Speech pattern and typographical variations across Canada

[SignalHillHiker]

That's like us, only they spent spring and fall here too, usually.

[vid]

People in Thunder Bay retire to... wait for it... Thunder Bay. We are our own cottage country.

I don't think there is much of a strong preference over east and west either, both sides are just about equal. I know just as many people that vacation and retire to Vancouver Island as do those who vacation and retire to the Maritimes. Similarly with the US destinations, the number of people who go to Florida (or South Carolina, but not Georgia for whatever reason) and the number of people who go to Arizona (or California, but not Nevada or New Mexico as far as I know) are pretty much equal.

[The Fisher Account]

Everyone in Calgary either retires to one of these 3:

- Kelowna
- Palm Springs
- Phoenix

[ue]

I know that places like California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Florida are very popular places for Canadians to retire to, or to winter in, but what I was meaning more was Canadian locales to retire in for those who would prefer to stay in Canada.

The Maritimes is a popular place to retire to? It being so far I've never heard the place described as such as nobody from Alberta that I know has retired there (it is either places like Banff or Kananaskis within Alberta, BC, or in the Sun Belt). That being said, I did think it would be a pretty sweet place to retire to, like an East Coast Vancouver Island, so I guess I'm not the only one of that opinion!

I kinda figured Thunder Bay would have a mix of orientations towards both the east and the west. Kind of like Manitoba, which, while Western and often looking to BC and Alberta, also has Ontario at is doorstep and isn't that far from Quebec and beyond, relatively speaking.

[Architype]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

I don't know anyone who moved to B.C. to retire, but it'd have to be the most popular Canadian option, I imagine?

I think the most common thing here (at least in my parents' circle of friends) is to buy a place in Florida but only spend a couple of months per year there. But that's becoming less popular as retirees want more than just getting out of the cold. If St. Augustine wasn't there, I don't believe my mother would even go.

Beyond that, it seems like winter vacations down south are the norm, as opposed to actually moving. I don't know anyone who sold their house here, etc., and left permanently just to retire.

Victoria and the island is known here as a retirement community. Many Newfoundlanders move back home, or at least partially, to retire. People also tend to follow their children; I know of some who moved to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to retire. Also many Nflders in Alberta will stay there because of their children. I think Florida is more of a snowbird thing. One of Nfld's retired premiers lives on Vancouver Island I think.

[Trevor3]

I've never heard of anyone retiring and moving somewhere else. Spending a lot of time wherever family is (ie: kids and grandkids) is definitely more the norm, but not a wholesale move. I know of several people that are retired and spend probably 6 months here and 6 months in places like Ottawa, Moncton, or Halifax. It's a lot more common to have people retire and move back here, which is evident when you look at the census and see almost double the number of people in the 55-60 & 60-65 age brackets than any other.

There are also quite a few Americans that have retired here. My neighbour growing up was from Connecticut, my aunt's neighbour was also American. Over Christmas I had a cab driver who was from Philadelphia. He retired from the US Air Force and decided to settle here after spending his career moving around.

A friend of mine works in Fort Mac, originally from Deer Lake, he recently told me about a bus ride he had from the city out to the site. The driver was talking to him and said he had been to NL once and loved it, he intends to retire here when he can. He loved the people, the pace of life, the scenery. My friend asked him where he'd like to live on the island. The driver said he'd only been to one part of the province and would probably go there because it made such an impression on him. That place was:

Halifax.

[Architype]

^ Trevor3, are you saying there are still Americans in Stephenville, even though the base closed in 1966, 48 years ago? Unless they married there, I have difficulty understanding that.

^ Yep - Halifax, Newfoundland! lol.

When I've told people I'm from Nfld., one of the common responses is something like "I had a friend from back there, Moncton" - ok, that's nice, awkward pause ensues.

[Trevor3]

Originally Posted by Architype

^ Trevor3, are you saying there are still Americans in Stephenville, even though the base closed in 1966, 48 years ago? Unless they married there, I have difficulty understanding that.

^ Yep - Halifax, Newfoundland! lol.

When I've told people I'm from Nfld., one of the common responses is something like "I had a friend from back there, Moncton" - ok, that's nice, awkward pause ensues.

There are still Americans here. In many cases they married local women, left to continue their careers in the military and returned after they retired, others were born in the US and lived here as kids. Through the ins and outs of life they ended up back here. I guess there's always a tie to a place that you come to know as home when you're young. There are several vacant lots in older areas of town that are owned by Americans who bought them in the 60s and never got around to building on them. There's one on Hillview that would fetch a small fortune with the view and land it has. At one point when I was about 13 my parents built a new house and we rented from an American in between the sale of the old and move-in date for the new one.

In some other cases still, people married and there are children born on both sides of the border resulting in some strange family ties. I myself have a whole clan of relatives in Tacoma, Washington.

The town is planning a "Come Home Year" for American families and surviving personnel that served at Harmon to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the base closure in 2016, this is the promotional image being used around town right now:



We also get a ton of phone calls from the U.S. at the lawyer's office I work in dealing with property, wills, family matters, etc...

It always amazes me though how many people just seem to think Newfoundland is analgous to Atlantic Canada, or else just have no concept of Canadian geography. There are only 10 provinces, it's not hard. haha

[SignalHillHiker]

It's insane how many mainland Canadians think Halifax is in Newfoundland.

A coworker in Montreal did it to me just the other week. I've known her for years. We've chatted many times about where we live, shared pictures, etc.

She emailed me when she got there and said she loved it and if she ever left Montreal, it'd be for Halifax. And she could understand why I needed to move home so badly.

And that's after YEARS of knowing me.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by ue

... but what I was meaning more was Canadian locales to retire in for those who would prefer to stay in Canada.

Then I'm pretty sure the vast majority of them stay "home", wherever that is.

One thing is sure, looking at it from a local point of view, for anyone who is okay with moving away from home in exchange for spending their retirement in a place that has certain better characteristics (to them), it makes much more sense to move 2,000 km south of home to a decently cheap place with sunny and warm winters than to move 5,000 km west of home to an expensive place with rainy and cool winters.

(I have never heard of anyone who did the latter.)

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Architype

Victoria and the island is known here as a retirement community. Many Newfoundlanders move back home, or at least partially, to retire. People also tend to follow their children; I know of some who moved to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to retire. Also many Nflders in Alberta will stay there because of their children. I think Florida is more of a snowbird thing. One of Nfld's retired premiers lives on Vancouver Island I think.

Peckford's in B.C. (Qualicum Beach).

[SignalHillHiker]

Originally Posted by Architype

When I've told people I'm from Nfld., one of the common responses is something like "I had a friend from back there, Moncton" - ok, that's nice, awkward pause ensues.

• Video Link

[ue]

Originally Posted by lio45

Then I'm pretty sure the vast majority of them stay "home", wherever that is.

One thing is sure, looking at it from a local point of view, for anyone who is okay with moving away from home in exchange for spending their retirement in a place that has certain better characteristics (to them), it makes much more sense to move 2,000 km south of home to a decently cheap place with sunny and warm winters than to move 5,000 km west of home to an expensive place with rainy and cool winters.

(I have never heard of anyone who did the latter.)

BC isn't that cold, especially for Canadians used to true cold. Plus, it doesn't usually get very hot in the summer and you can stay in the same country. Some people don't like the dry heat of Arizona.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by ue

and you can stay in the same country.

Culturally, Fort Lauderdale FL is a LOT less alien than BC. You can get the Montreal newspapers, speak French left and right, get poutine, etc. And it's much closer to home. And it's much warmer. And it's much sunnier. And the ocean water's a lot hotter. And it's likely cheaper than BC.

You just have to make sure you're yearly back home enough to keep your health insurance benefits, but again, there's no reason to not want to spend the summers at home. That way, you can see your relatives, and spend some time back home.


As I said, I have never, ever heard of a single person from here who decided to retire to BC. (Not surprising, because it makes zero sense.)

Kids wanting to try life on the West Coast, sure (my sis was part of that group, among others), but retirees? Nope.

[ue]

Originally Posted by lio45

Culturally, Fort Lauderdale FL is a LOT less alien than BC. You can get the Montreal newspapers, speak French left and right, get poutine, etc. And it's much closer to home. And it's much warmer. And it's much sunnier. And the ocean water's a lot hotter. And it's likely cheaper than BC.

You just have to make sure you're yearly back home enough to keep your health insurance benefits, but again, there's no reason to not want to spend the summers at home. That way, you can see your relatives, and spend some time back home.


As I said, I have never, ever heard of a single person from here who decided to retire to BC. (Not surprising, because it makes zero sense.)

Kids wanting to try life on the West Coast, sure (my sis was part of that group, among others), but retirees? Nope.

How does Fort Lauderdale have anything in common with Quebec beyond general North American or Western culture? And how is the city at all Francophone? It's in the USA!

Keep in mind I am one that finds more kinship with my fellow Canadians than nearby (and sometimes closer) American states. Quebec is obviously a bit different in that regard, though.

[SignalHillHiker]

If it's where Quebecois people go, it'd be more familiar. Calgary and Edmonton would be the easiest Western cities for me for the same reason.

And North American... familiarity... tends to run more north-south than east-west. I find B.C. and Washington more alike than my home is to either. Same for the prairies on both sides of the border. Same for Quebec and, say, Vermont. Same for Newfoundland and New England.

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by lio45

As I said, I have never, ever heard of a single person from here who decided to retire to BC. (Not surprising, because it makes zero sense.)

Kids wanting to try life on the West Coast, sure (my sis was part of that group, among others), but retirees? Nope.

This is nonsense. Vancouver and Victoria are packed full of retired Quebecois and other eastern Canadians. As an actual Vancouver-born young person I feel like a minority. Young people often leave Vancouver for Calgary and Ontario since it's far too expensive here.

I've checked IDs at work for decades so I have a bit more insight on this than most people.

[ue]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

If it's where Quebecois people go, it'd be more familiar. Calgary and Edmonton would be the easiest Western cities for me for the same reason.

And North American... familiarity... tends to run more north-south than east-west. I find B.C. and Washington more alike than my home is to either. Same for the prairies on both sides of the border. Same for Quebec and, say, Vermont. Same for Newfoundland and New England.

Well, BC to Newfoundland is a huge distance, and Newfoundland is a bit more culturally distinct from the "mainland".

It's hard to quantify these things because in reality the lines of familiarity to both ways. New England and the Maritimes share a lot in common, for example, and have a lot of cross-traffic between them. But, there is still a common thread between the Maritimes and British Columbia by virtue of being in the same country. It's the same thing that binds Connecticut with New Mexico.

Nova Scotians and British Columbians alike have things called Mounties, view the Maple Leaf as a cultural symbol, have an affection for hockey, know who people like Terry Fox and Peter Mansbridge are, and so forth. Halifax's built form has a mix of similarities with nearby New England as well as similarities with general Canadian planning principles, which is most obvious in the post-war architecture.

For the Prairies, it, like Ontario, is a perfect example of stark differences on different sides of the border. Sure, the geography and climate are similar, and things associated with that are similar, but the human geography and socioeconomic makeup is completely different. Montana feels more different than BC or Saskatchewan do to me, here, sitting in Alberta. Maybe it's different in Coutts.

Quebec and Newfoundland are an exception, though. Quebec feels noticeably different, so much so that it does feel a bit foreign to me. This is despite there being historical and residual ties between Quebec and Anglo Canada. Today, I would say Anglo Canadians in general do have more in common with Americans than French Canadians, but have more in common amongst each other than with Americans for the most part. I.e. Alberta and Idaho are more similar than Alberta and Quebec, but Alberta and Manitoba are more similar than Alberta and Idaho.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by lio45

Culturally, Fort Lauderdale FL is a LOT less alien than BC. You can get the Montreal newspapers, speak French left and right, get poutine, etc. And it's much closer to home. And it's much warmer. And it's much sunnier. And the ocean water's a lot hotter. And it's likely cheaper than BC.

You just have to make sure you're yearly back home enough to keep your health insurance benefits, but again, there's no reason to not want to spend the summers at home. That way, you can see your relatives, and spend some time back home.


As I said, I have never, ever heard of a single person from here who decided to retire to BC. (Not surprising, because it makes zero sense.)

Kids wanting to try life on the West Coast, sure (my sis was part of that group, among others), but retirees? Nope.

Definitely agree with this. I know tons of people who spend the winter in Florida. I've been to shops and even small malls that have radio stations in French with Quebec accents playing over the PA system. You have campgrounds and trailer parks where almost everyone is from Quebec, cable and satellite TV packages that have all of the Quebec networks, and the area is on the tour circuit for certain Quebec artists during the winter.

I've never known anyone from Quebec who has retired to BC for climactic reasons. I do know people who have moved there from Quebec for their careers or other reasons and ended up staying for their retirement. But I know people who have done this in Winnipeg or Sudbury as well.

[SignalHillHiker]

Originally Posted by ue

Well, BC to Newfoundland is a huge distance, and Newfoundland is a bit more culturally distinct from the "mainland".

It's hard to quantify these things because in reality the lines of familiarity to both ways. New England and the Maritimes share a lot in common, for example, and have a lot of cross-traffic between them. But, there is still a common thread between the Maritimes and British Columbia by virtue of being in the same country. It's the same thing that binds Connecticut with New Mexico.

Nova Scotians and British Columbians alike have things called Mounties, view the Maple Leaf as a cultural symbol, have an affection for hockey, know who people like Terry Fox and Peter Mansbridge are, and so forth. Halifax's built form has a mix of similarities with nearby New England as well as similarities with general Canadian planning principles, which is most obvious in the post-war architecture.

For the Prairies, it, like Ontario, is a perfect example of stark differences on different sides of the border. Sure, the geography and climate are similar, and things associated with that are similar, but the human geography and socioeconomic makeup is completely different. Montana feels more different than BC or Saskatchewan do to me, here, sitting in Alberta. Maybe it's different in Coutts.

Quebec and Newfoundland are an exception, though. Quebec feels noticeably different, so much so that it does feel a bit foreign to me. This is despite there being historical and residual ties between Quebec and Anglo Canada. Today, I would say Anglo Canadians in general do have more in common with Americans than French Canadians, but have more in common amongst each other than with Americans for the most part. I.e. Alberta and Idaho are more similar than Alberta and Quebec, but Alberta and Manitoba are more similar than Alberta and Idaho.

There are so many factors to consider. It's fascinating.

I think the main factor is just isolation. In the case of Quebec, it's linguistic isolation. And, since language is culture in many ways, that's enough.

For us, it's geographic and historical. We share a great deal in common with mainlanders, especially Canadian mainlanders given our shared Commonwealth background. And these similarities, of course, are most obvious in the Maritimes and New England, with whom we share a similar background.

The reason we're more different from Canadian anglophones than they are from each other, despite their geographically isolated regions (i.e. Northern/Southern Ontario, the territories, the West versus the Maritimes), is the historical isolation from mainland Canada. We have the same parents, sure, but we didn't grow up together the way mainland Canadian provinces did.

We were separate, especially when we were independent (1855-1933) or part of the United Kingdom (1933-1949).

And, on top of that, most of our interactions with mainlanders throughout all those years were with Americans, rather than Canadians. Whenever there's a story published here about Confederation, you often encounter a quote similar to this one:

In December of 1949 Goodyear moved to Toronto where her husband was already living and running a painting business with his brothers. Goodyear says being a Canadian at that point made the transition to Toronto a lot easier. She says a lot more people started to move to Canada for work.

Before that Goodyear says the United States was a more popular choice, at least for her family. If there was a choice to join the U.S. instead of Canada, she thinks many would have chosen to become Americans.

“Canada was a foreign country to us up until that time,” she says. “Who knows what would have happened if we had joined U.S.A.? We had had enough of trying to govern ourselves and being a colony of Britain. We never seemed to get ahead.”

http://www.thepacket.ca/News/Local/2014-04-01/article-3672439/65-years-of-Canada/1

So, that's really all that stands out to me as the common thread to all these differences; isolation.

If it's easier to mingle (Canadian/U.S. prairies, the Maritime provinces, the Great Lakes region), the people become more similar to one another.