Are most Canadians happy with Canada?

[SignalHillHiker]

Originally Posted by drew

Geez - put a toque on!

I find the combination of your weather comments and username...

interesting.

Your what?



Just for badness. Obviously I know what a toque is but TBH wouldn't have correctly spelled it until a few years ago lol

Originally Posted by esquire

Ha. I was thinking the same thing.

For what it's worth I tend to mentally categorize winter days into 3 groups

• minus single digits: a mild and pleasant winter day
• -10 to -24: normal winter day, dress warm
• -25 and below: really cold, bundle up

Mine would be:

10C and above: Sure it's like a day next spring
5-10C with fog: Mild, pleasant winter day
5-10C with sun: Chillier but pleasant winter day
0-5C with fog: Tolerable
0-5C with sun: At least there's sun
-0.1C and below: Fuck off, irredeemable, stay in bed and cry

[kwoldtimer]

I'm surprised by the generic "hat" vs something a bit more detailed, like knit cap. To me it's a "tuque" (not toque (rhymes with "toke") or touque). Although I'd only call it that if it had a pom pom on top.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by jigglysquishy

Now, this exists in Europe too, where the bright red Englishman in Spain is a common sight in the winter.

The Gammon.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I have quite a few friends in Europe and where most of them live we are about the same (or even nicer) in the summer and even for much of the fall and the spring.

Our weather here in Vancouver is worse than southern European locations like say Barcelona but a bit better than a lot of the northern European cities like Amsterdam.

Halifax is on par with many northern European cities, maybe a lateral move weather-wise from say Copenhagen or Dublin, and tied with Warsaw temperature-wise but sunnier. Cities like Toronto and Montreal have much warmer summers than northern Europe.

My point isn't so much that Canada's better but that in a lot of these places with similar weather people tend not to act as though they are in an oppressively bad climate.

[Blitz]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I'm surprised by the generic "hat" vs something a bit more detailed, like knit cap. To me it's a "tuque" (not toque (rhymes with "toke") or touque). Although I'd only call it that if it had a pom pom on top.

They seem to be called "hats" rather often around here as well although toques is common too. Across the river they call them beanies.

[kool maudit]

Unfortunately, given my preferences, I have found myself in an oppressively bad climate.

A long, dark winter is one thing, but a "hot summer day" being 23 and windy is where I lose it.

Montreal had those extremes. It had a certain drama.

Stockholm is just consistently underwhelming.

[someone123]

I think I'd have a hard time with Stockholm's short winter days. I find Vancouver bad and it is quite a bit farther south.

I could see having a feeling of waiting for summer that never actually comes in a lot of Europe. The "cutoff" for that is around Paris or so, but even Paris is pretty grey. Lyon would be good.

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by goodgrowth

I think advancing clothing technology would turn winter into relative joke. I mean if you were able to wear super lightweight comfortable clothing in -20C while staying warm would you give a shit about winter?

It's just a matter of technology and the same advantage applies to clothing as it does to housing....it's easier to escape the cold than it is the heat....

Dunno... Personally many of the things that bother me about our current winter (at least in coastal NS) wouldn't really be addressed by comfortable/light clothing. In addition to the darkness which I've already complained about:

1) My nose constantly runs when I'm outside if it's 0 or below (or 10 or below when exercising). Drives me nuts.

2) The mess is horrible and never ending. Salt, sand, and dirty water constantly around the doorway and I have to wear splash pants anytime I'm walking/biking outside even if the weather is nice and ground is dry because I always seem to get splash up from an unnoticed puddle or something. Even a short distance. But often the weather isn't nice and ground isn't dry so the mess is often brutal.

3) Bike hygiene is a nuisance. Have to wipe/rinse it off constantly, keep parts lubed, etc. and if you keep a bike indoors, have to keep boot trays or something under it to catch melting slush. Even what appears as a light coating produces a small lake.

4) Snow/sleet is painful on the eyes. Regular rain is unpleasant, but frozen is torture. I have to wear goggles if walking or biking just to see where I'm going, but they get fogged or covered in ice/water making still unpleasant.

5) Snow and ice are physical barriers in ways that liquid water generally aren't. Perhaps we're just bad at snow removal, but we sometimes have to climb or jump over snow ridges and piles for days after a major snow falls. Common shortcuts may be impassible (or slow going) since only official walkways tend to be cleared. And even official walkways like sidewalks are often not cleared perfectly since people often walk on them and hard pack the snow down before the plough can go over. That creates ice patches the plough can't remove and that takes much longer for the salt/sand to penetrate.

6) Everything is ugly. We don't have consistent snow cover so much of the winter is just dead grey/beige grass, and naked tress and shrubbery. Any remaining snow piles are muddy. Sidewalk ploughs tend to damage trees and sod creating deep muddy tire grooves everywhere. Most cars, buses, bus shelters, etc. are covered in a spray of mud and salt. Even on mild days when the weather is nice, the world is not inviting or attractive.

If I could eliminate even two of these six things it would change my life. It might even be enough to make me enjoy being outside in the winter. The only things that having better clothing might address are non-fogging goggles with wipers or something lol. One thing that would definitely help though is heated sidewalks.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

6) Everything is ugly. We don't have consistent snow cover so much of the winter is just dead grey/beige grass, and naked tress and shrubbery. Any remaining snow piles are muddy. Sidewalk ploughs tend to damage trees and sod creating deep muddy tire grooves everywhere. Most cars, buses, bus shelters, etc. are covered in a spray of mud and salt. Even on mild days when the weather is nice, the world is not inviting or attractive.

Some of the winter stuff is just life but I have always thought there was room for improvement.

NS is in the "uncanny valley" of winter and snow removal which in some ways makes it worse. Ice is a fact of life sometimes yet there is also a temptation to wait for things to melt and suffer through the bad periods or use tons of salt. My impression is that some of this is old/bad infrastructure and a lack of creativity or vision. Particularly in a downtown type environment there's a lot that is possible with heated pavements, planters (so road salt does not kill trees or shrubs), wind screening, and canopies. Even some new buildings seemingly have features that could be helpful but aren't (decorative (?) canopies on the Roy).

It's changing but I think a lot of NS landscaping is just wrong for the climate, which is one where you have a decent number of evergreen options but you have to keep salt away from stuff and where deciduous plants are bare for a lot of the year so should be used sparingly. The natural coastal areas are not full of deciduous trees and shrubs. Much of the coastal plain fauna is evergreen. The type of grass people grow on lawns is not very suited to the climate.

There was a thread where people argued we wouldn't see much of a return from cheaper energy but in Canada I don't think this is true. With sufficiently cheap power you could heat building exteriors and paved surfaces and ice or snow buildup would never be a problem (I think this is minor compared to other things you could do with more power, but it's a benefit). You could keep your lawn green year-round. Or you could heat huge enclosed or semi-enclosed spaces and things like park benches.

[davee930]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

Dunno... Personally many of the things that bother me about our current winter (at least in coastal NS) wouldn't really be addressed by comfortable/light clothing. In addition to the darkness which I've already complained about:

1) My nose constantly runs when I'm outside if it's 0 or below (or 10 or below when exercising). Drives me nuts.

2) The mess is horrible and never ending. Salt, sand, and dirty water constantly around the doorway and I have to wear splash pants anytime I'm walking/biking outside even if the weather is nice and ground is dry because I always seem to get splash up from an unnoticed puddle or something. Even a short distance. But often the weather isn't nice and ground isn't dry so the mess is often brutal.

3) Bike hygiene is a nuisance. Have to wipe/rinse it off constantly, keep parts lubed, etc. and if you keep a bike indoors, have to keep boot trays or something under it to catch melting slush. Even what appears as a light coating produces a small lake.

4) Snow/sleet is painful on the eyes. Regular rain is unpleasant, but frozen is torture. I have to wear goggles if walking or biking just to see where I'm going, but they get fogged or covered in ice/water making still unpleasant.

5) Snow and ice are physical barriers in ways that liquid water generally aren't. Perhaps we're just bad at snow removal, but we sometimes have to climb or jump over snow ridges and piles for days after a major snow falls. Common shortcuts may be impassible (or slow going) since only official walkways tend to be cleared. And even official walkways like sidewalks are often not cleared perfectly since people often walk on them and hard pack the snow down before the plough can go over. That creates ice patches the plough can't remove and that takes much longer for the salt/sand to penetrate.

6) Everything is ugly. We don't have consistent snow cover so much of the winter is just dead grey/beige grass, and naked tress and shrubbery. Any remaining snow piles are muddy. Sidewalk ploughs tend to damage trees and sod creating deep muddy tire grooves everywhere. Most cars, buses, bus shelters, etc. are covered in a spray of mud and salt. Even on mild days when the weather is nice, the world is not inviting or attractive.

If I could eliminate even two of these six things it would change my life. It might even be enough to make me enjoy being outside in the winter. The only things that having better clothing might address are non-fogging goggles with wipers or something lol. One thing that would definitely help though is heated sidewalks.

Agreed. Turks and Caicos would've helped. Americans have it so good climate wise. And then they get all our winter money when we can't stand it any longer and travel to the States.
At least we have the whole great white north. Oh wait they have Alaska too. Fuckers. Haha

What climate do they not have?

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I'm surprised by the generic "hat" vs something a bit more detailed, like knit cap. To me it's a "tuque" (not toque (rhymes with "toke") or touque). Although I'd only call it that if it had a pom pom on top.

i also say tuque. and spell it this way.

Not "toke"

[lio45]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

i also say tuque. and spell it this way.

Not "toke"

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I'm surprised by the generic "hat" vs something a bit more detailed, like knit cap. To me it's a "tuque" (not toque (rhymes with "toke") or touque). Although I'd only call it that if it had a pom pom on top.

Yep. A toque is a chef's hat, like in the pic below. (What we call a tuque is called in English a "knit cap", according to the internet.)

[someone123]

Originally Posted by lio45

Yep. A toque is a chef's hat, like in the pic below. (What we call a tuque is called in English a "knit cap", according to the internet.)

I think the first time I saw "toque" might have been when I read "stuff Canadians say" material on the internet. Tuque registers to me as a French word.

I'd just call it a hat/cap or knitted cap to be specific.

[drew]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

i also say tuque. and spell it this way.

Not "toke"

It's pronounced 'tuque", but spelled any variation of "toque, touque or tuque"

I know this, because wikipedia told me.

[drew]

Originally Posted by someone123

I think the first time I saw "toque" might have been when I read "stuff Canadians say" material on the internet. Tuque registers to me as a French word.

I'd just call it a hat or knitted cap.

I never get the association of a hat with a toque/touque/tuque

Other than the fact they go on your head, they are completely different.

A toque/touque/tuque just might help save your life when its -30C outside. A hat would just make your corpse more stylish.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by drew

I never get the association of a hat with a toque/touque/tuque

Other than the fact they go on your head, they are completely different.

A toque/touque/tuque just might help save your life when its -30C outside. A hat would just make your corpse more stylish.

I consider a tuque as a subset of hat.

I've only been in -30 once before, during a trip to Alberta. I don't own any of these things.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by drew

I never get the association of a hat with a toque/touque/tuque

Other than the fact they go on your head, they are completely different.

A toque/touque/tuque just might help save your life when its -30C outside. A hat would just make your corpse more stylish.

What? A tuque is a hat. Just more specific. Same relationship as between "dog" and "animal". The former is a subset, and carries more information. "I was about to put my hat on, then an animal bit me" is the exact same story as "I was about to put my tuque on, then a dog bit me", just with less detail.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by someone123

I think the first time I saw "toque" might have been when I read "stuff Canadians say" material on the internet. Tuque registers to me as a French word.

I'd just call it a hat/cap or knitted cap to be specific.

Same here on all three counts

[SaskScraper]

Originally Posted by milomilo

I lived in the UK for most of my life. Don't be fooled, the housing stock is complete crap. Maybe those pictures look better (and I'd disagree), but the size of the rooms, overall size, layout, lack of garage, lack of basement are all major negatives. And while it's possible the quality of the fit, materials and utilities is better now, I would be doubtful - when I first saw the interior of a cookie cutter new build in Calgary I was impressed at how much nicer and better equipped it was than a house in the UK, even if it was oppressively ugly on the outside.

That said, UK homes have gas stoves which are vastly superior, and brick exteriors are always better than vinyl siding and other cheap looking alternatives.

The UK 230V power plug is way better too! As long as you don't step on it wearing socks.

Those are my thoughts on all accounts, housing is more compact in the UK, even things like staircases in houses almost always feel steeper and narrower and rooms on average smaller than here in Canada. You don't get nearly as much as you pay for there than you do here.

Originally Posted by milomilo

I concur with the disdain for front yards; utterly pointless waste of space and effort.

Having little or no front yard make residential street sides in the UK seem barren with few trees and not as much greenery. I'm more use to and my preference is to have front yard allowing some distance of front of house being away from direct on the street. This allows for beautifying with plant landscaping and adds some privacy, plus you can have a window open on front of house without wondering if passers by on street can hear convo.

Originally Posted by Peggerino

You've got a fair point but our summers tend to not be as bad as in Toronto or Montreal. Also, I know I for one appreciate having distinct seasons and especially the winters when it's out of world cold. I couldn't imagine living somewhere where there are not strong seasons like there are here and in the east.

Also, come one, -15 ain't that bad. Basic winter wear will get you through that fine and tidy (toque, jacket, long johns, decent boots).

Those living in eastern half of Canada that has 4 strong seasons is very commendable. I respect the hardy that can make the most of what nature has to send their way there.
I'm use to drier but sunny Summer & Fall and Winter freeze/thaw repeat cycles with snow on the ground maybe two or three weeks tops at a time throughout the coldest months in SouthWest Saskatchewan.

Since I've been in Saskatoon, even though it's much colder, I appreciate the sustained snow on ground through 2 or 3 solid months of the Winter but less than a foot of snow is ever on the ground at any one time means you can get away without having to wash car as much as freeze/thaw areas I'm use to.
That said I'm not big on snow shovelling so thankfully there isn't as much snow to sweep off driveway in Saskatoon than as most of the rest of the country.

Looking at the climate map of North America, I wouldn't really like living in the Northern Temperate areas of continent that has more snow and definitely not the colder Polar or Subarctic areas listed. The drier sunnier parts of Canada (and America) are definitely my preference for staying happy.

[acottawa]

I like how this thread went from a political discussion, to an architecture discussion, to a weather discussion, to a fashion discussion.