Major differences in Canada?

Crann na Beatha

This post has been deleted.

againstthetide

Phoenix wrote: »

What are the major differences in day to life between Ireland and Canada do ye find?

Its way colder in winter
Chicken is stupid expensive
Petrol is cheap
People are much more positive in outlook and a very strong can do attitude in my experience

retalivity

milk comes in bags.
people dont actually say 'eh' all the time.
vegetables are cheap.
tax is not included in the listed price.
tipping. fcuking tipping for everything.

Mrs McSweeney

There are a few differences in terms of road rules...
Obviously they drive on the right, pedestrians have the right of way (all the time??), people generally don't break the speed limit, crossroads it's first come first to move, right-turn allowed on a red light - I'm open to correction on any of these, as I'm not there yet so may be mistaken.

We are generally led to believe that the Canadians have no sense of humour, but I hear that they do do "slagging", it's just very different to what we know as slagging, and takes some getting used to. They don't really get Irish style slagging at all. Also they generally don't swear much & really don't appreciate it when they hear people constantly swearing (which many Irish people are inclined to do).

The sometimes mistake Irish people for "Newfies", or Newfoundlanders, who they are not terribly fond of. The accent of the Newfoundlanders is surprisingly close to an Irish accent, I heard one recently & he sounded like someone from Wexford who'd spent a few years in Canada/USA and just picked up a touch of the accent there, really surprisingly Irish sounding.

I'm sure I'll think of more differences in due course.

Martyn1989

Don't jay-walk, you'll get fined eventually apperently. You see very few people do it here and everyone throws them filthy looks.

I've found alot of people saying 'eh', I've already stopped noticing.

People here are patient, you'll queue in the supermarket for 30mins because the cashier packs everyones groceries, me and the gf were astounded by a young guy with his gf infront of us who stood there reading a magazine while the elderly(ish) cashier lady packed his bags and lifted them into the trolley (cart), at least he refused help out to his car when he was offered :rolleyes:. Like true paddies we whipped out our reusable shopping bags and were away in a few mins. Similarly the buses tend to stop at certain stops to stay on schedule, if the driver has time he'll hop off, leaving the engine running and grab a coffee/snack. No-one even bats an eyelid.

Alot of the young people here are tattoo'd/pierced/cool haircut with expensive rock/snowboarder clothes, they talk to you like a complete square because your interests aren't worn on your sleeve. On the opposite side theres some incredibly down to earth, genuinely nice people here.

They take responsible service of alcohol alot more seriously here, if you tend to get sloppy take it easy, they're not ashamed of telling someone they've had to much. Here bartenders, bouncers, waitresses etc all do a quick safety course on it, they are held legally accountable for what happens to you both during and after they serve you alcohol if it is deemed irresponsible.

They do have a sense of humour here, they're just a tad less offensive, but they do enjoy a little slagging. I work with a Polish guy who spent 3 years in Cork, in his words 'Here they ask were are you from? I say Poland, they say "Cool, welcome to Canada", in Cork they say "Ahhh, ya fcukin ****"

simongurnick

In Ontario, the sale of booze is controlled by the province. Beer is sold in the imaginatively titled "Beer Store" and liquor, wine and single beers are sold at the excitedly named LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario). They have pretty tight hours so people generally buy beer by the case (also because they drink more at home than pubs). The first time I was in one people were walking out the door with 24 packs at 11 am. I'm there thinking these lads are heavy drinkers but later came to learn you need to stock up because the ****ing places close at 5 on Sunday!

ciaran67

againstthetide wrote: »

Its way colder in winter
Chicken is stupid expensive
Petrol is cheap
People are much more positive in outlook and a very strong can do attitude in my experience

All produce from farms are protected, hence the price.

We have lots of Persian food shops in N Shore. They are way cheaper and I find a better product. Try and stay away from supermarkets, the prices are mad.

ciaran67

retalivity wrote: »

milk comes in bags.
people dont actually say 'eh' all the time.
vegetables are cheap.
tax is not included in the listed price.
tipping. fcuking tipping for everything.

they do!

eh

Phonehead

- Milk in a bag
- They are unnaturally polite but put them behind a wheel and they go nuts! crazy aggressive drivers:eek:
- Superb attitude, people are so positive about everything they try or do (I love it to be honest)
- Sensible Drinking, It's a pure joy not to have a race to get drunk.
- Socializing, there is always something to do or to go see!
- Work Pace, they don't kill themselves in work! here you will probably have two people doing the same job that 1 would do back home - it means things get done but nobody is rushing around with a stressed head (that is just my experience so open to correction)
- Healthy lifestyle, there is a gym on every corner and people are not as heavy as back home.

Nemanja91

retalivity wrote: »

milk comes in bags.
people dont actually say 'eh' all the time.
vegetables are cheap.
tax is not included in the listed price.
tipping. fcuking tipping for everything.

:eek:

adamski8

Pool tables have huge pockets, at least twice the size and they have some really stupid rules.

mickob16

adamski8 wrote: »

Pool tables have huge pockets, at least twice the size and they have some really stupid rules.

Nice one..I might finally win a game :D

Martyn1989

mickob16 wrote: »

Nice one..I might finyally win a game :D

I won't if my gf is around

Eutow

retalivity wrote: »

milk comes in bags.
people dont actually say 'eh' all the time.
vegetables are cheap.
tax is not included in the listed price.
tipping. fcuking tipping for everything.

Nemanja91 wrote: »

Don't worry, you can still buy milk in cartons. It is just a bit cheaper to buy milk in bags.

simongurnick

Phonehead wrote: »

- Milk in a bag
- They are unnaturally polite but put them behind a wheel and they go nuts! crazy aggressive drivers:eek:
- Superb attitude, people are so positive about everything they try or do (I love it to be honest)
- Sensible Drinking, It's a pure joy not to have a race to get drunk.
- Socializing, there is always something to do or to go see!
- Work Pace, they don't kill themselves in work! here you will probably have two people doing the same job that 1 would do back home - it means things get done but nobody is rushing around with a stressed head (that is just my experience so open to correction)
- Healthy lifestyle, there is a gym on every corner and people are not as heavy as back home.

Loads of fatties over here. fast food joints everywhere...just like the states

Martyn1989

simongurnick wrote: »

[/B]

Loads of fatties over here. fast food joints everywhere...just like the states

Except the fast food is nice, Wendy's and A&W for the win.

uncleoswald

Less of a drinking culture, but less stigma attached to drink driving in my experience.

Both of these may be caused by people settling down at an earlier age.

Phonehead

simongurnick wrote: »

[/B]

Loads of fatties over here. fast food joints everywhere...just like the states

I'm downtown Toronto so perhaps a different demographic???

Zillah

- I found Vancouver had one hell of a drinking culture. Not quite Dublin on a Saturday night but close enough.
- People are super friendly, but massively offense-averse. I once commented that a particular logo looked silly and I was met with aghast and worried head-shaking (from white people) because it was, apparently, based on something tribal. I also mentioned that a lady wearing full traditional Pakistani clothing looked really cool, and that it wasn't something you'd expect from a Canadian (the lady spoke perfect English with a local accent) and similarly people got uncomfortable and acted as though I had said something offensive.
- Following on from the above, I regret to say that the stereotype is true; a lot of Canadians are very dull. Lovely, friendly people, but completely lacking in strong opinions or a willingness to voice them, terrified of rocking the boat.
- Cheese was mystifyingly expensive.
- Weather is just like here except a little more extreme - summers hotter, winters colder, but tons of rain.
- Exchange rates/cost of living balanced out remarkably well so I could just forget about currency and go by the number, and everything seemed largely the same as home.
- People drink drive much more casually. It is bad in the sense of "oh well, I'm not drunk so it should be ok". I found it was like that in Washington too.

Sorry if I've offended any Canadians, I'm sure there are exceptions, I'm still friends with one of them, but I'd be lying if I said that the stereotype was without foundation. I even went over without having heard that stereotype and came to that conclusion myself.

retalivity

Phonehead wrote: »

I'm downtown Toronto so perhaps a different demographic???

I would agree with simongurnick, but then again im in the same city as him.
Loads of overweight and obese people, but also a lot of fit people and gyms. It seems there are less people in the middle here, and more at the opposite ends of the scale of being either really fit or really fat.
Would agree with the lax attitude to drink driving as well.
And trucks. Everyone needs to have a pickup truck. It is near impossible to find a small car and then it is more expensive to try and insure it.

retalivity

youd better hope that as a future immigrant, the local people do not have the same things to say about you.
Anyway, this is not the place for it

Another thing about Canada, but not that different from home unfortunately, a lot of people outside of the big cities are suspicious of, and outright hostile to immigrants, particularly if they dont fit the "traditional canadian" view.

Phonehead

retalivity wrote: »

youd better hope that as a future immigrant, the local people do not have the same things to say about you.
Anyway, this is not the place for it

Another thing about Canada, but not that different from home unfortunately, a lot of people outside of the big cities are suspicious of, and outright hostile to immigrants, particularly if they dont fit the "traditional canadian" view.

Where are you based if you don't mind me asking. Toronto is hugely diverse so I've never came across a more immigrant welcoming place.

With regards drink driving, 2 years later and I'm still in shock at how everyone seems to partake in it.

retalivity

I would count Toronto as an exception to that, as it is very multicutural.
Further out in the sticks however, its a different story. Ive had people ask me where I was from, and congratulate me that im not a ****** over here who is not working

edit: im in london, on

pitythefool

Phonehead wrote: »

Where are you based if you don't mind me asking. Toronto is hugely diverse so I've never came across a more immigrant welcoming place.

With regards drink driving, 2 years later and I'm still in shock at how everyone seems to partake in it.

Toronto is a big city, read the quote

Toronto is waesome though

iamstop

Rather than a whole new thread for this question, can anyone tell me if a full Irish driver's licence entitles you to drive in Canada or do you need to do another test over there?

edit: Just for personal use, not commercial.

retalivity

you cannot currently swap in an irish driving license for a canadian. Although there is talk this might change in the new year - nothing definite yet.
An international driving license (those 10euro ones from the AA) is about as useful as a kick up the backside.

silja

*** Many racist and bigotted posts and those quoting removed. This is NOT the place for such views. If you have nothing informative about Canada to post, don't post. ****

Ms. Ka

retalivity wrote: »

you cannot currently swap in an irish driving license for a canadian. Although there is talk this might change in the new year - nothing definite yet.
An international driving license (those 10euro ones from the AA) is about as useful as a kick up the backside.

It depends on where you are based. You can get a driving license in Saskatchewan without having to resit the test if you have an Irish license. You have to give up the Irish one though.

ToniTuddle

retalivity wrote: »

milk comes in bags.

I've yet to see any milk in bags!

From a Vancouver viewpoint

-The price listed never includes tax which is very frustrating.
-Cars actually stop for pedestrians at crossings and even along the main roads. Though when in downtown stick to the proper crossings!
-Don't be surprised to walk down any street anywhere and suddenly smell weed. I still can't get over how open a lot of them are about their smoking habits.
-People really don't seem to get stressed out by long queues in the grocery shops anyway
-Crisps, chocolate bars and ice cream are not as nice but you can learn to tolerate them :pac:
-Thankfully the milk is tasty
-Phone plans are insane but sticking to Mobilicity or Wind is the best options
-Most food products are expensive compared to Ireland but if you shop around you can find good deals.
-Public transport is great
-Canadians really make the most out of their free time and are big into their hiking, camping, snow boarding, fitness, general outdoor stuff!

Can't think of anything else just now!

retalivity

Ms. Ka wrote: »

It depends on where you are based. You can get a driving license in Saskatchewan without having to resit the test if you have an Irish license. You have to give up the Irish one though.

yeah sorry, i was speaking about ontario only.
I think new brunswick have something similar to sask as well, and ontario will be bringing it in next year

Kev_2012

I'm heading to Vancouver in the next 2/3 months, but I was on holiday in Toronto earlier this year. My observations were as follows:

- The list price of something in a shop doesn't include tax (most people have to pay for it anyway so why not include it ? )
- Don't ask for chips or you'll be getting taytos or nachos!
- I'd ask where the bathroom or toilet is, they didn't know what I was on about. They call it a washroom. Was very refreshing to get chatting to an Irish couple and they understood "Where's the jacks?" in my Limerick accent.
- They pour Guinness in 1 and hand it straight out! :eek: , some places did it properly.
- I'd ask for a "can" if I wanted to get a drink with fast food. I had to change this to "can of pop"
- Irish people that have been living there for a while sound really weird! It's because you really have to slow down and pronounce words more when speaking.
- I found canadians very friendly and welcoming and they kept buying myself and my friend drinks and wouldn't take them back. I literally had to sneak them a drink back!
- I find them intelligent for the most part. They seem to be far more aware of the world than their US counterparts.
- The canadian pubs seem to have a lot of TVs and music going on the whole time, and serve food, very different from the traditional Irish pub!
- Wearing tracksuit pants/sports clothes is fine! I wore a t shirt of my rugby club and munster grey sweat pants and was drinking all day in a pub, got chatting to a couple and their friends and they were eventually moving to a different late bar, and when i said i better get changed, they laughed asking why. But I ended up out til 4 a.m. dressed like that! be lucky to get to 6 p.m. over here! We were refferred to as "sports enthusiasts" by several people when dressed like that.
- No matter what way I dressed (jeans, shirts, t shirt, jacket, tracksuit pants), walking down Yonge st. everyone kept staring as though we looked really out of place. Still don't know what that was about???


Actually I was there for paddys (pattys they call it! :mad:) day and we visited the steamwhistle brewery. They ask everyone where they are from at the start of the tour and everyone kinda smirked a bit when we said we were Irish. Kinda walked into the stereotype going to a brewery tour the day before paddys day!

NoelAPM

For any1 who plans to drive here. You can't park wherever you feel like it. As I generally did at home.

Got a fine yesterday for parking facing oncoming traffic. All I did was reverse into a space so I could access my boot from the pavement instead of loading/unloading while standing on the road. I'm still not clear what threat I was posing to Canadian life.

So baically park on the right side of the road and if its and angled space drive straight in!

pitythefool

NoelAPM wrote: »

For any1 who plans to drive here. You can't park wherever you feel like it. As I generally did at home.

Got a fine yesterday for parking facing oncoming traffic. All I did was reverse into a space so I could access my boot from the pavement instead of loading/unloading while standing on the road. I'm still not clear what threat I was posing to Canadian life.

So baically park on the right side of the road and if its and angled space drive straight in!

Nonsense

snowguy

^ Nonsense ?, can you elaborate.

Traffic laws are provincial jurisdiction so can vary from province to province. You have to park in the same direction as the traffic flow. IE, we drive
on the right side of the road, so you park on the right side of the street.

I think the reasoning behind this is that if you were to park on the left, you’d have to cross a lane of traffic, to pull in to the spot, and then
again cross a lane of traffic when pulling out.

NoelAPM is correct, traffic laws are enforced, you will get ticketed and/or towed. I’m amazed when I go back to Ireland to see people double parked,
parked on paths and everything.

Weather is one big difference, even though Edmonton is 300 KM north of Calgary look at the difference in temp

http://weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pages/ab-52_metric_e.html

http://weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pages/ab-50_metric_e.html

Martyn1989

Calgary is alot higher up then most of us would be used to, this makes running a pain and you won't be helped by the amount of steep climbs. You get used to it though. The dryness is what gets me. Sometimes you'll walk down to the shop, by the time your back your lips, face and hands will be in bits, not helped if you shave everyday. Carmex is your friend.

Frostine

I must say I have to admire you all for comming to a new country and learning to fit in and find your place in society. But then again, that's how Canada was built, by immigrants. Unless you're ancestry is First Nations, you're from an immigrant background. Irish is one of the top 5 ethnic groups in Canada:D.
Anyway I must be going, I'm first going to meet some friends and once they're properly bored to death, I'm going to drive my big-a$$ truck over to the store(parking legally, of course) and by a couple of 2-4's and some expensive dairy products. Then I'll make my way back to my igloo sit my fat ar$e down and guzzle down some maple syrup,eh!;)

WillPainter

Frostine wrote: »

I must say I have to admire you all for comming to a new country and learning to fit in and find your place in society. But then again, that's how Canada was built, by immigrants. Unless you're ancestry is First Nations, you're from an immigrant background. Irish is one of the top 5 ethnic groups in Canada:D.
Anyway I must be going, I'm first going to meet some friends and once they're properly bored to death, I'm going to drive my big-a$$ truck over to the store(parking legally, of course) and by a couple of 2-4's and some expensive dairy products. Then I'll make my way back to my igloo sit my fat ar$e down and guzzle down some maple syrup,eh!;)

Can I've some?

Frostine

Sure can WillPainter!! Come on over!;)

greenteaicedtea

- People are super friendly, but massively offense-averse. I once commented that a particular logo looked silly and I was met with aghast and worried head-shaking (from white people) because it was, apparently, based on something tribal. I also mentioned that a lady wearing full traditional Pakistani clothing looked really cool, and that it wasn't something you'd expect from a Canadian (the lady spoke perfect English with a local accent) and similarly people got uncomfortable and acted as though I had said something offensive.

The best thing to do is pretend that cultural differences don't exist. If later on, you get to know someone well, ask all the questions you want.

The classic thing to try to avoid doing is asking someone where they are from, even if they speak English with a heavy accent. They might have been here 20 years and be "Canadian", even if they don't look or sound Canadian to you.

Many people who grew up in Canada as the children of immigrants, some of them go back and forth between Canadian and other traditions at the drop of a hat. They speak perfect English, but break into Cantonese when Mom calls, or suddenly wear shiny shalwar kameez outfits if they are going to some special event. I've run into families where the parents speak entirely in some other language to their kids, and the kids reply only in English. Sometimes there's no rhyme or reason to it.

And why would you say that any logo looked silly? I'm not sure what you expected to happen, by saying that.

ciaran67

WillPainter wrote: »

Can I've some?

Canadian attempt at satire.

You're supposed to reply, that's hilarious, without showing emotion.

seb65

Frostine wrote: »

I must say I have to admire you all for comming to a new country and learning to fit in and find your place in society. But then again, that's how Canada was built, by immigrants. Unless you're ancestry is First Nations, you're from an immigrant background. Irish is one of the top 5 ethnic groups in Canada:D.
Anyway I must be going, I'm first going to meet some friends and once they're properly bored to death, I'm going to drive my big-a$$ truck over to the store(parking legally, of course) and by a couple of 2-4's and some expensive dairy products. Then I'll make my way back to my igloo sit my fat ar$e down and guzzle down some maple syrup,eh!;)

Well, at least one of them congratulated us on being intelligent...or at least more intelligent than our US counterparts.....

V8_man

seb65 wrote: »

Well, at least one of them congratulated us on being intelligent...or at least more intelligent than our US counterparts.....

I've noticed some pride being taken in being more worldly wise than those over the Southern border, but it's also true that Canada is highly urbanised, and visiting an urban area in the US you are as likely to encounter educated people. Canada has small, remote areas too but fewer than the States, and Canada is smaller so people have to travel outside their country to see anything of the world.
A lot of Canadians I've met are highly critical of Americans without being aware that they are far more similar to them than to us Europeans, which is meant as a compliment in my book.

seachto7

But we are probably more closer to our North American and British neighbours than our continental ones....?

I wonder where Quebecers fit into all of this.... Reminds me of a bit of France plonked into the North American way of life... I've never been though...

retalivity

seachto7 wrote: »

But we are probably more closer to our North American and British neighbours than our continental ones....?

We are closest to the British first, then European, then North American imo.
I too find it funny when Canadians talk about being so different to the US. Plenty of liberal folk around but it also has its share of backwards bumpkins once you move outside of the cities...and at the heart of it all they are nearly all as fiercely jingoistic

Quebec is definitely closer to Europe than English-speaking Canada...its like an overseas departement...french, but not France. Kind of like a Switzerland but across the ocean...

seb65

retalivity wrote: »

I too find it funny when Canadians talk about being so different to the US. Plenty of liberal folk around but it also has its share of backwards bumpkins once you move outside of the cities...and at the heart of it all they are nearly all as fiercely jingoistic.

You must be quite efficient to be able to meet nearly all 30 million plus Canadians and get their views on foreign policy. Canada not getting involved in vietnam or iraq is perhaps a better indication of the majority view on war.

Your comment on Canada's "backward bumpkins" is quite amusing considering you seem to comparing it to a country that doesn't allow for gay marriage, sees women die rather than preforming a medical procedure and can't run it's own economy.

ciaran67

Did you know that 40% of all Quebecers have Irish ancestory?

Canadians are different as you go across the country. BC people, especially older ones can be quite British i've found. I work with lots of seniors. Had a fella in my bus the other day who drove fuel tankers, at 17, right behind the front line on D Day. What an interesting man he was. Talk about brave.

V8_man

retalivity wrote: »

I too find it funny when Canadians talk about being so different to the US. Plenty of liberal folk around but it also has its share of backwards bumpkins once you move outside of the cities...and at the heart of it all they are nearly all as fiercely jingoistic

well I don't think it's about 'liberal' versus 'bumpkins' by any stretch but they are very different kinds of country and if attitudes are determined in part by where and how people live there they're not comparable at all. Change happens faster in Canada (for good or ill) because there is more centralised government than in the US, but still much less so than there is in Ireland.

That said, Canadians are no less patriotic than Americans ( I don't think they're 'jingoistic' but they're not a superpower so you wouldn't expect them to behave like one), but the military plays a larger part in American culture so you'd expect it to be more important to Americans than Canadians. Also, participation in international wars is more difficult for a small, spread out nation than for a huge highly populated one so I'm also not sure it's much of a gauge of how citizens think about 'war' in general - Canadians have a proud military history and their winding down in that regard probably has more to do with the end of the British empire and their role in it.

excuse the long post but we are in election mode in BC at the moment and I'm busy helping out candidates, so I have been discussing a lot of these things with Canadians of various stripes lately.

citytillidie

uncleoswald wrote: »

Less of a drinking culture, but less stigma attached to drink driving in my experience.

Both of these may be caused by people settling down at an earlier age.

Montrealers would beg to differ

Also on the Island of Montreal you cant turn right on a red like everywhere else

retalivity

seb65 wrote: »

You must be quite efficient to be able to meet nearly all 30 million plus Canadians and get their views on foreign policy. Canada not getting involved in vietnam or iraq is perhaps a better indication of the majority view on war.

Your comment on Canada's "backward bumpkins" is quite amusing considering you seem to comparing it to a country that doesn't allow for gay marriage, sees women die rather than preforming a medical procedure and can't run it's own economy.

I can only give my opinion on what ive seen and who i've met in southern ontario.
Jingoism might have been too strong a word, but any criticism of the country is usually met with scorn and astonishment that a foreigner would actually complain about living in their great country. Airing grievences about the place with canadians usually illicit the same response above, or worse, asking me 'to go back to my own country then'.
Rather than listen to an actual viewpoint different to theirs, a lot would take the narrow view shared by many americans & that presented above when questioned or criticised.

V8_man

retalivity wrote: »

I can only give my opinion on what ive seen and who i've met in southern ontario.
Jingoism might have been too strong a word, but any criticism of the country is usually met with scorn and astonishment that a foreigner would actually complain about living in their great country. Airing grievences about the place with canadians usually illicit the same response above, or worse, asking me 'to go back to my own country then'.
Rather than listen to an actual viewpoint different to theirs, a lot would take the narrow view shared by many americans & that presented above when questioned or criticised.

It might be worth asking, why are you going up to Canadians and complaining about their country?! just saying....

retalivity

V8_man wrote: »

It might be worth asking, why are you going up to Canadians and complaining about their country?! just saying....

When people ask me where Im from, its often followed by a "and how do you like Canada?"
Ive learned that "Its great, yeah" is the easiest answer...