Want to Move to Canada? Advice from An American Who Did It

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During political unrest or significant events, Americans frequently utter, "I'm moving to Canada." The sentiment expresses that Canada provides a more secure and stable political environment than the US. But, it's crucial to understand that rather than reflecting thoughtful analysis of the practicalities and difficulties of immigrating to Canada, such remarks frequently represent hasty emotions.

Nevertheless, Canada is not immune to political turmoil and has political difficulties. It's fair that Americans would be angry or disillusioned with their nation's political system, but it's crucial to have a nuanced perspective and remember that no nation is flawless.

I'm an American (and Canadian) citizen. I was born in a suburb of Detroit many moons ago and immigrated to Canada in 2004. Since I've lived here for over two decades, I understand the differences between Canada and America.  

Grab a Timmies, sit in your Muskoka chair, and let Uncle Mike explain what it will take for you to immigrate to Canada.

Leave your guns at home

The Second Amendment doesn't apply here.  Remember when General Washington gave the Brits the middle finger? Well, that created your Independence (of course, after some battles, Canada torching the White House, the War of 1812, etc.)  Canada doesn't follow America's Constitution because it's for you guys south of the 49th Parallel, not us maple syrup, mountie-hugging, beaver-cherishing Canadians.  

Guns are not allowed up here 

Rifles for hunting are okay, but there's paperwork involved. That's a key point throughout this post. Get prepared for paperwork—a lot of it. So, the right to bear arms doesn't apply.  

Socialism

For those of you who paid (somewhat) attention to 9th Grade Government class(in Canada, we call it Grade 9, just like the Barenaked Ladies song), Canada is basically a Socialist nation. We care for people so much that several government-funded social programs help people—not just poor people but people with a variety of needs. How do we do that?

Taxes

We pay them.  A lot.  In Ontario, we pay 13% sales tax on goods and services.  I know the sales tax in Michigan is 6%—more than double the tax.  Have fun with that.  Also, your paycheck (paycheque in Canada, get used to French-like words, and based on America's love affair with France, that may take some getting used to.) will net you about 70% of your gross pay if you're lucky.  Taxes are high in Canada.  There aren't all the 1040 loopholes the IRS allows in America (referred to from here on out as "The States"”)

Healthcare

Let's make something quite clear.  Healthcare is not free.  See item # 3.  Our taxes pay for our healthcare system.  So you shouldn't typically get a bill in the mail for lab work or services that your insurance company decided not to pay for because the billing clerk (who hates her job) didn't click the correct code before submitting it to Insurance.  

You also usually shouldn't get a bill if you need to visit the emergency room.  However, be prepared to wait in the ER for hours.  Yes.  Hours.  Bet on at least 4, maybe longer.  There's no 29-minute guarantee to be seen in our ERs, baby.  But you won't get a bill (typically) either.

Housing

Do you know that the Tri-Level you own costs around $150-200k in the States?  That same style home in Toronto will run you over $1 Million.  Yes.  That's a million with an M.  Housing prices in Toronto have exploded, and so has the population.  The average home price has increased by about $150,000 annually over the past five years.  That demand shows no signs of slowing down, so if you want to live in Canada, plan on renting for a long time.

Population

Canada is a true melting pot, unlike what the States say. In Toronto, almost every culture on the planet lives and works here. For the most part, we all get along without issues (having no guns helps). We also don't care what religion you are, and we don't ban refugees. Hell, our Prime Minister greeted the first wave of Refugees at the Airport not that many years ago.

Traffic

Toronto and LA tend to toggle places on the list of the worst traffic in the world.  Toronto has about 7 million people, and they're all on either the 401, The Gardiner Expressway, or the Don Valley Parkway roads.  It takes at least an hour to go 24 miles (39 kilometers...I'll get to the metric system in a moment) across the city.  So you either have to leave early to beat traffic or get to enjoy bumper-to-bumper traffic for most of your adult life.  I recommend podcasts to learn stuff.

Metric system

Canada uses it, unlike The States in late 1975, which adopted the Metric System as a measurement unit.  Mind you, you'll find some senior citizens here who will say miles, but for the most part, everyone follows Kilometers (commonly called Klicks) for distance measurement.  The same goes for temperatures.  Unless you live in Windsor, Ontario, get used to figuring out Celcius.  23 Celsius is comfortable (approximately 72 degrees Fahrenheit.)  See?  You learned something!

Booze 

Yeah, Canadians love to drink.  So do you.  Deal with it.  However, this may be the biggest culture shock to your system.  For beer drinkers, a case of Budweiser (The King of Beers), which you can get at your local store for $16, will run you $50.  Yes.  $50  24 Cans.  12 Ounces (or 355 ml.)  The hard stuff liquor that you can get for $20 in The States will run you double here.  

Weather

You've heard of Canada called the "Great White North."  There's a reason for that moniker.  It's cold here.  And we get snow.  Sometimes tragedy strikes, and we get Snow In Toronto.  The horror.  If you want to leave The States, why are you picking a cold climate?  Mexico is much warmer!

In summary, while Canada has its perks, some significant differences from the US may cause you to reconsider moving, no matter what Fox/CNN/MSNBC says to get you mad.

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