Its been interesting reading this list and seeing the few things I agree with and the many that really haven't struck me personally in my move from Colorado to BC. I think any large country have many different places, and logically by moving from one city or rural area in the U.S. to one in Canada, the differences you see might not be extrapolated to an entire country (esp. given the similarities overall in our histories and cultures). Moving has been a fine experience but overall I would guess any differences I do or don't see may be particular to the places where I live now and lived before. Overall, I've had a good experience both where I came from and in my new home (putting aside particular life situations).
To take a few alleged differences that I personally have or haven't experienced:
Some mention obesity. I moved from Colorado (obesity rate 19%, lowest in US) to BC (obesity rate 19%, lowest in Canada). One can compare other provinces and US states to see how they stack up.
I won't even get into the "driver from ______ are _______" comments that seem to proliferate on C-D. But, just so you know my car insurance rates are about the same and - I looked it up - accident rates are about the same from Colorado to BC.
Canada cleaner? Perhaps in some city to city comparisons, but in coming to a smaller city in BC, I've never seen as much rampant drug use, public needle disposal boxes, etc. Something I'd expect in maybe a down-and-out part of a big city, but not the small city I moved to. But I think this problem is found throughout the Pacific Northwest, and I know the past collapse of the logging economy, the residential schools, and other factors contribute to people being in need. Maybe its just common throughout North America these days.
Safer? Again, it depends. Of course Canada is safer on average than the US, and no Canadian city compares to the most dangerous U.S. ones. Victoria is safer than big-city Denver, but more dangerous than similar sized cities where I lived in Colorado. Manitoba and Saskatchewan are more dangerous, and Alberta as dangerous, as Colorado; other Provinces are safer.
More bicycling to work? True 1.3% of Canadians commute by bicycle compared to 0.6% of Americans, and Montreal is the bicycle capital of North America ... but then again where I live we aspire to be like Portland, OR. When I arrived in Victoria a couple years ago there were hardly any bike lanes on the roads.
Less Hispanic culture ... absolutely. More Latinos live in Washington State than all of Canada. I do miss the cultural influence. But then again, Montreal has the largest Spanish community in Canada, so it depends on where you are. Personally I think we could use a little more Latin culture.
Another difference I've personally noticed: Only French immersion in schools in my city. No other choices. I've been told Alberta is different, and Vancouver has started offering Chinese. I compare this to Eugene, OR (which offers French, Spanish and Japanese) or Portland, OR (which offers Spanish, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese and Russian) and wish we'd offer more. The Provincial government tried, but there was resistance, hence the go-slow approach to introduce languages in addition to French. (With all due respect to French, my parents' language). Hopefully by the time my kids are in school ...
Bumper stickers ... that one is true. I notice few bumper stickers in Canada, and practically no political ones. But few of the bumper stickers back in my old home regarded Jesus ... most were about co-existence, the Grateful dead or skiing.
And, I do have to say I see more Maple Leafs up here than I saw stars-and-stripes in my old home. Even the retired folks on scooters (the kind you drive on a sidewalk) use the Maple Leaf flag for visibility.
Just one person's experience.
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