Vancouver---one of most livable city?
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Safety and crime rate is only one out of the many different criteria by which the quality of life in any particular city can be judged. And it is not such an overwhelmingly crucial element that a high crime rate would render a city unliveable. In any case, a high crime rate does not necessarily imply that one would definitely, eventually, become a victim of crime oneself, just as a high rate of traffic accidents does not mean that one would be knocked down by a car one day.
In fact I believe that with prudence and caution one can always prevent oneself from becoming a victim of a crime or traffic accident. I lived in London for three years and one day I learned from the news that a fatal shooting took place not more than 200 metres from the house I lived in. I found it no cause for alarm, and nor do I find it necessary for anyone to cause such hysterics over some news reports of violence in the cities. In fact I think if you look closer at the statistics and experience the life in the city you'll find that violence is the exception rather than norm. -
If Vancouver is dangerous, live in Edmonton, like this Ex-Singaporean quitter...hehe
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In Jul 1991, about 2 months after we emigrated to Caanda in Edmonton, we received a letter from the University of Alberta hospital informing us to bring our daughter for a full range of medical assement... would take 3 full days to complete. I look at the progam. Wow! They had all kinds of specialists to check on my daughter...eye, nose, claff palate, heart, urina system, speech....and some of the specialists are full "professors".
On the day of the first check up, I nervously and quitely asked the registration nurse: "Excuse me, how much must we pay for all these check-ups". Her reply was like an angel singing in the ears both my wife and I. She replied (are you ready to hear this?): "It's FREE. It is covered by Alberta Health Care."
My wife and I dropped our mouths for few seconds. Look at each other for a another few seconds. We could not believe her words...it took many seconds to sink in. We were a a state of happy shock, a kind of health care euphoria floating feelings. We kept quite for fear that if we start jumping with joy, the nurse might change her mind, or the Canadian govt might change the system then-and-thereand and started charging us and charging all other Canadians...or some silly thaughts like that...you get my point.
I dared not tell my wife till this very day...after the registration...I went quitely to the toilet and cried for full a min. A cry of joy; a cry of knowing how damn stupid I waes bing cheated by the PAPee system; a cry of compassion towards so many Sinkees of not knowing that there is a better system out in the world; a cry of how lucky I escape finacial disaster if I continued to live in Sickapore etc etc. All the emotoins and fears and regrets in just that min.
Remember that we just arrived to the new country and had not even paid the first premuim to the Alberta Health Insurance and yet my daughter is already receiving all the world class specialist treatments...FREE! In Sickgapore I paid through my nose. What's more, I later found out some of those Singapore Specialists whom we paid premium price for their services, were "students" of those Candian professors who treated my dauhgter. These professors are so friendly and they took time to explain the proceedures to us and the follow-up actions.
When my daughter was admitted to the special needs pre-school education conducted in the rehap. hospital downtown, there were only 7 students in the class. They had a teacher who had a Master degree in special needs kids education, a teaching assistance to help in wash ups, cleaning ...more...a nurse and another specialist doctor full time assigned to monitor their process and give them immediate attention when they are paged.
Frankly, a look at the kids, in Singapore anyone will give up and put them in those "condemn" classes and let them rot. Not here in Canada.
I must also mention how my son, who is born in Canada in 1996, the "enjoyment" he has in the Canadian school system. I really enjoy listening to him telling me about his project works...speaking to me in pure Canadian English...not Singlish.
What impress me recently was his social studies on the Canadian politial system. It places equal emphasis on both roles of the ruling and the opposition party. It even teaches the grade 6 students to meaning of "check and balance" of the opposition and the meaning of public scrutiny (with help of investigative media) of the government and public administration. His teacher even touch on various forms of "corruptions" that could occur if there is no strong check and balances.
My son say one of the project is to discuss with parents on the political systems in Canada and other countries, which immigrant parents come from.
When I describle Singapore system to him (age 11 1/2), he was quick to ask me why the PM in Singapore can aslo be the Finance Minister at the same time and why when a prime minister retires he is still in politics (MM LEE)? I don't know what to say.
I have not told him the $million salary of Sinkee ministers.
Well maybe our Canadian govt should increase the salary of our politicina bec even my wife who work just as service advisor in a car dealership earns Sin $100,000 per year...almost the pay of the local counseller. Our combine family income now is near to Sin $250,000 per year....no need to worry of hospitalization bills (all included in our universal health system). -
Nice.Originally posted by googoomuck:If Vancouver is dangerous, live in Edmonton, like this Ex-Singaporean quitter...hehe
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In Jul 1991, about 2 months after we emigrated to Caanda in Edmonton, we received a letter from the University of Alberta hospital informing us to bring our daughter for a full range of medical assement... would take 3 full days to complete. I look at the progam. Wow! They had all kinds of specialists to check on my daughter...eye, nose, claff palate, heart, urina system, speech....and some of the specialists are full "professors".
On the day of the first check up, I nervously and quitely asked the registration nurse: "Excuse me, how much must we pay for all these check-ups". Her reply was like an angel singing in the ears both my wife and I. She replied (are you ready to hear this?): "It's FREE. It is covered by Alberta Health Care."
My wife and I dropped our mouths for few seconds. Look at each other for a another few seconds. We could not believe her words...it took many seconds to sink in. We were a a state of happy shock, a kind of health care euphoria floating feelings. We kept quite for fear that if we start jumping with joy, the nurse might change her mind, or the Canadian govt might change the system then-and-thereand and started charging us and charging all other Canadians...or some silly thaughts like that...you get my point.
I dared not tell my wife till this very day...after the registration...I went quitely to the toilet and cried for full a min. A cry of joy; a cry of knowing how damn stupid I waes bing cheated by the PAPee system; a cry of compassion towards so many Sinkees of not knowing that there is a better system out in the world; a cry of how lucky I escape finacial disaster if I continued to live in Sickapore etc etc. All the emotoins and fears and regrets in just that min.
Remember that we just arrived to the new country and had not even paid the first premuim to the Alberta Health Insurance and yet my daughter is already receiving all the world class specialist treatments...FREE! In Sickgapore I paid through my nose. What's more, I later found out some of those Singapore Specialists whom we paid premium price for their services, were "students" of those Candian professors who treated my dauhgter. These professors are so friendly and they took time to explain the proceedures to us and the follow-up actions.
When my daughter was admitted to the special needs pre-school education conducted in the rehap. hospital downtown, there were only 7 students in the class. They had a teacher who had a Master degree in special needs kids education, a teaching assistance to help in wash ups, cleaning ...more...a nurse and another specialist doctor full time assigned to monitor their process and give them immediate attention when they are paged.
Frankly, a look at the kids, in Singapore anyone will give up and put them in those "condemn" classes and let them rot. Not here in Canada.
I must also mention how my son, who is born in Canada in 1996, the "enjoyment" he has in the Canadian school system. I really enjoy listening to him telling me about his project works...speaking to me in pure Canadian English...not Singlish.
What impress me recently was his social studies on the Canadian politial system. It places equal emphasis on both roles of the ruling and the opposition party. It even teaches the grade 6 students to meaning of "check and balance" of the opposition and the meaning of public scrutiny (with help of investigative media) of the government and public administration. His teacher even touch on various forms of "corruptions" that could occur if there is no strong check and balances.
My son say one of the project is to discuss with parents on the political systems in Canada and other countries, which immigrant parents come from.
When I describle Singapore system to him (age 11 1/2), he was quick to ask me why the PM in Singapore can aslo be the Finance Minister at the same time and why when a prime minister retires he is still in politics (MM LEE)? I don't know what to say.
I have not told him the $million salary of Sinkee ministers.
Well maybe our Canadian govt should increase the salary of our politicina bec even my wife who work just as service advisor in a car dealership earns Sin $100,000 per year...almost the pay of the local counseller. Our combine family income now is near to Sin $250,000 per year....no need to worry of hospitalization bills (all included in our universal health system).
Hope to experience this myself someday... -
Everyone of us is unique - one man's meat is another man's poison.....
Besides, how is "livable" defined?
At the end of the day, it's only your opinion that matters
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the risk of your son carrying arms one day when he grows up and shoot people is 100 times higher.Originally posted by googoomuck:If Vancouver is dangerous, live in Edmonton, like this Ex-Singaporean quitter...hehe
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In Jul 1991, about 2 months after we emigrated to Caanda in Edmonton, we received a letter from the University of Alberta hospital informing us to bring our daughter for a full range of medical assement... would take 3 full days to complete. I look at the progam. Wow! They had all kinds of specialists to check on my daughter...eye, nose, claff palate, heart, urina system, speech....and some of the specialists are full "professors".
On the day of the first check up, I nervously and quitely asked the registration nurse: "Excuse me, how much must we pay for all these check-ups". Her reply was like an angel singing in the ears both my wife and I. She replied (are you ready to hear this?): "It's FREE. It is covered by Alberta Health Care."
My wife and I dropped our mouths for few seconds. Look at each other for a another few seconds. We could not believe her words...it took many seconds to sink in. We were a a state of happy shock, a kind of health care euphoria floating feelings. We kept quite for fear that if we start jumping with joy, the nurse might change her mind, or the Canadian govt might change the system then-and-thereand and started charging us and charging all other Canadians...or some silly thaughts like that...you get my point.
I dared not tell my wife till this very day...after the registration...I went quitely to the toilet and cried for full a min. A cry of joy; a cry of knowing how damn stupid I waes bing cheated by the PAPee system; a cry of compassion towards so many Sinkees of not knowing that there is a better system out in the world; a cry of how lucky I escape finacial disaster if I continued to live in Sickapore etc etc. All the emotoins and fears and regrets in just that min.
Remember that we just arrived to the new country and had not even paid the first premuim to the Alberta Health Insurance and yet my daughter is already receiving all the world class specialist treatments...FREE! In Sickgapore I paid through my nose. What's more, I later found out some of those Singapore Specialists whom we paid premium price for their services, were "students" of those Candian professors who treated my dauhgter. These professors are so friendly and they took time to explain the proceedures to us and the follow-up actions.
When my daughter was admitted to the special needs pre-school education conducted in the rehap. hospital downtown, there were only 7 students in the class. They had a teacher who had a Master degree in special needs kids education, a teaching assistance to help in wash ups, cleaning ...more...a nurse and another specialist doctor full time assigned to monitor their process and give them immediate attention when they are paged.
Frankly, a look at the kids, in Singapore anyone will give up and put them in those "condemn" classes and let them rot. Not here in Canada.
I must also mention how my son, who is born in Canada in 1996, the "enjoyment" he has in the Canadian school system. I really enjoy listening to him telling me about his project works...speaking to me in pure Canadian English...not Singlish.
What impress me recently was his social studies on the Canadian politial system. It places equal emphasis on both roles of the ruling and the opposition party. It even teaches the grade 6 students to meaning of "check and balance" of the opposition and the meaning of public scrutiny (with help of investigative media) of the government and public administration. His teacher even touch on various forms of "corruptions" that could occur if there is no strong check and balances.
My son say one of the project is to discuss with parents on the political systems in Canada and other countries, which immigrant parents come from.
When I describle Singapore system to him (age 11 1/2), he was quick to ask me why the PM in Singapore can aslo be the Finance Minister at the same time and why when a prime minister retires he is still in politics (MM LEE)? I don't know what to say.
I have not told him the $million salary of Sinkee ministers.
Well maybe our Canadian govt should increase the salary of our politicina bec even my wife who work just as service advisor in a car dealership earns Sin $100,000 per year...almost the pay of the local counseller. Our combine family income now is near to Sin $250,000 per year....no need to worry of hospitalization bills (all included in our universal health system). -
The writer's not me. It's someone else. I'm still here in Singapore but I'll say his article is quite enticing.Originally posted by Daddy!!:the risk of your son carrying arms one day when he grows up and shoot people is 100 times higher.
One of my cousin is living in Ontario. -
Canada was one of my choices to move to , other than Australia. Some distant relatives stay in edmonton.
Guess what? Canadians can go overseas and study - their government actually loans them the money! My friend from canada is in Queensland studying now with the loan. -
Hey the Sg government also gives money to students for studying.Originally posted by fymk:Canada was one of my choices to move to , other than Australia. Some distant relatives stay in edmonton.
Guess what? Canadians can go overseas and study - their government actually loans them the money! My friend from canada is in Queensland studying now with the loan.
Foreign students I mean.
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Canada has a system of universal health care which essentially means that healthcare is funded by the state. However, the state taxes to pay for the healthcare. What the author failed to mention is that out of the 200k he earns as much as 40-50 per cent of it goes to the state. In addition, indirect taxes are high as well, just recently it's gone down to 12 per cent (5 per cent on perishable items). This is just to balance up the view that it's a free handout here, yeah for the lower income they do get the handout, but the burden is shifted to the middle income wage earners. The rich, well, they'll just hire high powered accountants and lawyers to find tax loopholes.
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No such thing as a free lunch.Originally posted by Quincey:Canada has a system of universal health care which essentially means that healthcare is funded by the state. However, the state taxes to pay for the healthcare. What the author failed to mention is that out of the 200k he earns as much as 40-50 per cent of it goes to the state. In addition, indirect taxes are high as well, just recently it's gone down to 12 per cent (5 per cent on perishable items). This is just to balance up the view that it's a free handout here, yeah for the lower income they do get the handout, but the burden is shifted to the middle income wage earners. The rich, well, they'll just hire high powered accountants and lawyers to find tax loopholes.
Then again would you rather pay for your health care on the user pay basis? USA is having a huge gap in their healthcare with the poor suffering because of such a system as we saw in Hurricane Katrina. Singapore - the rich is also favored. In every country, the rich is favored not the poor. Let's look at this context of canada:
Let's say 50% of 200k , 100 k is for his family . Houses and land are cheaper there, cars are cheaper there. Assuming that they are frugal - they can save 50k per year. They can buy more houses !
In Singapore, what is the average of a middle income family? Utility bills are so expensive , the 99 year lease apartments are so expensive . Eveything you have to pay for like healthcare . Of course if everyone is always perpetually healthy then there is nothing to say but life is such that things can come by surprise. And when it takes you by surprise, do you have the money to dole out ? Never mind says the government - we just take a chunk out of your CPF and if it runs out, your kids can pay for it. LOL. -
I get where you are coming from. Wages here are higher, even though taxes are high, still the cost of living is lower, and the government takes care of you, so one leads a better life. I do not want to be tempted to make a comparative judgment, because I guess my situation might be very different from yours and the values I attach to my life might be very different from yours. Hence, even with the previous post, I was just trying to show the other side of the coin, so that our friends can get a better picture of the situation here.
I've been here for a good 3 years now and as a student, I do not pay any taxes of course. However, I've been to the doctor and I have had the doctor tell me that I could only see him for one problem because that's how the state pays him. In addition, if you go to a hospital for a procedure, you could wait forever just to get your turn. As a result, there has been calls by right wing think tanks to liberalize the health sector in Canada. They claim that the state morass has resulted in severe wastage of resources and basically they should go down the American route. Many upper income Canadians have done so already, gone to the states for their medical procedures.
Again this is not a critique, but a reflection of the current situation here. I personally believe there isn't a perfect system out there, irregardless of where we are, we need to live within our means, make sound and wise investment decisions and things will go well, most of the things which are within our grasp at least. -
Hahaha............Originally posted by charlize:Hey the Sg government also gives money to students for studying.
Foreign students I mean.
Not only do they give money to foreign students.
When they make acquisitions overseas, they overpay for all the overseas companies. They also give money to foreigners overseas. -
If what you say is true, I think alot of Canadians, Americans and West Europeans will be fighting to emigrate to Singapore.Originally posted by Quincey:I get where you are coming from. Wages here are higher, even though taxes are high, still the cost of living is lower, and the government takes care of you, so one leads a better life. I do not want to be tempted to make a comparative judgment, because I guess my situation might be very different from yours and the values I attach to my life might be very different from yours. Hence, even with the previous post, I was just trying to show the other side of the coin, so that our friends can get a better picture of the situation here.
I've been here for a good 3 years now and as a student, I do not pay any taxes of course. However, I've been to the doctor and I have had the doctor tell me that I could only see him for one problem because that's how the state pays him. In addition, if you go to a hospital for a procedure, you could wait forever just to get your turn. As a result, there has been calls by right wing think tanks to liberalize the health sector in Canada. They claim that the state morass has resulted in severe wastage of resources and basically they should go down the American route. Many upper income Canadians have done so already, gone to the states for their medical procedures.
Again this is not a critique, but a reflection of the current situation here. I personally believe there isn't a perfect system out there, irregardless of where we are, we need to live within our means, make sound and wise investment decisions and things will go well, most of the things which are within our grasp at least.
Instead we only get 3rd world country immigrants and barely afew westerners. There won't be so many Singaporeans emigrating to Australia, USA, Canada, etc.
One can see the increase in the local 3rd world population when you take the MRT. Filippino, Indonesians, Mainland Chinese and Indians. -
it's quite true ... quite a few times i went to the docs here with flu or fever only to be told that the doc's reached his patients quota for the day and asked me to come back tomorrow ... you supposedly get first class treatment, but so many docs here have their degrees from places like St Kitts or Poland, or speak with such a thick accent that you're tempted to bring a hindi speaking friend along to translate ... a friend of mine went in this july for a "woman's trouble" ops, and she was wheeled out of surgery and sent home in pain in a wheel chair on the very day she was operated on .... saving costs you see ... the price of universal health care ...
I'd past my pay stubs up here to let all see how much I fork out in taxes but you'd see how much I net too .... it's not pretty, though on paper I make more than twice the grads do in singapore ... perhaps I should also state that the "nice house with huge garden" people like to dream of costs around >C$750000 in edmonton right now ... that's why 40 year mortgages are not unusual here ... yeps, 40 years ... and utilities are way higher than what you'd pay in singapore, cos heating is an issue, my shared rental house's monthly heating peaks out at >C$400 a month .... go figure ...
and nevermind about the crime and downtown ghettos and racism ... getting your car broken into makes you jaded pretty quickly I guess .... you think there are no third world immigrants here too ? ... you should poke your head into the nearest chinese take out joint or indian buffet resturant's kitchen ...
that is not to say Canada is not a good place ... I have had many fond and cherished memories here ... my point is to point out that there are no such thing as a perfect utopia ... you read about things and hear raves about relatives who've moved there and you think you're missing out on a piece of paradise ... (who'd tell you their lives there sucks anyways ? ... ) ...
I can tell you honestly that if you have already made your pile and are ready to retire, it's a great place if you don't mind the ice and the cold ... but reality is a lot more different ... moving away alone is a different preposition from moving away as a couple or a family ... and there are things to get used to and obstacles to overcome ... new social webs to build, careers to be re-started ... moving away after you've made your pile in singapore or built up your CPF nest egg is different from starting from scratch over here with nothing much ... I read about all the "my relatives says ... blah blah blah" and i think to myself ... "if only you knew" ... but of course, that's just me ... don't listen to anyone, decide and see for yourself ... it's your life, your value system different people places different values on certain things, what is a push factor for you is a pull factor for others ... -
Don't discourage others lah. My cousin has been living in Canada for more than 10 years already. His spouse is not a U grad. The last I heard she was working in a clinic as an assistant, not highly paid, I supposed.
They are doing alright, double income, no kids. Home has a small garden and garage, cost about S$350K when they bought it. Live within their means. Why buy a S$750K house?
They are happy over there. Not coming back dah. -
I'm not discouraging others ... just painting reality for them ... infact, I am still badgering my parents to drop everything and come over to vancouver to enjoy their golden sunset cos I don't want them around in singapore, where even the living god of the land still "works" into his 80s ... singapore is not a place to retire ....Originally posted by googoomuck:Don't discourage others lah. My cousin has been living in Canada for more than 10 years already. His spouse is not a U grad. The last I heard she was working in a clinic as an assistant, not highly paid, I supposed.
They are doing alright, double income, no kids. Home has a small garden and garage, cost about S$350K when they bought it. Live within their means. Why buy a S$750K house?
They are happy over there. Not coming back dah.
there are good and bad about every place ... only you can decide for yourself ... listening to all this "my friends says, or my relative says" won't do you much good, seriously ... and honestly, upping roots and trans planting oneself somewhere else is not something everyone can do ... a retired colleague and of my father joined his daughter in vancouver island, a beautiful, beautiful place ... but they returned within a year ... some people just can't part with the dear and the familiar ... before one drops everything and leave, maybe it's a good idea to spend a few years in a non-committed position to look and see ... come over and get a second degree perhaps, or work on a visa for a couple of years, experience the life and culture and society first hand ... every paradise has their snakes, only you can decide if you can live with the snakes or not ... -
Without Singapore, there is also no LKY
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yes of course ... but if there is no singapore without LKY, we are well and truly farked ....Originally posted by mistyblue:Without Singapore, there is also no LKY -
The use of propaganda in education is very strong here.
As if others like David Marshall, Lim Yew Hock and the other cabinet ministers are idiots. If that were so, we might as well do away with all the Ministers and MPs and just worship Lee Kuan Yew. What's the point of having Ministers and MPs if all we need is just Lee Kuan Yew.
Singapore should then revert to a One Man rule, yes, the Lee Dynastic rule. One man, One Kingdom under God.
What made Singapore what it is today IS NOT JUST the work of Lee Kuan Yew, "No Man Is An Island". -
You think you're worth a thirty-cent bullet?Originally posted by lionnoisy:The chance i get shot in SG is lower than striking a TOTO
first prize. -
Fatum, which part of Canada are you at? I'm assuming Alberta since you mentioned about property there or was that in relation to our source. Yeah property prices are crazy here man, a two room apartment in East Vancouver (not exactly the nice part) cost round abt close to C$350k.
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beats toronto..Originally posted by Quincey:Fatum, which part of Canada are you at? I'm assuming Alberta since you mentioned about property there or was that in relation to our source. Yeah property prices are crazy here man, a two room apartment in East Vancouver (not exactly the nice part) cost round abt close to C$350k. -
Oh so whether or not a country is good or not depends on your chances of getting shot. I see...well then Antarctica must be the best damned country in the world! Everyone go to Antarctica!ya ya we all in the good hands of PAP,
Every morning every students and civil servants kow
tow to LKY .
so i dunt understand why so many complaint kings.
2.Never mind they put SG in the bottom of any survey.
The chance i get shot in SG is lower than striking a TOTO
first prize. -
Hahaha.............Originally posted by jondizzle foshizzle:Oh so whether or not a country is good or not depends on your chances of getting shot. I see...well then Antarctica must be the best damned country in the world! Everyone go to Antarctica! -
vancover is a city full of catonese people,mostly from hong kong and china but lack of western people.