Originally Posted by Mutt

the healthcare system is a joke - talk to doctors if you have some as personal friends or family members, especially in Southern Ontario where a third or more of Canadians live, cancer care is horrendous, and as the Baby Boomers keep on aging it's gonna be fucking scary. it's second class healthcare imho. My aunt just spent three days in an ER waiting for a bed, an 80 year old woman who worked her entire life paying her way in taxes and that's the reward of the glorious Canadian system that at 80 you get the same treatment as a third world peasant does in his country. it's rationed healthcare and most Canadians don't realize it because for basic and some type of healthcare needs the system works very well for broken bones, trauma cases, obstetrics, the cold/flu, yearly checkups etc
it's when you or a family member run up against something big where you'll see the huge cracks in the system. Rich Canadians will almost always head to an American clinic when their life is in danger, at least to get an opinion on what treatments are available both in the US and Canada. When you are told that there's a 4 month wait for your cancer treatment and that it won't make a difference in your outcome - get online and do your research.

taxes are brutal but American taxes are catching up, a state like New York is almost or equally as bad as Canada for taxes - paying over 40% in income tax makes me physically ill. add on the stupid GST and provincial taxes on everything and it really is a socialist system. it's very hard for an American company to come to Canada, many decide after giving it a try it's not worth the investment. Everything for some reason just costs more. It's like a secret consipiracy where everybody just decides to charge more for things. You'll see an item in the US and it's significantly more expensive in Canada, no reason for it, thanks to NAFTA there's no duty on most American imported products.