Characteristics of Canadians

Character 
Canadians are very hospitable, welcoming people - particularly in provincial and rural Canada. 

The majority of Canadians are very tolerant and follow a live and let live philosophy. There is often a stronger sense of community and duty in Canadian towns than can be found in other countries. 

Visitors to Canada may find it difficult to tell the difference between its English speaking provinces and the USA. 

There is no danger of mistaking French-speaking Quebec for the USA. A degree of hostility to Canadian English speakers can be encountered at times in Quebec. Getting a job or running a business in Quebec requires fluency in French. 

Most of Canada has a semi-continental or a continental climate. 

Depending on the exact location, summers are warm or hot and winters are cold or very cold (or brutally cold). The exception is Canada's Pacific coast, where summers and winters are mild. 

Sunshine is abundant in most provinces, particularly the prairie provinces in the middle of Canada. 

Toronto and Vancouver are Canada's most multicultural and cosmopolitan cites. They are rich in cultural and artistic activities and their restaurants offer many of the world's cuisines.

Housing 
Canada has traditionally offered its residents some of the cheapest housing in the developed world. In recent times, house prices in a number of cities have risen sharply and can no longer be considered cheap. 

The country has huge forests and timber is readily available as a building material. 

Houses in Canada are typically timber-framed and, because of climate extremes, the housing stock is usually high quality and well insulated. 

Canadian Cities Compared

Canada's Cities Compared

City	Toronto	Montreal	Vancouver	Calgary	Edmonton	Ottawa	Winnipeg	Halifax
Population (metropolitan)	5.1 million	3.6 million	2.1 million	1.1 million	1.0 million	1.1 million	0.7 million	0.37 million
Born Overseas	49 %	21 %	38 %	22 %	19 %	18 %	17 %	7 %
Visible Minorities	43 %	16 %	37 %	19 %	23 %	14 %	13 %	7 %
Average House Price Late 2010	$427 K	$303 K	$679 K	$401 K	$325 K	$325 K	$223 K	$240 K
Average Full Time  Income (2006 Census)	$45,400	$39,419	$43,200	$46,200	$44,515	$50,300	$38,800	$40,200
Median Income  Per Household (2008)	$68,120	$65,660	$68,670	$91,570	$88,190	$90,990	$70,510	$74,040
Unemployment Rate Late 2010	9.4 %	9.5 %	7.5 %	6.8 %	6.2 %	7.1 %	6.1 %	6.8 %

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Why Canada - Why Only Canada For Study?

Why Canada?

For several years now, Canada has been accepting about quarter of a million new Permanent Residents each year. 

For people with skills, work experience and a good standard of English or French, qualifying for residence is not a huge barrier. 

Once accepted, you can take pleasure from the fact that you will be free to live permanently in a country consistently rated by the UN as the world's best country to live in. 

Furthermore, Canada is the world's second biggest country, rich in natural resources including oil reserves second only to Saudi Arabia. 

Despite the abundance of natural wealth, real estate in many Canadian locations is cheap compared with other developed countries - although a combination of a rising currency and rapidly rising prices in some cites means this is no longer the case in a number of locations. 

If you are bringing children to Canada, it's likely their education will be important to you. The OECD compared the performance of school students in 65 countries in mathematics, reading and science. Canadian students performed better than students from any other English speaking country.

Canada's health care is publicly (tax-payer) funded: payment is generally not required for medical treatment, although depending on the province you live in it's probable you'll pay for pharmaceuticals and dental care. 

Canada's 34 million residents enjoy virtually unlimited recreational opportunities and you might be forgiven for thinking you have found paradise. 

Unfortunately, for many migrants, Canada has been less than paradise. The Canadian government is aware that many migrants have struggled economically in Canada and it is now striving to improve migrant-outcomes. 

So, although Canada is a fantastic choice for most people, it's not for everyone. 

We do try reflect this fairly by presenting the cons as well as the pros.

Living in Canada

Location 
Canada lies to the North of the USA and, behind Russia, is the world's second largest country. The vast majority of Canada's population lives near the southern border with the USA. 

Employment 
In recent years, Canada's agricultural and mineral exports have performed well in world markets. Economic conditions are relatively good for most of the country. 

A few years ago, you would not have been advised to come to Canada to improve your salary. 

Canadians enjoyed, and still enjoy, a very high quality of life but, compared with salaries available in the USA, UK and Northern Europe, Canadians were not highly paid. 

Now rising wages and a strengthening currency have pushed Canada's average wage higher than the USA's, the UK's, and most of Europe's. 

A major advantage of living in Canada is that, in most locations, it's possible to buy a comfortable, large, detached house on a normal income. 

Jobs tend to be most plentiful in Toronto / Southern Ontario, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. 

Canada has not been immune to the general economic downturn, however, unemployment rates in Toronto and Vancouver hover (early 2011) at about 8 percent while Calgary's and Edmonton's are about 6 to 7 percent. 

Getting work can be difficult for migrants when they first arrive in Canada. Ideally you should arrange a job before you go to Canada. 

Before seriously considering moving to Canada, it is absolutely vital you check that Canadian employers will accept your qualifications and experience. 

If you have specialist, in-demand skills you are less likely to encounter difficulties but that is no guarantee of finding a suitable job. 

When they have a position to fill, Canadian employers tend to look first for a local employee - someone they can get the low-down on from trusted industry contacts. If they can't find a suitable local employee, employers will consider taking on a migrant. 

Given the potential difficulties in finding suitable work, migrants are strongly advised to bring plenty of money to live on while job-hunting. 

If your English language skills are not excellent, you may find it almost impossible to get a job appropriate to your skills. 

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