I was born in the UK but emigrated to Canada years ago. For a long time, I lived near Lake Superior in Northern Ontario, a couple hundred miles north of Duluth, Minnesota. When you're young, long, severe winters are tolerable. There's lots for kids to do in the winter, and the summers are gorgeous.
In the summer of 1998, the commercial building my husband and I owned and lived in burned to the ground. Having decided we didn't want to rebuild in Ontario, we moved to Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia. Canada is divided into provinces as opposed to states. BC is on the Pacific coast of Canada and Victoria enjoys a sub tropical climate, a rarity in Canada, and fantastic for old bones!
Canadians are reputed to be very polite and generous people, and I agree with that assessment for the most part. However, I have to say that the country has changed since I first came here. I suppose change is inevitable, but I sometimes feel Canadians are becoming less tolerant. I think it's a world-wide trend that has to do with the long-term effects of COVID and an apparent unwillingness to shun hate-mongers and loud-mouths.
Canada has a small population, especially when compared to our neighbor to the south. A lot of our TV comes from the US and social media giants based in the US have made the world much smaller. It's inevitable that our politics and our way of life are influenced by what goes on in the United States.
That being said, Canadians are different from Americans though it's hard to define what constitutes the difference.
I have no regrets about moving to Canada, but I will never forget my Lancashire roots. Canada has been good to me and my family. My children and grandchildren were born here and have all benefited from free education and health care. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
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