# Planning To Move From Israel



## sm4444 (Jul 24, 2015)

Hi there.

I'm from Israel. I find mentality in Israel pretty harsh for me and I'm now planning a move. I won't deny that a better way of living, better economic status (hopefully), better education and medical services and cheaper cost of living are appealing to me - they are - but what I really long for is mutual respect, to be among people who don't have a habit of throwing insults in your face in public and in a disrespectful manner (something like somebody looking at you, commenting that you are *** in the ears of his / her friends and then going on with his / her life as if nothing happened. But then, I think that's the general culture here; many people treat others like that and some even think it shows that Israelis are very straight people and that in fact you're odd or there's something wrong with you if you don't treat others in the same manner. Maybe they're just a little too friendly for me. Just not my cup of tea.

Anyway, I was just wondering about a couple of issues about life in Canada:
1. The million dollar question : Can I expect mutual respect in Canada? I'm not talking about private talks between you and your best friend; I mean, at least as a stranger? Also, do Canadians respect each others privacy or is it customary to involve yourself in what strangers are doing (like, strangers in the bus)?
2. I understand winters in Canada are EXTREMELY cold. I have a visual impairment so even if I had a driving license, I'd prefer not to drive so as to avoid risk. Therefore, I commute to work by public transport (bus, train) and by walking. How's the public transportation in Canada? Does it function well also in the thick of winter? Can people survive with adequate clothing outdoors commuting to work on foot (say, a 20 minutes walk)?
3. I have a pair of parrots as pets. I was just wondering if people here have parrots as pets? Can they survive indoors? By the way, how's the heating system in Canada works? Does it spawns into action automatically? Is it cheap? and can it suddenly stop functioning from some reason (like an electrical blackout)?

Appreciate your help.


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

Racists and disrespectful people are everywhere. Even in Canada. 

Do you qualify for a visa to immigrate to Canada?


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## sm4444 (Jul 24, 2015)

I was told I'm eligible, yep.

Unfortunately, you're right. The question is if this is a part of the general culture or not. Every place has its norms.

Is there a lot of racism in Canada?


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

You would think not, and that was indeed what I was thinking when I moved to Canada almost 5 years ago (coming from a country with lots of racism). But I must say I do not regret I am white and western-European, as yes, I have witnessed racism maybe even more than in my country of origin. Employers who don't value your education and employment experience, average Joe who doesn't like immigrants because they take the jobs from Canadians/exploit social assistance/don't adjust to Canadian culture/are muslims/are black/are yellow/... 
From the last couple of months:
The EKOS poll: Are Canadians getting more racist?
Canada's racism problem? It's even worse than America's.
Next Time Someone Says 'Canada's Not Racist,' Show Them This Video
Forty-one per cent say ‘too many’ minorities immigrating to Canada: survey | Metro
After Winnipeg called worst place in Canada for racism, city leaders admit there is a problem | National Post
Racism still an uncomfortable truth in Canada: Duncan McCue - Canada - CBC News
So don't think this is the land of milk and honey, as that is not the case. It's a great country to live, but people live in that great country, so you need to have realistic expectations. 

But at the same time, Canada is very multicultural, and lots of people are tolerant towards newcomers. 
More rural area's may be less tolerant (in general) as compared to major cities such as Vancouver and Toronto (but your cost of living will be higher than what you are used to now).

Who told you you would qualify? Have you had an educational assessment yet? Did you take the mandatory IELTS language test to prove your language skills? Have you had a look at the government page regarding immigration? (Citizenship and Immigration Canada | Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada)


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## sm4444 (Jul 24, 2015)

Thank you so much for your response. I even remember I read one of these articles a few months back, and of course I don't expect Canada to be the euphoric place of my dreams, but if it is better than my current reality, it may be profitable to immigrate still.

Racism is unfortunately a universal cancer and you'll be surprised where you'll find it. At least what those articles prove is that there are people in Canada that actually care and are worried about these trends. And you yourself are a white western European and you seem to scorn racists, according to what you say, and I find that charming.

Racism exists abundantly in Israel too, among both Arabs who hate Jews just for being Jews and among Jews who hate Arabs just for being Arabs. Both are willing to murder each other without any single good reason. Both are at each others throats. You can hear about Israeli Arabs who are joining ISIS to cleanse Israel of Jews as well as about Jews that add "death to the Arabs" or "a good Arab is a dead one" suffix to their Facebook names. And I can tell you there's racism even between Arabs and Arabs and between Jews and Jews, based for example on skin color.

You'd think that a nation that underwent the horrible holocaust just a little while ago, and who still suffer antisemitism all over the world would know better, but not all Ashkenazis are tolerant towards Spharadic Jews and you'll find racism even among Mizrahi (eastern) Jews towards black Ethiopian Jews. Spharadic (Spanish origins) Jews are discriminated openly in Ashkenazi institutes, who consider their culture to be inferior and are trying to change them to be more Ashkenazi like or are restricted from doing a lot of things Ashkenazis are permitted. One day in the office where I'm working I heard some visitor ask the manager why does he have black coffee in his office? And then commenting that people who drink black coffees are very unclean and have poor hygiene in general. The visitor was of Ashkenazi origin and of course I also heard him speaking about how his grandma survived the holocaust on one occasion. And Mizrahi Jews and Ethiopians are also made fun of in TV and culture in general for being "primitive and stupid" even though they live just like everybody else in here and some of them are also highly educated and smart people.

And that's just for starters. Jew immigrants to Israel are sometimes very racist as well, as I've already learnt. I know a Jewish newcomer from Ukraine who wouldn't learn French because "only Arabs speak this language" and who thinks that it's horrible to get on the bus with black people.

As I said, racism is a worldwide disease. At least someone in Canada seems to worry about it. Now my question is: is reality in Canada worse than what I encounter in Israel? And that was just asking about racism. What about the other 3 questions I originally asked?

Let me worry about immigration, I'm sure I can handle it.


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

First, please find out if you really qualify to be a candidate for immigration. I don't mind spending time on writing down answers, but I've been part of the 'immigration scene' for more than 10 years now, and I've done a lot of writing. ;-) Often for people who would never qualify. So please check on the link. Or tell us what your education is, your profession, if you have sufficient funds (see link), and what your IELTS scores are and if you already had educational credential evaluation.

To be short:
public transportation sucks. Unless you live in the inner city (= expensive).
Winters: big differences. There are places where they get 5 meters of snow (Quebec, Newfoundland,..), places where they get a little bit over a meter (where I live). Driving is not too bad. Wasn't used to it, but I prefer winter driving in Oakville (Toronto) over winter driving in Belgium as here they are used to it and have all the equipment to clean it quickly.

I don't have experience with birds, but I do know people sometimes have a bird in a cage in their house. Heating and cooling run automatically when you have a thermostat (don't think there are still houses without one). You say how warm/cold you want it to be in your house, and it runs automatically.
Cost can be high if you have an old house, with bad insulation.


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## sm4444 (Jul 24, 2015)

Well, if you must know, I hold a university degree and more than 3 years experience in an occupation found under the list of skilled occupations. Of course, I already checked the Canada immigration link many times and checked my eligibility and I've been to immigration agencies who would assure me I have a very high chance of immigrating. Haven't sat the IELTS test yet, but I did several tests posted on the internet as examples with almost perfect score and as you can see my English is pretty good. Am working on it to make it perfect (still some lags here and there when speaking trying to remember words, but I'm getting over it). I'll be OK.

Thanks for your help.

BTW: I've seen some videos on YouTube in which you can clearly see that people can ride to work on bicycle or commute on foot even in January in negative 20 degrees Celsius, although of course you must dress properly.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

sm4444 said:


> Anyway, I was just wondering about a couple of issues about life in Canada:
> 1. The million dollar question : Can I expect mutual respect in Canada? I'm not talking about private talks between you and your best friend; I mean, at least as a stranger? Also, do Canadians respect each others privacy or is it customary to involve yourself in what strangers are doing (like, strangers in the bus)?


In general yes but it will depend on where you live. You will have anonymity in a large city (or even a mid-sized one) but in a small town everyone will know your business because everyone knows everyone else. But even then they are polite about things.





> 2. I understand winters in Canada are EXTREMELY cold. I have a visual impairment so even if I had a driving license, I'd prefer not to drive so as to avoid risk. Therefore, I commute to work by public transport (bus, train) and by walking. How's the public transportation in Canada? Does it function well also in the thick of winter? Can people survive with adequate clothing outdoors commuting to work on foot (say, a 20 minutes walk)?



Canada is the second largest country in the world and has a diversity of climates so you cannot generalize by asking about 'Canada', you need to be more specific. Vancouver and Victoria, for example, have no relation to Winnipeg or Toronto when it comes to climate.

Similarly, because Canada is the second largest country in the world public transportation systems will vary from place to place. They will generally be better in larger cities than in smaller communities, but there will also be a lot more people using them in larger cities which makes them crowded and busy.

And of course they function well in the thick of winter as we are very used to winter weather here. It is not like parts of Europe (the UK for instance) that shut down over 2cm of snow.

As for people surviving with adequate clothing, of course they can otherwise we'd all be dead! Hell, I don't even wear coats during the winter. Granted, I own a car but I put a coat on the back seat every December and put it back in the closet every April and I might use that coat once or twice the entire winter.





> 3. I have a pair of parrots as pets. I was just wondering if people here have parrots as pets?



Many do, yes.




> Can they survive indoors?


Of course they can.




> By the way, how's the heating system in Canada works?


Again, you cannot generalize and say 'Canada' as heating requirements are different in Vancouver than they are in Montreal.




> Does it spawns into action automatically?


If you have a furnace you will have a thermostat in your home that you control. If you have another form of heating (electric baseboard for example) you will also control those.



> Is it cheap?


Depends entirely on where you live, the local rates, and what kind of heating system your home has.



> and can it suddenly stop functioning from some reason (like an electrical blackout)?


Anything can stop functioning for any number of reasons. Stuff breaks, it is a fact of life. Electric baseboard heating will stop working during a blackout as will most gas furnaces because their thermostats are electric. If you are worried about freezing to death during a blackout, I've never heard of it happening so I wouldn't concern myself with that issue. We are very used to winters here and handle them very well.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

EVHB said:


> Employers who don't value your education and employment experience


Having a preference for Canadian education and experience is not racism.




> Next Time Someone Says 'Canada's Not Racist,' Show Them This Video



Historical issues aren't really relevant today are they? The internment of the Japanese during WW II was a specific issue at a specific and unique time so it hardly bears any relevance to life in Canada in 2015.

And at least one of the issues brought up in that (the Aboriginal women) is highly biased because the overwhelming majority of Aboriginals are killed by other Aboriginals - so how is that a race issue?


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## sm4444 (Jul 24, 2015)

Thank you.

I haven't quite set up my mind as to where I'm interested to live in in Canada, but I know that Vancouver is very expensive. I need the large cities as I work in the high tech industry. I heard Toronto is a good high tech hub as well as Vancouver. Any other recommendations?

What are you doing if your electric heating breaks down in winter? Isn't it dangerous?


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

sm4444 said:


> Thank you.
> 
> I haven't quite set up my mind as to where I'm interested to live in in Canada, but I know that Vancouver is very expensive. I need the large cities as I work in the high tech industry. I heard Toronto is a good high tech hub as well as Vancouver. Any other recommendations?



You do not have to live in a large city. Waterloo Ontario, for example, is one of the major IT hubs in Canada (two universities one of which is the best math. computer, and engineering school in the country; a college; RIM/BlackBerry was started there and is based there; and countless other IT companies are based there) and it is not a large city. It isn't a large city even when Kitchener is included (the two are side by side and you simply cross a road to go from one into the other...they are basically the exact same urban center).




> What are you doing if your electric heating breaks down in winter? Isn't it dangerous?



I've lived here the majority of my life and I've never heard of anyone dying due to their heat being out.

I have had my own heating go out during blackouts or due to inclement weather (ice storm, for example) and I was fine. While in graduate school I lived in a place that had radiators that simply weren't up to dealing with the cold temps - they had to be cranked all the time and if someone showered the radiators worked less efficiently - and I survived perfectly fine.


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