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Complete and utter nonsense. Montreal has very expensive rent. Being an unneccessarily large, amalgamated municipality unfairly allows rents in far outlying areas to bring down the total average cost of monthly rent for the city. Australia's major cities are divided into small LGAs, with very few exceptions. You clearly have never even visited Montreal, so I have no idea why you're making ridiculous claims like these.
Montreal has very cheap rents and housing cost!
Look at any websites and craigslist! My cousins and some friends live in Montreal and Laval.
2 bedroom apartment near city centre for only $800/month!
I've been to Montreal twice and know better than you it seems like.
Toronto is more expensive though
1) do people drive to the US that often to buy "everything"? I know for a fact that Toronto is not within 2 hours drive to anywhere in the US, when you account for the gas cost, time spent at the customs, it is usually not worthwhile. Plus, you get a limit of $200 for trip under 24 hours (anything more than that it requires a night in the US). Not to mention you can't buy service in the US.
This whole we can just buy everything in the US thing is not realistic. How much of your purchase this year actually happened in the US? maybe less than 3%.
2) high wages =!= high prices. Wages in Canada are lower than in the US, but prices are higher. You just refuted yourself.
LOL you clearly have not been to any NJ - NY malls and shopping centers near the border. Plenty of QC and ON plates.
Canadians shop mainly shoes and clothes in America
The median wage is 40% higher in Canada than the USA. Americans don't make more until you adjust the wages in PPP dollars, but that may not even be accurate anymore.
Cost of living and taxes are much lower in most of the USA (except NY-NJ-CA) than anywhere in Canada.
Doctors, lawyers and many other professionals make more money in the USA...
LOL you clearly have not been to any NJ - NY malls and shopping centers near the border. Plenty of QC and ON plates.
Canadians shop mainly shoes and clothes in America
of course I have. I shopped there too.
But how often? And what % of my retail expenses actually happened in the US? As you said, Canadians shop in the US primarily for shoes and clothes, because they are durable and easy to transport. But how often do we buy them? And what % are they as part of our total expenses? Ask yourself what % of your monthly expenses are actually spent in clothing. Will surprise me if it is more than 8%.
Do we buy groceries in the US? Do we buy cars/furniture/appliances in the US? Do we dine out in the US? We do consume electricity/gas/water in the US?
I am not saying Canadians hardly shop in the US. They do. But the fear that if the border is opened up, Canadians will shop in the US so much more causing catastrophic consequences to the Canadian retailers is completely irrational and unjustified. That was my whole point.
Plus, I don't mind even that happens. For many years, Canadian retailers as well as American retailers in Canada never competed like the retailers in the US. They always charge more for the same thing, sometimes by 50%-100% more. Maybe some stiff competition and hard reality will force them to cut down cost and reduce prices.
Cost of living and taxes are much lower in most of the USA (except NY-NJ-CA) than anywhere in Canada.
That was my point. Somebody making $300K is much better off in the USA than in Canada, but the original claim was that Americans make more and that isn't true.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mejsito
Doctors, lawyers and many other professionals make more money in the USA...
Lawyers probably make more in the US, but Dr's make close to the same salary. The expenses are very different though. Malpractice insurance for an American OBGYN is close to $100-$200K, but only $40K in Canada. Americans don't make more until you adjust the salary into PPP dollars.
Cost of living and taxes are much lower in most of the USA (except NY-NJ-CA) than anywhere in Canada.
Doctors, lawyers and many other professionals make more money in the USA...
People don't seem to realize that this whole median income thing is bogus.
What does higher median income mean, that Canadians are richer than Americans? One would be silly to believe that for a variety of reasons.
1) We don't earn median income. We make our own salary. the US has more income discrepancy which means for the high skilled jobs it pays more, a lot more, in the US, while in Canada, dishwashers and cashiers make more.
Yes, if you are a high school drop out with no skills except to take restaurant orders and bring food, congrats, you make more $$ in Canada, not because your labour is worth more in Canada, but because the government says employers have to pay them more.
2) Even if you are a waitress making $10 an hour, do you really think you are richer in Toronto than you are in Chicago or Houston? Artificial high minimum wage pushes cost for employers, who will instantly transfer such higher operating cost to consumers. So the waitress although makes marginally higher salary in Toronto, will face high prices when she has to buy stuff. This is why on a purchase power level, Canadians are ALWAYS worse off.
3) As I emphasized many times, without government intervention, salaries of various jobs will reflect market demand. The labour market is usually competitive. There are many many job seekers, employers can pick among them, but there are many many employers too, and workers get to pick which one to work for as well. When you can only make $5 an hour by washing dishes, that means that's exactly what your labour is worth, because if it were worth $6, someone out of the 5000 employers will make the offer and you will work for $6 instead of $5. So don't complain about low wage, but what's what you are worth in this giant talent pool, in which everyone is equal.
When the government/unions force employers to pay $10, they will keep higher cost in mind and reflect it in hiring less - maybe not by 50%, but probably by 25% (imagine you are the business owner, don't you do the same?), consequently it becomes harder to find jobs if you ever lose one because the government artificially inflated the price which reduces the demand.
It seems all bookish, but empirical evidence repeated show that artificially high minimum salary, as well as high union protection makes the economy stiff and unemployment high - Look at Germany vs France/Spain. They are living examples.
People don't seem to realize that this whole median income thing is bogus.
What does higher median income mean, that Canadians are richer than Americans? One would be silly to believe that for a variety of reasons.
The median is simply the cutoff for the 50th percentile and is a much more accurate figure than average. 50% of people make more and 50% of people make less.
Quote:
Originally Posted by botticelli
1) We don't earn median income. We make our own salary. the US has more income discrepancy which means for the high skilled jobs it pays more, a lot more, in the US, while in Canada, dishwashers and cashiers make more.
Yes, if you are a high school drop out with no skills except to take restaurant orders and bring food, congrats, you make more $$ in Canada, not because your labour is worth more in Canada, but because the government says employers have to pay them more.
I don't think anyone actually disputed that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by botticelli
2) Even if you are a waitress making $10 an hour, do you really think you are richer in Toronto than you are in Chicago or Houston? Artificial high minimum wage pushes cost for employers, who will instantly transfer such higher operating cost to consumers. So the waitress although makes marginally higher salary in Toronto, will face high prices when she has to buy stuff. This is why on a purchase power level, Canadians are ALWAYS worse off.
People making less than $80 are better off in Canada.
Social mobility is higher in Canada
Transfer payments are higher in Canada
Safety nets are stronger in Canada
Public schools are better in Canada
Higher education is cheaper in Canada.
Even with a higher cost of living median wealth is significantly higher in Canada. ($81,610 vs $38,786)
Quote:
Originally Posted by botticelli
3) As I emphasized many times, without government intervention, salaries of various jobs will reflect market demand. The labour market is usually competitive. There are many many job seekers, employers can pick among them, but there are many many employers too, and workers get to pick which one to work for as well. When you can only make $5 an hour by washing dishes, that means that's exactly what your labour is worth, because if it were worth $6, someone out of the 5000 employers will make the offer and you will work for $6 instead of $5. So don't complain about low wage, but what's what you are worth in this giant talent pool, in which everyone is equal.
When the government/unions force employers to pay $10, they will keep higher cost in mind and reflect it in hiring less - maybe not by 50%, but probably by 25% (imagine you are the business owner, don't you do the same?), consequently it becomes harder to find jobs if you ever lose one because the government artificially inflated the price which reduces the demand.
That's not really relevant to the topic at hand is it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by botticelli
It seems all bookish, but empirical evidence repeated show that artificially high minimum salary, as well as high union protection makes the economy stiff and unemployment high - Look at Germany vs France/Spain. They are living examples.
What's your point here? Germany is heavily unionized and Spain has a low min wage.
Even with a higher cost of living median wealth is significantly higher in Canada. ($81,610 vs $38,786)
where the "safety net" cost comes from? the sky? the trees?
and how much of the "wealth" is locked in the inflated price of people's primary residence?
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