What Makes Canada a Great Place to Live?

[ek]

milk: $5 for 4L.

gas: $0.80 per litre in Edmonton

coffee: $1 from vending machines, a little more than $1 at dohnut shops, and up to $4 at coffee shops like Second Cup and Starbucks.

Prices at restaurants are about the same when you factor in the exchange rate. For example, a $0.99 burger in the US will cost $1.29 or $1.39 around here.

steak: T-bone steak is about $6 per pound.

homes: You can probably get a used house in Edmonton for about 100k-150k. A nice new one will cost about 200k. Houses near the river cost a hell of a lot more.

If you plan on moving to British Columbia, looking at prices in Alberta is going to be totally misleading. Home and gas prices as well as taxes are totally different.

Gas: .90-1.00/L
Tax: 7% PST and obviously 7% GST; Income tax is high, that's all I know.
Homes: Vancouver/Victoria is NOT Edmonton. Similar homes will probably cost you double here. Average home price in Victoria is around 350,000. Similar for Vancouver I think. Average price in my municipality is about 500,000.

 

[i_wish_i_was_smart]

All in Cdn$

Milk : 5$ for 4 liters

Gas : 0,9-0,95 $ /liter

Coffee : 1-1,50$/cup at the Donut shop.

Dinner : Ponderosa : 10-15$/complete meal, Pizza Shack : Probably about 20$ for the most expensive pizza (Largest with all ingredients). McDonald : 6$ for a Big Mac combo. Everyone has his definition of "Decent", for foreign specialty restaurants, you can easily find 15-25$ / meal.

T-Bone steak at grocery : 8-15$ (15$ for 1-inch thick)

Income tax and sales tax depends on what province you're in.

where did you gt this data, since no one can say for sure what the prices are in BC unless you are from there, prices are different all over, especialy gas, which the highest I've seen was 94cents a liter, but everywhere else was under 90cents a liter, but i don't know about BC

 

[i_wish_i_was_smart]

If you plan on moving to British Columbia, looking at prices in Alberta is going to be totally misleading. Home and gas prices as well as taxes are totally different.

Gas: .90-1.00/L
Tax: 7% PST and obviously 7% GST; Income tax is high, that's all I know.
Homes: Vancouver/Victoria is NOT Edmonton. Similar homes will probably cost you double here. Average home price in Victoria is around 350,000. Similar for Vancouver I think. Average price in my municipality is about 500,000.

thats what i was trying to saw, every city has a different living cost, property and house prices are different in different municipalities, you will never know for sure unless you go there Yvan

 

[Gonzolo]

NB, NS, and Newfoundland have the highest sales taxes at 22%.
Provincial Sales Taxes

Correction : NB, NS, and Newfoundland have a flat, total sales tax of 15%, which includes the GST (not 15% + 7%), which is near average for the country

Ontario, Quebec, BC, Manitoba, PEI, and Saskatchewan have 7% GST + (7 to 10)%. So, in effect, PEI has the most sales tax (7 + 10), while the other eastern provinces are about on par with Ontario.

 

[Gonzolo]

where did you gt this data, since no one can say for sure what the prices are in BC unless you are from there, prices are different all over, especialy gas, which the highest I've seen was 94cents a liter, but everywhere else was under 90cents a liter, but i don't know about BC

The data is mostly from what I have seen in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes. 94 cents max for regular gas maybe, but I've seen higher (up to 99 cents a few months ago) for higher grades. The last I've seen was probably 88 cents for regular.

 

[JasonRox]

I don't even look at the gas price.

I just fill up and pay up.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

btw, we were very impressed when we saw the selection of restaurants in Vancouver -there is anything a person could want! Portland is a real hot spot for culinary delights; in fact we even have a good little Mexican R in our local town. I was most worried about losing access to good Mexican food.

 

[Smurf]

Ah yes the infamous Restaurant blocks of vancouver. My favourite part

(chinese is my personal favourite - mexican is too spicey for me)

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Okay, this is looking really good. This seems to be a real growth economy.
http://www.cse.gov.bc.ca/ProgramsAndServices/bcbusinessclimate/Default.htm

 

[revelator]

Also, Canadians, please explain this:
The Queen reigns but does not rule.

Her power here is symbolic, we keep her as a figurehead out of tradition. There are many Canadians who are opposed to this. She has a
representative here called the Govenor General, Adrienne Clarkson. The GG is not very much liked, as she is known for spending outrageous amounts
of taxpayer's money, even on personal trips.

What is the price of milk, gas, coffee, a dinner at a decent restaurant, and a good steak from the grocery store?

What do you consider to be a high, moderate, and cheap price for a home?

How much of your income goes to taxes?

I can't tell you about milk, I don't touch the stuff. Gas is friggin expensive, between 75-80c/litre where I live (suburb outside of Toronto), but
still not as expensive as in more rural areas (ironically where fuel consumption is harder to avoid). An extra large cup of coffee at Tim Horton's
runs me $1.55. $15-25 for a dinner at a decent restaurant. Steaks I have no clue, as I am young and broke :D.

I have not yet looked into trying to buy a home, I still rent. But I know my mother's condominium has a market value of $170,000 some odd dollars.
In the condominium where I look after security, the condos average about $400,000 and the most expensive is worth over $1 million. This however is
an upscale building. I believe a reasonalby sized house can be done f0r $250,000-$300,000, but I'm not certain. Remember, this is in Mississauga,
just 20 minutes outside of Toronto.

We are taxed heavily. About 10% of my cheque is automatically taxed for me. There are also income taxes at the end of the year, until recently I
used to get money back. Not anymore. Every time you purchase goods or services, you get taxed again. One federal tax, one provincial. In Ontario
it comes to 15% on every dollar. This wouldn't be so bad, if the government didn't waste and steal so much of it (ie, Sponsorship Scandal, Gun
Registry).

Okay, this is looking really good. This seems to be a real growth economy.

I believe are economy is doing quite well right now. Our dollar is doing well also.

 

[revelator]

I don't much care for Stephen Harper. Originally he had been all for joining the War in Iraq, but when election time came he changed his stance,
to be more inline with public opinion. He was for signing on to the Missile Defense Shield, but now is hesitant as it politically advantagous
to bring opposition to Paul Martin's minority government (not that I am for signing on to missile defense). He and his party have a conservative
stance on social issues, I don't agree with that either.

Keep in mind that our liberal party is not so great either. They are plagued with scandals, and in my opinion are also unacceptable, but better
than the conservatives. We have the NDP, Bloc Quebecois, Green Party, Marijuana Party, and others. But they don't usully get very many votes.

I recall reading in Time Magazine Canada a poll, that placed Canadian support for Bush at between 15% and 20%.

What is more important: Liberty of Safety

Both are very important. But liberty is more important.
"Those who whould give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Ben Franklin, 1755

If anyone cares to indulge me any more, I have reviewed your Constitution. How do you feel about it?

Truly sorry, but I really don't know very much about the constitution, I don't think very many other Canadians do either.


BTW, sorry bout the terrible formatting. I was typing into Notepad as I went through the thread.

 

[Smurf]

Remember, Canadian Dollars.

 

[ek]

Remember, Canadian Dollars.

Canadian dollar is pretty damn good right now. Around 83.5.

 

[Smurf]

Hense my need to mention it

 

[JasonRox]

The US was mainly free of terrorist attacks until the early ~90's.

What happen there?

Note: You should know.

 

[check]

Canadian dollar is pretty damn good right now. Around 83.5.

It's not so much that the Canadian dollar is good, but rather that the US dollar sucks right now.

 

[Dagenais]

x
Quebec Nordiques to Colorado
Minnesota North Stars to Dallas (using revised map, of course)
Winnipeg Jets to Pheonix (and they still can't win the Cup)

Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis.
Montreal Expos to D.C.

Sports analysts predict more to come (Blue Jays, even Raptors).

What do you consider to be a high, moderate, and cheap price for a home?

A decent home? Define "decent." If you've been living affluently your whole life, decent is in a whole different category than someone who came out of inner city US.

Houses in British Columbia are high (mentioned many times already). A large majority of the very large houses or custom built ones are owned by Chinese or East Indian immigrants.

This link should be very helpful:

Check: here

BTW, you're from Portland Ivan? Big sarcastic thanks for helping the MLB in its effort to take our baseball team. Merci de rien!

 

[ek]

Houses in British Columbia are high (mentioned many times already). A large majority of the very large houses or custom built ones are owned by Chinese or East Indian immigrants.

If they are custom built, why do they all look identical?

 

[Tsu]

BTW, you're from Portland Ivan? Big sarcastic thanks for helping the MLB in its effort to take our baseball team. Merci de rien!

Thanks for the link. I've been looking there and at other sites, too.

Ivan and I lived in Portland for a few years, but most of our time in Oregon has been in the Willamette Valley. I also lived in Portland many years ago and most of my family is/was in Portland. So - a big sarcastic 'you're welcome' from a bigger Portlander than Ivan. Although I have to admit that, being really no kind of sports fan at all - well, I am sort of a half-baked cheesehead having lived and gone to school in Green Bay -(oh, yeah. and except for HOC-KEY! ), it wasn't ANY of my doing in trying to take your team. Honest! (HOC-KEY! )

<hmmmmm... Half-Baked Cheesehead... I believe I might be able to concoct a pretty good recipe with that name...

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Both are very important. But liberty is more important.
"Those who whould give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Ben Franklin, 1755

Now you're talking!

 

[JasonRox]

Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis.
Montreal Expos to D.C.

Sports analysts predict more to come (Blue Jays, even Raptors).



A decent home? Define "decent." If you've been living affluently your whole life, decent is in a whole different category than someone who came out of inner city US.

Houses in British Columbia are high (mentioned many times already). A large majority of the very large houses or custom built ones are owned by Chinese or East Indian immigrants.

This link should be very helpful:

Check: here

BTW, you're from Portland Ivan? Big sarcastic thanks for helping the MLB in its effort to take our baseball team. Merci de rien!

Has nothing to do with winning the cup.

 

[imabug]

Also, Canadians, please explain this:
The Queen reigns but does not rule.

The queen reigns because Canada is part of the Commonwealth, and the queen is the (symbolic) head of the Commonwealth nations. If you go to any Commonwealth country, you will probably find that the queen as some significant presence there also. As others have pointed out, it's a symbolic position only now and she has no governance powers aside from a rubber stamp in the form of the Governor General.

And you will probably find there are just as many Canadians in favour of keeping the monarchy figurehead as there are opposed to it. It's a tradition thing.

 

[Smurf]

A great American once said "Give me Liberty or give me Death!"

A great Canadian once said "Give me Liberty or... is there any more beer?"

 

[Ivan Seeking]

What if the liberties taken away are your beer...and hockey?

 

[Smurf]

Blood would be running in the streets.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Blood would be running in the streets.

 

[JasonRox]

I'd sacrifice liberty for hockey and beer!

"Those who choose to not enjoy hockey and beer and settles for liberty shall never be granted hockey or beer." Ben Franklin 1755 (When he visited Ottawa.)

 

[tumor]

I think hockey is a group of sports watched by morons and simpletons.Hockey is good for children to watch though.
Thank God for NHL lock out.

 

[Smurf]

I think hockey is a group of sports watched by morons and simpletons.Hockey is good for children to watch though.
Thank God for NHL lock out.

Blasphemous Heretic! Thou Shalt Be Destroyed by My Mighty Hockey Stick!

 

[cepheid]

Didn't read the whole thread...just some notes:

I'm in Vancouver right now...gas price fluctuates between 69.9 cents per litre and 91.4 cents per litre within the span of one day! (price war, I guess). There are intermediate prices as well...it's just totally weird.

Somebody mentioned that he thought Canada 'gained' independence "in 1863 or something', and there was a later correction that is was actually 1960! What?

How can you be Canadian and not know that Confederation was on July 1st, 1867? What do you think Canada day is celebrating? That's our equivalent to the "4th of July" man! If you people don't know anything about Canadian history, then please do not try to educate Americans about it. Not all provinces joined confederation immediately, (my home province, Alberta, joined in 1905), but for all intents and purposes, that's when Canada came into being, and was no longer a British colony. That's when the first version of the constitution..."the British-North America Act", was made. It has been revised numerous times, admittedly, well into the 20th century. I believe that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in its present form dates back a few decades at most.

Another claim was made that Canada 'gained independence' in exchange for helping fight against Germany in WWI! Umm...notice that this was 47 years after Confederation. It's true that at the time, Canada still had VERY close ties with Great Britain. When Britain declared war, Canada felt that it was at war by default..."an attack on the mother country is an attack on us" was the mentality at the time. Since our troops performed with distinction, the first world war marked the first time that Canada came to be *viewed* as a distinct nation with something to offer. HOWEVER, Canada "coming into its own" is not the same thing as Canada first becoming a unified nation.

This thread seems to have an inordinate amount of perpetuation of Canadian stereotypes, and a lot of needless belittling of Americans. Do we really need to showcase our whopping inferiority complex for all to see? I can't stand the Bush administration, but I have nothing against America itself, neither it's people (who are great) nor the principles on which it was founded...which ought to be remphasized in this era...lest they be overshadowed by Bush's reign of fear. And if you don't agree with me on that last point, fine. Who was it who said..."I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it!". I think that sentiment resonates with Canadians and Americans alike.