What is it like in Canada? (real estate, car insurance, crime)

[smkro]

Been here in the US since I was born, but I am beginning to love it now a little less. Time and time again, I had thoughts on moving outside my country borders and I am new to investigating this. How is Canada and it's people? What is the weather and transport like and does it have any affordable small towns to live in? As bad as it gets here, I may be headed out. Thanks.

[botticelli]

except for Quebec, you won't find much difference in terms of lifestyle. A few include

1) the rich are not that rich and the poor are not that poor
2) not so much racial issues or crime, almost incredibly safe
3) life pace is slow, even in cities like Toronto.
4) hard to find a job, lower pay, everything more expensive
5) public transit is not that great. traffic jams in big cities as bad as LA
6) less money-consume culture, and there is far less stuff to buy
7) there is little local content (except news) on TV
8) Seattle-like weather is considered "warm" and Chicago-like winter is considered "mild". Basically there is only two choice: cold and colder

Of course there are affordable small towns to live in. But usually Canadian cities have more expensive real estate than similar sized American ones. sometimes 50% more.

[jambo101]

Take a trip up and check it out,you wont notice much of an overt difference as most towns and cities look much like American towns and cities when it comes to cars fast food joints,tv shows, bungalows, some differences are people actually live in the cities as opposed to many American cities that become ghost towns after business hours.Other differences would be mostly no large racially segregated areas in the cities, and best of all hardly any talk of politics,nothing equivalent to the political hysteria going on in the USA.
Healthcare system is good as its for every one,its there when you need it period.
Winters are great for all things related to winter activities.

Welcome to Citizenship and Immigration Canada

[netwit]

Originally Posted by smkro

Been here in the US since I was born, but I am beginning to love it now a little less. Time and time again, I had thoughts on moving outside my country borders and I am new to investigating this. How is Canada and it's people? What is the weather and transport like and does it have any affordable small towns to live in? As bad as it gets here, I may be headed out. Thanks.

Whether you would like it here depends on what you are running from and what you expect to get bad there.

[grmike]

the rich are not that rich and the poor are not that poor

A lot of people who act rich really aren't. Most people live beyond their means.

The poor don't have a lot of money to work with but they can afford almost all of the necessities. The middle class gets taxed a lot. Many mortgages and loans only consider gross income and that makes it easy for the middle class to spend more than they should.

[BIMBAM]

Canada is a great place to live, but it's a very big country and there's some pretty significant differences between the provinces. What sort of a situation are you in and what are you looking for? What's your profession? No use going to a charming old town in the Maritimes if you can't get work there, but if you're looking to retire it could be just the ticket.

[adventuregurl]

Originally Posted by smkro

Been here in the US since I was born, but I am beginning to love it now a little less. Time and time again, I had thoughts on moving outside my country borders and I am new to investigating this. How is Canada and it's people? What is the weather and transport like and does it have any affordable small towns to live in? As bad as it gets here, I may be headed out. Thanks.

Your question is like saying what is the US like? It's like MANY different things depending on where you go. We don't have as many choices in weather as the US has but we have varied terrain, people, topography, public transportation options, and income levels, depending on where you live. The same goes for cost of living. Yes there are inexpensive samll towns but would you want to live in them? I'm not sure, only you can answer that after you've visited.

Originally Posted by botticelli

except for Quebec, you won't find much difference in terms of lifestyle. A few include

1) the rich are not that rich and the poor are not that poor
2) not so much racial issues or crime, almost incredibly safe
3) life pace is slow, even in cities like Toronto.
4) hard to find a job, lower pay, everything more expensive
5) public transit is not that great. traffic jams in big cities as bad as LA
6) less money-consume culture, and there is far less stuff to buy
7) there is little local content (except news) on TV
8) Seattle-like weather is considered "warm" and Chicago-like winter is considered "mild". Basically there is only two choice: cold and colder

Of course there are affordable small towns to live in. But usually Canadian cities have more expensive real estate than similar sized American ones. sometimes 50% more.

Just to give the op another perspective; I don't think parts of this post are realistic. I lived in Toronto most of my life and I think the pace is fast. I now live in the US in an area with MUCH less crime, a MUCH slower pace and the lifestyle is WAY different. The weather on our side of the PNW (I know for us it's not officially termed PNW) is considered temperate, just as Seattle is. Toronto's public transit isn't that bad, IMHO.

I think it really depends on where the OP lives now and where he or she would be considering in Canada.

PS there are some other big differences, Canada has healthcare for it's citizens (maybe not as great as what the rich in the uS have but sufficient in most cases), mortgage interest is not tax deductable, alcohol is controlled by the goverment and only sold in their special stores (for the most part), tax rates are higher and most things cost more (however, I am paying more car insurance in the US than I did in BC).

[BIMBAM]

I actually think Vancouver and Montreal have very excellent public transit, and Calgary and Edmonton do pretty good considering their sizes. Toronto's just hasn't been able to keep up with their massive growth rate.

[tarp]

I can point out some differences in the legal systems between the U.S. and Canada. This will be a very "watered down" discussion intended for non-lawyers.

In the U.S., both criminal law and civil law are the jurisdiction of the individual states, and there is also a separate federal judiciary that operates simultaneously. There are certain matters that fall exclusively under federal jurisdiction (like admiralty law), and certain matters that fall under state jurisdiction (like a landlord/tenant action to collect rent). Some matters could be litigated in both state or federal court. For example, some drug crimes are against both state and federal law. You could be prosecuted in either court, or even in both courts in some cases. The state governments and the federal government operate their own prison systems, and which system you serve your time in depends on which court system you were prosecuted in. There is a huge variance between state and federal laws, and the penalties for the same crime meted out by state and federal courts.

In Canada, civil law is controlled by the individual provincial legislatures, and the common law of each province (common law is the law created by prior precedential court decisions). Criminal law is federal law, uniform throughout the entire country. So while one act may cause you to be liable civilly in Ontario, it may not in Alberta... however if one act is criminal in Ontario, it will be criminal anywhere in Canada. The courts are operated by the provinces. While there is a federal court, there is only one, and there is very limited jurisdiction. If there is a civil matter or criminal matter, it will be heard in the provincial courts. There are also two prison systems - provincial and federal - however ANY prisoner sentenced to two years or more is held in the federal prisons. Provincial jails only hold offenders with sentences under two years.

In the U.S., jury trials are more widely available, even in civil trials. Anyone charged with a crime punishable by incarceration for more than six months has the right to a jury trial.

In Canada, jury trials are only available in criminal matters and even then, the right only exists when the crime is punishable by five years of imprisonment or more.

However, even though U.S. provides a wider right to jury trial, this does not translate into more fairness in convictions and sentencing. The vast majority of cases in the U.S. are concluded through plea bargains and the U.S. has the world's highest incarceration rate. Canada incarcerates 117 people per 100,000. The U.S. incarcerates 730 per 100,000. The U.S. also has extremely brutal prisons that liberally use cruel punishment methods like isolation/solitary confinement, "cell extractions" (sending attack dogs into cells to terrorize inmates), use of restraint chairs, limited visitation with family, terrible food for prisoners. This even when a huge contingent of U.S. inmates are being held for non-violent drug offenses. In Canada, by contrast, the death penalty is banned, inmates are entitled to private family visitations, they still provide furloughs (prisoners on good behaviour get to spend a few days outside of prison walls with family), and they have overall higher standards for the treatment of prisoners than the U.S. does. There is also no such thing as "life in prison without the possibility of parole." This translates into fewer hopeless inmates who are hardened and bitter, serving life sentences and being locked in isolation cells to rot.

There are many other differences in the legal systems of the two countries. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled in Nelles v. Ontario that prosecutors no longer have absolute immunity - that they can be sued for misconduct. In the U.S., misconduct must be intentional and malicious and even then, most judges will not allow a prosecutorial misconduct claim to proceed. The reality is that in Canada, police and prosecutors are aware that they can get in trouble for misconduct, so they watch their steps more carefully.

You will also find that unlike the alphabet soup of U.S. police agencies with overlapping jurisdiction, Canada is much more streamlined. For example, in one given area you may be subject to the jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania State Police, the Philadelphia County Sheriff's Office, the Philadelphia Police Department, the Temple University Police Department, not to mention the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the DEA, etc. In Canada, there is generally one police force responsible in a given area. The RCMP does have national jurisdiction to some degree, like the U.S. FBI does, but in an urban area there will be one police force for the entire region. In some parts of the U.S., each little town has its own two-bit police force with 3 officers. In Canada, it's a regional police force covering a wide swath of land. It lends itself to more professionalism.

Overall, Canada tends to be heavy on regional government. It saves money and creates more equality. An example would be in the Niagara region which encompasses a wide swath of land all the way from Grimsby in the North/West down to Fort Erie in the southeast bordering Buffalo, NY. The region includes St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland and many other smaller towns. They have one police force, one school district, one solid waste department, one housing agency, etc. In the U.S., each city or town would duplicate these services individually, resulting in higher costs and taxes and more inequality. If a city like Welland, with 50,000 residents and a smaller tax base, had its own school district it is likely they would have fewer resources than St. Catharines, with 120,000 residents and a larger tax base. But since the school district is regional, the schools are equal in quality. School funding comes from the province and school quality is relatively equal everywhere in Ontario, unlike the U.S. where there is huge variance from city to city.

[MexiQuebecois]

What an interesting post tarp!