Better life in USA or Canada? - expats opinions and your comparison

hey vlad,

some corrections:
Welfare - if you're dirt poor then your chances for getting free medical are better, say, if you make $20k or less, you aint getting it. So if you get sick or end up in ER, man, they'll take everything from ya, but, again, till 20k you're fine. Now, getting gov't cheese, not a prob, but aint enough to make on it; you end up in a project that is infested w/ drug users n other criminal scum. So staying on welfare makes you actually poorer w/ very, very few life prospects. Canada fares much better than the US, indeed!

Weather - I'm from NYC, oh, maann...ain't missing much of that am/pm pi..s, snow, ice, you name it! Cali weather I find to have been so far the best, bro! I'm glad you don't like LA! But lotta canucks flock to So Cali, thats fyi.

Culture - not sure about folks north of the border...I worked w/ some canucks abroad n they appeared very limited though knew a lot about hockey...To my shock, Canadians were very racists regarding non-whites, especially Asians, Vancouver often is called Hongcouver… Canadians appear kind, polite, et cetera, but I find all this to be a veneer...very superficial and feeling inferior to their southern neighbor. However, lotta entertainment talent comes from Canada...

Crime - gun control, but lotta bullying in school lately - a big case regarding a HS kid committing suicide. Their school system is less than adequate when compared to the US.

Econ - very cyclical, all depending on natural resources, which Canada has plenty. As long as China keeps making toasters n coffee makers n importing those resources, the loonie will stay very strong, stonger than the US dollar.

Would I recommand moving to Canda? yeah, this is a country that still offers some great opportunities...

I never new that Canadians have any inferiority complex toward U.S. It sounds strange to me.Well,in some places of Canada not too long ago existed traditions brought from Western Europe that when you will step on somebodies foot he/she will appologise before you, instead of smashing you into face or call you a moron.Now those traditions are slowly vanish.I feel that I seriously miss traditional Western European culture.

U.S. turists often could be easily recognized in Canadian subway.They are very noisy and their behaviour is bear like.
In a moment he will step on your foot with his heavy leg and after that strike your back with heavy hand and with stupid smile ask you if you forgive him.This is my general concept of American.They wear colourfull shirts and short at least in summer.Will have red hair and be very fat and tall.

0_0
I used to go with Canook buds to Whistler when I was in WA state. I raced a few too. Though I would use non-confrontationaland MELLOW with capitol M; I never detected anything like an inferiority conplex. Some of the East Coast canadians that were AZ snowbirds were kinda insufferable, but I always found Canadians to be congenial folk like Dakotans.

Never noticed any racist tendencies.
I did notice a lot of them in that particular circle..genX or Xgame types; are Potheads like many granola crunchers from the Northcoast US west. I do mean a LOT.

If you dont mind cold..want stable lackluster healthcare and a slower pace of life..I'd pick Canada. Specially if you are avid woodsman/hunter.

But even in the current illness, the US is still a place of MUCH more opportunity for motivated or entrepeneur types. More diversity. More climate choices. More choices of type enviroment (rural? agricultural? Urban? Suburban? Tourist? Beaches? Islands? Tropics? Mtns? Deserts? by a river? lake? stream? Seaside? woodlands? Forests?....name your poison partner!)

hey vlad,

No need to get defensive..., bro. Some look like a Romanian gypsy fortune teller from Coney Island, no doubt, but, hey, I've seen some 300-pounders w/ a maple leaf too. Let's face it, diet aint too good on both sides of the border.

I have never seen any real envy of the US or racism exhibited by Canadians. I lived at a Washington border crossing (Linden) for a couple of years, have friends in Vancouver, Abbotsford and on Victoria Island, all seemed happy and comfortable. Ottawa seemed open and friendly, Montreal a bit aloof and less friendly as they tried so hard to be chic and cosmopolitan. Most I worked with and met are mellow, enjoy their beers and seem to be content. The Kiwis remind me a bit of Canadians in their general approach.to life and satisfaction with their own country.

When I was in Los Angeles and walked around, accidantelly I went into a neighbourhood that I probably didn`t suppose to.I prefer to make my legs out of there.Well,local people know where to go and where not but for a tourist this is a real catch.Maybe they will post a warning signs?Another time some guy in local subway decided that I looked at him and asked me if I am a foreigner.For some reason he believed that nobody has right to look at him even occidentally.


Maybe this is partially explains it...

That's why the Kiwis leave their country in droves each year and settle in Australia...


You WALKED? In an American metropolis? In LA? Who does crazy stuff like that? ;)

A few things:
1) LA is very, very spread out, bro! You got downtown LA and adjacent areas, mostly made up of light mfg and some dilapidated dwellings. So most tourists are confined to downtown and NO ONE would go outside its area. Why? To get to those areas is a challenge, you need the wheels! Plus the downtown area is sitting at the grid of many freeways - unless you were the one fella walking on the 10 a couple days ago - you won't see that many people walking, especially tourists in crappy areas! These areas are not that bad but you might get bugged by homeless people, I mean a lot of them! And really there is not that much to see outside downtown. Why would you wanna go there then?????

2) Subway, or Metro Link, is only for commuters getting to/from downtown to adjacent areas. Again, very few tourists would take the Metro system. If you decided to, then get your head in a paper and read it or glue ur vlady face to the window, if you get a window seat and don't stare!!! Here people don't stare at other people, bro!

Bro, you gotta really chill!

this conversation is laughable.

"staggering" you say? the unemployment rate as of December 2012 in the USA was 7.8% with 25 states in the USA currently under 7%. It's 7.1% in Canada. So in your words, half the states in the USA see Canada's unemployment rate as "staggering".

as a matter of fact, take a look at the top 14, they are currently under 6%:

1 NORTH DAKOTA 3.2
2 NEBRASKA 3.7
3 SOUTH DAKOTA 4.4
4 IOWA 4.9
4 WYOMING 4.9
6 OKLAHOMA 5.1
6 VERMONT 5.1
8 HAWAII 5.2
8 UTAH 5.2
10 KANSAS 5.4
11 LOUISIANA 5.5
11 MINNESOTA 5.5
11 VIRGINIA 5.5
14 MONTANA 5.7
14 NEW HAMPSHIRE 5.7

Just imagine what they think about Canada's unemployment rate!

it's also laugh out loud ridiculous to hear people comparing weather in Canuck-land to the USA's. In case you guys lost your globe, Canada is NORTH of the USA and hey, they sure seem to play a lot more hockey up there, too. me thinks most people in Canada also spend a lot more time wearing parkas and gloves than the Americans.

I lived down under for a few years: canucks aint even close. The Kiwis are as you described canucks above. NZ: great people n a beautiful country! Again, Canadians not even close to them, bro! But then you lived along the weed trail stretching from OR to WA, along that northwest carridor n you won't see that many non-whites until you cross the border to Vancouver, sorry, I mean, Hongcouver as been called over there :)


hey rysavy,

Let me refresh your memory: way back in the late 90s, the Canadian Royal Airborne Regiment was disbanded by the canucks govt. Reason: during its presence in Somalia, the regiment exhibited an "outrageous racist" behavior towards the local populace. So "my dear," go figure! Happy MLK!

But this is official unemployment only.If person doesn`t have job for more than 6 month they just downgrade him/her to non-existance.According to this chart real unemployment in U.S. for now is at least 15.3%.And this is more likely without underemployed count.

Those states with small unemployment typically have very small population,low population density,modest sallaries and severe weather conditions.Nobody want to move in those ``holes`` and therefore there is ``low`` unemployment.

In any case they would not be able to provide jobs for any unemployed Americans.They are just too small in population.
People just cannot migrate there in large numbers.They just would not be able to ``digest`` all the unemployed.

I have never heard such a thing. Unless a person decides that she will not work (and become full time home maker, for example, or is disabled) after 6 months he or she will still be counted as unemployed.

Here is how unemployed are counted in US:

bls.gov/cps/cps_htgm.htm

Largely correct. This happens when the unemployed become discouraged and cease to look for work. It can include those going to school or seeking other training for different, often lower-level, jobs and professions. The real rate of unemployment, which still doesn't include that underemployment number of people who accepted jobs at lower salary and skill levels, is presently sitting at 14.4% according to the US Department of Labor. The American Enterprise Institute places the number at 15.6% and other sources place it as high as 23%.

The Dakotas and Nebraska are benefiting from increased oil and gas production drilling activities the last couple of years. They are also the states which will see the effect of the new pipeline if this administration will approve construction so some workers are moving into the area in hopes of being better positioned. The problem, as mentioned, is that these are low populations density areas so if 10,000 people show up a much higher percentage will be unemployed since the jobs that ARE there are largely filled. Housing, food and schools are stretched to the breaking point and there are hundreds of mobile home and camper vehicle parks setup, many without sanitation facilities or utilities.

nobody wants to move to Virginia? Vermont? Hawaii? New Hampshire? And if you can stand the Mormons....Utah?

Not to mention, explain how their weather is any more "severe" than all of Canada.

In some place I found such info that 2/3 of working Americans work for 14$/hour or lower wage.
This info was dated year 2000-2003 or something like this.I wonder if its true because you could
barely survive in U.S. on such money.Basic pension is just over 1000 a month.
If believe to some calculations than more than 50% of Americans should be poor or below powerty.

Things have gotten worse these last four years but part of the problem in lack of understanding our system. We have private pension plans, several forms of them so what you see as a pension ((probably US Social Security payments) is not the sole source of income.

I know of a fairly typical middle-class family in which both husband and wife worked in government jobs. Neither graduated college. The husband served for 4 years during World War 2. The husband worked for a total of 38 years for the government and the wife for 34. They retired at age 55. Between the two of them they make approximately $100,000 a year as pensioners from their government employee pensions, their private pensions and their Social Security pensions.

Without educations and with the failing economy and massive debt of the US, you are correct, we could see 2/3 of the country near the poverty line in the next 20 years.

you'd like to talk about statistics that are 10-13 years old.....

in that case, let's talk about the unemployment rate in the USA in 2007, a mere 6 years ago....it was under 5%.


but we won't and the whole world knows it.

pundit after pundit after media outlet after media outlet for decades have been talking about how the US economy is going to crash, that everyone is going to pull all their money out of the banks and credit will dry up into nothing.....it's old hat, man. the USA will continue to be the USA for a very long time because the world, as much as they like to talk behind her back, knows how much they depend on good ole' Mickey Mouse and apple pie to keep the gears turning.

Guess we'll see.

Its not that cold, if you stay in Southern Canada, the summer are reaaally warm and the winters are like Michigan or New York. And crime? Canada's one of the safest countries in the world and USA is one of the most dangerous, so you do the math!

Canada has cheaper education and healthcare, USA has more climatic diversity since some states are warm. USA gets more immigrants then Canada, and also a big difference is that Canada is bilingual so you have to get used to people talking to you in french. Besides that, I don't think either of them is necessarily better, they're both good in their own way!

Canada is more highly regarded unless you are in the entertainment/sports industries

The government does not dictate which doctor you see. You choose your own doctor. You obviously have never lived in Canada.

I'd rather wear gloves and parkas for a few months out of the year then have my house ripped up by a tornado!

so anywhere you live in the US, you have that problem, Chanti??? (I hope for you, you say no because it's a total nonsense).