“Most Famous Canadian in the World”

Touring Canada has to include some educational stimulus with a visit to one of the country’s many museums. We chose the Norman Bethune museum and family home in the town of Gravenhurst, province of Ontario, as it turns out I am a distant relation of his. A sign inside the museum states “Norman Bethune remains the most famous Canadian in the world, largely by virtue of his status in China.”

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Summer in Canada

After a long summer break, I am back. I spent the entire summer travelling through my homeland of Canada, enjoying as many typical Canadian summer pastimes as possible. Curious as to what that includes? Check back regularly for updates.

High Quality of Life in Canadian Cities

Canada ranks. According to the June 2008 Mercer’s Quality of Living Survey, in the Americas, the top 5 cities for quality of life are all Canadian cities, with Vancouver in first position, followed by Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Calgary. The same cities also top the personal safety list. The report states “Personal safety within Canadian cities ranks among the highest in the region. This is due to a relatively low crime rate and a stable political environment.” No surprises there. We also make great Nanaimo bars.

Brits love Canada

Yes, those ex-colonists love Canada. Statistics show that increasing numbers of foreigners are spending their hard-earned holidays here, with 663,000 overnight visits to Canada in the first quarter of 2007 – a 7.2% increase on the same period in 2006. Britons make up almost a quarter of those visits. Many Brits find it not only a nice place to visit, but would also like to live here, choosing to relocate permanently.

Contributing to this trend is the fact that your pound goes a lot further in Canada than it does in Britain at the moment. It also doesn’t hurt that the second largest country in the world shares the same mother tongue as Britain (more or less) , and is known worldwide to be a politically stable, secure, friendly place to live, with a very high standard of living.

Many Britons may initially be suspicious of the standard customer service in Canada, feeling that it is so over-the-top friendly, that it borders on sarcasm. But experience soon proves that yes, most Canadians really are that nice, and can’t wait to serve you.

The west coast in particular is a big draw for those who enjoy outdoor life, with endless possibilites for skiing, fishing, golfing, hiking, rafting, or simply sitting and enjoying the fresh moutain air.

Which part of Canada is your favourite to visit?

Loonie strong to really strong

The Canadian dollar has recently enjoyed record highs, currently trading nearly on par with the US dollar. What does this mean for Canadians? It can influence whether they purchase domestic or foreign-made products, or whether they vacation abroad or in Canada. Although a strong Canadian dollar makes exports more expensive, it also brings the cost of living down, allowing Canadians to purchase imported goods at lower prices. No excuse not to eat your broccoli now.

Ain’t no livin’ like a west coast livin’

Vancouver did it again! For the third year running, Canada’s west coast city of Vancouver is in the top 3 best cities in the world for quality of life, according to the most recent “Quality of Living” survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. The 2007 report put Vancouver at number 3, just behind Zurich and Geneva. Contributing to the high marks were the city’s social stability, excellent infrastructure and good leisure facilities. All 5 Canadian cities surveyed made it into the top 25 rankings for health and sanitation, political, social, economic and environmental factors, personal safety and health, education, transport and other public services.

Where would you like to live?

Who am I?

I love Canada. I love Canadians. I am Canadian. Living many years in Europe and Asia has made me realize how much others love Canada as well, and would like to know more about it. This site is a means to provide information about living, working and investing in Canada, for the serious or the simply curious.