My final assessment of Canada.

My final assessment of Canada - 10 May 2014 - by P.K.Odendaal.

I have now been living here for about a year, although I have been back to South Africa for a few months. I am closing this blog after this final assessment of a wide variety of aspects of changing life from South Africa to Canada.

What struck me most was the widely divergent culture, lifestyle, politics, justice system and social system of the two countries, and I will take them one by one.

Immigration.
Entering Canada as an immigrant varies widely. For me as a sponsored immigrant, sponsored by my daughter, took me about five years. One stands in a documentary queue and they only start to look at your a.pplication when four years have expired.
If you go the investment route it is also very difficult, as this route is quickly saturated by eager capitalists, and I never got it right - even in the four years I waited.
Doctors are still in high demand and they can get immigration permits within a month, but South African doctors lately trained (under the new South African system) are no longer allowed in.
Certain trades like electricians, welders, crane drivers, farmers and so on can get immigration almost immediately.

Social services.
Social services are almost always free, if you are a permanent resident - even if you are not a tax payer. In this regard it is very beneficial for older people who may be retiring here.
The downside of this is that you wait in a very long line to get certain specialized medical services. Seeing a specialist can easily take you four months, and getting a knee replacement can have you wait for eighteen months. Being a socialistic type of system, one cannot get preference, even if you are prepared to pay more.

Justice system.
The justice system is quite well developed, but two things you have to keep in mind is that the cost is very high and it takes very long - more and longer than I am prepared to wait for.
However, there is a small claims court for cases of less than $25000, in which case you might have redress within six months.

Discrimination.
In all my time here I could not detect any discrimination on the basis of race, class, sex, age or anything else. This is excellent, but one must remember that discrimination can never work here as Canadians are such a diverse group of nations. In Toronto there lives about one hundred and seventy different nationalities from all over the world.
The downside of this is that there is no deeply rooted culture and the people may be said to be very cosmopolitan.
I got the idea that there is no specific trait of the Canadian nation which can be said to be universal or national. One finds many of these immigrants keeping to their foreign beliefs, customs and culture and many of them live in enclaves where their nation or ethnic group is well represented. They however still live like they did in their countries of origin.

Law and regulation.
The country is very well organized, managed and ruled and about every aspect of public life is strictly ordered to the extent that there is very little room for innovation and creativity. This impedes the freedom of the individual and many individuals, like myself, will better like the unordered systems of other countries.
The downside of this is that red tape is rampant and you can wait for many months for documents, certificates or the like.
The upside of this is that Canadians are very law abiding and there is very little crime and disorderly people.

Lifestyle.
The lifestyle is easy and comfortable and salaries quite good, in fact commensurate with the high cost of living here. Most people have a good job (or two) and have a good quality of life, and the middle class is very large - about 80% of the total.

Adjustment.
I found that South Africans do not adjust completely and many of those I have met are still proudly South African. The problem is that most South Africans here have fled the country, and just have to adjust here. I do not think many will immigrate here if South Africa remained stable is in decades gone by.
The lifestyle of many white South Africans are colonial with many of its ups and downs, but enjoying mainly its ups. There (in SA) white households have servants for almost anything, and households here are mostly servant-less. Such a colonial lifestyle will never work here.

Climate.
The warm season in Canada is about four to five months a year, and it takes a lot of adjustment if you come from South Africa where the warm season is about eight or nine months a year. The summers here are beautiful and warm and the summer days are very long. Sunlight during mid-summer is about nineteen hours and recreation is well exercised during those months.

Demographics.
Roughly 90% of the population lives within a few hundred kilometers from the USA border and the rest of the country northward is very sparsely populated and is main populated by First Nations, living in small towns with less than  one thousand inhabitants.

First nations.
The nations who populated the country before it was occupied by Europeans are called first nations. Their fate and economic future is much the same as the first nations of South Africa. They live mainly in settlements or adjudicated areas or reserves and are heavily dependent on state funds and help.
Some have however assimilated with the rest of the ethnic groups.

Conclusion.
If you want to immigrate to Canada, you will be very safe from many ills of the world. However, if South Africa was stable, I can see no reason why one would immigrate here.
 

A more informed article on living in Canada

A more informed article on living in Canada - by P.K.Odendaal - June 2013. 

As many of my readers are English speaking and from all parts of the world, I will in future write these articles in English.

After four months I feel I can make a more informed opinion of what life in Canada is for me, and I think it is best to do it on different aspects separately. 

State form.

The state form is democratic and capitalistic, as most developed and civilized western states are, and I find the government as far as I had to do with it, efficient and service good. Naturally any government administration suffers from bureaucracy, which one will also find here.

However, I find the state form much more socialistic as other states I know of, which is a good thing for a country with such a strong middle class. If there is a very strong middle class, then social services and responsibility like health and taxes can be distributed more evenly, and it is done quite well here. I find it very appealing, because I will declare my income more conscientiously when I know I share fairly in the state services and I make a fair contribution towards it. 

Economy.

I live in the province of Alberta, which is said to be a rich province, with lots of natural and human resources. One statistic I have seen is that the average income per household is over $ 80 000 per year. Now that is what I call affluent compared to the $ 5 500 in South Africa for the black population which makes up about 90% of the population. In fact, $ 80 000 per year is the income of the top 1% of households in the world. 

Pedestrians.

Everywhere you go, the pedestrian is king. You stop for them even when they should suddenly appear from behind a bush, but especially so where pedestrian traffic and vehicle traffic is mixed like in shopping centres. It is very safe to walk anywhere. I find that excellent. 

Traffic.

The flow of traffic is well catered for and the roads are well maintained. The drivers however are just as ill-disciplined as in many western states. Although the majority are law abiding and safe drivers, a large percentage are inconsiderate and even road hogs. If you wish to get your chance to cross a lane or get into busy traffic, you better have hair on your teeth and push the limits of indiscretion. 

Sport, Entertainment and Nature.

All three are well catered for. In Edmonton there are about 86 golf courses, of which most are public courses, but knowing somebody from a private club gives you access to many of the private clubs. The countryside and nature is beautiful and mostly breath-taking, and most Canadians get into these activities en masse as soon as the winter is over. Gardening is a big issue here, as well as hiking.

In the summer some concerts and symphonic orchestra events are given in a park setting. The summer holidays are a real popular event. 

Shopping and restaurants.

One can keep very busy with shopping, as there are thousands of shops where you can buy almost anything. The thousands of restaurants are of a very high standard - and mostly overcrowded on weekends. Shopping in malls is also an entertaining event. 

People.

I find the people hard-working, honest and very friendly. It is very easy to pick up a conversation at almost any shop, elevator and gathering or just where people congregate.

 

Motors, parkering en verkeer

Motors, parkering en verkeer - deur P.K.Odendaal - 24 Maart 2013.

Vir die meeste van ons mans is dit die hoofitems in ons lewe. Ons wil almal wiele hê en wegkom van die vrou en kinders. So ek skryf oor alles saam.

Dit het begin toe ek my eerste nuwe motor in sewe jaar gekoop het. Dit is 'n GMC Acadia SLT2. Die SLT2 meen dit is die heel luukse een met alles wat oop en toe maak. Dit het my ongeveer R 520 000 gekos.

Vir hierdie deel van Kanada is dit noodsaaklik om 'n motor te ry wat in ys en sneeu tuis is, en hierdie een is voorwaar, behalwe dat dit nie met winterbande uitgekom het nie. Ek moes nuwe winterbande laat opsit teen R 2000 elk. Goedkoper as my gewone Prado bande in SA. In SA het ek 'n Prado en BMW 750 gehad.

Ons uitstappies vandag - 17 Maart 2013

Ons uitstappies vandag - 17 Maart 2013

Ons het vanaand na die simfonie orkes in die Edmonton Stadsteater gaan kyk. Die Edmonton simfonie orkes onder leiding van Bill Eddins het verkeie stukke gespeel. Ek kan met vrymoedigheid sê hy was die beste dirigent wat ek ooit gesien het.

In die eerste plek was die teater gebou asemrowend. Die argitektuur, akoestiek en funksionaliteit is uitstekend.

Na Kanada - Deel 4 - Maart 2013

Na Kanada - Deel 4 - 6 Maart 2013. 

Ek is vandag 'n maand in Kanada. So dit is tyd vir refleksie.

In die maand het ek al my dokumentasie ens. reggekry behalwe vir 'n paar dinge. Een daarvan is  my bestuurslisensie. Ek het my toets vir leerlinglisensie geskryf en snaaks genoeg deurgekom op die eerste probeerslag, nadat ek die boekie eenmaal noukeurig deurgelees het. 'n Mens mag net vyf foute uit dertig vrae maak en jy skryf op die rekenaar. Toe ek my leerlinglisensie wou uitneem, vra hulle my om my SA bestuurslisensie in te gee, want dit is bedrog om twee lisensies hier te hê. Hulle het nie hier ID boekies soos in SA nie, en die bestuurlisensie is jou ID dokument ook - inteendeel jou enigte ID dokument. Ek weier toe natturlik om my SA lisensie in te gee soos enige goeie SA'ner sal doen, want ek het 'n ekstra swaar vragmotorlisensie in SA. As ek dit ingegee het, dan mag ek vir vier weke (totdat ek my volwaardige lisensie het) nie alleen bestuur nie. Later, na bepeinsing, het ek besluit dat ek dit wel tog mettertyd sal ingee aangesien ek weer een in SA vir so R 200 sal kan koop.

Na Kanada - Deel 3

Na Kanada - Deel 3 - deur P.K.Odendaal - 14 Februarie 2013. 

Die groot tog is op 'n end en die goedere sal stuk stuk hier aankom. Ons het darem in een stuk hier aangekom - met British Airways vanaf Johannesburg na Londen Heathrow, en Air Canada na Edmonton. BA se diens en kos was baie swak soos gewoonlik, en Air Canada s'n was baie goed soos gewoonlik - die beste kos en diens wat ons ooit op enige lugredery ontvang het.

Ons eerste vervoermaatskappy, Movit van Midrand, het toe liederlik misluk in hul poging om ons huisgoedere en meubels te vervoer. Hulle het in die proses baie bokse verloor, maar na baie gespook het ons uiteindelik al die bokse in hulle 'warehouse' opgespoor. Hulle 'warehouse manager' het nie 'n 'clue' wat aangaan nie. Hulle was eers arrogant oor ons klagte, maar het later mooi verskjoning gevra, toe hulle sien wat aangaan in hulle besigheid.

Whereto? - USA versus Canada

Why I Turned My Back on America

 

Dear Reader,

In the few pictures that follow, I want to show you the disastrous road America is on right now.

It’s a road we’ve been put on by failed American economic policies conjured up by politicians who have no idea how massive debt and money printing eventually destroy a country.