nature/green spaces are MUCH better than the UK.
And I don’t appreciate your condescending tone, and neither do many other people I gather! Go away now and get a life!! I am certainly not going to spend another minute of mine responding to such an arrogant individual!!

To dbd33 : Sorry, I don’t know the song you are on about. I must be that much younger!! Thanks for the info on legislative concepts.

Speaking of hate crime, there was a black guy who was lynched to death in Kitchener yrs ago. There is some rough area in downtown Kitchener where some colored folks were harassed or beaten up, I heard.

[/QUOTE]



So what's wrong with a small town. That's why I located near here. Have been here for 15 yrs and have no complaints

Nothing wrong really. A good place to raise kids, I guess. Not a small town populationwise but it feels like a small town, because there's not much of a downtown.

Here is a link to the incident: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UicmvHtW8Z8

I'm not surprised. I'd be tired too after all that googling and memory analysing for the past few hours

Anyway, without evidence i can review (not Wikipedia), i just don't believe your anecdotes

It's actually not dissimilar to the facial expression in my avatar

How else would you define it?

The point was not about size but accessibility. Yes, if you're in a position to buy a lake, you're better off in Canada. If you're a working person interested in enjoying the outdoors then you're better off in London than in Toronto. Note that National Park shoreline in Canada is accessible only if you pay, there's no right to use by the public at large.

And, for the record, I live in Melancthon (if "in" is the appropriate word for being surrounded by fields). I've camped all over Ontario and Nova Scotia and have sailed a wide range of craft in Canada some of which I owned outright and in some of which I had a share.

Which city in the UK are you using as your basis for comparison?

I asssume that you haven't turned on your wireless set in Canada as the song is from Quadrophenia by the Who. Bands of that era are a staple of Canadian radio, so much so that even I feel young in Canada.

It's a bit of a cheek to count the Grand Valley trail as "nature", it's an old railway line along which people zoom on all manner of powered devices, it's not a safe place to walk a dog, nevermind ride a horse. And it's nowhere near Waterloo.

You appear to directly equate 'multiculturalism' to what you term 'integration' (with a nod to cultural stereotyping). Not the way I see (or want to see) multiculturalism. You seem to be talking much more about what I would call 'assimilation'? (I also feel very uncomfortable about the phrase "do it better" - but perhaps I am overly sensitive).

I would go further, what's described as "multiculturalism" in that post seems to me to reflect the American "melting pot" philosophy rather than the Canadian concept of hyphenation. Surely the point of Canada is that people retain their language and cultural identity, they do not assimilate. I would say that, in Toronto, this has reached the point that there's nothing to assimilate to. In the context of Waterloo, I'd say that the Mennonites represent the Canadian ideal, they'll sell stuff to other people in Canada, but that's it, they've no interest in participating in non-Mennonite society in any other fashion.

[QUOTE=dbd33;8756351]
I asssume that you haven't turned on your wireless set in Canada as the song is from Quadrophenia by the Who. Bands of that era are a staple of Canadian radio, so much so that even I feel young in Canada.

Correct assumption!!! I do not listen to the radio here. It is shite. Canadian music as a whole is. Hope I don't have to justify that remark with a bunch of stats!! (And before a certain someone jumps down my throat, yes I know The WHo are not Canadian. ANd I know they are good. Read what I am saying - not what you think I am saying).

[QUOTE=dbd33;8756351]

It's a bit of a cheek to count the Grand Valley trail as "nature", it's an old railway line along which people zoom on all manner of powered devices, it's not a safe place to walk a dog, nevermind ride a horse. And it's nowhere near Waterloo.[/QUOTE]

Errr....yes it is. http://www.gvta.on.ca/index.php

How come you don't even know how to quote?