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Wow! I knew Canada was more expensive than the US, but is it really such a dramatic difference?
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Some things like gas, cigs, U.S chain clothing stores and alcohol. General food prices not as much as OP portrayed.. Read every point carefully - the post was carefully orchestrated to push talking point buttons that are constantly being brought up in the Canada forum.. Housing in cities like Toronto and Vancouver are expensive but not so much more and in some cases less than large and successful U.S cities.. Rent in Toronto/Vancouver/Montreal etc an absolute bargain compared to U.S cities like S.F, Boston, NYC.
Anyway, feel free to actually listen to people who actually live in Canada regarding the costs of things in Canada.. I don't need to compare costs to U.S cities when I see things like 200 dollars a month for a cell phone plan or 10 dollars for a tub of ice cream - total nonsense and not accurate costs for things here at all.. The OP clearly isn't adept at shopping in Canada based on their post.
Wow! I knew Canada was more expensive than the US, but is it really such a dramatic difference?
As for inclusiveness, as a minority who has lived in the US for almost her entire life and visited Canada (albeit only a few times), I've actually felt significantly more comfortable in Canada. I didn't feel out of place there. I think Canada's multicultural attitude really distinguishes it from the US, where there tends to be more of an expectation for minorities to act "American". Of course, you probably have a better sense of the situation than I do, since you've lived there for years.
It really is not that extreme a price difference, he is exaggerating and on a rant, and also generalizing what is clearly Toronto, even though he never bothered to specify that, to the rest of the country. There are grains of truth there, but take them with several more of salt! Price difference can be substantial depending on the product, but on the whole I'd say after adjusting for the exchange I might pay 10-15% more for a basket of goods in Canada then I would in an equivalent area of the US.
One criticism of his, which is ridiculous, is that we often call the USA "the states" rather than America. That is a historical tendency that comes from not being a bunch of Europeans but rather being another country in "America". It thus makes sense to refer to the states, as opposed to the provinces of British North America and later Canada.
One criticism of his, which is ridiculous, is that we often call the USA "the states" rather than America. That is a historical tendency that comes from not being a bunch of Europeans but rather being another country in "America". It thus makes sense to refer to the states, as opposed to the provinces of British North America and later Canada.
Americans say ''the States'' when talking about their country all the time.
''Well, I couldn't wait to get back to the States, back to the cutest girls in the world. I wish they all could be... California girls!"
can someone from Ontario explain the $4000 hospital bill? Since health care is provincial is there something that would account for that? My husband spent a week in the hospital just last month and we never paid for anything, just as we never have.
can someone from Ontario explain the $4000 hospital bill? Since health care is provincial is there something that would account for that? My husband spent a week in the hospital just last month and we never paid for anything, just as we never have.
The only thing I can think of is if you got a room that was not covered by OHIP.. My partner was hospitalized with Appendicitis a few years back and because he was on my extended H.C plan from work, I was able to put him in his own hospital room where he didn't have to share with anyone else. He was in the hospital a few nights and I think it was a grand but my private plan from work paid for it. It was my choice to get him in his own room though, it wasn't forced.. I didn't even have to pay out of pocket, I gave the hospital my plan details and they billed Sunlife directly. The cost of his surgery, my fathers cancer treatment etc ZERO dollars, no paperwork...
Its the same with my dental plan.. I have 100 percent coverage for us and my Dentist bills Sunlife directly.. The only time you'd have to pay out of pocket would be for things not 100 percent covered by the plan but this is common everywhere.. No plan covers everything ie a dental implant (unless it was an accident for example like falling off a camel in Egypt and fracturing a tooth, than they cover 100 percent lol ) etc.
There are some interesting tidbits in the OP that I will address later. It's unfortunate though that they are overshadowed by far too much stuff that is just over the top.
As for inclusiveness, as a minority who has lived in the US for almost her entire life and visited Canada (albeit only a few times), I've actually felt significantly more comfortable in Canada. I didn't feel out of place there. I think Canada's multicultural attitude really distinguishes it from the US, where there tends to be more of an expectation for minorities to act "American". Of course, you probably have a better sense of the situation than I do, since you've lived there for years.
I really think it depends on the person. Some people prefer the Canadian approach which is a more subtle pressure to conform. This allows them to find a middle ground between the old country and new country identities that works for them.
Other people prefer to start anew and are eager to integrate and take on a new identity. There is a tendency to think that the Canadian approach is more popular as it is more ''user friendly'' but a number of immigrants do find their experience with Canada unsatisfying (on this level anyway) as that which they were hoping to integrate with is a bit elusive and unclear to them.
As a result they get pigeonholed into their old identities (AKA ''freedom to retain their culture'') by everyone when what they really wanted was a new one that's more than just a name on a passport.
Canadians meanwhile are obsessed with Americans and the US. They love to bash the US or point out where they did some tiny thing better. They love to be like "Boom! We beat you". They don't realize Americans are not even aware we were in some sort of competition.
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This might be the best comment in the OP. I nodded when I read it.
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