hmmmm. I actually don't agree that Canadians pay "a lot more" in income taxes than Americans. Tax on ordinary income at lower brackets is higher than in the US, but the top rates in Canada are lower than in the US, and corporate tax in Canada is significantly lower (like 5% lower) than in the US. Canada also provides capital gains exemptions that have no equivalent in the US.
Also: if you take out the average monthly health care cost (given that is a cost that no Canadian has to bear), and add it to the tax bill that Americans pay (so you are comparing apples and apples, more or less), the average American pays more for the same services than does the average Canadian.
Blah blah blah. This is one of my areas of interest.
we have friends who moved here, because despite having two degrees, our friend had to take two jobs to make enough to allow his wife to stay home. he said that stay at home parents are unheard of. is that your experience, or is that maybe his area? i dunno...they also had a lot of problems getting some pretty serious medical conditions addressed in a timely manner and are in general much happier being here.
interesting how different the perspectives can be!
It is interesting. I mean, for us we really have limited choice as to where we could live when we chose Canada almost 10 years ago. I'm from the States and my partner is from the UK. Our own countries had no immigration policy for same-sex couples, so, if we wanted to be together we had to go to Canada, New Zealand, and a few European countries. I think this has an influence on how we see life in Canada.
We are going to try the one of us stays at home thing - and I think we'll be able to do it financially. I don't think it's unheard of here - London, ON - but maybe it is in a bigger city like Toronto.
We've had no issues with the health care - but we live in a university town with major research hospitals, maybe that makes a difference.
We are also legally married here - and our baby has both our names on her birth certificate from the get go... this makes us love Canada.
Wanted to be in Ontario because I grew up in Michigan. We went to Toronto on a little holiday before we were approved just to see if we'd like it there. Fought the entire time. Drove back to MI and stopped in London and just fell in love with the city. It felt right.
I have the major mad love for Vancouver but could never afford such silliness. I visited a friend there once when I was in college - he had lived there his whole life and it was such a part of him and his mom, and they were both so awesome, and it was so pretty, and and and.
London is not beautiful like Vancouver. It is just your regular little college town. I like the college town atmosphere. It can be conservative. But conservative in Canada is not like conservative in the US. There is a bit of a queer women type community here. It's small but big too - if you know what I mean. The cost of living here is nice too. Places like Vancouver and Toronto - while way cool to live there - not so cool when it comes to house buying and whatnot.
You all are welcome to visit anytime - I think we'd have fun.
Oh yeah, Vancouver and Toronto are like Boston and New York and San Francisco for me - I love them but I could never even think about living there and raising a family. Not unless I won the lottery. ;)
I like college towns, too. I like the transient youth and the energy and the big-town-small-town feel. We live in a college town right now (well a town over from a college town) and it's nice. And affordable. And nice. I can dig it.
I think the four of us and our two girls should just have some sort of commune thing going on. We could work out the child care and the working and the housework and the cooking and just have a chill old time with our little village raising our kids.
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We did it and it's been a good thing for us.
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1 year paid maternity leave.
Marriage rights for all.
You don't have to adopt your own kid.
Niagara Falls.
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And different ways of spending money.
We pay a lot more in taxes.
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Also: if you take out the average monthly health care cost (given that is a cost that no Canadian has to bear), and add it to the tax bill that Americans pay (so you are comparing apples and apples, more or less), the average American pays more for the same services than does the average Canadian.
Blah blah blah. This is one of my areas of interest.
That said, Jude; come on up...
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interesting how different the perspectives can be!
totally about perspective
We are going to try the one of us stays at home thing - and I think we'll be able to do it financially. I don't think it's unheard of here - London, ON - but maybe it is in a bigger city like Toronto.
We've had no issues with the health care - but we live in a university town with major research hospitals, maybe that makes a difference.
We are also legally married here - and our baby has both our names on her birth certificate from the get go... this makes us love Canada.
Re: totally about perspective
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Wanted to be in Ontario because I grew up in Michigan. We went to Toronto on a little holiday before we were approved just to see if we'd like it there. Fought the entire time. Drove back to MI and stopped in London and just fell in love with the city. It felt right.
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I have the major mad love for Vancouver but could never afford such silliness. I visited a friend there once when I was in college - he had lived there his whole life and it was such a part of him and his mom, and they were both so awesome, and it was so pretty, and and and.
I have never been to London.
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You all are welcome to visit anytime - I think we'd have fun.
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I like college towns, too. I like the transient youth and the energy and the big-town-small-town feel. We live in a college town right now (well a town over from a college town) and it's nice. And affordable. And nice. I can dig it.
I think the four of us and our two girls should just have some sort of commune thing going on. We could work out the child care and the working and the housework and the cooking and just have a chill old time with our little village raising our kids.
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