Like Sweden, Canada has advantages as well as disadvantages. I'll start with the disadvantages.
Disavantages to Canada:
1. Rules and regulations
There are so many rules that seem rather nazi-like. One is that infants and toddlers need to cover up on the beach. That is, they can't romp around naked but have to wear a miniature bikini or swim trunks. I suppose with all the pedophiles running around out there, this makes sense...somewhat. One rule that doesn't sit well with me though is the no drinking in public law. Are you telling me I can't have a beer with me to the beach? That's ridiculous. Why should be able to drink anywhere inside but as soon as you step outside it's a no-no? Silly. This is a matter of personal choice for me. As long as I don't get hammered and violent towards others, I don't see whose business it is if I have a beer outside.
2. The healthcare system
As long as you have a care card, you're alright, but if you don't, and you're in need of extensive medical care, you're screwed.
3. Standard of living
In general, the standard of living is better in Sweden. You definitely see a difference in the quality of housing. Rental apartments in Sweden make rental apartments in Canada look like rat holes. In fact a lot of apartments and basement suites in Canada are rat holes. And yet landlords charge a fortune for very substandard living. Meanwhile, there are huge, fabulous houses built next to run-down shacks that don't even seem fit for living. The gap between rich and poor sure is big. I have lived in some questionable places in Vancouver, and those places were still palaces compared to some of the dumps you see. And then of course there are a lot of people who don't even have a home.
4. PST, GST, HST...
Living in B.C sure isn't cheap. It wasn't enough with PST and GST added to your bill, now it's HST - Harmonized Sales Tax - too. Sounds like crap to me.
5. Post secondary education costs through the nose
This is not solely a bad thing. It is bad that it has to cost so much to get an education, especially if you're an international student. It should be cheaper. However, making students pay for their studies might help to weed out those who really shouldn't be going to college or university in the first place. In Sweden, some people study because there is nothing else to do, without a real aim, thereby taking up slots that should be filled with motivated people who really need and want an education. The facts still remain though that it's too pricey to get an education in Canada. Where does all that tax money go?
Advantages to Canada:
1. Friendliness and openness
Ok, this isn't always true. If you're on the skytrain or subway during rush hour, you'll find that the atmosphere is less than friendly. In general though, Canadians have an openness about them that I have a hard time finding in Sweden. They have more tolerance to differences. This in part due to the country's multiculturalism I suppose, but Sweden is getting rather multicultural these days and people seem as narrow-minded as always there. Swedes are set in their ways. It's harder to stray from the norm in Sweden, much harder. In Canada there is a sense of personal freedom. You don't have to stick so hard to the norm. It's more okay to be different, or to go your own way. Also, you will find a good deal more friendliness in the service sector. Here the customer is in charge, and if you find yourself being treated rotten you can always ask to speak to the manager. I dislike people who make it a point to complain and who shout for the manager as soon something doesn't meet with their approval, but if something really is wrong, you should be able to complain and get some form of reimbursement. It is not okay to wait for your food for an hour and then not even get an apology. It is not okay to receive the wrong order and have the waiter roll his eyes in annoyance when you complain about it, or just as infuriating - give you a sarcastic little smile.
2. It's okay to be neurotic
It doesn't matter if you're a little nutty, or a little gloomy. And you can admit that there are certain parts of your life that stink. In Sweden, perkiness is a prerequisite. It even says in a lot of job ads: "We're looking for a happy, perky person..." So I have to be happy and perky in order to do this job? How is my emotional status relevant? As long I'm competent, polite and good at my job, how is it relevant whether or not I'm happy? And perky...I'm not even going to go there. I have never been perky and I will never be perky. I dislike perky. Especially when it's mixed with smugness, as it is in so many of those blond Swedish women. Oh, and in Vancouver you don't need to feel like a bum because you don't dress like a fashion poster because most people in Vancouver wear t-shirts anyway.
3. A more efficient job market
There is more variety, more jobs, less discrimination, and if you don't do your job properly you lose it. I happen to like this last part the best. It should pay off to be a good worker. If an employee slacks off and has a bad work attitude, why should they still be able to keep their job? In Sweden, employees are so protected by union rules and government rules that short of stealing, they can do just about anything and get away with it. They can slack off as much as they want and still keep their jobs. I've seen it with my own two eyes. Whereas in Canada, it's not necessarily those that have been there the longest who get to keep their positions if the company has to do cut-backs. It's those that are good workers who get to stay, at least that's been my experience. I don't believe in that last hired, first fired rule. It should be based on performance who stays and who goes.
4. Natural beauty
The landscape in for example B.C is amazing. Sweden is beautiful too but there is something so breathtaking and dramatic about B.C. It makes you stare in disbelief. The first time I went up to Burnaby Mountain Park I just sat there and stared in amazement.
5. More privacy
People don't stare, and more importantly, when you buy or sell property it's private information and it is not listed in the newspaper with the exact figures for the public to see. Nor is your annual income public information. In Sweden it is public information whenever someone sells or buys property. Why this would be anyone else's business I have no clue. More important, why should it interest other people how much some total stranger got for his house? However, such things are public information. Even worse is that your annual income is also public information. I find this absurd, not just because it's an invasion of privacy but because it's disturbing that people actually are that nosy that they need to know what other people bring home every year.
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