Slowest Pace Cities/ Places in Canada (home, unemployment rate, to live)

[f1000]

Oh my, we were visiting friends on Vancouver Island recently & couldn't believe how slow people were driving there! We had lived in Vancouver for a short while & visited other parts of Canada, originally from the US. It can't just be the large retiree population?
What are other particularly relaxed parts of Canada? I guess Canada is a pretty relaxed place in general though

[ajau]

Originally Posted by f1000

Oh my, we were visiting friends on Vancouver Island recently & couldn't believe how slow people were driving there! We had lived in Vancouver for a short while & visited other parts of Canada, originally from the US. It can't just be the large retiree population?
What are other particularly relaxed parts of Canada? I guess Canada is a pretty relaxed place in general though

Western Canada in general is very slow paced. The fastest paced areas I found in Canada are along the Windsor-Quebec City corridor. Toronto, Montreal, and Windsor (city bordering Detroit, mostyly US rather than Canadian in lifestyle) have the fastest pace of life in Canada. From there the further you go, the slower the pace. Victoria is slower than Vancouver, which is slower than Calgary, which is slower than Toronto.

You notice it mostly in the way people move. People in the West and Atlantic Canada dawdle for lack of a better word. They shuffle their feet when walking I find. They stop for pedestrians when driving. It takes people longer there to accomplish similar tasks. They chat with people more. People in the West and Atlantic Canada just seem to never be rushed and they have much time on their hands.

You also see it in the workplace. In Calgary and Vancouver the average office is empty by 5pm. Leaving before 5pm in Toronto would be a career limiting move to say the least.

There is no point in pointing out your observations to the folks on Vancouver Island, they would have no idea what you're talking about and think life there is already too fast... Just ask your average New Yorker what they think of Toronto's pace of life, its all relative....

[KevK]

Originally Posted by f1000

Oh my, we were visiting friends on Vancouver Island recently & couldn't believe how slow people were driving there! We had lived in Vancouver for a short while & visited other parts of Canada, originally from the US. It can't just be the large retiree population?
What are other particularly relaxed parts of Canada? I guess Canada is a pretty relaxed place in general though

Canada is just a relaxed place. No such thing as a clock there! Nobody in any hurry! That is why they live so long

[Robynator]

Just a thought - Vancouver Island's mountainous with many curvy highways. There aren't too many freeways and it's home to one of Canada's rainiest climates. I don't know if that affects people's driving habits or not, but something to contemplate.

[Prisma Jaydes]

Originally Posted by Robynator

Just a thought - Vancouver Island's mountainous with many curvy highways. There aren't too many freeways and it's home to one of Canada's rainiest climates. I don't know if that affects people's driving habits or not, but something to contemplate.

I lived on Vancouver Island most of my life and you are dead on especially on the North Island which is where I grew up. Driving between Port McNeil and Campbell river is considered suicide in the winter yet we get we also get little snow compared to the rest of Canada. Port Hardy (my hometown) through Campbell River gets constant rain probably at least double Vancouver's and I doubt I am exaggerating.

[f1000]

[quote=ajau;6555276]

You also see it in the workplace. In Calgary and Vancouver the average office is empty by 5pm. Leaving before 5pm in Toronto would be a career limiting move to say the least.

quote]

Actually I think Vancouver itself is quite rushed for a city its size, except for driving or hours clocked in at work, Vancouver is more frenzied than many bigger US metros such as Dallas or Atlanta or San Diego.

Though definitely after we were in Vancouver, we visited Toronto and Montreal and it was all about relativity again! But I must commend Torontonians because considering the size of the place, the people there were so welcoming & patient, very refreshing!

[ajau]

Then you get certain cities which are outliers in another direction. Even though Windsor Ontario is a city of only about 200,000 (metro 300,000) I found the place was much more fast paced and hurried than even Montreal and on par with Toronto.

[mikeyyc]

Originally Posted by ajau

Then you get certain cities which are outliers in another direction. Even though Windsor Ontario is a city of only about 200,000 (metro 300,000) I found the place was much more fast paced and hurried than even Montreal and on par with Toronto.

That's just the panic to get away from Detroit.

[ajau]

Originally Posted by mikeyyc

That's just the panic to get away from Detroit.

Or more likely, with an unemployment rate of over 10% only the quick survive in Windsor. It could also be a case of people rushing between jobs just to make enough to live. Or it could be the factory mentality where speed equals greater profits. Most likely though it's just a reflection of Windsor being a suburb of Detroit and culturally more big city American than Canadian.