People who purposely move from one location to another are really a very brave lot.
To pull yourself away from the place that you are most familiar with; where you greet your neighbours on the way out to work and where you can recommend the best bakery in the entire area; where you know how to dart about and around town using the most clever shortcuts; where you are comfortable with everything and everybody - and to leave all that for an unknown, untested and unsure environment in the hope of a better future - this requires an incredible amount of fortitude, courage and determination.
I want to share with you an experience of one of my friends, which he had several years back. (All details have been confused to protect his (or her?) identity.) Single, suffering with a dead-end job and being quite bored with his life in Montreal Quebec, he decided to up-himself and move to Toronto Ontario. Maybe maybe, he imagined, he could find better career and social opportunities there. For context purposes for the uninitiated or not-totally informed, let me just say that Toronto is a mere one-hour flight from Montreal; five and a half hours easy drive by car. As is evident, each of these two cities has its own specialties and peculiarities, but rest assured that both cities are very very much Canadian and North American, typically allowing one to be quite at home in either city.
Well, to hear it from my friend, you'd have thought that he had gone off and joined the foreign legion! During his sojourn in Toronto, he kvetched and complained about everything there - not the weather, because that was too similar to Montreal but about the slow clean-up after any snowfall; about not being able to find a good tailor; about how there was so much traffic; about how he could not find a decent bagel anywhere in Toronto; about how he found Torontonians to be less friendly and on and on and on. Eventually his sensitive emotions could not bear the strain and torment and he made haste back to Montreal.
It's common knowledge in Montreal that some people have a sport of bashing Toronto, but I personally think that Toronto is truly a lovely city. As is Montreal.
And this is my point: here was a (native) Canadian, a Montrealer, who was moving all of 5.5 hours away, to a different Canadian city. Same nationality, language, currency, time zone, culture (though there are those in Quebec who would have my head for saying that the cultures are similar), way-of-life etc., and that didn't make one bit of difference to him. He was miserable in his new hometown! The reason is, I humbly submit, is because when we step outside of and beyond our regular comfort zone, a zone which we spend a lifetime building-up and perfecting, life gets tough. And my friend was unwilling to put-up with the challenge and that's what eventually caused him to high-tail it back to La Belle Province.
Now imagine that for someone who is moving to a new, well - everything! I won't start listing, but drawing on the categories mentioned above and by definition, an immigrant is shifting to a totally fresh experience and surroundings. Yes, of course, it's almost always something the he volunteers for and it is almost always a step up on so many levels, but it may still be a very daunting and scary proposition.
It's common knowledge in Montreal that some people have a sport of bashing Toronto, but I personally think that Toronto is truly a lovely city. As is Montreal.
And this is my point: here was a (native) Canadian, a Montrealer, who was moving all of 5.5 hours away, to a different Canadian city. Same nationality, language, currency, time zone, culture (though there are those in Quebec who would have my head for saying that the cultures are similar), way-of-life etc., and that didn't make one bit of difference to him. He was miserable in his new hometown! The reason is, I humbly submit, is because when we step outside of and beyond our regular comfort zone, a zone which we spend a lifetime building-up and perfecting, life gets tough. And my friend was unwilling to put-up with the challenge and that's what eventually caused him to high-tail it back to La Belle Province.
Now imagine that for someone who is moving to a new, well - everything! I won't start listing, but drawing on the categories mentioned above and by definition, an immigrant is shifting to a totally fresh experience and surroundings. Yes, of course, it's almost always something the he volunteers for and it is almost always a step up on so many levels, but it may still be a very daunting and scary proposition.
To you, the reader, I announce: Good news if you're moving to Canada - Canada is a super place to live!
According to a 'life-satisfaction' study conducted last year by the Canadian Centre for the Study of Living Standards, together with the Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity, a whopping 92.1% of Canadians over the age of 12 considered themselves to be either 'satisfied' or 'very satisfied' with their lives.
Furthermore, not only are we a content bunch per se, but in a different study conducted in 2007-08, Canada also ranked as fifth on the 'global happiness index', behind Costa Rica, Denmark, Norway and Ireland. (I wonder with what's going on in Ireland these days, if this rating would still be as accurate. As an aside, the U.S. came in as seventh.) Not too shabby at all!
Andrew Sharpe, the executive director of the Centre, gives his take on our Canadian joie-de-vivre: 'money can't always buy you happiness!' According to the study, household income ranks behind mental health; physical health; stress levels; a sense of belonging to a community; and even behind being unemployed, in being a determinant of an individual's happiness.
Kindly look at the table of 'Happiest Provinces & Territories' below. Notice where PEI ranks and where Ontario fits in! Does that tell you something about what makes people happy?? Idyllic PEI vs powerhouse Ontario?! Not-so-(financially)-rich PEI vs (financially)-rich Ontario?! Even very-healthy British Columbia ranks at number 9! Maybe the researchers are actually right about this stuff. Financial wealth is appealing, but it may not be the ultimate in people's lives.
A bit further down you'll find the 'Happiest Canadian Cities' table. Please note that Canada's three major cities are listed toward the bottom of the pile. In fact, Toronto is dead-last and Vancouver is just one up.
Mr Sharpe attributes these dismal results regarding the cities to two facts: 1) anonymity and invisibility of individuals residing in large cities [we're guessing here that that's a bad thing]; and 2) new immigrants tend to flock to these larger cities but may encounter difficulties in finding employment opportunities.
According to a 'life-satisfaction' study conducted last year by the Canadian Centre for the Study of Living Standards, together with the Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity, a whopping 92.1% of Canadians over the age of 12 considered themselves to be either 'satisfied' or 'very satisfied' with their lives.
Furthermore, not only are we a content bunch per se, but in a different study conducted in 2007-08, Canada also ranked as fifth on the 'global happiness index', behind Costa Rica, Denmark, Norway and Ireland. (I wonder with what's going on in Ireland these days, if this rating would still be as accurate. As an aside, the U.S. came in as seventh.) Not too shabby at all!
Andrew Sharpe, the executive director of the Centre, gives his take on our Canadian joie-de-vivre: 'money can't always buy you happiness!' According to the study, household income ranks behind mental health; physical health; stress levels; a sense of belonging to a community; and even behind being unemployed, in being a determinant of an individual's happiness.
Kindly look at the table of 'Happiest Provinces & Territories' below. Notice where PEI ranks and where Ontario fits in! Does that tell you something about what makes people happy?? Idyllic PEI vs powerhouse Ontario?! Not-so-(financially)-rich PEI vs (financially)-rich Ontario?! Even very-healthy British Columbia ranks at number 9! Maybe the researchers are actually right about this stuff. Financial wealth is appealing, but it may not be the ultimate in people's lives.
A bit further down you'll find the 'Happiest Canadian Cities' table. Please note that Canada's three major cities are listed toward the bottom of the pile. In fact, Toronto is dead-last and Vancouver is just one up.
Mr Sharpe attributes these dismal results regarding the cities to two facts: 1) anonymity and invisibility of individuals residing in large cities [we're guessing here that that's a bad thing]; and 2) new immigrants tend to flock to these larger cities but may encounter difficulties in finding employment opportunities.
Happiest Provinces & Territories | |
1. prince edward island | 4.33 |
2. quebec | 4.30 |
3. alberta | 4.30 |
4. new brunswick | 4.30 |
5. nfld & labrador | 4.29 |
6. nova scotia | 4.27 |
7. saskatchewan | 4.27 |
8. yukon | 4.26 |
9. northwest territories | 4.26 |
10. nunavut | 4.26 |
11. manitoba | 4.25 |
12. british columbia | 4.24 |
13. ontario | 4.23 |
Happiest Canadian Cities | |
1. sherbrooke, qc | 4.37 |
2. brantford, on | 4.36 |
3. trois rivières, qc | 4.35 |
4. quebec, qc | 4.34 |
5. st john’s, nfld | 4.34 |
6. calgary, ab | 4.33 |
7. peterborough, on | 4.32 |
8. saguenay, qc | 4.32 |
9. sudbury, on | 4.32 |
10. halifax, ns | 4.32 |
11. guelph, on | 4.32 |
12. victoria, bc | 4.32 |
13. saskatoon, sk | 4.31 |
14. st john, nb | 4.30 |
15. capital region | 4.29 |
16. barrie, on | 4.29 |
17. kelowna, bc | 4.28 |
18. hamilton, on | 4.28 |
19. kingston, on | 4.27 |
20. kitchener, on | 4.27 |
21. regina, sk | 4.27 |
22. edmonton, ab | 4.26 |
23. montreal, qc | 4.26 |
24. london, on | 4.26 |
25. thunder bay, on | 4.25 |
26. moncton, nb | 4.24 |
27. winnipeg, mb | 4.23 |
28. abbotsford, nb | 4.23 |
29. windsor, on | 4.21 |
30. st catherines, on | 4.21 |
31. vancouver, bc | 4.20 |
32. toronto, on | 4.15 |
So...all of this is to say, that:
1) If you're moving or contemplating moving to Canada, you've made a good choice!! You're coming to a happy, peaceful place! Unquestionably, there's an adjustment period in any displacement, as there would be in your migration here. You must be prepared for it and be willing to give it some time. However, at the end of the day, you may rest assured that you've made a decision that will ultimately be highly beneficial for you (and your family); and
2) When considering where to lay down your roots in Canada, keep an open mind. Statistics show that most immigrants tend to gravitate toward the large cities. And perhaps for good cause - family; communities; jobs and so on.
However, it might be worthwhile to entertain other less-frequented towns or cities as possible 'home' candidates. The list of cities above shows many towns and cities with smaller populations, which could and would easily welcome and accommodate newcomers. (Or please visit some of the sites of possible destinations listed to the right of this column.) As the statistics prove, there is much joy and happiness to be had in Canada's smaller urban and rural centres.
Perhaps we can take a cue from the famous US statesman Benjamin Franklin: "Content makes poor men rich; discontentment makes rich men poor". Ultimately, happiness is always going to be right there in your head - wherever you may be. Still, it doesn't hurt if your environment and surroundings help lead you toward that sought-after 'happiness' goal.
