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Canada looking to speed up the immigration process

At least for skilled workers.

OTTAWA (CP) - Canada's current immigration levels would rise 40 per cent within five years under a plan that will soon be presented to the federal cabinet, The Canadian Press has learned.

Prime Minister Paul Martin described immigration in a speech this week as key to Canada's economic success in an era defined by low birth rates, an aging population and an ever-deepening shortage of skilled workers. His immigration minister will address that challenge by announcing the target by Nov. 1 after consulting cabinet colleagues.

Joe Volpe will table a document in Parliament setting out the goal and will also deliver a wide-ranging plan for meeting it in a presentation to his cabinet colleagues next month.

Volpe declined to provide specifics but said something needs to be done to ramp up the country's immigration levels.

"We've got to have more," the minister said in an interview Friday. "There isn't a place in the country that hasn't used that four-letter word: 'More'."

Volpe said the reality of Canada's immigration needs hit home as he travelled the country over the last five months and heard the same refrain from coast to coast, in rich and poor provinces and in urban and rural areas.

Government sources say his proposed target would see immigration levels rise to one per cent of the Canadian population within five years - or about 328,000 per year and growing.

That would represent an increase of about 40 per cent from last year's level of 235,824 people who became permanent residents of Canada - which fell within the government's current target range of 220,000 to 245,000 new residents per year.

Prime ministers have long cited the one-per-cent goal without success. Volpe's plan would set out a strategy for finally achieving the target, though one Opposition critic said the Liberals are merely recycling a broken promise.

"I find it interesting that after 12 years the Liberals are talking about meeting their own targets," said Tory critic Diane Ablonczy.

"Parliament's going to want to know - what's changed?"

Municipal and provincial officials, labour leaders and businesspeople struck a recurring theme while lobbying Volpe over the summer.

Economic growth is being hampered in places like Edmonton, Calgary and Fort McMurray because they can't fill jobs fast enough, Volpe said.

Rural communities in Atlantic Canada are dying and existing public services such as schools and hospitals are emptying for lack of use.

About 6,000 long-haul trucks are sitting empty in New Brunswick because there aren't enough truckers to fill the available spots, he said.

Volpe said he also heard that 5,000 skilled jobs needed to be filled in Saskatoon. In Abbotsford, B.C., the need was for 1,000 computer engineers for graphic-and video-game design.

"There's a big sea change in perspective in the entire country - virtually everywhere you go. And I do mean everywhere," Volpe said.

"It doesn't matter if it's Edmonton or Calgary, small towns like Trail, (B.C.), or smaller major cities like Fredericton. The issue is the same: 'We want more immigration'."

But Volpe also encountered frustration from officials lamenting Ottawa's failure at steering immigrants to regions of the country where they're needed most.

He conceded that Canada's immigration system has done a poor job informing computer-digital engineers, for instance, of the booming market for their skills in Abbotsford.

Proposals presented to cabinet will be aimed at improving programs to attract foreign university students and keep them here. Better ways to spread immigration across the country and reducing the bureaucratic backlogs that slow down the application process will also be put forward.

"Both business and labour, and government officials are starting to say: 'We need to change the way the department operates'." Volpe said.

"Essentially what they're really saying is that the department has been in management mode.

"Are we (now) prepared to go out and actually recruit people - to sell the destination points in Canada and the local economies around Canada that go begging for people?"

Speeding up the bureaucratic machine will be another challenge.

Some estimates peg the average backlog of permanent-residence visas at 700,000 - more than triple the number approved each year and a cause of frustratingly long waiting times for people applying through the system.

The prime minister laid out the challenges facing the immigration system in a speech this week to Ottawa civil servants. He also said Canada must do a better job getting immigrants to apply their skills on this country's job market.

"Canada needs more immigrants, plain and simple, and we need them to succeed," Martin said.

"Too often today's new Canadians, despite higher levels of education . . . are not achieving economic success as previous generations.

"We will keep - indeed we must keep - our doors open to immigrants of all classes and refugees from around the world. But as the numbers increase we also must be more active in recruiting immigrants who meet Canada's evolving needs."

Ablonczy, the Tory critic, said she wants to see a new national agency help co-ordinate the recognition of skills credentials.

If immigrants aren't able to put their foreign diplomas to use here the federal government isn't doing them any favours, she said.

"Bringing more people into a badly mismanaged system is going to cause newcomers a problem they shouldn't have to face," she said.

"To bring people in to have them fall behind without fixing the main problem . . . that's not fair to them."
© The Canadian Press 2005

By CaryGrant on Sep 27, 2005, 17:25 in Friendly Talkzone.

cdunn77 says on Sep 27, 2005, 19:05:

You've obviously not met many Canadians or been to Canada... there's a reason why we don't like being mistaken for Americans...

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adrimm says on Sep 27, 2005, 19:11:

Tsk tsk Now play nicely the two of you!

For the record Canada is notoriously bad for enticing highly educated immigrants (big points for certain degress), but not allowing them to prove equivelance, or encouraging companies to give them credit for work done elsewhere.

Of course it depends where one is from, and it is gradually improving, but they really do need to give folks the opportunity to land on their feet before opening the door any wider for more to come in.

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adrimm says on Sep 28, 2005, 10:19:

sigh.

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cdunn77 says on Sep 28, 2005, 10:37:

KingRat If that's the case, it must be in Quebec... then I could understand it!

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adrimm says on Sep 28, 2005, 10:38:

Sometimes I cannot believe the shallow predjudice occasionally found here. Sometimes I can.

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elmodefoque says on Sep 28, 2005, 10:41:

I’m sure Canada is a swell place to live and all that, but if my father had dragged my tropical tanned ass way up there with 20 feet of snow, I’ll probably shove myself in a barrel and have a modefoque push me over Niagara falls to end up in USA.

over 5 million colombianos in USA and only 27 barranquilleros, i'm one. CURRAMBA, EL MEJOR VIVIDERO DEL MUNDO!

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CaryGrant says on Sep 28, 2005, 18:08:

elmo - I thought you were in NY? I'm in Victoria, BC - MUCH warmer than NYC in the winter, and cooler in the summer.

For the guy looking for the time of day from a Canadian: 6:05 PST.

adrimm - yes, this problem is pointed out in the article. I suspect strong unions - er, 'professional groups' in Canada are the problem. For example, Canadian doctors have fought long and hard against midwives, chiropractors, accupuncture...anything that cuts into their paycheque or prestige, basically. Now that all those things are accepted in Canada, many even covered by the health system, no doubt they're arguing that foreign doctors would endanger the health of us innurunt canajens. Doctor knows best...

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Lostgringo says on Sep 29, 2005, 17:04:

Victoria BC I am from Victoria too. And what some people don't understand is that the weather if very similar in to Bogota. Especially this time of year with the rain and all. Most people can't believe that flowers grow year round in Victoria and that usually they never get any snow! I am currently in Bogota now and I swear the weather here is exactly the same right now. I have even checked it out found it to be true. The problem of course, immigrating to Victoria is that there is not that much work there. Best place for opportunity is Toronto but in the winter Toronto is "super" cold with lots and lots of snow.

Your Home Away from Home www.welovebogota.com and www.apartmentinbogota.com "Luxury apartments and rooms Cheap" Only 2 blocks from the American Embassy! 24/7 hour security.

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adrimm says on Sep 29, 2005, 17:28:

Ahh but nothing beats skimming down a snowy hill on a toboggan!

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cdunn77 says on Sep 29, 2005, 17:49:

Very true adrimm... haven't had the chance to do that for a few years now but ahhhhh... the memories! :-)

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CaryGrant says on Sep 29, 2005, 17:49:

adrimm Well, sitting on the beach in January in Victoria comes close....

franko - my neighbour's parents recently visited from Bogota, and they made the same comment you did. Does Bogota have 0C days in the winter?

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adrimm says on Sep 29, 2005, 18:54:

Pfft Grey ocean and cold wind puncuated by views of freighters. Mowing the lawn in december (what a drag). I prefer the toboggan, bigger rush.

Bogota had a freak snow storm about 12 years ago.

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cdunn77 says on Sep 29, 2005, 18:58:

Fingers crossed it happens again... Somehow I don't think any lakes are gonna freeze over though, which may be a good thing since I left my skates at home!

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Rubiazo says on Sep 29, 2005, 19:50:

Bogota's extremes the highest temperature ever recorded there was 30c=87f, the lowest was -3c=28f. I guess that must have been during the freak snowstorm. Weather like this is VERY rare in Bogota. As a matter of fact anything below 45f or above 70f in Bogota is extremely rare. It's weird just how consistent the weather can get in one place.

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Rubiazo says on Sep 29, 2005, 19:58:

Telling time in Canada. You guys mentioned my little experiment. It was conducted in downtown Vancouver right outside the Granville Skytrain stop about 10 years ago at 3pm or so.
I had a watch in my pocket because I was engaging in a little scientific illuminism. I love how some of you yobs love to read shit and not pay attention. The whole purpose was to determine just how antisocial people could be by timing how long it would take to get the time. I could have dropped a pen and seen what people would do with it, but somebody repeatedly dropping a pen looks pretty silly and people would have caught on.
IMO Quebec is actually the FRIENDLIEST part of Canada and the only place I'd even consider spending a few days again, much less living. All you have to do to get over there is make half an effort to speak the nastiness that passes for French around there and you will make lifelong friends!
Despite all this, the reality of just how blatantly self-serving and banal Canadians are has really hit home for me and a few of my fellow Canuck expats in NYC AFTER we have moved here. It's really amazing how all of our EX Canadian friends brush us off and don't return phone calls for months on end, but the moment they have to come here and need a free place to crash they are YOUR BEST BUDDY all over again.

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World Citizen says on Sep 29, 2005, 20:34:

Rain in Bogota... rain in Victoria I'm still wondering when is it going to stop raining in Victoria, apparently not before Sunday.... :( But the air is so fresh and nice... it is true that the weather can be like Bogota but the air of the island is just incomparable. Only in the Colombian mountains and paramos it is like this.... I do miss Bogota for MANY reasons, including the weather...but overall the people. I still don't get it about how Canadians befriend each other... I have no trouble getting the time from any of them but here you are one more foreigner as the many asians, east indians, etc etc. That's the main difference... in Colombia people treat (the few) foreigners as gods...but here you are just another person with an accent... who cares?

Life is not what one lived, but rather what one remembers, and how it is remembered to tell the tale. (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)

Life is not what one lived, but rather what one remembers, and how it is remembered to tell the tale. (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)

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World Citizen says on Sep 29, 2005, 20:35:

Still, I love Canada!!! Wonderful country.

Life is not what one lived, but rather what one remembers, and how it is remembered to tell the tale. (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)

Life is not what one lived, but rather what one remembers, and how it is remembered to tell the tale. (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)

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cdunn77 says on Sep 30, 2005, 04:09:

Rubiazo, don't know where you lived in Canada, but you're obviously NOT where I'm from. My fellow Canadians are awesome, always have been, always will be! (including all the people I met at an out-of-town university and every other time I've met a Canadian).

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utopiacowboy says on Sep 30, 2005, 09:02:

Like so many things, it's hard to generalize and be accurate. In the Maritimes people will give you the shirt off their backs. We used to hitchhike and on Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick, we literally had people come out of their houses telling us that they would be making a trip shortly and to wait until they could take us where we wanted to go.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Rubiazo says on Sep 30, 2005, 09:22:

I have been everywhere in Canada EXCEPT the Maritimes. But I did fuck a lot of Newfie girls!

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oldbongo says on Sep 30, 2005, 10:30:

anybody know?? ricky, julian, and bubbles?

methinks we should introduce elmo.

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adrimm says on Sep 30, 2005, 11:29:

OMG Elmo and TPB... That would be tooooo good.

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oldbongo says on Sep 30, 2005, 11:32:

nuthin like.. cape breton intellect.

ricky needs a mentor, elmo's it.

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utopiacowboy says on Sep 30, 2005, 12:27:

You crack me up, Rubiazo. So how do the Newfie chicks compare with Colombianas?

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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oldbongo says on Sep 30, 2005, 12:35:

simple ... colombianas got it in the hips...
maritimers got it in the lips.

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Rubiazo says on Sep 30, 2005, 18:49:

They are both good in bed but the Colombianas are much more willing to experiment and are less repressed about their bodies in general.
The other good point is after you are done you can talk to the Colombiana about Russian art films or great literature or neoliberalism and get something more than a blank stare!

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cdunn77 says on Oct 1, 2005, 01:15:

I'm embarrassed to say that Rubiazo is Canadian! Not all Canadian men are like him. I've met some amazing guys back home so please don't think that all Canadian men are as crude as Rubiazo! It's a disgrace!

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Rubiazo says on Oct 1, 2005, 01:23:

Typical Canadian Yeah, there are NO crude people in Canada.
Tell you what, ask any hooker anywhere where lots of international sex tourists come from which country come all the freakiest nastiest clients. I'll give you a hint, it ain't Timbuktu!!

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cdunn77 says on Oct 1, 2005, 09:15:

Glad to see you know you're Geography Rubiazo... after just being in Timbuktu over Christmas time, I'll just give you a small bit of info.... Timbuktu is a CITY, not a country (it's in the COUNTRY of Mali!). Doing us Canadians proud again I see!

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CaryGrant says on Oct 1, 2005, 09:45:

Enough with the bashing of Canada, already. Rubi, you hate Canada, think all Canadians are self-serving, etc., etc., including me, cdunn, etc., so good for you. What is the value in expressing this opinion, except to make yourself feel better in some small way by putting others down? If I'm ever in need of someone to tell me how banal, self-serving, etc I am, I'll call you. Until then, your gross generalizations only reveal a desperate need to categorize the world into right and wrong so you can feel safe and "right." You'll never feel at home anywhere - Canada, NYC, Bogota - until you're at home with yourself.

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Rubiazo says on Oct 1, 2005, 09:57:

I feel the need to balance because everybody promotes Canada as if it were paradise on earth. That's all. I'm not going to let those opinions go unchallenged in a public forum if I can help it.

I will say two good things about Canada, the banking system is far and away the best in the world, and so is the weed. There.

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lukus says on Oct 2, 2005, 15:04:

If you're not Canadian..BACK OFF I'm from Ontario and I absolutely love Canada. We are a people of diversity and open-mindeness. We are not like Americans, we are very well informed about the rest of the world and we are very humanitarian. We signed the Kyoto Accord, we invented the telephone, we invented time zones, we developed the Avro Arrow, we invented penecillin, we invented univeral health care, we beat the Americans in the War of 1812, we take care of our beautiful land and Canada was home to the great Terry Fox!! So don't bash us....I'd rather live here than Columbia anyday! Don't come here..we dont want you.

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johnboy77 says on Oct 2, 2005, 15:36:

Rubizo,

No offence, but if you were my friend in Canada, I wouldn't return your calls eiher... I'd be thanking my lucky stars that you left, and went to a place that welcomes standoffish jerks... NY. No wonder you didn't fit in. I'm glad you enjoy NY though.

You are correct about the banking system and the weed. While in the US, I was baffled about how I could not use internet banking for everything, and why my US bank card worked on less US ATMS than my Canadian CIBC card did. Colombia's banking system is pathetic, and the weed is disapointing... but that is a different story.

The reasons Canadian weed is the best in the world are:

1. It must be grown indoors. Therefore, the necessity to have optimal conditions arises... so rises the level of THC within the bud.

2. In BC, the goverment has let grow ops run their busisnesses with little interference. They litterally have PHD scientist working on growing the best weed.

3. 1 out of every three Canadians has admitted to smoking pot on a semi regular basis. 2 out of 3 are lieing, and the rest are just lame.

4. The cops in Canada treat weed differently than other drugs, therefore people aren't as affraid to grow weed as they are to manufacture other drugs such as ecstacy or meth. Montreal actually has a phone centre where you can order weed on the phone. Just dial the number, and your personal PIN, and some scruffy dude will show up at your apartment in 30 minutes with a backpack full of REALLY good weed. They pay them like Pizza delivery boys, plus they get wholesale rate on weed (why they took the job in the first place) and the company hires lawyers when one of them gets busted with possesion.

Anyway, I wouldn't count on Canadian Immigration getting any faster. After the crap I have gone through trying to sponsor my wife, I cannot see the government acting any faster. Plus, it is hard to get the immigrants to see Canada as anything other than Toronto. There is so much work in Alberta, its hard to immagine (worlds second largest oil deposit after Saudia Arabia) and only a very small percent is being pumped. There is so much economic opportunity in the exploration, drilling, pumping, piping, and refining that they consistently have labour shortages as high as 50,000 people.

The problem with Alberta is there are 3,500,000 people and over 4,000,000 head of cattle. Look to see the population of Edmonton and Calgary double within the next 10 years. Hopefully not ALL immigrants (its half Newfy as it is).

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 2, 2005, 17:08:

I've always liked Alberta. My uncle lived in Edmonton for a long time and I used to live just south in Montana. I could see heading up there in several years.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Rubiazo says on Oct 2, 2005, 19:41:

Lukus IM CANADIAN at least that's what my passport says!! I am constantly amazed how people can comment on a thread they havent even read properly!

I'd have no problem with people not calling me. The problem I have is how everybody comes out of the woodwork when they want to cheap out and not pay NYC hotel rates and crash at my place, and act like my best buddy when before that they wouldnt even return a call!

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Mackeral says on Oct 4, 2005, 08:26:

Hey Franko,

I live in Sooke, BC and I'll be in Bogota next week to be with my girlfriend. We hope to eventually come back to the Victoria area within one year but I agree there isn't much work here for my future wife who is a computer engineer. We will see how things turn out. What are you doing in Colombia?

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lukus says on Oct 4, 2005, 13:45:

Hey Mackeral Are you Canadian or Colombian living in Sooke? Just curious, if you're Canadian, how'd you get hooked up with a Colombian girls (nice job!), and if you're Colombian, how does Canada compare with Colombia?
Thanks,
Lukus

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CaryGrant says on Oct 5, 2005, 19:31:

The problem with Alberta is not the cow:people ratio. It's the winters!! LOL...if the weather were warmer, I'd be there in a flash...make more money, could actually afford a house, there's a Colombian community in Calgary, Flames girls...just those winters...

Also, some of the outdoor weed in BC is pretty darn mind-bendingly good. So I'm told. I would never risk anything illegal while in the middle of applying for a visa....

And NYC: My ex-wife, a NYer born-and-raised, hated that city. The pollution, the general rudeness (remember Guiliani's campaign to get NYers to be less obnoxious?), the seemingly common belief that it's ok to take advantage of others, the noise, the arrogance, etc. Her mom moved to Arizona, and whenever a recent NYer was hired where she worked, she would have to tell her co-workers to give the person a few months/years to become less NYC and more human, so they didn't fire/kill the newbie. These are, of course, generalizations, so don't take them personally if you are from NYC and do not fit the stereotype. Just as there are rude Canadians. In NYC. :-P

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 6, 2005, 08:46:

I lived in New England for many years and we could recognize a New Yorker instantly. Impatient, rude, obnoxious....

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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johnboy77 says on Oct 6, 2005, 22:03:

CaryGrant,

Oh the winters aren't that bad in Alberta! LOL! I worked the oil patch last winter, and am packing my bags again... will leave Medellín about the last week of this month, and am going to meet my brother in Grande Prarie. Its kinda funny telling people here in Medellín, that I can make 13,000,000 pesos a month drilling holes in the ground and loading them with dynomite. Sure beets the hell out of what I making teaching English.

I like to tell my students here in Medellin, when they complain that its cold, that I worked in Northern Alberta, outside, 12 hour shifts, -40C, lugging 100 lbs of equipment through 1 meter of snow, living in camps, and making an arse load of money (free lodging, free food, and $6500 a month!). They also can't beleive my boots cost me 500,000 pesos (Gotta have those Baffins!!). And, since I don't work for 7 months of the year in Canada, I get about half my taxes back on my tax return.

Anyway, Calgary winters are not that bad, unless you are from the Vancouver area, where the climate is ultra mild in the winter. I am an Ontario boy, and kind of used to freezing my nads off in the winter. Not quite the lows that Calgary sees, but whats the difference between -15C and -18C... not much, really. Its when you get up to around Edmonton that things start to get a litte chilly. I went to University in Ottawa, and I remeber getting back from Physics lab with Frostbite on my ears. It was a 7 minute walk, but it was -55C with the wind chill.

I'm actually looking forward to going back.... A little ol' BC bud makes the workday go by fast anyway.

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oldbongo says on Oct 7, 2005, 05:23:

dear johnboy... you know,

we really appreciate your contribution..
the timewarp is surely the best, we agree,
but careful when you spark the nitro with the blunt.

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cdunn77 says on Oct 7, 2005, 12:14:

Johnboy, what uni did you go to? I'm from Windsor but went to the good ol' L'Universite D'ottawa! (God, I hated that place!). I graduated from there in 2001 and was sure glad to leave -50 degree weather behind me. Although I must admit, I did love all the feet of snow we always got and ice skating on the canal! :-) (oh yeah, and who could forget Winterlude with the MASSIVE snow and ice sculptures).

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lukus says on Oct 7, 2005, 17:31:

so canada is not that bad! in fact i love it here. i was born and raised in ontario and live there right now. i'm writing this message from a small town near toronto. it's a little chilly but thats alright.
johnboy, you make alberta seem like a wicked place. it is. i've been there. gets cold fast in spring but its worth it for the mountains. beautiful! and banff and canmore, two cool looking cities...the quintessential canadian experience eh? drinking beer on a patio of a lodge with molson canadian umbrellas and the rockies in the background. and skiing i hear is second to none, especially in whistler, bc. i'll be moving out to victoria, bc soon. looking forward to it too

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Nacholoco says on Oct 7, 2005, 21:23:

Canada is a good place, there are still a few things I'm in Halifax right now, been here for around 5 years. I really like it. I do not mind the huge snowfalls hurricanes etc. The people in general are nice, some are friendly and some can be real dicks too, its like that everyware. What I do find is that Canadians often compare themselves too much to Americans, for example I have asked my friends if they could tell me how racist do they think people in Canada were and most of them aswer me with a Canada embraces everyone etc etc. But when I tell them how much racism I have experienced in this place then they get all defensive and say, well we arent as racist as Americans, and then continue to say that oh its only Canada's west that is really racist etc etc becasue they are more americanized??? which in th end does not make sense at all, just admit it exists in Canada and period lol, same with other stuff too but I wont get into that. I like Canadian women though, my girlfriend is form here and I'm hppy to be going out with her for 4 years, she has been to Colombia to study spanish for 4 months and already speaks it. BTW is there anybody form the maritimes in this forum at all?

Junior de Barranquilla CAMPEONES PARA SIMEPRE

Junior de Barranquilla CAMPEONES PARA SIMEPRE

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 8, 2005, 11:13:

My parents are Newfies and live there now along with a brother and a sister. I've spent a fair amount of time in NB, PEI and NS. Quite nice.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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johnboy77 says on Oct 8, 2005, 14:25:

cdunn77

Holey crap. I graduated from U of Ottawa in 2001 also. Bachelors of Applied Science - Mechanical Engineering.

I walked from MacDonald Hall to my Stanford Residence building when I got the frost bite. It was only -30C (LOL!!!) but the windchill had it down to -50 or so. The wind in that city was a total bastard in the winter.

Anway, I liked Ottawa and the University, but it wore out its welcome with me. I will always have good memories of the city, but I don't miss it either. I am also from Southern Ontario... St. Catharines.

Lukus... Yes, Alberta ROCKS! Great people, lots of money to be made, no Provincial sales tax, cheapest Gas, hot laddies, and a couple of great cities. Calgary and Edmonton. But, does get a wee bit chilly in the winter... Hell, mullets still look cool in places like Medicine Hat or Fort MacMurry.

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cdunn77 says on Oct 8, 2005, 14:29:

Johnboy77 Do I Know You??? I was also at Stanton Res!!! I only did a 3 year degree though so if you were there and you completed a 4 year degree then we were there a year apart. I lived on the 8th floor... how bout u? Funny too, because 2 of my flatmates the following year were from St. Catharines!!!

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Rubiazo says on Oct 8, 2005, 16:27:

I know Medicine Hat well I played a place called the 8-ball there. I wonder if its still around. They used to have metal chairs and tables from one end of the place to the other because the wood ones kept getting smashed in the nightly brawls!!

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johnboy77 says on Oct 8, 2005, 19:34:

cdunn77

I did a 5 year degree... first year was the toughest 3 years of my life!!!

Just kidding.. engineering is 4 years, but I was in the co-op program where we worked 4 months, and went to school 4 months, so that slowed us down by a year.

My first year was in 1996. I lived in 1602. I lived on Nelson St. the following year, and went to a single room in Thompson Res my third year 1998-99.

Hell, I may know you. I don't know.

Remember that MASSIVE frosh week sign that read "PARTY CENTRAL - ICI CA BRAS!" that hung above the cafeteria (Frosh week 1999). Anyway, my buddies and I got REALLY baked and drunk, and stole that sign. Perhaps you know me from that.... LOL! We were running down Cumberland with a 35 foot long tarp/sign.

Anyway, Its hard to know if I know you or not. My student number was 1230082... LOL!

I would guess that your first year was 1998, and I was living with a lot of first year people because I lived in a single room in Thompson (1601) that year.

I also got arrested at the Panda game, but that was in 1996. I had "GO GGS" shaved into my head, and I got put in jail for being drunk and running from the police. I had a fake ID on me (I was only 18) and that didn't go over so well with the cops. They didn't charge me with anything though, so I was pretty lucky.

Anyway, if you know anyone who lived on the 16th floor of Thompson in 1998-99 than I probably know you.

Later,

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johnboy77 says on Oct 8, 2005, 19:42:

Rubiazo I was in Medicine Hat for a couple days. We were drilling on some Hedorite coloney about an hour north of the city (Which is about 3000km of wheat fields). Anyway, it was Halloween, and outside of our hotel, there were about 3 fights.... (the bar croud). I know the Albertans like to fight, but its really funny when they are dressed up in their Halloween costumes.

About nightly brawls... LOL! Bringing back some good memories. Some of those Alberta boys go out looking to fight, and if they can't find one, they'll fight each other. Its all good fun though.... You should go to Fort MacMurry. Throw about 15,000 Newfies into the mix, and there is always going to be a good brawl. And with their accent Fort Mac sounds like Fart Mac. aahhh good times!

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 9, 2005, 11:55:

How very odd that the Albertans like to brawl. The Montanans like to fight as well. When I lived in Missoula, the Montana small town rodeos normally ended with some kind of fight. Here in the small Texas towns we usually have a dance after the rodeo and very seldom is there a fight. What's with the brawling up there?

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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johnboy77 says on Oct 9, 2005, 12:16:

UC,I don't exactly why th UC,

I don't exactly know why they fight so much. In my home province of Ontario, the further up north you go, the more people want to beat each other up when they drink.

I noticed a big difference in the US. I lived in KY, and California, and noticed there were a lot less fisticuffs.

In Medellín, I have yet to see a single fight. I find it funny, at Parque Lleras, so many teenagers can drink in a partk without a fight. In my neck of the woods, that many teens + booze would instantly result in a couple of brawls.

There isn't really any random beatings in Canada though. Usually both offending parties are willing participants. I got into just one fight in Alberta last winter, and I wasn't exactly willing, and I surely wasn't the victor. A co-worker of mine "bopped" my beer. He tapped the bottom of his bottle on the top of mine, and my Labatts Blue foamed up and all over my arms. That was no problem... I went to get him back about 5 minutes latter, but I hit his bottle too hard, smashing the glass, and covered him with Kokanee and broken glass. Well, this was a tough kid from the BC interior (he was 19, I 27) and I wanted no part of a fight, but he came at me swinging at that was that. I tried to grapple with him (I didn't want to get into a fist throwing contest) but I pretty much got the tar beat out of me.

We both got kicked out of the bar, we had a little chat outside, we went to another bar (This was in Rockey Moutain House Alberta) and spent the night buying each other beer and apologizing. We went to work the next day, business as usual. Although, he looked like nothing had happened, and my head and face looked like a rotton potatoe.

So, even though there are lots of fights, there are very little stabbings and shootings (although, there a couple every year). Mostly just good old Canadian boys having a good ol'Canadian scrap.

One difference I did notice between large southern towns in Canada, and small Northern ones, is in the south, the girls sceam and cry and try to stop the fights, and in the North, they stand on the tables and cheer for the better looking guy. Even the waitresses stand and cheer.

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utopiacowboy says on Oct 9, 2005, 12:31:

That was a very amusing post, dude! I laughed at the last part about the waitresses cheering.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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cdunn77 says on Oct 9, 2005, 12:38:

Most fights I've ever seen in Windsor, Ontario are caused by all the 19 and 20 year old Yanks that come over from Michigan, Ohio and Indiana to take advantage of our lower drinking age. And I gotta say... they're the most ignorant, rude and cocky people that leave us Windsorites trying our best to stay away from the downtown area on a Friday or Saturday night. Unless, of course, you're (un)fortunate enough to work down there and you have no choice but to put up with their ignorance (and the small amount they leave as a tip!).

HAPPY CANADIAN THANKSGIVING by the way!!! :-)

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Hunter says on Oct 9, 2005, 14:32:

Medicine Hat I remember vaguely, just to dam drunk each night, I have been there a few times while on exercise in 84.

I remember a bar called the Sin Bin, Sinaboyer Inn, the spelling is probably a bit off now.

Hunter

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johnboy77 says on Oct 9, 2005, 14:58:

cdunn77,

Yes, I remember those American kids well. Being from St.Catharines, we would often go to Niagara Falls to party.

Its typical of the American steriotype though... within the US, you meet a hell of a lot of nice people... but it always seems Americans traveling abroad act different...

With those underage American kids though, its a bit different. They are typically badasses who go all the way to Canada so they can drink "in a bar". Most American kids are content to have parties and drink underage outside the bar scene, or find an American bar that they can get into with a fake ID. Unfortunately, the rotton ones of the crop go to places like Windsor... one of the main attractions of Ontario is the nudie bars. As anyone knows who has been to either Ontario or Quebec... there are no stip joints as wild or as fun.

Also, the alcohol content is higher in Canadian beer, and these kids, being underage in their own country, are not seasoned drinkers. They also have to be home by a certain time, so its not unusaul to show up at a bar at 10:00pm, and see a bunch of 19 year old Yanks totally pissed to the gills and acting like abnoxious teenagers.

After living in the US for two years, I came home at Christmas, and I was drinking normal Canadian beer watching the hockey game. I had about 8, which was OK in the US, but I was absolutley tanked.... I just wasn't used to the alcohol.

Hunter... when you said "exercise in 84" are you talking about the military? I know there is a fairly large Canadian Forces Base north of Medecine Hat.

Dave

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cdunn77 says on Oct 9, 2005, 15:03:

I totally agree with you! The higher alcohol content definitely weighs into things and it's unfortunate, because I worked in the States for a while too and met some great people. Unfortunately we get all the little sh*ts that come over to 'Canadia' thinking it's gonna be freezing in the summer time and asking what time zone they're in. Oh yeah, and making fun of our money. Wish they'd just stay in their own friggen country!

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johnboy77 says on Oct 9, 2005, 15:03:

Oh, one more storey.

I was drinking in Montreal, and a friend of mine had a few American friends up from Buffalo. One guy went off to use the washroom, and he came back kind of confused.

He said he couldn't read the signs on the washrooms, so he went into the one that said "Hommies" (like the ghetto word for Home-boys).

Of course, Hommes is French for Men!.

French people laugh sometimes too when they go into a fastfood restaurant in English Canada and see the signs that say "No Pets".

Pet, in French, means "fart"

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johnboy77 says on Oct 9, 2005, 15:07:

cdunn77,I complained abou cdunn77,

I complained about American money once in Kentucky when I was working for Toyota. I said it was pretty silly to have it all the same colour, becuase you can't tell how much money you have.

A native Kentuckian, Lindsey, simply said "That's why they've got the numbers on the corners you Canadian dumbass"

So, I guess the joke was on me. I laughed pretty hard though, and always tried to think twice about critizing the US while living and working there. Despite the jokes about us only having Black and White TVs, and calling work coveralls "A Canadian Tuxedo" I still find it funny that they called me "a carpet bagger"

Dave

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Hunter says on Oct 9, 2005, 16:31:

johnboy77 BATUS.....British Army Training Unit Suffield.

Hunter

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Rubiazo says on Oct 9, 2005, 20:06:

been to Ft McMurray too You'd have a hard time naming a town in Canada outside of the Maritimes where I haven't been. Ft McMurray is an oil town, with some BIG TIME mafia shit going down there. If you mess around in that town it will be the local police that do you in, because they all have more than one boss. I could not BELIEVE the mountains of coke running around that place. I don't think there is one straight septum in the entire town!!!

I used to tour with rock bands back when I was a teenager, so I saw big chunks of Canada the hard way!!! We played Cold Lake AB in a curling rink that had NO HEAT in November. It was -20 outside and -8 inside the place. I had to play with gloves on! That was a military town, maybe that is the base you are talking about.

I also thought a Canadian Tuxedo was jeans and a jean jacket (matching or not). I have also heard it called a Mexican Tuxedo or Texas Tuxedo too.

UC, he is not kidding. When we played Medicine Hat, a good 2/3 of the place started trying to rip each other and the decor to shreds, and the other 1/3 of us, including the strippers and waitresses, bartenders etc, just sat back, sipped our drinks and watched until the last SOB got knocked out or passed out. Some guy tried to sell me a Demerol for $50.

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