The federal gun registry was and is a debacle. It was implemented extremely poorly.

A friend of mine worked on the registry v2.0 or v3.0 -- multiple revisions before it even became operational. Under the terms of the law, they need a computer network that is secure, nation-wide, and independant of every other network, and present in every police office. This is expensive, difficult and error-prone.

As an aside, the program seems to have run out of funding. Under the current minority government, it probably won't be getting more.

I remember reading vaguely that Canada has more guns per capita than the USA.

I find your comment about 'lots of wilderness' funny. =)

well, speaking as an IT contractor, it sounded like a dream project while it lasted... To bad i missed that gravy train.

sounds like they made it awefully more complicated (from a development stand point) then it should have been.

No surprise there.

I have see government requests for proposals for some projects and just the actual writen request for proposal is ridiculously complicated and overdone.
I could only imagine what an actual project is like.

This is interesting when we compare the amount of sexuality expressed on television the the amount of violence. I remember watching a movie on TBS several months ago that I had already seen on video some time ago. In one scene, this guy points his gun at the head of another guy, says "Adios mother-F****R," and shoots him in the forehead.

Well, on TBS, they edited out the audio for the expletive, but kept the video of the guy getting popped in the head.

So my question: Do I want my kids seeing nudity and sex on TV or violence and murder on TV? The networks have made up their minds, and I think it's crazy that the violence is rubber stamped with the ridiculous reason that we all the V-chip - talk about passing the buck! Yet, sexuality always seems to raise the ire of the public.

Our priorities have gotten badly skewed somewhere along the line, and I don't like where it is now. For that reason, I would just rather not watch television at all, and stick to renting movies when I have time. At least there is some control over the quality of entertainment on my screen, and I'm not tied into the advertising/programming whims of some MBA grad in a distant large city to determine what's good for me and for evrey single other household as well.

Peace,

Pierre

TBS is an American channel that originates in Atlanta. They censor their films all the time. I watch TBS quite a bit and have noticed that they also trim some of the excessive violence as well. Are you sure you saw the head shot or did you see the shot and then a dead body... I find it hard to believe that TBS would show a bullet slamming into someone's head. They are usually more careful than that...

I agree about the violence vs. sexuality trend in general but it something that I see on American TV vs. Canadian.

They wanted it to be secure, so theives couldn't get at weapon locations and use them as shopping lists.

They wanted it to be seperate from the police networks, so that gun ownership wouldn't show up in the same kind of searches as for criminals.

Basically, they let the practical simplicity of the situation get overrun with 'but, what about' exceptions. That is the problem when you try to make controversial legislation more paletable.

Important tidbit, but I don't know the details. If you quit your job you get nothing. If you are fired for just cause you get nothing. You get nothing while the system decides if you were fired for just cause or otherwise. Personally, I've had the same job since 1984 so I can't supply any up to date stuff, but my brother-in-law got canned a year ago for a policy infraction and he went without $ until he got hisself a jawb.

Even with all the 'but, what about' exceptions I still don't see the complication. In fact it is easier to have a secure system if is not connected to any other system.

Of course I don't know all the requirements in detail, but I can't imagine how they even considered spending what they budgeted to spend.

12th Question.

Hmmm, I am kinda unsure how to ask this. I am wondering what the difference in price is of common goods between Canada and America. Like a pack of Marlboro, a 12er of Molson, Milk, A new Jeep Wrangler, gas, ect. It would be nice to have actual costs, but honestly I don't even know how much I pay for milk. So, give me what you can. If you know of products in Canada that are cheaper and/or more expensive than in the states please list them. Otherwise, heck, a general "we pay a little more for......" will do just fine.

Again I appreciate your continued help.

Not sure I can answer this as I don't know what Americans pay for things... I would bet there is a price discrepancy between NYC and small town Iowa as well...

I do remember seeing a study a few years back that compared Boston to Toronto (they are arguably very similar in their make up) I'll see if I can Google it...

I couldn't find the article but I found these:

http://www.cita.utoronto.ca/webpages/livingin.shtml

http://www.citymayors.com/features/quality_survey.html

And also, to take it another step further, we can only really give you an idea in terms of Candian $, not USD unless you want to do the math. A good current example is the new Mac Mini from Apple. In the US it retails for $499 US, in Canada it retails for $629 CDN. If we (optimistacally) assume a Canadian $ is worth 80 cents US, then the price should actually be closer to $598.80 CDN. But then there's duty, shipping, etc. Also, we pay 7% GST (Goods and Services Tax) so the Mac Mini actually comes to $673.03 once all is said and done.

Right now gas in Calgary just jumped from 80.5 cents/litre to 85.9 cents/litre, but if you don't know what a litre is, this may not help you much. But really, a fucking nickel over night?! Come on! What's up with that?

Sorry for the rant, I'm just a little confused.

As for cars and that kind of thing, you can check out some Canadian Websites for that, keeping in mind tha tprices represented are in $CDN so the prices aren't necessarily grossly inflated.

As for food, that changes from place to place, from season to season, and even from BSE outbreak to BSE outbreak, so there is absolutes here, and I would hate to state something misleading. Or at least, more misleading.

Hope this helps.

Peace,

Pierre

ps. Charlatan, thanks for the kind words in the Exhib forum. You're TOOOO kind! :) :)

[QUOTE=Charlatan]Not sure I can answer this as I don't know what Americans pay for things... I would bet there is a price discrepancy between NYC and small town Iowa as well...
QUOTE]

Yes this was my fear in asking. I know New Yorker pay over $5 for cigs while I can by a pack for $3-$4 in wisconsin. I think they give them away in Tennessee.

Thanks for the links though!!!!! :cool:

Hey guys dont sweat converting currency. Just give me canadian dollars.

Do you guys have 2litre jugs of milk or is the common size bigger or smaller?

I get my milk in either 1 or 2 litre cartons or 3x1 litre bags... I think milk in bags is covered somewhere here in the Canadian thread and in one of Averett's photo visits to Canada...

We have milk bags in WI too, I thought it was only a Dairy State thing.

3 bags of milk run you about 4.00 cdn

jeep wrangler with 6 cyl, brand new (not a rubicon model) approx $28000.00 cdn Case of beer - bottles (domestic) 33.00 cdn, but you get back 2.40 if you return the empties

I am pretty sure that there are times during the year when you can get a case of domestic (blue, Ex, Canadian...) for about $21.00

A pack of cigs here in Alberta will run you over $9. A 4 litre (US gallon = 3.78 litres) jug of 1% milk, about $3.50. Don't have milk bags here, not for many many years.
Gas locally runs around 82 cents/litre ($3.09/US gallon).

The farther north you go, the more things cost. Head to The Pas, and you're paying $20 for a 6 pack, and you aren't even into the territories yet!

13th Question.

I have already asked about health care service in general, now I must dig in a little deeper. In the states, dental coverage and vision are seperate plans. Do these services operate any different than your regular Health coverage? What about birth control and programs like Planned Parenthood?

The Canadian Dollar is worth a bit more at purchasing-power-parity than it is on exchange rates. Cars are (usually) cheaper here, and you cannot legally buy a car in Canada then take it to the states and resell it, if you owned it less than a year or two.

Some things, like gas, are more expensive. Canadians tax petrol use heavily.

Subway in Canada and Subway in the US have the same prices, in my experience. Canadian Subway is in Canadian dollars, US Subway is in American dollars.

There are different plans: THERE IS PRIVATE HEALTH CARE IN CANADA, we just ignore the broad terms of health when we talk. We talk about hospitals, surgeries and doctor's office appointments, and we beam with national pride. When the question turns to dental, vision, pharmacare, emergency transportation, WOAH THERE BIG GUY, that stuff costs money...

Yes, usually an employer will kick in and cover that extra coverage and call that insurance, but don't ever call it 'health insurance'. That is an afront to our national illusion of FREE HEALTH CARE. It is more properly called "Vision and Dental Coverage" instead.

If you can't see and can't eat, I'd say you were pretty unhealthy. IMHO.

I think most full time employers cover anything under the private insurance except your kids braces... you need a real cadillac program to cost share that. I heard of a guy that had his plan PAY FOR HIS KIDS BRACES IN FULL, but I forgot where he worked. If your plan pays this, count yourself lucky.

There are limits (1 free eye exam per year, X number of dental visits with an X amout total fee) to the plan to avoid the brutal overuse of the system.

If you are working min wage or a little above, and you don't have a plan, the costs for drugs, eyeglasses, dentists, and god forbid an ambulance ride can be really steep.

Ontario universal health care does not cover dental/vision. Nor is it a drug plan, so diabetics ... have issues.

Health Care is actually a provincial responsibility in Canada, which means it varies from province to province. The Federal government does set some standards and gives the Provinces transfer payments to pay for it.

The Federation of Provinces in Canada is not the same as the Union of States in the USA. For example, it is the position of the Canadian federal government that a province can secede from Canada if it has a referendum with 50%+ support and a clear question. Quebec has had referendums on secession, but no province has left as yet. In many ways, the Canadian Federal Government is mostly a tax, accounting, and inter-provincial welfare balancing organization: most of the day-to-day matters of government are delivered by the provincial government. Criminal law is Federal, Civil law is Provincial. The RCMP is our national police force: many of the provinces also use it as a provincial police force. Quebec and Ontario have provincial police forces.

I'm tangenting too far.

I live in Alberta.

My Alberta Healthcare is covered because I am a student (although it should be noted that I'm an adult (24) student). I pay for a "B" class plan with Alberta Blue Cross, an insurance agency. It covers the non-Alberta Healthcare critcals; ambulance rides and hospital rooms, dental checkups and 80% of most dental work (fillings, caps, etc), 70% presriptions, eye appointments and 100% of contacts/glasses (from approved providers), and a few other misc things. Also get 14 days of international insurance per year, extra days $5 each. I pay $23 a month and it covers my fiancee for emergency stuff too (but she doesn't get the dental or vision care or prescriptions, unless its emergency). There is also allowance in my prescrition plan for birth control, but only 6 months worth per year, since I'm male.

All said, I think it is worth it for $275 a year. I feel pretty secure that I can get hurt accidently and not be bankrupt.

My office pays for my additional coverage. The plan is pretty suck ass and only covers 80% of dental and 80% of perscription. It also allows for an upgrade to a semi-private room if I have to stay in the hospital.

The plan sucks because there is no coverage for glasses or braces. Other plans do.

I too, live in Alberta. Alberta Health Care is manditory. Depending on your income its $0-88 dollars/month (lower incomes are subsidized, hence the cheaper payments). It covers basics like doctor visits, hospital visits/stays.

Then there is your secondary coverage, which may or may not cover dental.
Most get Blue Cross.If you choose to get individual(not through an employer) coverage, payments vary on those covered/ages/if you smoke, etc. Some employers offer partial or fully paid secondary health insurance. Secondary insurance usually covers eye exams, partial coverage of eyeglasses/contacts, medical devices, ambulance service, prescriptions, etc.
Planned parenthood...the health clinics here offer free services/education on such matters. Costs of birth control pills are usually covered by secondary health plans. Hormone patches/depo-provera etc, I'm not too sure of. Of course, the provincial medical plan covers all doctor visits & hospital stays for childbirth.
Healthcare (provincial & secondary combined) for me & my 2 kids costs $110/month. This doesn't include dental, which I get free from my employer.

14th Question.

I do not feel too serious today..... so lets have a fun. What do you think the weirdest/funniest things Canadians do are? What do you think the weirdest/funniest things Americans do are?

NASCAR... and you've got a bunch of Canadians following in your footsteps. To me there is nothing more ridiculous than NASCAR racing, but it's almost as popular as poker. I just do not find it interesting at all.

I also think it's weird that Americans think we're so different than them.

I would have to say the whole Polar Bear initiation right-of-passage thing...

We carve out a hole in the ice in a body of water and then jump in, usually naked. It is weird because the sensation is of being LIT ON FIRE, not dunked in ice water. Why do we think that it is patriotic to do that?

Also, it is weird to see Canadians upset over anything. It happens on occasion, but the reality is that we are not inclined to "lose it" over something. When I see someone "lose it" I am so shocked that I feel weird.

Oh, and Canadians make love with our socks on. It helps keep our feet warm. Noone likes cold feet touching them, and it is a real turn-off. Therefore, we wear socks in bed, and don't take them off during the festivities.

omg! I thought I was just weird (alone). Even with an electric blanket I still actually get up and put on my socks before engaging in spread out activities!


I think the funniest/weirdest thing that americans do is claim that we pronounce the word 'about' like it was spelled 'aboot' which we clearly don't do. I also find it funny that they pronounce the word 'about' like it was spelled 'abawt'.

hey, maybe it's all relative....

I am Canadian. All but one of my past partners have been Canadian. No one has kept their socks on*. I admit that my fiance does sometimes sleep with socks on in the winter, but even that is a bit weird.






*not applicable when camping or otherwise out-of-doors.

I've never heard a Canadian say "aboot". I have heard them say, "aboat" though.


I don't know that Canadians have anything that is wierd nationally (like the Australians and their vegemite for example). I suppose the oddest thing we have is a greater appreciation for the fine sport of curling.

You can actually watch curling matches on TV and not just some specialty cable channel. I don't watch or play myself but I have noticed that a lot of people here do.

See now I thought that was just a Wisconsin thing. Every New Years day the Polar Bear Club hops into Lake Michigan to freeze their tails off. I can't say that I have done it, nor do I think I will be signing up any time soon.

I saw a new report from Newport Beach ( is that in Virginia? NJ?) anyways, they were doing the polar bear club there.

Plus on CSI New York, I think they had a show where there was a Polar bear club outing near Coney Island (I think or Rockaway beach - My american geography is really sketchy)



Charl... I watch the Tim Hortons Brier on sunday. the whole thing was broadcast over the weekend on CBC. So I agree, curling on mainstay network stations Plus more fans in the arena than some NHL teams can muster up...


I think that one weird thing (now that you mention food) that canadians do is to refere to Kraft Dinner as KD. Every body knows what it is by KD. Apparantly americans go with the more generic maccaroni and cheese dinner.

One weird thing that Americans do is refer to ham slices (a la egg mcmuffin ham) as Canadian Bacon. When ever I heard the term Canadian Bacon, I always wondered what the American bacon looked like, because, I was used to the strips of side bacon that we all eat.

Maybe they mean peameal bacon, but that isn't cut round like egg mcmuffin meat. plus it has cornmeal on the outside, plus i don't know anybody that regularly eats it....

Well, we do simplify a little. Most say mac and cheese

The French are probably confused about french fries too. Speaking of fries, what are they called up there.

good one. but I think the term 'frenched' is a general cooking term to refer to anything that is cut in a long strips, but wider than julienne cut. (speaking as a kitchen-whore...as in frenched rack of lamb..) so frenchfries, are fries cut long and slender, versus wide and flat (nothing to do with France). imho.

at any rate, we call them fries, or french-fries. If they are served with fish, then it's fish'n'chips. But generally chips refer to potato chips ala Lays or Humpty Dumpty or Hostess.

In Quebec, I assume that fries are called frites or fries.

Well, I for one do not wear socks during mating. No matter how cold it is!

That's just not right.

At all.

I tried to french a rack of lamb once and all I got for my troubles was a scrape on my tongue and a case of food poisoning...

The first time for me I got everything but my socks off before my seductress hauled me into the bed. When all was said and done I had to bit my tongue, because I almost said "Well, apparently that didn't seem to knock my socks off." That would have been very very stupid no matter how funny I thought it was.

I did customer service for a large American wireless provider as a second job for a little while, and different times I was asked if I was Canadian because of my accent. "Ah cood tail bah the way yew sayd abaht". Really, what a surprise.

One word: CURLING

Charlatan, you're doing it all wrong. The lamb will absolutely french nicely if you first buy it a nice dinner, preferably vegetarian, maybe with a nice red wine. Candlelight is always nice, but not required. Avoid flowers on the table, she'll eat them.

Then, go for a nice drive in the country, tell her how beautiful her big round eyes lok in the moonlight, then gently lean in, go slow, and sure enough, you'll get some tongue.

Once you have it, brown lightly on both sides in a pan with olive oil, then add a can of diced tomatoes and about a cup of fresh basil, salt and pepper to taste and lots of fresh chives, cover and simmer for about two hours on low.

Serve with spanish rice and asparagus, very nice.

Um, sorry, lost my train of thought there.

Peace,

Pierre

15th Question.

O.K. guys, I have been slacking here......missed the last two days. Please forgive me. Today is St. Patricks Day! It got me wondering about Canadian holidays.........What holidays do you celebrate?........What is the deal with them?......And which ones do you get off of work for?

Cheers!

Well, we have Aboriginal Day and get a day off for that. Free fishing lures too!

Lures? Lures?! We don't need no stinkin' Lures!

Hey brother, stand on th eother side of this river, and grab this net. It's smoked trout for dinner eh!

But really, holidays are much the same as American Holidays, some of them just happen at different times. Thanksgiving is way earlier in Canada, but we still have one. We (sadly) don't take Halloween as seriously, but I thikn it should be a holiday everywhere.

If you live in Albera, there is a strange "Family Day" holiday that seems to be out of sync with everything else, but then so is ALberta generally.

We, of course, have Canada Day on July 1st, where as your 4th of July is Independance Day (I think, right?), but it usually turns out to be a long weekend for both sides of the border.

We have Victoria Day in May which usually coincides with the American Memorial Day weekend, but sometimes (like this year) they are one week apart.

Still, on average, Americans and Canadians recieve about the same amount of holiday time in the course of the year. Ironically, Europeans get about 30 - 40 percent MORE holidays than North Americans, yet a recent in-depth study revealed that they even though they work fewer days a year, and generally fewer hours in a day, they productivity of the two groups is equal. Go figure.

Peace,

Pierre

going by memory, our stat holidays are:

New Year's day - jan 1
Good Friday - march 25
Easter Monday - (gov't & banks & schools) march 28. For the Easter weekend, it changes year to year The ecclesiastical rules are:
Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or after the day of the vernal equinox;
this particular ecclesiastical full moon is the 14th day of a tabular lunation (new moon); and the vernal equinox is fixed as March 21. resulting in that Easter can never occur before March 22 or later than April 25 source: http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/easter.html)

Victoria Day - this year on May 23 We often call this the May 2-4 - and not becuase it is the unofficial start of the summer season with lots of drinking i.e. the two-four of beer but because it is 24th of May holiday derived as follows:

'In Canada, the celebration of Victoria Day occurs every year on Monday, prior to May 25th. It is the official celebration in Canada of the birthdays of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II. Victoria Day was established as a holiday in Canada West (Now Ontario) in 1845, and became a national holiday in 1901. Before Victoria Day became a national Holiday, people had celebrated Empire Day , beginning in the 1890s as Victoria approached her Diamond jubilee in 1897. ' from http://www.inglewoodcarecentre.com/history/victoria.htm

this is the first of two days where fireworks are sold and celebrated. We usually call it fireworks day. the other day is July 1st:

July 1 - Canada Day (formerly dominion Day) commemorating Confederation in 1867

August 1 - in toronto called Simcoe Day . a generic stat holiday in august. John Simcoe was a guy who basically founded the city of Toronto, amongst other things back in the day.

Sept 5 - Labour Day

- The first Monday in September is Labour Day in Canada. Although we may spell it differently, it has the same purpose as the holiday in the United States. Read on for some history of Labour Day and follow the links at the bottom of the page for related organizations. from http://www.craigmarlatt.com/canada/s...abour_day.html

Oct 3 - thanksgiving - this year

- on January 31st, 1957, Parliament proclaimed
"A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed... to be observed on the second Monday in October." http://www.craigmarlatt.com/canada/s...nksgiving.html

Nov 11 - Remembrance Day not a stat, but banks and gov't get it off. it is inhonour of armistace day for WWI.

Dec 25 - Christmas Day (a Christian holy day)
Dec26 - Boxing Day

- Boxing Day is a holiday in the United Kingdom, Canada, and many other Commonwealth nations. It is spent with family and friends at open gatherings with lots of food, fun, and the sharing of friendship and love. http://www.craigmarlatt.com/canada/s...oxing_day.html


that's all i can contribute factually. Except we do not get enough days off. for example from new years day to Good Friday is a long stretch. some people are trying to get Sir John A. McDonald's birthday (sometime in Feb i think) as a stat...

What? Halloween is the best damn holiday ever!
This is why I asked. I can not come up with a rational reason for this. North Americans need more time to play. I was really hoping to hear that you guys followed the europeans work ethic. :(

Halloween brings back horrid horrid memories. A word to the wise, NEVER lose a bet just before Halloween.

Also, shaving your legs as a man is a good way to pass out from blood loss.

We do Halloween large my neighbourhood...

I think Janey has it all covered by the way.

May 24 and Boxing Day are the ones that always make Americans scratch their noggins... Also the fact that our Thanksgiving is in October and is nowhere near as big a deal as it is in the US.

That makes me sad. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday...mostly because I get to cook a lot AND eat a lot.

oh, we still cook ( a hell of a lot: turkey with all the trimmings, pumpkin & apple pies) family gets together, kids come home from university. It's a biggy. but nowhere as , um fanatical? as in the US. For us, the Christmas feast is much more significant. I could never get my head around how Americans can have such a huge turkey day in November, and a scant 6 weeks or so later, do it all over again on Christmas. Unless of course, Christmas is played down.

For us, the feast days are spread apart more, and therefore more palatable: turkey at thanksgiving in October (note, all the fall colours are in full force, harvest/ fall fairs are in full swing, apple picking and pumpkin buying are the weekend activities) followed by Christmas turkey dinner in December, and now the appproaching family Easter dinners which are usually ham and sometimes turkey.

That leaves summer with its various weekly BBQs and pool parties with burgers, ribs, and, increasingly, pulled pork and tri-tips....

It is as Janey describes... we still do all the food and such but it is just not as big a deal. Now Christmas, that is a big deal. That is the time where I *must* see all of the family. There are usually several feasts involved in my family because both my wife and I come from divorced parents... That usually means four separate meals with four different parents (since my Dad died, my brother took over his boxing day meal and get together).

In Quebec there is an extra holiday.

June 24 is St. Jean Baptiste day.

This day has effectively become the celebration of Quebec day.
This day is often referred to as the Fête nationale - for those of you who do not understand French, Fête nationale means National Holiday.
If you are aware of Quebec politics you will understand the significance of calling a holiday the Fête nationale (National Holiday) and not referring to Canada, the country within which Quebec resides.

In Quebec, this day has become the most significant holiday of the year. You cannot work on this day. You cannot have your business open on this day. There was a time (I can't say for sure anymore) that open businesses would be threatened.

The upside is that it is a perfect time to have a holiday. The day falls out exactly one week prior to Canada day so, in Quebec, there is a day off two weeks in a row.

In Quebec, Jan. 2nd is also oftne give as a holiday.

Here is a list (2005) of the Canadian holidays (days that banks will most likely be closed)
http://www.cba.ca/en/viewdocument.as...docid=530&pg=1

Typical of English Canadians to forget Saint Jean Baptiste.

Of course in Quebec, July First is not Canada Day, it's moving day. Due to their reliance on some Napoleonic laws, July 1st is the day almost all leases come to an end...

Is this still the case Sticky?


It should be noted that all of the comments that were made above about Canadian TV, our peculiarities, etc. were all about English Canada. The French in Canada have their own lists...

You should know that Quebec has its own star system. They have multiple magazines and tv shows to support this sytem (a la People and Enterainment Tonight). They have a whole system of swearing that has nothing to do with the swearing that occurs elsewhere in the world. They eat Poutine, although in the last 15 years that trend has moved out to English Canada.

Quebec is a distinct society to be sure.

I heartily agree. It is a distinct society, which I believe would stand on it's own merits without being propped up by legislation. But I digress from the intent of this thread.

Well, is it a digression? If this American is asking us about Canada, then we would be remiss in not pointing out that, within our country's borders lies the truly unique and, yes, distinct society that is Quebec.

The uniqueness of this province, the rest of Canada's love/hate relationship with it, and its tumultuous politics are something that every American wishing to learn more of Canada should be made familiar with.

And, I also agree with the assertion that the society, as disctinct as it is, could easily survive, even thrive, without waste0of-time legislation like bill 101 and the like. Totally agree. After all they have history behind them, and that is still something very strong.

Peace,

Pierre

As a Canadian, I am extremely proud of the heritage of both partners of the founding nations of confederation. I also hate that we are reduced to using Orwellian tactics like Bill 101 (in this supposedly enlighted age) to enforce a status quo.

There still is, of course, Canada day. If fact that is a day off as well.

But you are correct that July 1st is considered moving day. While leases are generally 1 year long and can begin/end on any other dat of the year, July 1 is generally the date that most new leases start.

This has benefits and problems

Benefits
- There should be alot of rentals to choose from several months before your lease is coming to an end becuase a majority of other leases are coming to an end as well.
- If you start looking early enough it should be pretty easy to find what you are looking for.
- if you are trying to rent your place you will have people whoses leases are ending as potential customers (instead of, say, mid-november when there maybe very fiew people looking. You may think that it would be more beneficial to the Lessor if there are few apartments to pick from as he will be able to charge a higher price but you are wrong. In Quebec rent is controlled. You cannot raise your rent to what the market will bear. If you do and the new leasee brings you to the rental board you will likely loose your case. The laws are setup to protect the Leasee.

Cons
- Everybody and there brother are moving on that day as well.
- Moving prices are higher - if you are able to find a mover
- Contractors (for work like painting and other) are hard to pin down
- You loose your day off work for Canada moving your stuff from one place to another. This sucks because Quebec law allows you to take a day off work for moving day anyway. This means that you caould have had your Canada day and had a day off work to move if the general moving day was not Canada Day.
- All other services and products needed for moving of for a new place are hard to get and are possibly priced higher.


I am sure that you could think of more if you tried, but you get the point.

Alot of things are different in Quebec.
For example the supreme cour of Canada refused to strike down the Quebec government's controversial ban on butter-coloured margarine.
That's right. In Quebec you are not allowed to make margaring the color of butter.

Believe it.

The idea is that the law "aims to protect Quebec's huge dairy industry by eliminating potential confusion with butter."

And Canada keeps on proping these things up.
"The top court found Quebec's position so compelling that the judges declined to call on the province's lawyers to defend the ban. It heard only from Unilever's counsel, Gerald Tremblay."

And as with most other things somebody tries to boil the issues down to Quebec sovreignty.
'Jean Vigneault, spokesperson for the Quebec Federation of Milk Producers, said "It's a question of sovereignty of governments to regulate commercial practices."'

Of course you should reas the whole article on this as I am just grabbing quotes for effect.
http://www.canada.com/montreal/montr...f-8efed407c377

16th Question.

What is the deal with Quebec?
As an American, who was taught history in public schools....I have no idea what you are talking about. I find this seperation you speak of to be intriuging. Can you guys expand a little.......? I don't even know what to ask!

This could take a thread of its own... I don't have time right now but will try to comment on this later.

[QUOTE=Sticky]

Alot of things are different in Quebec.
For example the supreme cour of Canada refused to strike down the Quebec government's controversial ban on butter-coloured margarine.
That's right. In Quebec you are not allowed to make margaring the color of butter.

Believe it.

The idea is that the law "aims to protect Quebec's huge dairy industry by eliminating potential confusion with butter."

QUOTE]

that used to be the case here too. But not for years.

As Charlatan stated, this in not one of those things that you can simply define and let go. There is over 300 years of french history in that part of Canada (and others for that matter), and Canada as a country is coming up to its 150 birthday in the next decade or so. That much history is tough to summarize.

What it really boils down to is that, even though the French lost the war, Quebec continued to exist as, more or less, a country within a country. The rest of Canada adopted laws based on the British that ruled them (and still do, kind of). The French rejected that route and remained true to the laws that France had followed, which differ significantly in many ways.

Also, because they were a country within a country as I stated, their culture reflects an entirely different sensibility, different moral codes (writen and unwriten), a different language (duh!), and an almost siege mentality.

As far as politics go, that too is difficult to really pinpoint. From seperatism to the silent revolution to the FLQ to beer in corner stores, politicians and politcal movements in Quebec have made other politics in Canada boring by comparison.

I was born and raised in Ottawa, which is the Capital of Canada and only a bridge away from the province of Quebec where I spent a great deal of time growing up. I can tell you, without a doubt, that Quebec is as different from the other provinces as Mexico is from the the US, although that is a truly apples to oranges comparison, so don't pick it apart.

Suffice to say that Quebec, and all the issues that surround it, would take a college course just to get started, and several years living here to really get a handle on. I know this sounds a bit like a cop-out, but it would be the same as us asking you what the deal is with Texas, but even more complicated.

Maybe someone else can add something salient to this? (I hope!)

Peace,

Pierre

Every province has at least 1 'random' holiday that isn't national.

Sacks of margerine with butter-colouring in seperate containers, which you squeeze to break and mix with the margerine! =)

Way back in the day, Britian and France where at war.

Britian won. As part of the surrender agreement, Britian got some of France's overseas colonies.

One of the colonies given to Britian was Quebec.

Time passes. Eventually there are two colonies that merge into one colony with two provinces: Upper and Lower Canada (named being up or down river on the St Lawrence).

Criminal law in both of these provinces is based off British Common Law, but in Lower Canada (Quebec) Civil law is based off, well, French law (Napoleonic I think?).

Quebec was and always has been a French speaking colony/nation/province.

Time passes. Quebec remains French, but part of Canada. There where a number of ... national schizms that got polarized along linguistic lines.

English-speaking Canada was far more attached to the British Empire than was French-speaking Canada. Conscription during WWI and WWII was strongly opposed within Quebec. So strongly that in WWII, Canada never sent a single conscripted soldier into combat -- conscripts served at home.

Since WWII, more things have happened. The Quiet Revolution. FLQ, a domestic terroist group who kidnapped and killed and blew stuff up. The war measures act. 1982 and the notwithstanding clause, Meech lake, the Charlottetown accord, the constitutional crisis. Linquistic law. Official Bilingualism. The PQ. A French President expelled from Canada. The clarity law. The collapse of the Catholic Church in Quebec. 50%+1. The PC parties dual betrayal of Quebec and the West, and the collapse of the founding party of Canada. The Reform Party. Transfer payments. Energy. Quebec Hydro.

It's millions of people and hundreds of years of politics.

Bah, you guys broke my lurkerhood.

I would like to chime in here and say that I think our government is seriously fucked up. They are spending money (I am assuming money coming from my taxes) to buy street people in vancouver, not only clean needles, but now also free heroin. I hate my government. What is wrong with them

why heroin instead of methadone or what ever the replacement is?

A war on drugs approach, where you treat users like criminals isn't working...

Vancouver (and other cities around the world) are taking a different approach and treating users as if they are sick rather than criminals. It is an interesting experiment. I am in a wait and see mode on this approach.

Because methadone isn't a perfect replacement.

Take people who have only 1 thing in their lives that makes them feel good - heroin. Remove the incentive to steal / live in the underworld in order to get heroin. Develop other things that make them feel good. Offer methadone treatment when/if they want to get off heroin.

It's an experiment. Maybe it won't work, maybe it will. But it's worth a shot.

Nyuk.

is it at least a close replacement? I mean, nothing is going to be perfect, but if the user doesn't make strides... and maybe they are so intoxicated by the effects of the heroin, that they will not notice the less than perfect substition

To quote someone far smarter than I, Dr. Michael Rachlis:

Where do homeless people go in the winter time? Yellowknife or the Lower Mainland? That's right. They gravitate towards a warm climate.

Are there infection problems with intraveneous drug use? Yes. HIV/AIDS and Hep C for starters.

Approximately 2/3 of the homeless in Vancouver are from other parts of Canada.
An unknown but significant proportion of those people use intraveneous drugs.
When those people become sick, they naturally migrate back to their traditional home locations, taking their infections with them.
They proceed to use IV drugs in that location, spreading the disease to the local drug-using populace.
Many, many people get sick.

Now. Lets have a test on philosophy. Would you provide those people with clean needles, safe injection sites and even sofaras clean drugs? Whatever answer you provide is your philosophy, and you are entitled to it and to express it.

My philosophy is this: Social Marginal Benefit = Social Marginal Cost

If you are worried that they are giving 1 penny of your taxes to pay for this, may I ask what it is worth to you to prevent some disease-ridden-IV-junkie moving back home to your town and infecting a friend or family member of yours?

Okay, that was a loaded question. If it makes you feel better, please rest easy knowing that smarter people than you and I are running the country.

And if you are still mad, I can suppose that every cent of your taxes went to a federal/provincial infrastructure initiative and you paid for 25m of asphalt between Calgary and Edmonton.

Heroin is pleasure in a needle. Imagine the most pleasureable thing you have ever felt, and imagine getting it when you inject yourself.

Then imagine if everything else faded to grey, and your ability to feel pleasure becoming centered around heroin and only heroin.

It isn't intoxication that's the problem. It's the hijacking of the human reward mechanism.

So, the stride is to remove none of the reward mechanism, but change the behaviour that reward mechanism is causing the person to engage in. Make heroin a given -- not something you have to lie, cheat or steal for -- and build up a normal reward structure outside of heroin. Give them something to live for before seeking to remove the heroin.

Well said, clear, thoughtful and very approachable. :thumbsup:

I agree, however, this approach seems to require a long term committment. Are there parallel programmes to ensure that the reward/behaviour response is taking effect?

It would be interesting to see a results analysis...

*Bump*

er... is inhalo now completely satisfied?

I am back.

Thank you guys for continuing on while I was abruptly away. I was on a Holiday-Illness-Streesed-Holiday binge for a little while there and was unable to connect with you lovely Canadians. I apologize. Now that I am back I must say that I am having tough time coming up with a questions. I think this board is already a valuable resource so I would hate to see it plucked from inactivity. Sooo where do we go from here? On one hand I would like to exchange the favor and answer Questions from Canadians about the states. So feel free to ask. On the other hand I want to continue with what I started and keep it thriving......

we will have to see what happens I guess....

17th Question.

Cigs, Grits, Butts, and Fags. What is the social atmosphere of cigarettes? Are they banned in restraunts and bars. Can you go to a concert and light up? How much is a pack of Marboro? Do you guys have those cool half packs with ten cigs like they have in Ireland. Do they sell cigs individually anywhere? can you tell I smoke?

Welllll, here in Yellowknife, Cigarettes are 12.50-13.00 bucks a pack. And I can't smoke within 10 feet of any public place, at all. That really sucks when I go to the bar in the winter, but what can you do.

Smokes aren't a social taboo, but they definetaly are not the social norm. Yellowknife has a much much higher per capita average of smokers tho.

Down in Penticton, I could get a lecture on the street from a stranger for lighting up :/

Course, I may be the only one that feels this way, but I know smoking is bad for me, and bad for anyone around me at that time. I don't smoke around others. I have the right to kill myself, I do not have the right to include others with me. I'm trying to quit anyways, the last thing I want is my daughters following in MY footsteps.

You can go out for a "Dart", "Quick Butt", "Tar Biscuit", or the most standard "Smoke"...

Where I am, smoking is banned in public. EVEN IN OPEN AIR PATIOS AND THE LIKE. EVEN IN PRIVATE CLUBS. The only place it is still allowed is where the public is not allowed. Pretty harsh.

Concerts are right out. So are bars.

You can get 20 packs here, but not everywhere. Standard "pack" reference is 25 smokes. A pack of Marlboro? I don't know. A pack of Canadian brand smokes here is about 10-12 bucks ( 8.11 to 9.75 american).

No, you cannot get smokes here individually. A mom-and-pop corner store got busted for 'breaking packs' for school kids who couldn't afford a whole pack. I'm not sure, but I think the fine was for selling to minors (you have to be 18 here, 19 IN OTTAWA).

We are just slowly putting the squeeze on smokers in Canada.

Funny story: When I first joined the Army, 9 out of 10 soldiers smoked. I didn't. When the "Smoke Break" came during the first day of basic, they saw me standing there, not doing anything (read: smoking) and they made me do push-ups. YOU CAN'T HAVE A SOLDIER JUST STANDING THERE!!!

Day 2 I walked up to my buddy and said "gimme a smoke"
He looked shocked, "You don't smoke!"
"I fucking do now..." was all I could say after doing all those push-ups.

Now, it is the complete opposite: 1 out of 10 soldiers still smokes. You have to go outside (did someone mention the -40 equality yet?) in the winter and suck one down before you freeze. It is just not worth it. That, and 12 bucks a pack...

And when I went to Montreal, it seemed that EVERYONE SMOKED. In restaurants, bars, everywhere...

I think it just stood out because it was banned at home, and I got used to not seeing it.

The guy who took my order for my Montreal Smoked Meat sandwich had a smoke hanging from his lips..... :lol:

People in the Toronto area are trying desperately to figure out ways to go around the no smoking by-laws.

And I've only been to one concert where smoking hasn't occured, though it's illegal everywhere.

I went to an Irish neighbourhood pub with some friends in feb 2004. It was a place called McCArthy's on Gerrard near Woodbine in Toronto, about the size of a living room. I had one drink there, and had to leave because of the smoking. there were only 5 people there. I stank and had to shower, plus my breathing wsa laboured after that.

Two nights ago, also a thursday night, i went back. no smoking, about 20 people. all in all a much better experience.

Even though I think smoking is a pretty disgusting habit, I feel as though the government has been spending far too much time on this vice. Nationally, we've been subjected to ads that go so far as to claim that smoking puts you at a 1 in 2 chance of dying. In the ads, you'll see the spokesperson lounging in a bathtub with a toaster perched on the edge or outside in a lightning storm flying a kite. They'll say: "ya think this is stupid!? Well if you smoke, ....yadda yadda yadda."

I mean, sure smoking is bad for you, but I'm ashamed of a government who think that they can use distorted statistics in such a blatant way. In general I feel that the recent blitz over the last 2 years has been unjustified.

On the other had, being a jazz musician, it means that a lot of my haunts have become smoke free, which is amazing for me as a non-smoker.

Actually i like those commercials, and I like the way the pinpoint the 'uncoolness' of the activity, and shove it in the faces of the teenagers that keep on starting the habit. I also know one of the kids who acted in one of the commercials (he's in grade 10, and his group of friends are totally off of cigarettes)

From a societal stance, I think that with the weight of evidence, that if we are going to all contribute into a national health care system, then the government would be remiss if they didn't take steps (such as this campaign) to deter smoking. Say what you want abou the reporting of statistics, I think that our health dollar has enough of a ways to stretch without having to compensate for a fixable habit.

Now, to get onto sugar

Yeah, being from Montreal, I can tell you that anyone even THINKING of banning smoking in public places would be subjected to full-body cigarette burns! With our International Jazz Festival and cosmopolitan atmosphere, how could we expect to remain cool without smokes?

However, the price of smokes these days is cutting down potential new smokers, while the underground market from the Native American reservations is picking up the slack!

I'd like to chime in on the Quebec politics issue. Basically, the animosity between Quebec and the rest of Canada came to a head during the "Night of Long Knives" ("La nuit des longs couteaux"), during which Prime Minister Trudeau roused all premiers from their slumber (EXCEPT Premier Levesque from Quebec) to ratify the Canadian Constitution, using the British model, during a lenghty negociation period in a hotel. The British model was opposed by Levesque, since it didn't take into account the presence of such a large number of francophones, which required special attention. Levesque walked into the meeting the following morning to find the other premiers celebrating a new Canada, with his "absentee vote" tossed in with their own. This was the true beginning of seperatism in Quebec.

However, the FLQ (Front de Liberation du Quebec - sorry, no accents on this computer), had been causing their own trouble beforehand. Wishing for increased provincial power (which, ironically, made their attitude similar to Alberta), they bombed mailboxes and a few federal buildings (while they were EMPTY - re: no kills), but fucked up royally when they kidnapped James Cross, a British diplomat, and murdered Pierre Laporte, a reporter for the newspaper "Le Devoir" (mostly conservative), which prompted Trudeau to enact the War Measures Act within the province. Many prominent Quebecers suspected of collaborating with the FLQ, were summarily placed under arrest by the Canadian Army. Truly a dark time in Canada.

Since then, there have been 2 referendums in Quebec to secede from Canada. The first, held in the early eighties, had an extremely lengthy and confusing ballot question that, when combined with federal marketing and the general fear of Quebecers to be on their own, resulted in a loss for the "yes" side - Quebec remained part of Canada. The other one, held in 1995, was a close call: 51% "no" vs. 49% "yes". However, Chretien then passed a law stating that any future referendum would need a 75% "yes" majority to pass, effectively killing seperatist momentum.

These days, some Quebecers still harbour strong seperatist feelings, but based on the results of 2 referendums and the fact that Canada truly is a great country to live in, I believe Quebec will always be a part of it, and I'm glad. Sure, there will always be name-calling and tension, but not in alarming levels like in the 70s / 80s.

This is a good topic for a new thread.

you would certainly get some lively discussion! (althought I thought that the Night of the Long Knives was a purge enacted by Hitler in the 1930's).

although I grew to detest his personality (pugilistic, trivial) I think that I have to recognize the efforts of Chretien in maintaining national unity. We may be oblivious to the potential outcome, but the fact that Chretien kept us out of Iraq, in the same year as a provincial election in Quebec, may have served to have defused yet another round unity struggle and anxiety for us Canadians.

Wheels within Wheels!

Huh?

Citation on that 75% 'fact' please.

Yeah, it was a purge by Hitler. The leaders of the SA (Hitler's private army of 'brownshirts' or 'stormtroopers') had become so powerful he feared them, so in June 1934 he had the SS (Hitlers super elite bodyguards) arrest and elimitate anyone with power/ officers, etc. It marks the point where Hitler unoffcially went from 'scary leader' to 'supreme leader that no one could challenge'.

I took a History of 20th Century Warfare a year and half ago. When this came up, a person in the class questioned the professor because he thought it was when 'Trudeau betrayed Quebec'. The professor, an acedemic and a historian, explained that 'only self-righteous Quebecois would describe a peaceful gathering of modern Canadians with the same name as a night when more than a hundred murders took place to support at dictatorship.' He went on the explain that while both were political actions, using the title "Night of the Long Knives" is a cheap attept to villianify Trudeau and Anglo leaders, when Levesque refused to let the country function and wanted special considerations that historical precedent or Francophone population didn't merit.

(Levesque was the founder of the PQ, in 78. The Seperatist movement started in the early 60s, the FLQ and the October Crisis was in 70, and Trudeau has implemented the Offcial Languages Act, among other things, starting in the late 60s and throughout the 70s)

But I digress. I think Quebec politics needs a seperate thread.

18th Question.

In the last question I brought up smoking at concert venues.With venues in mind.....how regular are American artists touring up there. In 1999 I saw Phish at the MOLSON AMPHITHEATRE, a venue which seems to bring in a lot of American bands. What about the rest of the country? Do you need to live near Toronto to catch the big shows?

The main centres for music are Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver... while big acts will play all over the US they will sometimes only play Toronto and nowhere else in Canada...

If you live in Toronto, you will see all the acts you could ever want... elsewhere is a crap shoot.

That said, most smaller acts play places like Ottawa, Winnipeg, Halifax, Calgary and Edmonton as well...

Okay, you guys touched a nerve here. I am from Saskatchewan. Notice what Charlatan said up above...

Winnepeg, Calgary, and Edmonton. OVER AND OVER AGAIN, EVERY BLOODY BAND JUMPS ACROSS THE STUBBLE.

Sure, the top 40 acts usually stop in either Regina or Saskatoon, but if I want to see a really BIG BAND, I have to make a brutal 5-8 hour road trip.

Just pisses me off.

That is all.

... if you build it they will come ... :hmm:

Here in Ottawa we get the odd big band I guess, U2 is coming here for the first time in 20 years or something like that, but we usually get the shitty bands, like a few weeks ago we had Motley Crue at the Corel Center.

The Casino in Hull gets some cool acts, I'm considering going to see Michael Buble there sometime soon, they had Joe Cocker there a couple of years back. Other than that I can't really remember a really big name who has come here, but my memory isn't the greatest.

You have to attract some people and get your cities above 300 000 people if you want bigger acts. :P

Also, I've noticed from concert listings that some bands/artists completely skip either Toronto or Vancouver and do a pairie tour. They seem to base their locations on a combination of population and popularity of their music in the area, so if you like country then the pairies are the place for you. :P

I wonder if U2's presence in Ottawa has anything to do with the gentleman pictured in your Avatar. Perhaps they want to make a visit with their favourite Canadian political party?

Ottawa gets some good stuff but gets by passed regularly. It isn't really for lack of venues just that support isn't that great. 1500 for Crosby, Stills and Nash a few years back in a building that holds 20,000 isn't a good showing. Styx got about 2500. Elton John got about 5000. Deep Purple is probably the next big act coming.

The Blues and Jazz festivals are very popular and people seem to support them probably because passes are available to see more than one act. It is getting better ( a little better) for local bands since more bars are willing to hire bands. (and pay them more than $150 a night) But still in a lot of ways, Ottawa rolls up the streets at 6:00 in the evening just like it always has.

Funny too, Ottawa has got to be the restaurant capital of the world. People line up to eat overpriced crap at East Side Mario's, Montana's or where ever, every night of the week and don't think twice about it, but getting people to support music and artists in this town is like pulling teeth.

Yeah, the big acts skip Ottawa more often than not. The only reason U2 decided to come to here was because of Paul Martin. Ottawa usually gets shafted because we're so close to Toronto and Montreal.
The Pixies played the Robert Guertin Arena across the bridge in Gatineau last winter.
We get our fair share of big names though... Motorhead is coming in about 2 weeks... Collective Soul next month, I'm not a fan, but they're a big enough name.
I'm considering a drive to Montreal next month to see The Mars Volta, the only problem is I work the next morning and it's about a 2 hour drive home.

I have friends who saw U2 when they played Barrymore's in Ottawa on their first tour... The band had just had it's first cover of Rolling Stone the week before they got there...

Apparently a bunch of them hung out with the band after the show... all casual like.

I didn't realize that there were so many restaurants there.

anyways, it probably is because you can eat food, but you can only listen to music...

19th Question.

Energy. How "green" is Canadian policy. How is the advancement of hydrogen cars affecting your culture. The states are way behind even with hybrids (Ford and GM have yet to release a hybrid). Yet, Iceland is already converting gas stations to hydro. Would you say that energy concerns are high among Canadians or do you follow the footsteps of your naive neighbour?

I'll do my best to cover this question.

The government has annouced that $10 Billion dollars will be spent over the next 7 years to curb greenhous gas emissions by 270 megatonnes a year from '08 to '12.

Commitments (from government activities) include:
-Cut emissions from its facilities and activities by one-third.
-Draw 20 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2010.
-Ensure new office buildings meet the highest environmental standards.
-Replace its vehicles more quickly and with fuel-efficient alternatives including hybrids.

"...the government and the industry had already reached agreement on a voluntary deal under which the automakers will produce cars that cut emissions by 5.3 megatonnes a year by 2010."

-CBC

We have, arguably, the best example of large scale sustainable industry, in the diamond mines of the territories.

The province of B.C. wants a "hydrogen highway" from Vancouver to Whistler for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The majority of power is produced by hyrdoelectricity (56%), 28.3% from thermal (coal, natural gas etc.) and the rest from nuclear, solar, wind, etc. (source)

Plans are to increase production of electricity from renewable resources.

Which is a good thing, as per capita, Canada is the largest consumer of energy in the world.

This is a shocker! Must be those cold winters, eh?

Thanks for the info :thumbsup:

not only the cold winters, but the transportation costs. Canada is a vast land.