What Makes Canada a Great Place to Live?

[Smurf]

We hold elections every 5 Years max, the Prime Minister has to call it but he can't wait more than 5 years, if he does the queen gets medeival on his ass (thats when the PM runs and hides behind the bar in the House of Commons). Usually it happens in the 4th year.

18 minutes is the standard amount of time it takes to get to the hockey rink.

edit: Ha! Figured it out right before I said it.

 

[Tsu]

OMG! I WAS (close to) RIGHT!

(I was editing as Smurf was posting )

 

[tumor]

Hey! I'm from Canada but each time I see someone in Europe having his/her bagpack emblazoned with maple leaf, I feel like smacking them in the head!

 

[Gonzolo]

Gawd, I can't believe this thread is still alive. I did some research and there aren't enough interesting facts about Canada to warrant 14 pages of posts...

Here's are facts that might interest some (it's not all hockey!) :

-Whistler B.C. is constantly cited as the best snowboarding resort (must be good for ski also) in North America by (U.S.) magazines.

-Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, Shania Twain, Dan Akroyd, Leslie Nielson (I think), Pamela Anderson, Bryan Adams, Celine Dion, Cirque du Soleil are from Canada.

-Rutherford (nuclei), Bell (telephone), and Banting (insulin) worked in Canada.

-I think the origin of basketball is closely related to McGill University.

-Superman was first drawn by a Canadian guy.

-Quebec city is the only fortified city north of Mexico, and perhaps the first ever founded in North America by Europeans (1608).

-If you look at any Quebec province map, you will immediately note a large crater (round island in round lake) from an ancient meteorite.

-The Avro Arrow was perhaps one of the first (if not the first) supersonic planes ever built (in the fifties).

-Canadian soldiers formed the first wave in Normandy (Dieppe, 1942).

-Canada is a major supplier of executive jets.

 

[ek]

Do you not have term limits for your MP's?

Prime Ministers, Premiers, Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly can be voted in as many times as they can.

As an example, Alberta Premier Ralph Klein has been in power for 12 years and is about to be re-elected for another term.

 

[check]

Hey! I'm from Canada but each time I see someone in Europe having his/her bagpack emblazoned with maple leaf, I feel like smacking them in the head!

Why?

 

[tribdog]

Why?

because people in Europe are supposed to use pot leaves.
hey,nobody was biting on my Canada stuff, going to try offending a few Europeans.

 

[fourier jr]

Prime Ministers, Premiers, Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly can be voted in as many times as they can.

As an example, Alberta Premier Ralph Klein has been in power for 12 years and is about to be re-elected for another term.

Wilfred Laurier was in office continuously longer than any other PM, 15 yrs from 1896-1911. The WLM King was in office longer though (23yrs, longer than anyone in the British Commonwealth) but he had 2 terms, 1921-1930 & 1935-1948 or something like that. I think WAC Bennett was Premier of BC longer than any other premier (19yrs continuously), except possibly Tommy Douglas (Sask).

 

[Smurf]

Gonzolo;
You forgot Tom Green and Sandford Fleming (time zones). Then of course there's all our rock bands. And Lester Pearson (former PM) may have saved the world from a nuclear holocaust by proposing the creation of the UN security Council during the Suez Crisis.

 

[revelator]

Then of course there's all our rock bands.

Damn straight! Go Rush.

Don't forget the Trailer Park Boys, got to love them guys..

 

[check]

Damn straight! Go Rush.

Don't forget the Trailer Park Boys, got to love them guys..

And who could forget Degrassi Junior High/Degrassi High? Arguably THE most realistic portrayal of high school life ever to be on television. Degrassi was directly responsible for BH:90210 which then led to all those other crappy high school dramas. But Degrassi started it all and was the best. Canada has some pretty awesome shows…. Yep.

 

[revelator]

Red Green! The Royal Canadian Air Farce! I love watching CBC.

 

[tumor]

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

I always hear on TV that hockey was invented in Canada.That is simply BS!
Check 16 century paintings of Dutch or Flemish painter Van Eyck(I don't remember the name exactly,but he is Big master painter)
He painted in few of his works kids and adults wearing primitive skates and playing hockey with sticks on frozen dikes and lakes.
So.. Canadians shove it!

 

[Ivan Seeking]

http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/sc-cs/o-cda.ra

http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/sc-cs/anthem_e.cfm

 

[fourier jr]

I always hear on TV that hockey was invented in Canada.That is simply BS!
Check 16 century paintings of Dutch or Flemish painter Van Eyck(I don't remember the name exactly,but he is Big master painter)
He painted in few of his works kids and adults wearing primitive skates and playing hockey with sticks on frozen dikes and lakes.
So.. Canadians shove it!

the game known as "hockey" with the current rules, etc was started in montreal:

"From Stanley Street on the east side to Drummond Street on the west side and the two lane ways, define a space that allowed us to have a rink of approximately 200 X 80 ... 200 X 85 feet"

http://montreal.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=hockeyhome020705

 

[Smurf]

Yeah so you shove it!
gawd;
I can't take much more of this heresy

 

[ek]

Nobody knows where hockey was first played. Anybody that professes to is either very biased for one reason or another or just terribly uninformed.

Lots of places including Montreal, Halifax, Quebec, Windsor NS and others have legitimate claims.

And count me as another huge fan of both TPB and Degrassi. I always had a crush on Caitlyn growing up!

 

[tumor]

Yeah so you shove it!
gawd;
I can't take much more of this heresy

Sorry Man! I did not mean to offend anyone.
One more thing about Canada though;
Canada is the place where political correctness was maybe not invented but perfected.(I think I mentioned that in my previous post, hmm?).

 

[check]

I always had a crush on Caitlyn growing up!

LoL! Everyone had a crush on her!

 

[JasonRox]

Canadians never say hockey was invented in Canada.

Besides, who cares where it was invented, we still beat the US at the gold.

 

[check]

Oh, getting back to the government.

Today, I read in my school paper that there is a motion building for electoral reform.
Basically they want “popular votes translated directly into the number of seats awarded to a given political party.”

I think this is a terrible idea for the following obvious reasons:
- Majority governments (which are much more effective than minority ones) would be extremely rare.
- People’s concerns wouldn’t get heard because they wouldn’t have a local MP to bring concerns to.
- How would the representing MPs be chosen? (e.g. 35% of the seats won by Liberals. Who of the Liberal Party gets those seats?)
- Near zero chance of independent candidates being represented.

http://www.gazette.uwo.ca/article.cfm?section=FrontPage&articleID=153&month=11&day=18&year=2004

 

[tumor]

Canadians never say hockey was invented in Canada.

Yes they do, just like Americans think they invented first car.

Check this two paintings by Pieter Bruegel,1565 "The hunters in the snow" and 1565 "Winter landscape with a bird trap"



Sorry for the pictures quality,but believe me those people down there on the frozen lakes play hockey, 300 years before Canada even existed.

 

[Smurf]

IF tumor = Mention(Van Eyck) Excess 1
Return Post = Fourier jr
Cout = "Shove It"
END

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Yes they do, just like Americans think they invented first car.

Anything that I've seen in the last couple of decades shows that Ford invented the production assembly line; not the automobile.

...and we all know that Al Gore invented the internet.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Can anyone tell me about the area along the Canadian/Washington border - along the National route 1? There are a number of towns shown such as Abbotsford and Chilliwack; even as far East as Hope. What is this part of the country like? Is the area rugged or fairly developed? What are the highways like in the winter?

 

[revelator]

- Majority governments (which are much more effective than minority ones) would be extremely rare

There's the counter-argument that says minority governments are more efficient, as no party has a clear majority, each one is in a position where they'll want to do things to please the electorate.

 

[check]

There's the counter-argument that says minority governments are more efficient, as no party has a clear majority, each one is in a position where they'll want to do things to please the electorate.

That's true. I was thinking efficiency interms of speed of passing bills though. But yeah, minority governments would benifit the people more...in theory.

 

[Smurf]

In theory democracy is supposed to be fair and represent the people. So much for Theory.

 

[fourier jr]

Yes they do, just like Americans think they invented first car.

Check this two paintings by Pieter Bruegel,1565 "The hunters in the snow" and 1565 "Winter landscape with a bird trap"



Sorry for the pictures quality,but believe me those people down there on the frozen lakes play hockey, 300 years before Canada even existed.

do the dutch (or whoever) say they invented figure skating & speed skating also just because there are people skating in those pics?




& I like how in Mike Moore's movie "Roger & Me" a couple GM workers try to say that the Industrial Revolution (capitalised) started in the USA, and not 100+ yrs earlier in Britain

 

[Gonzolo]

Can anyone tell me about the area along the Canadian/Washington border - along the National route 1? There are a number of towns shown such as Abbotsford and Chilliwack; even as far East as Hope. What is this part of the country like? Is the area rugged or fairly developed? What are the highways like in the winter?

I have never been there, but I have met a guy from Chilliwack once (this town name does stick in your mind...), and he was just just as ... "civilized" as anyone coming from a developed area. All Canadian highways I have seen are always very clean in the winter. It is during a storm that you must very extra careful. It will happen a few times each year, radios will recommend not driving, 100km/h traffic becomes 60km/h, with about 10% the usual amount of cars on the roads. But plows work around the clock, so that the public roads are always clean before your own driveway, which is quite nice.

I would expect the Chiliwack region highway conditions to be similar to or better than what I have seen in the east, but don't take my word for it.

 

[Entropy]

I live in Lake Mary, FL. Although I don't like living here because of the heat, traffic, and people. But it really is a beautiful area to live in. City is constantly planting new trees and flowers. Too bad so many idiots live here.

 

[tumor]

City is constantly planting new trees and flowers. Too bad so many idiots live here.

You mean of course old Canadian geezers coming to live there, over the winter months right?
And i want to shatter another huge myth about Canada, people often say how clean Canadian cities are
I live in toronto and toronto is the dirtiest city i have ever seen.Garbage everywhere,on sidewalks,on subways,buses, etc.
When there is garbage collection day, buisnesess and restaurants put their garbage on sidewalks in black garbage bags or whatever they have at hand, and sometimes all of that stuff gets thrown on the street,it looks like third World country(and it stinks BIG time! in the summer)
On my visit to Chicago or other US places, i find their cities much more cleaner and taken care of.
PS.Picking **** after your dog in Canada is still new thing.

 

[check]

Yeah, I'll agree with tumor about Toronto. I found Manhatten to be much cleaner. Although, cities like Detroit and Buffalo are just plain icky compared to the 'T dot'. (However, I suspect that's true when comparing those cities with most places).

I do think for the most part that Canadian cities are pretty clean...more or less.

 

[iansmith]

When I visited toronto, it seem clean compare to montreal. In downtown montreal, the alleys and are dirty and lack proper sanitition levels. People actually pee in those alleys and buisnesses and restaurant throw their garbage in their and it ends a big smelly mess.

The trash on the street also get some full that stuff is coming out of it.

 

[check]

People actually pee in those alleys

I think we've all taken a leak in an alley at one time or another after a night of heavy drinking at the bars...eh?

 

[tumor]

I think we've all taken a leak in an alley at one time or another after a night of heavy drinking at the bars...eh?

I even took a dump sometimes

 

[Gonzolo]

Well I saw someone piss on a wall on 5th avenue in Manhattan in broad daylight on a weekday.

Montreal, Toronto, have really clean areas. I would tend to think that Toronto is cleaner, while Montreal is more "active". I have only seen clean areas in Ottawa and Victoria. In fact, Ottawa is one of the cleanest cities I've ever seen.

 

[Zlex]

I'm from Canada. If you value your fingertips and earlobes...stay away

 

[Tsu]

Oh, dear...

Or is that a veiled warning (cuz you don't like Americans)?

 

[iansmith]

I think we've all taken a leak in an alley at one time or another after a night of heavy drinking at the bars...eh?

I'm not innocent but I was a young stupid kid that did not better .

The mix of garbage and nitrogen waste is not the most pleasant and when it occuyrs every few block it makes everything worst.

 

[BobG]

I'm from Canada. If you value your fingertips and earlobes...stay away

Oh, dear...

Or is that a veiled warning (cuz you don't like Americans)?

Toes, too. And don't try walking home after a night drinking at the local bar. A pit stop at -45 can turn into a desperate situation.

(You'd think someone would have thought of inventing and selling something for that)

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Canada on Bush

...Martin, in Chile for an Asia-Pacific summit, was undeterred by spirited clashes between police using tear gas and angry protesters that marked Bush's arrival in the South American country.

But he urged Canadians not to resort to violence. [continued]

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2004/11/19/722165-cp.html

 

[ek]

Can anyone tell me about the area along the Canadian/Washington border - along the National route 1? There are a number of towns shown such as Abbotsford and Chilliwack; even as far East as Hope. What is this part of the country like? Is the area rugged or fairly developed? What are the highways like in the winter?

First off, it is called the Trans-Canada Highway.

Abbotsford is still pretty much a suburb of Vancouver. It's a little further away than ones like Surrey, Richmond, North Van, White Rock, but it's still considered a suburb I think. Chilliwack is more getting into the interior. It is not a suburb of Vancouver. Both places are developed, but Hope isn't. I don't know why you'd even consider living in Hope. It's 200km for Vancouver with nothing around it. And Hope isn't a border town. It's quite a bit north from the border. It's got a couple fast food joints and that's it. Pretty boring place.

The highways? Wet. Always wet.

 

[ek]

And i want to shatter another huge myth about Canada, people often say how clean Canadian cities are
I live in toronto and toronto is the dirtiest city i have ever seen.Garbage everywhere,on sidewalks,on subways,buses, etc.
When there is garbage collection day, buisnesess and restaurants put their garbage on sidewalks in black garbage bags or whatever they have at hand, and sometimes all of that stuff gets thrown on the street,it looks like third World country(and it stinks BIG time! in the summer)
On my visit to Chicago or other US places, i find their cities much more cleaner and taken care of.
PS.Picking **** after your dog in Canada is still new thing.

Please don't confuse Toronto with Canada. Though Torontonians may like to think that nothing else except Toronto matters, there are other places in Canada besides Toronto.

And just because your city is a piece of **** doesn't mean my city is. And it isn't.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I don't know why you'd even consider living in Hope. It's 200km for Vancouver with nothing around it

Sounds like home. Our internet service still uses telegraph operators.

 

[JasonRox]

You mean of course old Canadian geezers coming to live there, over the winter months right?
And i want to shatter another huge myth about Canada, people often say how clean Canadian cities are
I live in toronto and toronto is the dirtiest city i have ever seen.Garbage everywhere,on sidewalks,on subways,buses, etc.
When there is garbage collection day, buisnesess and restaurants put their garbage on sidewalks in black garbage bags or whatever they have at hand, and sometimes all of that stuff gets thrown on the street,it looks like third World country(and it stinks BIG time! in the summer)
On my visit to Chicago or other US places, i find their cities much more cleaner and taken care of.
PS.Picking **** after your dog in Canada is still new thing.

How many Americans have seen daylight? Not on TV, but the stuff OUTSIDE. Not many.

No offense, but I'd rather have a country with a dirty rep than one with a rep of being greedy and dumb.

 

[loseyourname]

How many Americans have seen daylight? Not on TV, but the stuff OUTSIDE. Not many.

No offense, but I'd rather have a country with a dirty rep than one with a rep of being greedy and dumb.

Come on, man. My girlfriend and I are out on the water three or four times a week, either on the boat or in kayaks. I regularly hike and camp up in the Angeles forest and run foothill trails three times a week. Most of my friends are pretty active that way as well, and unlike in Ontario, we can actually go outside year round and not have to worry about freezing to death. In fact, it's physically impossible for you to see as much daylight as I do, because there isn't half as much sunlight on an annual basis there as here.

Do you really need to say idiotic things like this and perpetuate the image of the world outside of the US as horribly narrow-minded stereotypers?

 

[Smurf]

JasonRex has a habit of stereotyping everyone, everywhere, so don't take it personally.

In fact, it's physically impossible for you to see as much daylight as I do, because there isn't half as much sunlight on an annual basis there as here.

This is simply not true...

 

[ek]

Do you really need to say idiotic things like this and perpetuate the image of the world outside of the US as horribly narrow-minded stereotypers?

I didn't realize Americans stereotyped non-Americans as horribly narrow minded.

Quite ironic when you think about it.

 

[BobG]

In fact, it's physically impossible for you to see as much daylight as I do, because there isn't half as much sunlight on an annual basis there as here.

Not true. Every place on Earth receives the same amount of daylight. Your Northern latitudes just get their's all in one shot. Of course, in order for the Northerners to see as much daylight as you, they have to stay awake 23+ hours a day in the summer. But then again, they have all winter to catch up on their sleep.

I spent a year up in Alaska. The winter can get pretty depressing. We used to take long lunches (2-3 hours) so we could see daylight and then just work late. As long as the temperature stayed over 20 below, I'd even take walks in the middle of night (the auroras are kind of nice). You have to get outside once in awhile, even in the middle of the winter, or you'll go stir crazy.

But the summers make up for it. Alaska's an incredible place in the summer!