I think I see what the poster was driving at. I have found 'Canadians' (..like 'cradle Canadians' for want of a better expression) are pretty passive and put up with a lot from local government etc that the average Brit in the UK would create bloody hell about....like a 10% increase in local taxes. Seems to be accepted with barely a murmur where I am...usual response is 'well, what do you do'...Where I came from (UK) the Mayor would have been dragged from the town hall and lynched from the nearest lamp standard

It just seems to be the Canadian way, a little too passive and Liberal attitude for me, but I live with it....one of the warts of Canadian life I have reconciled myself to.

Not arguing with the fact that you love it, but there are two sides to the Ontario summer. Mosquitoes? They made sitting out in the evening impossible in Ontario and Quebec for us, and I'd pretty well get bitten any time of day if I was gardening. Evening's one of my favorite times of day to sit outside. Plus it was often just too hot for us. Some people love 30 degrees. Others can't stand it.

To be fair to Canada, these things are much better on the west coast, as is the winter. And it's very beautiful there.

Bev

I have been feeling guilty that i wrote i agreed with what the OP put in their post about Canada. I don't agree Canadians are unfriendly, since being here they have been more than welcoming and i have made good friends with a few. I feel they are different to us with regards to humour etc and maybe i do not relate fully to Canadians but in general they are nice people.

Few, I feel better now!

One of the biggest shocks for me about Canada is the environment thing. From the outside world the perception- for me anyway- was that Canada was a very environmentally friendly country, caring for the environment.

Having lived in Alberta for 3 years and BC for 3 years it's clear it's the exact opposite. People leaving cars/trucks etc. idling unnecessarily, outside house lights permanently on, seeming inability to do anything without turning a key- cutting the grass, trimming the edge, washing the car, clearing up leaves.

At the larger level the disregard for the landscape and wildlife is quite shocking- hill sides clear cut, streams, rivers and ground water polluted, bears indiscriminately shot because the local law enforcement can't be bothered with the process of moving them out of the area when they cause problems.

The biggest shock of all was reading a book on the oil sands in northern Alberta; I think it's called "Tar sands- dirty oil and the future of a continent". All I can say is that I'm glad I don't live anywhere near there anymore.....yes we need oil but come on use a bit of common sense.

I'm not a greenie or tree hugger by any means but Canada is one of the last great wilderness areas left in the world and the country seems to be doing it's best to wipe it out of existence rather than looking to places (Europe for example) that have made that mistake in the past and trying to learn from it. Yes Canada has numerous "protected" National Parks such as Banff but "protected" is often used loosely.

The UK's far from perfect but with regard to the environment it's light years ahead. We have a thing here in BC called Air Care that's a bit like the British MOT except it's only for vehicle emissions. The provincial government are thinking of getting rid of it because new cars are a lot cleaner on emmissions- yeah, but the aim of Air Care is to ensure cars continue to be that way. Smacks of cost cutting methinks.

Then one also has to look at the record south of the border, China, South America, in fact most of the world. When economics come into the equation, environmentalism goes out the window. The number of cars on the roads in Europe puts the number of vehicles in Canada in the shade. Unfortunately the world demands resources, yet complains when they are extracted. Mostly the population is to blame, as market forces drive the economy.

If we did not have consumerism there would be less demand on resources. Cars have got way smaller in Canada in the last 15 years, recycling has gone up. BC is promoting the 100 mile diet in an attempt to get consumers to buy local goods.

The car is a way of life in North America, largely because the distances are so much further and public transport is impractical in many instances outside of the major centres. The whole country of Great Britain is pretty much a major centre. In Canada I could fly for 10 minutes, be in wilderness never to be found again if the aircraft went down, that is nigh on impossible in Britain.

Europe has already stripped its forests, built on the land and exhausted most resources, then looks to the rest of the world for theirs, to satisfy their consumerist society. China is an emegring power because of the global consumerist demand for cheaper goods. Their environmental record is not the best, yet we all keep feeding the demand for more cheap goods.

The latest 'Vancouver - Green Capital of the World/Universe whatever' campaign highlights all this perfectly. They seem to be under the impression that they're all so green and environmentally sensitive, but all N. Americans consume way more than any European. When they were talking about water meters and usage per person, the average in Vancouver, was about twice what it is in the UK.

Really, they might be green by N. Amercian standards, but that isn't saying much in relation to somewhere like Denmark.

It does seem odd that they are getting rid of Air Care, so now there's nothing stopping you from driving a dangerously unsafe car on the road and polluting the environment at the same time. At least you won't be able to text at the same time soon

There is nothing stopping you driving an unsafe vehicle now, so long as it passes emissions standards. Not sure I agree with getting rid of air care either, but there are a lot of vehicles that don't need to go through it anyway. No farm vehicles need take air care, nor do some other categories and they can be some heavy polluters.

That's what I meant. With no MOT or equivalent, you can drive a dangerously unsafe car but at least it couldn't spew out tonnes of noxious fumes, whereas now it can - yippeee !!

Give me a chance. LOL. Not got there just yet. I should be there around mid November. Got a place sorted. I won't be back until the snow leaves Canada. end of march. Ready for the summer.

So very true...the evidence of our own eyes as to the wrecks we see on the road on a regular basis. Many of my Canadian friends recoil in horror at the Transport laws in such as the UK, re the annual 'bumper to bumper' MOT test once the vehicle attains 3 years from first registration.

Having said that, the introduction of such legislation here in Canada may just be enough to stir the passive masses to revolution.......

Now what a shot in the arm for the North American auto industry that would be....and all that scrap metal too....

Then don't forget the mandatory wrecked car in the yard for every rural location!

Now I must take issue with you there my flying friend....it is a problem in some areas to be sure....but in many areas it is not....including my own, but I do see where you are coming from. At first I thought it was due to the shortage of Scrap Yards...but my wife informed me that some Canadians in rural areas see their own back yards as such a facility........unfortunately.

They still have it in Nova Scotia, don't they? Maybe elsewhere.

Bev

Hey Kristen alright? hope to see you soon for a catch up!

Hi, we are all going out Friday 13th (hope your not supersticious!). Its a few people's biffdays, would be great to see you. Didn't get a chance to chat when i last saw u! Hope u recovered!!