Smalltown, Southwestern Ontario...............last time we were here we lived in a different part of Ontario, in an equally small town, which was full of friendly, helpful people, and we thought we would find the same here. We have been surprised, angered, but mostly disappointed since coming back. It's really weird, but when people at work ask where I live they grimace and groan when I name the town. It just shows - no matter how much research you do before arriving, you cannot judge the people. You'll notice I mentioned work - this has been another bone of contention. Hubby and I are both well-qualified and very experienced in our own fields, but can we get work? No way, except through employment agencies, and it's certainly not the work we're used to. I've even been told to lose the accent, because I "speak funny" (that's with a normal English accent, by the way)and try to speak like a Canadian! I really find the people here shallow, whose only ambition is to amass more and more material possessions. On the whole - and I realise this is a sweeping generalisation, so don't go screaming at me, the way people love to do on this website - the people are not very well educated and little grasp of current affairs and what's happening outside their own little borders.........in fact I wonder if there is a huge fence around this town, whether it's to keep people in, or out, is debatable. I am starved of intellectual conversation - it's like living in a retirement centre where the residents are only just breathing!

If you've read my earlier reply, to Dingbat and ann m, you'll see that we have no wish to move within this country - there is now too much about it that we find negative, and we don't want to be uprooting and living like nomads, moving from one place to another until we find "the" magic place......it's too much to do at the age we are now. No - we're homeward bound in 2008, so I'm really hoping this'll be my last winter of snow shovelling!

In which case, your mind is well and truly made up - and I repeat my best wishes to you - and I hope you find what you seek - we all deserve that

I think that's specifically a problem with Tim Horton's. They don't seem to have a policy or consistent approach toward removing unwanted people. There's one by our office but I don't go in because they allow active and aggresive solicitation by beggars within the premises. I find it unpleasant to stand there for ten minutes or so waiting to be served with some moron screaming "gimme money for the bus" in my face. Harveys, Wendys, the other local chains have these hook things, designed for raccoons, that they use to poke and grab the beggars and push them on to the street. Granted one still has to deal with the poor outside but, at least one can spell out the order "black coffee, no, no black, black coffee" and hand it back to the new immigrant employees "milk is not black" without feeling threatened. I'd like to see Tim Horton's adopt a customer protection strategy, something to make one feel safe while on the premises.

You could be onto something. The one right outside my office (the Timmies in question in my original post) won't even put black lights in the loos. The men's loo is used by one tenacious little drug addicted rent boy, (with apparently no consequences to the "customers" who order a double double not on the menu) and the women's loo is a shooting gallery/wash and brush up venue for the working girls.

oldbag, I think you have posted the same sort of statements at the Australian and NZ Forum?

Utter nonsense, absolutely no way would you be told to lose your accent or any of the other drivel you posted.
'
The part about work may be true, but if there are equally qualified people with Canadian experience, they will get hired.

I live in a small town, routinely hear Irish, Scottish, North country, what ever accents, that is just the way it is.

Making money is good, it is called quality of life, even if it buys you leisure.

1. I haven't even looked at the Australian and NZ forums, so have not posted there - drivel or otherwise.
2. So you were sitting in the same room as me when I was told to lose my accent? It's extremely rude and arrogant to tell someone that something they have personally experienced is "utter nonsense" and "no way" would it have happened. It happened - whether or not you believe it is your problem (just one of your many).
3. Consider yourself lucky that you live in such a town - it's obviously not this one.
4. I don't care how rude, ignorant or arrogant you are to me - I will ignore you as your opinion of me doesn't matter.
5. Now go away, sonny, and be a troll somewhere else

Well good luck carrying that chip on your shoulder until you finally leave.

Dear Fishfinger:
-I don't know what your career is but Canada's unemployment rate is at a record low much lower than the UK's at the moment. They are currently short about 200,000 workers in Alberta alone.
-Vancouver And BC have the Highest cost of living in Canada. You must be in a small town though or searching for specialty British products if you find a goods shortage.
-Different districts tend to set their school standards you can definitely better and worse schools. It is possible to do 5 minutes of research online to find the better ones in your town.
-Have your family come visit for a vacation (you'll soon remember one of the reasons you emigrated in the first place)
-There are 30 million adult Canadians plus another 20 million other adults here surely a few of must share some of your interests perhaps you are trying to make friends in all the wrong places
-B.C. is known for being laid back with a slower feel to it. You may have chosen an area of Canada that did not meet your needs but BC is not all of Canada. And all of B.C. is not alike.
-I am not sure what your idea of having fun is perhaps you miss the little pubs that Britain is famous for. There are some places that you can find just that.
-In other words Canada is what you make of it. I hope that you have been to Britain for a visit lately and know that it to has changed and moved on and will not be exactly the place you remember. Sometimes you just can't go back.

Best wishes and I hope you find what you are searching for.

Actually Canada has the highest unemployment rate in the English speaking world, by that I mean Australia, NZ, UK, Ireland etc.

6.4% in Canada compared to 2.9 in the UK

How the hell would you know?

Not sure where and how long you have been living in Canada for

Measured on the same scale Canada's and the UK's unemployment rates are very similar. I think UK is 5.5% ish and Canada maybe just above 6%.

As in any country there are very large regional differences in unemployment . Sadly in Canada these regions are much further apart, so If I live in Newfoundland or Quebec where unemployment is above average, I'm hardly going to Commute to Alberta where unemployment is around 0, I'd have to up sticks and move 2000 miles to be there.

However if I live in in Tower Hamlets in the UK (highest unemployment) I could easily hop on a train for an hour and work in Richmond upon Thames (lowest uunemployment).

Therefore In the UK you are always close to good employment areas, the same can't be said for Canada

Canada is a kaleidoscope of people and accents, the country is very sensitive to welcoming newcomers, and there is NO WAY, someone would tell you to change your accent.

Lose your accent so you sound like, who?????

An immigrant from Korea, China, Poland, Ireland, there is no Canadian Accent but there are Canadian Accents, and if someone said that to you, I guarantee they would be fired.

People will ask about an accent, not being rude, but out of interest, I am frequently asked, my accent has come to resemble that of some one from Boston, it is something to talk about.

People wait up to five years to come here, please give a space to those who want to contribute to this countries future.

Howard, you could raise a hot air balloon on your own. I have been asked COUNTLESS times to change the way I talk in the last decade or so. It would appear that some Canadians just enjoy being pig ignorant; I have a South London accent that still solicits "pardon me?" "excuse me?" "I don't get what you are trying to say" along with the obligatory blank stare on occasion. This is a forum for those of us wishing to leave the land of blah. Clearly you are happy with what many of us view as mediocre, so perhaps you could give your space on this forum to people who don't agree with you. There is a Tim Horton's around the corner, I am sure, if you need some intellectual stimulation at your own level.

I take back what I said about the 2.9% unemployment rate in the UK

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7162733.stm

Still not convinced about the move to Canada eh Danny? I mean with your new avatar and posts like this, it's really starting to look like you're desperately trying to convince yourself you've done the right thing. Chin up, it'll probably get better if you ever manage to get some real-life friends.