Chi_Nook

You'll be in Canada until you collect you're old age pension..You won't go anywhere...you just like complaining about your life and getting sympathy from other people, simple as that...

dbd33

Ad hominem, ad hominem, ad hominem, have you got any substance to you at all?

gotoronto

I think dbd33 had a fair point on giving balanced views. Is there not one thing that you don't like so much about Canada? I am not even saying dislike, but something that you like least?

Beginning to wonder how much the Canadian government is paying you for this Canuck-flag waving propaganda?

Chi_Nook

Yes I don't like whining, complaining immigrants to this country, who live here and slag the way of life and the people BUT who don't have the guts to go back to where they came from.

On the other hand I admire those who don't like life here BUT chose to go home. I can fully appreciate that Canada isn't for everyone and I sincerely wish all the best to those who can't settle, for whatever reason (family etc) and go back home.

Also I'm not to keen on Calgary drivers and don't like Poutine either...

dbd33

There is no "way of life" to slag. That's the best thing about Canada, it's just a series of foreign cultures arranged side-by-side, Italians speaking Italian, Chinese speaking Chinese, etc., etc. Not only is there nothing to assimilate to, it's the policy of the government that people not assimilate but rather hyphenate. I feel a duty to Canada to mingle with Londoners and drink Fullers before pictures of the Queen Mum (GRHS). As London-Canadians we should revel in our ethnicity just as much as them Greek-Canadians or Swiss-Canadians.

fledermaus

would that be about life in Toronto then???

tracys

Hi Fledermaus,

Does this mean that you believe Canada offers children more opportunities?

We are in the proccess of trying to find a job for OH as we want the best possible start to our new life in Canada.

We have a decent life in Uk, OH director in his company but jobs are not as 'secure' as they used to be. I work p/t in a job I enjoy, fits in with children etc.

However we feel that Canada can offer us a bit more house/space for our money( and I don't mean an enormous house), just bigger than the hutch we currently occupy We could afford bigger here but then wouldn't be able to afford decent holidays. Hopefully it will also offer us more leisure opportunities too.

Am I wrong in thinking that statistically Canada is a safer place to raise our children? That and the education situation here are two of our main reasons for wanting to emigrate.

dbd33

Statistics on safety in Canada as a whole are not much use to you. For example, the leading cause of death of children in Canada is "farm accident". That's not a problem in Toronto. You need to consider the risks in the specific part of Canada that's of interest to you. What risks are you particularly concerned about?

I don't think you should assume that there's necessarily a better education available here than there. I think my children received a very good education but they attended a school that offered the bac (www.ibo.org) and we got them into it by much manoeuvring; one could do much the same in the UK.

Chi_Nook

I don't think I need to add anything to your silly rant above. Why don't you just go back to the UK, if you believe "...there is no way of life.." in Canada. I'm sure you'd be much happier in the UK, but you'd also probably do nothing but complain and whine about life there too after you got back...I just think you're just a chronic complainer...Sad really...

Well I actually have a job and now have to go and do some work to earn that nasty money. I don't know what you and gotoronto do for a living, but you seem to be able to spend hours everyday on this web site whining and complaining about your life over here. You both must have a very cushy jobs....

tracys

Goodness, farm accidents, are they living on the farms or tresspassing?

I was thinking more in terms of knife and other violent crime that seem to be in the news so much these days. I've actually stopped watching the news and reading the papers as it's so depressing!

As for education, I work in that sector so see things from both sides. My children have both had brilliant primary education as we live near a great school. However had to fight to get oldest into a good senior school 20 minutes away as local schools are not so good.

Have been led to believe that the area of NS we are considering has really good schools on all levels, but need to look into this in more detail of course. Will check out the link you posted, thanks.

fledermaus

I live in a quiet street in the city. The kids play out in the street all day, they roam around in and out of each others yards, they play in the ballbark at the end of the street. Sometimes there's a parent coaching hockey or ball but normally they amuse themselves,they look like kids from the 1950s having fun. They aren't mollycoddled, they do stuff that would have British parents banning them from doing. On the whole they are polite, open, pleasant kids. They also have to do chores and shovel snow from a very early age!

I went to college here with some school leavers, and I found them to be less "educated" than people of a similar age in England, but I think they are kinder people, more rounded socially, more tolerant of deaf old women such as me.

I have found it hard to settle here, for various reasons, I agree that Canada is far from perfect, jobs, employment law, poverty, health etc but I think that its the right thing to do if you have children. Just make sure you have a job to go to!

tracys

Thanks Fledermaus,

Sounds like just the kind of environment I would like for my children, before they get too old to want to play out. As for chores and shovelling snow, a bit of honest hard work never hurt anyone.

dbd33

If you think there is a "way of life" specific to Canada, something that makes living in Canada fundamentally different to living in, say, Milton Keynes, why don't you tell us what it is?

I don't think you're a very close reader. I've just made an argument in favour of Canada, it is that because there's nothing especially Canadian, no distinct culture or way of life associated with this country, it's is a good one for immigrants. The best thing about Toronto is that you can get any kind of food (save grits and quality Mexican) served by a native of the country of the food in the language of the country of the food. None of it is "Canadian" but collectively it's attractive. This differs from the UK where there are "ethnic minorities", everyone's part of a minority here.

I promote tourism to Mississauga.

dbd33

I think this is bang on. One caution I have is that, since I moved to the country I've found very many of the kids out here lack basic social skills, they tend to be withdrawn, presumably because they don't have many non-siblings to mingle with.

dbd33

Living and working. "Like the 1950s" is a pertinent phrase in many ways.