Let's Talk Aboot The Anger

October 9, 2011

I know that things here lately have been pretty negative and harsh.  I've said it many times before:  I won't  sacrifice honesty in order to be polite. But I think it worth taking a moment to put some perspective on why we have taken a nose-dive in the public opinion department.

It may seem to some that we are attacking Canada for not being the United States.  Sure, we have spent the entirety of our lives living in the US, so we have that baseline as a means of comparison.  But we have also, both of us, traveled around the world and have experienced other cultures and societies, meaning our experiences and perspectives are not insular or limited to a jingoistic mind-set.  It's easy to compare life in Canada to life in the US, not because we come from there, but because Canada is so culturally similar to the US that any differences are highlighted even more because the similarities are so numerous and ubiquitous.  When so many things are similar, alike, and common, those things missing or dis-similar tend to stand out that much more.  Were we to have moved to a country with an entirely disparate culture and way of life, then we would have no room to complain.  If anything, to compare our native American culture to one outside of the US or Canada would only make us ugly, uneducated, close-minded ingrates.  However, based on where we have moved, that is not the case.  Because Canada is so similar to and closely tied to the US, our frustrations and discomfort is grounded in colloquial justification.

We came to Canada knowing we were moving to a different country.  We didn't expect things to be exactly the same.  But the availability of goods and services, both within and across the border, is lacking.  The cost of goods and services are astronomical, making Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City seem like budget hamlets.  And though it has been argued in the comments section of this blog that the high taxes are passed on through superior infrastructure and public services, those advantages are not apparent here in The Okanagan.  I will allow that our perception might be different were we to have moved to Vancouver or a larger city. Kelowna is not a small town by any stretch of the imagination.  There are over 130,000 people here, and yet, there is no local television station (whereas cities of 40,000 in the US, like Hannibal, Missouri, have their own (if not multiple) television stations).  There is almost no public transportation to speak of, even with the University of British Columbia Okanagan here in town.  The closest bus stop to my house is 3 miles away, at either the airport or the college, and my subdivision is one of the largest in town.  But then, it is a wealthy community, and obviously rich people don't take the bus.

And therein lies the problem with Kelowna.  It is city of old, rich, white people who have no sense of community, charity, awareness of others around them, or urgency.  Lisa and I went to the mall yesterday to pick up a few things.  We saw that there was a sale at the Gap, so we stopped in.  The place looked like a nuclear bomb had gone off.  The store had plenty of employees, all looking shell-shocked, doing their best to clean up the mess.  The clientele, however, were visibly picking things up, throwing them aside, rummaging through piles left by others before them, and creating new ones of their own.  The attitude was one of:  the little people are paid to clean up after me.  This is the norm here when shopping.  Those pushing the carts have no semblance of common courtesy - they are rude to fellow shoppers, make indiscriminate messes, open packages and then toss them aside, hide their trash and garbage in items on the shelves (we found candy wrappers in a handbag Lisa was interested in buying yesterday), refuse to walk anywhere other than down the middle of the aisle so that others may not pass, and refuse to even acknowledge cashiers as real people.  The city is a haven of over-privileged, self-centered, and impolite WASPs.  The denizens of The Okanagan are the antithesis of good-will ambassadors.   On the contrary, they represent everything that is despicable about Canadian behaviour, demeanour, and attitude.  Encountering the public at large in Kelowna serves Canada no benefit.

But it goes beyond the populace.  Our ire lies in the lack of availability of goods and services, and the means towards acquiring them.  As Lisa has pointed out in her rant, debit cards here are not able to be used online.  Unlike in the US, Canadian debit cards are not affiliated with Visa.  Every single little thing, from walking in the front door of a bank to writing a check to using an ATM comes with a fee.  It costs a fortune just to use currency here in Canada.  And it's not just our bank - it's every bank.  We researched for weeks trying to find the best fit for our needs, but every bank in Canada charges for every single little thing you do when you spend money, save money, transfer money, think about money.  And given the limited availability of things here in Canada, we use the internets to order things for delivery here.  But without being able to use our debit card, we rack up interest charges and unnecessarily add to our debt when we have available funds in our checking account.  Banking is a bitch here in Canada. Buying is a migraine headache.

To go back to the notion of taxes going to goods and services - I have mentioned how I hate paying high taxes to fund a healthcare system that does not work.  I have had readers comment that taxes do not go toward funding health care.  If these high taxes do not go toward health care, roads, public transportation, or any other discernible benefit, then where do they go?  I have not encountered a single public construction project here in town. 

Lisa's assistant tells a story of civic mismanagement that illustrates the misappropriation of public funds.  A few years ago, the city council decided that they wanted to increase tourism here in Kelowna by bringing double decker tour buses to town.  They purchased 3 gleaming red British-style behemoths.  On inauguration day, a cheering crowd of country club and yacht club members watched the lead bus lurch down the street for a few blocks before unexpectedly stopping.  It seems no one bothered to measure anything - the buses were not able to go any further due to the height of the traffic signal poles hanging over the intersections.  After spending thousands of public funds, Kelowna has a fleet of tour buses that take you down a 6-block stretch of downtown, the only area of town where they can operate.

Beyond that, my main concern is the disparity between the legend of the wonderful world of Canadian healthcare, and the reality.  I have a rare, incurable, and serious auto-immune disorder.  Access to doctors, specialists, and the ER is paramount to my care.  So far, I am still waiting to see said specialists, and have encountered obstacles and offensive prejudice in my efforts to refill the methadone I take for pain.  Yes, I am literally looked down upon and erroneously biased against for taking a medication that effectively and safely manages my pain.  I am spoken to suspiciously by doctors for being on this medication.  I am treated like a drug addict instead of someone with a serious, valid, chronic condition.  And for a supposed first-world nation, that is inexcusable.  I had a doctor tell me that the 5 doctors who diagnosed and treated me in the US were wrong and that I was simply allergic to the cats I have and that I should get rid of them.  He refused to even try to get refills of the medication I was taking for my skin condition (which is exacerbated by the immune disorder), leaving me to my own devices for comfort.  I am currently rationing left-over medications brought with me from the States until I can see the dermatologist in November (again, that appointment was made for me in June).  So if I rail against the crap-ass quality of Canadian doctors and their health care system, I think I am rather justified.  Sure, it's nice not paying to see a doctor or to pick up a prescription, but that means absolutely nothing if you can't get in to see a doctor or have him write a needed prescription.  The issue of healthcare is important to me, and so far, Canada has let me down phenomenally.

If it were not for the absolutely wonderful world of the Walt Disney corporation, we would have packed it in a long time ago.  Lisa's job, the people she works for and with, and the company she represents has been the best thing about this whole adventure, and Disney has treated us spectacularly.  Without them, and our great property manager, Steve, we'd be seven steps past miserable.  I try to hang on to those good things, and honestly, I am doing my very best to keep an open mind and be flexible toward life in Canada.  I still think it is phenomenally beautiful here, absolutely gorgeous.  The people Lisa work with are really good eggs.  Our house is really nice, our neighborhood quiet and peaceful.  The view from our backyard is spectacular.  I keep hoping that the holidays will bring some joy, snow on the mountains a more traditional winter (rather than the grey rain of Oregon).  I keep hoping to have friends and family come visit. But I also hope that Lisa can arrange to have herself transferred to Los Angeles.  And for those who know me personally, for me to want to move to California, then you know the true level of unhappiness we have living here. 

So readers, write in - tell me what I'm missing.  Tell me what makes Canada so great that I don't see.  Challenge my conceptions and perceptions.  But I also ask that you do not begrudge my honesty or drop me from your bloglist for skewing negative of late.  Believe me, I am doing my best to find the entertaining and story-worthy to report.  I will continue to bring you our adventures here in Canuckistan.  And I will continue to be honest. 

I will also be posting pictures of our house decorated for Halloween - yes, the obnoxious Americans have invaded and tacky-ed up the neighbourhood.  Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, we look forward to going back to the States this week.  We will be going to LA for a few days - and will be taking 2 empty suitcases so that we can shop and bring things back to Canada.  The extra checked baggage fees are still cheaper than Canadian taxes and shipping fees.  Target, here we come!




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