Australia or Canada? (best cities, apartment, health insurance)
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political situation
For the last decade Canada's had a government that stood up to US pressure to join missile defense, the Iraq war and other things (like they did during the Vietnam war). Australia's government hasn't.
reporters without borders almost always has Canada ranked higher, the most recent report says Canada's press freedom is twice as good as Australia's.
healthcare probably the same
cities : similar, looking at population Montreal is very comparable to both Sydney and Melbourne, Toronto is larger than all 3 of them.
Vancouver's population is slightly underrated, could easily have 3.5 million people if the city boundary was enlarged so that it covered an area similar to Australian cities.
outside of those cities both countries are similar, Canada probably has more 100 thousand + cities but that could just be because it has more people.
both countries have cities that rank really high like Vancouver, Adelaide.
ethnicities : I know Canada has a larger Jewish community, both countries have small muslim populations, I think Australia is well known for having a big Greek community.
Architecture : There might be more diversity in Canada with Quebec's very European architecture, Vancouver's Asian influence, Ontario's American influence, the history of places like Nova Scotia.
Air pollution : depends if Australia gets any of the pollution from China.
Canada has pollution that comes from the US. Canada has a lot more trees and access to a lot more freshwater so that could make a difference.
I think Rupert Murdoch (an Australian) owns a lot of media in Australia, I don't think he runs anything in Canada. That could make a difference in the type of news people in both countries are used to (may be more entertainment like news in Australia).
australia has good public health care
- cities
many nice ones in both countries
- nature
nsw qld tasmanis have great nature in australia if you like forests
- cost of living
nice cost of living in aus cheaper then america
- architecture
melbourne sydney gr8 everywhere else nothing much
- crime
everywhere but sydney has relitivley low crime but there are still bad spots in cities eg adelaide: mansfield park, elizabeth, smithfield
- ethnicity
very multicultural is australia you would be accepted
- people
australians are generally very firendly and relaxed
- air pollution etc
australia has very nice air quality except in sydney and melbourne on cool mornings has thick smog.
I've lived in Canada and presently live in Australia, so this topic is right up my alley.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MJay
What would you choose?
- political situation
Well, I strongly dislike the major Australian political parties, but Australia doesn't have the political crisis' that Canada has every few years. I'm giving this one to Australia.
- healthcare
Haven't used the healthcare system extensively in either. Just a few doctors' appointments, nothing major. Can't say.
- cities
Australia has three cities worth mentioning: Sydney, Melbourne, and the Gold Coast. Brisbane is a hole, Perth looks like the Aussie version of Phoenix, Adelaide looks boring, and so on. Canada has Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Quebec City, Edmonton is nice (although a bit boring if you don't like their small city sized mall), and so on. Canada gets this one.
- nature
Australia certainly has more interesting animals than most places on earth and it's not uncommon to actually come across some of them. I have a kookaburra that comes to my backyard on a daily basis that I hand feed. However, most of Australia is actually unpopulated desert and the really vibrant and interesting wildlife and scenic areas are mostly along the coast. Canada has much more land that is scenic. I'd say it's a tie.
- cost of living
Canada by far. There are a few things to consider. Most of Australia is barren desert and there is only so much land that is habitable, which means that most of the population is located in a few areas, also there is a mountain range along the east coast that limits how far the cities can expand. But there is also another thing about Australians, they generally avoid apartment living (outside of Sydney, the Gold Coast, and parts of Melbourne) and like the suburban image. Australian cities are much less dense than comparable Canadian and America cities. For example, Brisbane is physically a bit larger than Los Angeles, but has less than half the population. Consider the low supply of land and the demand for sizable lots, Australian housing prices (among other things) are much higher than in Canada. Canada wins this one.
- architecture
I find it hard to compare. I found Canada to be more uniform (discounting urban decay, presentable buildings, but nothing really beautiful), while I have seen the really beautiful old buildings here and some real eyesores. Tie.
- crime
With the exception of Adelaide which cranks out serial killers like LA cranks out rappers, most crime in Australia is pretty basic and nothing really too shocking. Canada has had a lot biker wars and when I was living in Winnipeg I can remember of really disturbing crimes making the news, like three people who were tortured by having boiled water poured over them and had their eyes, nose, ears, tongue, lips, and genitals being cut out/off before having their throats slit in a gangland murder or another guy who was beaten with a fence post and then mutilated with a knife and the police couldn't even tell whether or not it was man or woman or how a woman in my old apartment building (I wasn't living there at the time) stabbed her cheating husband to death and then cut off his head. Not saying that stuff doesn't happen in Australia, but that's a few news stories that particularly stood out and I haven't had that happen here. Also, I mugged twice in Winnipeg and haven't had the same thing happen in some seven years in Australia. Australia wins this one.
- ethnicity
Canada wins this one hands down. Australia is still very WASPy. Granted, Sydney is pretty multi-ethnic and Melbourne has a lot of Greeks and a few other ethnic neighborhoods, but Australians are still mostly of English, Scottish, and Scots-Irish descent. How many books and movies here that take place in the 1980s that make a big deal that someone is of Italian descent. That is how WASPy Australia was until just very recently. Canada wins easily.
- people
Draw. I'm not going to go into all the cultural differences and so on. I'm obviously more accustomed to American and Canadian culture and attitudes, but I've seen people who are friendly in ways you rarely see in North America and I've seen people who are rude and uncouth in ways you rarely see in North America.
I've lived in Canada and presently live in Australia, so this topic is right up my alley.
ive never experienced any crime in adelaide only in north and southern suburbs ull find crimes so you just dont go there and melbourne havent u seen underbelly how many people got murdered there and in adelaide theres no where near that much violence.
ive never experienced any crime in adelaide only in north and southern suburbs ull find crimes so you just dont go there and melbourne havent u seen underbelly how many people got murdered there and in adelaide theres no where near that much violence.
Well, Adelaide does have a pretty low crime rate. The only thing really bad about Adelaide is that it has more serial killers per capita than any other place in the world. And that includes places like California and Wisconsin which have produced most of America's most famous and prolific serial killers.
And well, Melbourne's organized crime seems rather low rent. I'm sure those guys are pretty intimidating in person, but from what I've read of their exploits, they seem to be not much more sophisticated than your average street thug. Compare Melbourne's gangland compared to the crime in North America. Just compare the various crime groups of Melbourne to the mafia families of Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and so on or even to the biker gangs in British Columbia, Ontario, or Quebec.
What would you choose?
Born in Oz, lived in Canada (Toronto and Vancouver) for 27 years, moved back to Oz (Perth). Will be moving back to Canada in a couple of years, for various reasons. Love both countries, love Canada a bit more and we've decided it's a better choice for us at this point in our lives.
- political situation
Both stable but here in Oz we don't have to put up with the dramas of Quebec temper tantrums about separation, and Quebec demands for special this and special that. Current federal govt here in Oz seems rather inexperienced and dumb, PM Rudd more interested in flouncing around the world making grand but embarrassing statements and appearances, has given up on trying to ease the raging cost of living which he promised to put "downward pressure on" during campaigning. All BS, of course. Dumbed down society when it comes to voting. Voting mandatory here and more passion and involvement here when it comes to voting. More apathy in Canada.
- healthcare
Canada's cheaper but you get what you pay for. Oz gives you the choice of private hospital care, Canada doesn't. I prefer that. If I need something fixed, on private healthcare, I can get it done way sooner. Not cheap but I can afford it and appreciate the choice. Public hospital systems seem to be struggling in both countries, long waits, lots of problems, bloated bureaucracy. You pay here in Oz for doctor visits unless you're on welfare, but there's faster, easier access to specialists if you've got private healthcare. For a family it'll cost you about $230/month. But when it comes to healthcare, I don't mind the extra cost. It's our health afterall. People will spend heaps on car insurance but then complain about health insurance costs.
- cities
Canada has the best cities. Perth is a backward dullsville, paranoid of change. The best here is Melbourne which I love visiting - my relatives all live there. Sydney is not my cup of tea, seems a bit plastic but quite pretty. Everything else is small and neat, some would say boring. Best city out of both countries is Montreal. I could never live there but love every visit I've made to the place, spouse is from there. Vancouver is gorgeous but too expensive and bursting at the seams. Toronto's big, with lots to do and see, centre of a lot, but maybe too big, with more problems every day.
- nature
I prefer Canada's nature. Yeah, Oz has amazing beaches all over the place, just amazing but we're over the beach thing. Prefer hiking through lush forests, along creeks and rivers, with majestic mountains around and above us. And once you've seen one vast outback or desert, you've seen enough. The flies, the heat, the harshness - you can so easily DIE in Oz's nature. The east part of Oz is great though - Blue Mountains, Hunter Valley, northern NSW coast, Alpine country in Victoria, Great Ocean Road in Victoria, etc. Lot more bleak west of that. Travelling is easier, cheaper and more interesting in North America - more to see and do, less distances and money to travel.
- cost of living
Every time we go back to visit Canada, once a year or more, we become more convinced that it's cheaper in Canada for food and basics. If you talk about housing, it depends on what city. But the basics are cheaper in Canada, and the basics are what count because that's what you spend on more often than housing. Only exception would be if you have young kids - Oz gives better tax breaks for families with kids, especially families that choose to have a parent stay at home. Canada seems to treat such families with contempt.
- architecture
Canada, hands down, especially Montreal and eastern provinces. But both pathetic when compared to Europe.
- crime
This will depend on what city and what category of crime. When I lived in Vancouver, it was known for high property crime. So is Perth. Oz has a bit of a feral side to it, lots more personal violence due to drunkeness. Aussies drink way too much and it shows in the amount of violence and destruction people get up to. More litter here, graffiti, vandalism. More idiots in high-powered cars here, killing themselves and others due to their idiocy.
- ethnicity
Depends on what city again. Perth is very white, large Italian, Slav population from the early days, and more recently lots of English, Scots, Irish, South Africans, etc. Bigger ethnic mix in Sydney and Melbourne. Canada has a greater mix of ethnicity.
- people
Not sure what you are referring to. Both are huge countries with relatively small populations, a huge variety in the types of people. Totally depends on whether those people are in a big city, small town, and their own personal circumstances, as well as your own attitude/expectations. Not as easily defined as a small European country.
- air pollution etc.
I've not seen this as being much of a problem in either countries, not like other countries, so I see this as being a non-issue. Rush-hour in a big city will have more air pollution than rush-hour in a smaller city/town, depending on many other factors. Not an easy thing to answer, but definitely less pollution to what I've seen/breathed in, say, San Jose, Costa Rica, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Detroit, Rome, Milan, Athens, etc., etc.
I live in Sydney Australia, i'd like to move to the US soon and i've considered canada. I've been researching these countries, there city's traditions, ethics, statistics, everything high and low. Australia would be the best place to raise a family in, no doubt. healthcare and education are phenomenal. i'll be surprised if you can name another country who's citizens have criticized their government for giving too much. Australia. In canada, i like montreal alot
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