to the lovely canadians of du ... a request

when you have a little time i would appreciate it if any of you would be willing to give me some advice
i knew there would come a time when i would ask for guidance from the lounge~ but didnt know it would be this subject

like many i have wanted and thought about moving to canada but it was more of a dream

so
recently i learned that i will have the money i need to qualify (which is an amazing gift and a surprising one) and im considering using it to get to where my love for all things hemp and open mind is actually shared
and of course the guess who

imagine that

im thinking perhaps in the next year and realizing there is a lot of preparation and obstacles im just trying to figure out how realistic this may be
i completely understand if no one can really help but just in case i have to put this out there ~ its too important not to

so my question:
is anyone in a position to rent a space or know anyone who is sympathetic to this common situation
perhaps advise on spaces or small jobs as i imagine this to be the largest issue
i know its not likely but you cant know if you cant ask eh

i am glad to give lots more details of course or hear any suggestions if you will pm me
as i live in washington dc my ideal is to go to another city
but one with democracy

thank you so very kindly in advance (and for even reading this far)
peace

and i will also post this in canada the forum

But I'm an expat who's been up here for awhile; when I ge'll try to answer this to the best of my ability.

said you are

thank you kind sir
just whenever works for you and if you want to pm me then by all means

peace

Man, that guy has been a jerk to me all my life. And, we've only been brothers for about two days now. :) He'll probably give me a noogie in a little bit, in front of all of DU. :)

so~ 2 day old brothers
thats an interesting concept

and since i am not in the lounge all the time i havent seen this behavior you talk about so i cant just accept this idle gossip you speak of

from my interaction with him he has been an utmost gentleman of the highest caliber



(in full disclosure this is based on a two-post interaction)

are pretty similar people and we get along really well. I have never had a big brother and he has never had a little brother. So a few days ago we basically have become family. So, that's the story in a nutshell. Hard to believe two grown men can be so child-like and foolish... :)

Heh:)

See what I mean?!

and im not being facetious

that is a heartfelt thing and not remotely foolish
though if youre talking about noogies and wedgies and all the other things brothers do then i cant speak to that

and you dont con me
im sure that whatever women saw that thread between you two were automatically in love

thank you for sharing this story and your new family with me (only for a little while and i will give him right back)

ew I live in Winnipeg. Burton *shakes head*

Anyway, where are you moving to? What kind of work/space are you looking for?

hi

im not at all sure about where
im just in the preliminary stage of all this and dont even know how realistic it is considering how many want to move

basically anywhere really progressive that cares about alternative medicine and organic foods and supporting those populations who are hurting and in need (impoverished addicted etc)

ideally with mass transit
so i guess right off are toronto area and of course vancouver
but im not limiting myself to those since i dont know enough to say they are the only places that fit me

and in that spirit of not knowing and not limiting im not looking at one type of work
my background is in non profit work including director of a small non profit that worked to mentor court involved children/environmental groups/some graphic design and layout for an environmental science journal
a little of this and that

just to muddy it all up

..to live.

And many Americans I know are shocked by the cost of living in Canadian cities. Case in point: You think gasoline is expensive in the US? Try $4/gal. That's what it is here.

Vancouver's real estate market is insane. Particularly at the moment, because it's on a huge bubble. The condo my ex and I bought in Feb '01 for $156,000 just sold for $285,000.

Victoria (where I live now) is a little more reasonable, but it's a smaller city. If you are used to a city the size of DC, you'd probably be bored here. But it gets half the rainfall of Vancouver, and is gorgeous. We're surrounded by ocean and wilderness.

I don't like Vancouver very much. It's very, very yuppy, it's expensive, crowded, and it rains too much. I often find the people rude, too.

And the mass-transit system is woefully inadaquite.

But if you want to be involved in non-profit addictions work, Vancouver is probably the place to do it. Vancouver is home to the poorest postal code in the nation, and the worst urban poverty you'll see in North America. The Downtown Eastside is a disgrace, and it's basically allowed to remain that way to contain the city's poor and addicted. But with the Olympics coming in 2010, there's bound to be a sudden, magical appearence of cash to fund urban rehabilitation and cleanup services...

If I could live anywhere in Canada and work in addictions rehab, I'd live somewhere up North, working with First Nations. The country is still beautiful, and the cost of living is far, far less than the cities. You even get tax breaks and, apparently, immigration preference if your're willing to live in the far north for a year.

about the lifestyle and economics of those 2 places
i visited victoria briefly some years ago so i cant say too much but can you tell me more about it
i thought it was a smaller version of vancouver in its economics but im probably mistaken
i dont need a buzzing nightlife or anything but i do like that there are options for vegetarians and mass transit to get around without the car thing

i havent worked with the addicted but my ideal is to be in a place that doesnt cast people aside based on their income and presentability (and you let me know that vancouver doesnt exactly shine in that area)

my background is in nonprofit working with court youth and have done some other things as i mention above its just that it matters to me that people (and animals) really count no matter what their situation
clearly no where can take care of all the needs there are in the world but my ideal is a place that at least cares enough to value everyone and at least has some people who try their best to work together on the hard issues

maybe one example here in the us is berkeley area

i do thank you for the specific information
it helps to give a clearer picture

So even thougb it's only a population of 350,000 or so, there is a huge amount of civil service jobs and agencies here.

There's not much of a nightlife, but the city does depend heavily on tourism, so there are world-class restaurants and attractions here. And, yes, some great vegetarian eats.

Don't get me wrong about Vancouver... it's a beautiful cty, too. Great beaches, two universities, a good social infrastructure, etc...

But there is such an obvious division between the rich and poor that it begins to wear me down. I mean, the wealthiest and poorest Canadians literally living across the street from each other.... and nothing gets done. And the heroin problem gets worse, and the crime and filth associated with it spreads over tyhe whole downtown core... I don't miss it too much as you can tell.

But yvrgirl is there, and she's nice.

no
i hear what youre saying and very much appreciate the specifics and reality

of course the idea of vancouver is astounding
like you say it has universities and water and many restaurants and mass transit etc etc
but the dichotomy of what you describe would not be an easy thing for me either so i understand what youre describing there
it does give me important things to think about

perhaps the wider scope of bc is a good idea for me
i love the idea of a small city (washington is only about 550k people and its a great size) so victoria may be an option

do they have university there and would you think its progressive
i remember now that its touristy but thats ok i mean i am in washington
but does it have these other things like organics and colleges and any mass transit or can i live near everything and not need a car
i just prefer not to have a car where i live

Uvic, Camosun College, Royal Roads University, Malaspina University...

There's a decent bus system, but no need for a subway or E-Train. And the main route buses are double-deckers, so you can pretend you live in England. Plus the city is basically flat, and has great interurban bike trails. I heard that the city is subsidising some bike locker facilities in the downtown core, to encourage commuter cycling (but Vic city hall is notoriously ineffective at getting things done, so I'll believe it when i see it).

Crime is low, air-pollution is nonexistant (there's a constant wind coming in from the Pacific...it blows all the rain and pollution over to Vancouver--HA!), and the tourism is generally eco-friendly. It's also the third largest honeymoon destination in North America, next to Niagara Falls and Vegas.

Yes, it's very progressive, and has fun stuff like FolkFest, a Jazz fest, and even a decent film festival.

As far as employment opportunities go, the Prairies are probably a better bet.

made me laugh about pushing all the junk to vancouver

so you list all the positives then the reality is there about jobs
thanks for all the specifics along the way

ill go look into the prairies life since i dont imagine youre also an expert there
winnipeg and edmonton have been mentioned

as well as nelson bc

its a nice problem to have in a sense and again i thank you for all your time and sharing the canadian love

The Guess Who = ROCK

im not even there yet
at least let me catch up though i am on the side of the guess who whatever the war is

I love GIC, so it's all in good fun.

so thanks for the truce

forgive my density but what is gic

GIC = GirlinContempt, the person I called a blasphemer.

so good of me to be thinking isnt it

thanks for the explanation of that intellectual speak

:hi:

Alberta is booming in terms of consumer demand for organic food. Here, most major supermarkets have an organic section, in addition to independently owned organic supermarkets in Calgary and Edmonton (I'm in the latter).

edmonton huh

i would like to sound educated about edmonton but alas no
but i do know there are so many great places across the country that i dont think i will have any trouble finding my spot
as long as im approved of course

thanks again for the information

I'm in Edmonton too, and she's absolutely right. I'd also think about Winnipeg as well; it's about as liberal anywhere west of Toronto, and not onlky has a great music scene, but he cost of living is pretty low.

Did you get your DVD????

I didn't; the damn Canadian Wagon train is late!!:)

Watch "Splinters" first. Should have already been there.

So I'm looking for Tuesday for it to come; when did you send it?

So, should be there soon. better be.

That's plenty of time, then. Canada Post works 5 days a week, and 4 this coming week, so I'll get it next week for sure..

we missed you last weekend, you were on vacation?

In the Canadian Badlands:

http://www.dinosaurvalley.com/

Our favorite spot in Alberta..

and you didn't invite me, that place looks amazing.....

the whole area is beautiful; my wife and I want to move there very, very soon..

"Hey, wait! We have a great ballet!"

bada-bing...

I heard a news report on CBC the other day; the Albertan climate is perfect for hemp growing, and many of the farmers who can't make a living on wheat are trying hemp now.

A company has just decided to build a hemp textile/paper processing plant in Edmonton; it will be the largest facility of its type in the world.

No more drought, and plenty of farmland for hemp..

then i will definitely give edmonton a look

im definitely looking for the whole alternative medicine/hemp/organic scene if possible

ill consider edmonton and winnipeg then

thanks enigmatic i appreciate the follow up

Any more questions, PM me..

i may just take you up on that

and uh just to let you know you may want to look upthread
your brother is trying to start a little lounge wrastling match with you i think

Calgary and Edmonton are some of the best places on earth, truly. I love Lethbridge too, that might, be a little small for your tastes though. You honestly can't go wrong with Calgary or Edmonton though.

im going to have to conduct a canadian town run off
but that may cause a lounge war and we dont want that

someone
yes
could lose an eye

but I think both Calgary and Edmonton are great places. But, say for example, if enigmatic recommends Edmonton, where he lives, well then I would say it would be best to follow his opinion.

then theres you adding calgary and canuckamok who is telling me about victoria and heyhey posted about nelson bc so already im dizzy
in a good way

Anyone would do, though Calgary is probably the most conservative city in Canada. But of course, that's relative to the US; it's probably on-line w/ Denver as far as how far right it is, IMO..

ok that takes calgary right out

it seems fairly evident that if i want to leave this country it may not be a good idea to repeat the scene

so which one is most progressive (cares about everyone not just the wealthy and values alternatives)

:)

I really enjoyed it there, but unfortunately it's very dry...all the farms have irrigators. It must drive up the farming costs significantly.

Just for the OP's reference...Lethbridge has about 75,000 people...Edmonton and Calgary, and their environs, are appx 1 million each.

Dar Hetherington country...

:scared:

Runaway Bride, Canadian style...

edit: for those not in the know, she was a married Lethbride city councillor who wrote stalking notes to herself, and claimed she was 'drugged and kidnapped' on a business trip to the US when in reality ran off with another man...

And I think the term "tightly wound" was invented for her..

I love that place.

OMG, I about choked looking at that "Canadian Mafia" thing you got. I'm still coughing,lol...

How many times can you visit Fort Whoop Up? :shrug:

just google Canadian Immigration. Or call the Canadian Embassy.

There is also a book called "How to obtain a foreign passport" that can tell you how to get citizenship in a lot of places without jumping through the hoops that immigration laws often require.

While Canada is a great place, The Netherlands might be easier (or at least it used to be).


Khash.

i have done some searching online of course but just thought i should talk a bit with people who ideally can actually converse with me about it and answer some questions

i have already learned some good stuff

and may i ask what makes you say the netherlands (used to be easy)
im open at this point but figured the language and the culture etc really points best to canada
and the requirements to get in arent overwhelming like i imagine other countries to be

thanks for the information khash

I don't know what the law is now but it used to be you could get in if you could "do something that could not be done by a Dutch person". So people got in by doing things like opening an American bar - really just a same old same old bar with posters of Marilyn Monroe and the Statue of Liberty on the walls. It was that easy.

I say used to be easy because it was. But the rules may have changed. Used to be you could get German citizenship simply by proving German heritage. With the huge influx of immigration to Europe, many countries have made the laws tougher. And I'm no longer conversant with all the different rules and regulations.

But the Netherlands is a good place. The people are really surprisingly conservative in many ways but hold fast to the right of self determination. Hence the liberal drug laws and sex laws. And the languge isn't that tough to learn and you can get by fairly well with English until you do learn it.

Khash.

for the information

i do have french ancestry and im considering that but it seems a difficult set of obstacles to overcome unless there was an intentional community there that i would fit into

i wont rule anywhere out just yet
thanks again for the time and information

And what if you are not a young sprout anymore? Just curious.