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America is a wealthier country than Canada, and people there have much more disposable income. It's the same reason why cities like Quebec City don't have NHL teams, while a tropical American city of 300k like Tampa has one.
We pay more money and get less because of our overreaching protectionist government, a culture that stifles innovation and most of all the lack of competition. They all interconnect. Anyone remember when Verizon tried to come to Canada? We more or less threw out the economics 101 book and decided to continue being ripped off by Bell and Telus, rather than allow another competitor on the market.
If it was all about vast distances, then most places in the western U.S. like Seattle which are very isolated from the rest of the US would be as difficult to scrape by for the common person as Canada is. Distances play a role but the role is nothing decisive as some make it seem. As long as we continue to value witchunts for misgonysts over helping create opportunities for real-life Canadian workers we will continue to get ripped off.
Accurate post. Unfortunately, I fear that we are headed down the same path here in the US.
Also don't forget that disposable income doesn't take into consideration what things are covered or not covered by your taxes. For instance, do you pay for water or not, do you pay out of pocket for health insurance etc.
The reason Quebec City lost the NHL bid has nothing to do with disposable income, but everything to do with the dollar.
Everything is more expensive in Canada, and we defend it with crap explanations about distances between cities. CBC likes to talk about how our quality of life is better - how? You pay a full million for a shack located in a place that's cold and dreary all year round...and defend it with hot wind like "at least we get free healthcare". It doesn't add up. The current generation of millenials are already being decimated and those who are turning 18 today have even bleaker prospects as they compete with masses of various third world competition. Yet all we want to talk about is how tolerant we are being to foreign people who may or may not pay into the system, sexual orientation of government employees.......or how diverse we are?
We're shipping our first world neighbour natural resources from the ground and they ship us finished laptop computers.... Wake up already. They're actually fighting for their dream and we're just giving ours away for free.
Also don't forget that disposable income doesn't take into consideration what things are covered or not covered by your taxes. For instance, do you pay for water or not, do you pay out of pocket for health insurance etc.
The reason Quebec City lost the NHL bid has nothing to do with disposable income, but everything to do with the dollar.
Natnasci right on cue - Yes, a dollar that is crap compared to the American one, so we can't afford to compete with Americans when it comes to paying players. It is much harder to run a team in Canada when Americans offer the big bucks to players. So even though we invented hockey and have a more hockey crazy population....cities like Quebec and Halifax don't have teams. Ontario should have at least 4 or 5 teams including Toronto and Ottawa, even Gatineau should have one, Nova Scotia should have one, and on it goes. We don't because we have a crap economy. When you have a crap economy your city loses bids to have professional sports teams. So Quebec loses to Las Vegas, a small desert town where average highs don't dip below 14...
Nice pics. Too Mississauga doesn't have mountains along with fewer stores.
Barnes and Noble....no that would be have Chapters instead.
Target ...again none...they left Canada after only one year, they figured Canadian market
is not good for retail, just like you're suggesting.
We have Canadian Tire and lots of Tim Hortons everywhere though.
Costco is popular, their parking lots always seem to be full, I noticed.
Home Depot too, Lowes is expanding in Canada, which is good,
I prefer them to Home Depot.
And yes those streets you mentioned have a lot of retail, I guess you've been checking
them on google street view.
Small shops with 1 to 3 staff? ....check out Lakeshore Rd in "downtown" Oakville,
or Queen St. in Streetsville area of Mississauga.
Sorry if I came across bit rude but I was being bit sarcastic.
I'm sure there is number of reasons for lack of stores.
And duty fees and shipping probably play apart too. You can't just build store in Canada be store owner and import goods in Canada, you have to have deal with government and company in the US.
The government in Canada protect lot of American take over.
Remember Lowes, Best Buy and Target was in the US long before the government give them the green light to allow them to move some stores in Canada.
Natnasci right on cue - Yes, a dollar that is crap compared to the American one, so we can't afford to compete with Americans when it comes to paying players. It is much harder to run a team in Canada when Americans offer the big bucks to players. So even though we invented hockey and have a more hockey crazy population....cities like Quebec and Halifax don't have teams. Ontario should have at least 4 or 5 teams including Toronto and Ottawa, even Gatineau should have one, Nova Scotia should have one, and on it goes. We don't because we have a crap economy. When you have a crap economy your city loses bids to have professional sports teams. So Quebec loses to Las Vegas, a small desert town where average highs don't dip below 14...
I thought dollar in Canada was doing better before? What happen? There was lot of people in Canada crossing the border before.
I also notice housing price is beyond laughable in Canada not even big 5 million metro area cities or 10 million metro area cities in US come close to price of housing in Canada. Even cities in Canada population $500,000 people or $1,000,000 people are more expensive than America's really large cities.
Even when you look at how such big population like the San Francisco bay area is 8.7 million people and Vancouver only 2,463,43 million and being San Francisco is also on world map, and on being silicon valley!! The Vancouver area would be way over price for what it population is at now, And beyond comprehensible housing price if Vancouver had 8.7 million people.
Natnasci right on cue - Yes, a dollar that is crap compared to the American one, so we can't afford to compete with Americans when it comes to paying players. It is much harder to run a team in Canada when Americans offer the big bucks to players. So even though we invented hockey and have a more hockey crazy population....cities like Quebec and Halifax don't have teams. Ontario should have at least 4 or 5 teams including Toronto and Ottawa, even Gatineau should have one, Nova Scotia should have one, and on it goes. We don't because we have a crap economy. When you have a crap economy your city loses bids to have professional sports teams. So Quebec loses to Las Vegas, a small desert town where average highs don't dip below 14...
...but that has nothing to with your original post about disposable income for individuals, now does it?
Everything is more expensive in Canada, and we defend it with crap explanations about distances between cities. CBC likes to talk about how our quality of life is better - how? You pay a full million for a shack located in a place that's cold and dreary all year round...and defend it with hot wind like "at least we get free healthcare". It doesn't add up. The current generation of millenials are already being decimated and those who are turning 18 today have even bleaker prospects as they compete with masses of various third world competition. Yet all we want to talk about is how tolerant we are being to foreign people who may or may not pay into the system, sexual orientation of government employees.......or how diverse we are?
We're shipping our first world neighbour natural resources from the ground and they ship us finished laptop computers.... Wake up already. They're actually fighting for their dream and we're just giving ours away for free.
I think if you talked to people who run a business, they will tell you that costs are higher. It's not an " excuse " to say it costs more to truck something across Canada, than the US, when something as basic as fuel just costs more. It's the reality for certain items.
To say that everything is more expensive in Canada is also not correct. You have to compare city, by city, region by region.
The cost of real estate varies greatly across the country. Cold and dreary all year round? LOL That's a provable falsehood right there.
The " at least we get free healthcare " IS not hot air. The costs of healthcare in the US play a huge role in people lives. Even that varies greatly still, in the US and the fact that people don't declare bankruptcy in Canada because of health care costs, is a HUGE difference.
Everything is more expensive in Canada, and we defend it with crap explanations about distances between cities. CBC likes to talk about how our quality of life is better - how? You pay a full million for a shack located in a place that's cold and dreary all year round...and defend it with hot wind like "at least we get free healthcare". It doesn't add up. The current generation of millenials are already being decimated and those who are turning 18 today have even bleaker prospects as they compete with masses of various third world competition. Yet all we want to talk about is how tolerant we are being to foreign people who may or may not pay into the system, sexual orientation of government employees.......or how diverse we are?
We're shipping our first world neighbour natural resources from the ground and they ship us finished laptop computers.... Wake up already. They're actually fighting for their dream and we're just giving ours away for free.
How sad is it that as I read this I recognize everything you are talking about? I'm a freakin' veteran and I seriously wish I could get into the U.S. at this point. I feel totally alienated when I say the economy is worse than the U.S. and some people act like you are high on drugs. I wish we cared about something more than fining guys $40,000 over offending feminists, its all created such an environment of intimidation. You shouldn't treat others poorly but that's just bananas. We've always had the potential to be a really strong and dynamic country but it just never came about because we content ourselves to rely on American success while pointing the finger back at them and pulling up statistics that lie. I've been told I'm not a real Canadian anyways so I guess I should go where I feel welcome !
I think if you talked to people who run a business, they will tell you that costs are higher. It's not an " excuse " to say it costs more to truck something across Canada, than the US, when something as basic as fuel just costs more. It's the reality for certain items.
To say that everything is more expensive in Canada is also not correct. You have to compare city, by city, region by region.
The cost of real estate varies greatly across the country. Cold and dreary all year round? LOL That's a provable falsehood right there.
The "at least we get free healthcare" IS not hot air. The costs of healthcare in the US play a huge role in people lives. Even that varies greatly still, in the US and the fact that people don't declare bankruptcy in Canada because of health care costs, is a HUGE difference.
Fighting for their dream? Ya, whatever.
Hey I run a business and I agree with him! It doesn't add up. It's not even close. It's way off! There is a lot of kool-aid out there and most people in this country are drinking it. If someone was intentionally trying to being down Canada they couldn't be doing a better job than we are doing. And getting a mediocre/overpriced government service that we pay for by force is something to be proud of?
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