Canadian Living

[offroad]

reading about limited pricing for doctors fees in Canada? We have that also in USA, as the medicare fee is what is allowed to be paid, even for the insurance companies. Its much harder for great doctors to get rich, but not impossible in USA. Doctor getting rich in canada might be impossible.

 

[Almost There]

reading about limited pricing for doctors fees in Canada?  We have that also in USA, as the medicare fee is what is allowed to be paid, even for the insurance companies.  Its much harder for great doctors to get rich, but not impossible in USA.  Doctor getting rich in canada might be impossible.

Our doctors have been reduced to not much more than very educated union members when it comes to financial compensation.

In the US doctors can and do refuse to accept payment for their services from xyz insurance company. If you chose to go to that doctor then you are aware that his full bill will not be covered by your insurance company and that you are responsible for the difference.

Here, the only 'insurance company' IS the provincial government and they control everything right down to the penny.

Here's an article that demonstrates what I mean

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...-between-ontario-and-doctors/article22461657/

This paragraph is particularly telling:

On top of the 2.65-per-cent cut to all Ontario Health Insurance Plan fees, the government is eliminating funding for doctors to take continuing medical education courses; reducing the fee for walk-in clinic visits by $1.70 to bring it in line with the fee paid for visits to a patients’ regular family doctor; eliminating a premium for doctors to accept new patients who are healthy; and limiting the number of family doctors in well-serviced areas who can join family health teams where doctors are paid by the number of patients they enroll in their practices, not on a fee-for-service basis.

So now they not only tell the doctors how much they will be paid for seeing a patient but also where they can practice.

Good thing I don't have anything much to do with western medicine because I would be very unwelcome if I tried to find a GP. I'm too healthy for a doctor to want to have me as a patient since they wouldn't be making any money from me.

Doctors, and particularly specialists who can normally command a very high income in return for all the extra years of education, can enjoy a comfortable living but by no means get wealthy.

In addition to their own income, the fees that they get have to cover all the staff that want raises and an ever increasing cost of running an office, from the rising price of electricity to the cost of paper for the printer.

And Canadians wonder why we have such a shortage of doctors!!

And we

 

[flying kurbmaster]

there are shortages of health care workers in every single western country, Canadian doctors do very well, you guys should watch Michael Moores doco on health care he goes to France, England and Canada and talks to Americans living abroad, he also talks to Doctors in these countries and visits them in their very nice homes. It is a privilege to live in a country like Canada, with a social net as wide as it has, opportunity to get an education, and live in a safe environment. Probably one of the richest countries in the world, not sure why anyone would do so much complaining with such a full stomach. Canada is full of sick beneficiaries caught by the web, pensioners that benefit from great pension plans but rather then try and do something productive with their time, spend it at shopping centers, sitting around watching tv and complaining about the government and anything else that is not line with the way they have lived.

 

[GotSmart]

there are shortages of health care workers in every single western country, Canadian doctors do very well, you guys should watch Michael Moores  doco on health care he goes to France, England and Canada and talks to Americans living abroad, he also talks to Doctors in these countries and visits them in their very nice homes. It is a privilege to live in a country like Canada, with a social net as wide as it has, opportunity to get an education, and live in a safe environment. Probably one of the richest countries in the world, not sure why anyone would do so much complaining with such a full stomach. Canada is full of sick beneficiaries caught by the web,  pensioners that benefit from great pension plans but rather then try and do something productive with their time, spend it at shopping centers, sitting around watching tv and complaining about the government and anything else that is not line with the way they have lived.

Mikey the Hutt makes crocumentaries that are tailored to match his script.  

If he says that sunshine makes it warm, I would seriously doubt it.  

He has no credibility.

 

[Almost There]

It is a privilege to live in a country like Canada, with a social net as wide as it has, opportunity to get an education, and live in a safe environment. Probably one of the richest countries in the world, not sure why anyone would do so much complaining with such a full stomach.

Canada is full of sick beneficiaries caught by the web,  pensioners that benefit from great pension plans but rather then try and do something productive with their time, spend it at shopping centers, sitting around watching tv and complaining about the government and anything else that is not line with the way they have lived.

As a tax paying, voting citizen of Canada it is perfectly within my right and the right of any other Canadian to 'complain', as you call it, about what and how our governments runs the country. I dare to say that you have complaints about how your government runs things as well.

And as to the width and depth of our social net, well there are some very big holes in it that need to be closed IMO and there are some depths to it that are costing our taxpayers billions in the inefficiencies and bureaucratic bumbling that goes on. Not much different in that respect than the US or many other western democratic countries.

I'd take offense if I thought that you were including me in the last paragraph but since you don't know me from Adam I can safely ignore it as being the ranting of someone who has no idea who I am or what I do.

 

[Canine]

GotSmart, thank you for that. I should review the TOU.

Almost There, thanks for the info. I'm surprised that I'm having a hard time getting good info on that. Thought I had better info than I did, but we'll save that topic for another day!

 

[GotSmart]

As a tax paying, voting citizen of Canada it is perfectly within my right and the right of any other Canadian to 'complain', as you call it, about what and how our governments runs the country. I dare to say that you have complaints about how your government runs things as well.

It is the duty of every citizen of every nation to question and work to change the things in their government they do not agree with.  Only by discussing things can we understand and cause improvement.  

But the government is a subject we need to stay away from except in generalities here, with the exception of how current laws impact the living in certain parts of the country.

I am learning a lot about the health system.  1 1/2 years ago here I needed spinal surgery.  It was completely covered by Medicare and my insurance here in the states. 

Anyone have a discussion of the benefits of different provinces?

 

[flying kurbmaster]

no stand down period when you move to Quebec, free medicare in the Yukon,

 

[Almost There]

no stand down period when you move to Quebec, free medicare in the Yukon,

Taken directly from the Quebec healthcare website:

Persons arriving from another province to take up residence in Québec become eligible for the Québec Health Insurance Plan when they cease to be covered by the plan of their province of origin. For as long as they remain covered by the health insurance plan of their former province, they must present their health insurance card of that province when receiving healthcare from a doctor in Québec. The health insurance plan of their former province will cover the cost. However, if the Québec doctor does not accept that card, they will have to pay the doctor's fee and then apply for a refund with the organization administering the health insurance plan of their province of origin. Usually, coverage under the Québec plan begins on the first day of the third month following the month of arrival in Québec.

ALL provinces and territories are signatory to the same health care 'transition' agreement. Therefore all have the same 3 month transition period where your coverage is provided by the previous province of residency.

As to 'free' - Yukon residents pay income tax just like the rest of us, although the provincial tax rate may vary from province to province/territory.

So no, Yukon residents don't get 'free' health care, neither do the rest of us.

Differences between health care systems in various provinces:

Here in Ontario, a direct surcharge is imposed for health care when taxable income reaches $20,000 (2014), other provinces apply or don't apply a surcharge at will.

This is in addition to the amount of general tax dollars of both federal and provincial income tax that are directed toward the cost of health care.

As to differences between provinces/territories, yes there are some. For example here in Ontario one pays a $45.00 fee for an ambulance ride. In some other provinces there is no fee, in others it's higher. Drug benefits for seniors varies between provinces too as I've previously noted. In some provinces there is coverage for such things as physiotherapy, doulas for childbirth and holistic practitioners. In other provinces it's either not covered at all or only for a specific amount.

I've already taken a look at BC health insurance and although I am a non-user of the health care system (except for emergency care for sutures and bone breakage), I will be better off in BC than here in Ontario should I ever need to utilize western medicine.

 

[Brian_and_Jesse]

Well, I live in BC and have had a 'hospital year' (closer to eighteen months actually) simply because of the looooong wait time for life-threatening conditions.  I have PVCs, SVT, and A-fib (in layman's terms - a nervous heart), diabetes type 2, GPD, Hashimotos diseases, Metabolic Syndrome, I'm confined to a wheelchair, and I'm legally blind.

I had a serious A-fib incident on May 23rd, 2014 and was told in the ER to see a specialist 'immediately.'  Immediately turned out to be eleven months later and it was a touch-and-go year for me.

I have both Federal and Provincial disability pensions but they do not cover my prescription meds ($500 per month);  they used to but they don't anymore, and that's entirely discretionary.  In order to have coverage one can count on it is necessary to call them pretty much weekly and COMPLAIN.  I have neither the time nor the energy for that, which is what they count on.

As for weaponry, Brian has hunting rifles, and we both carry Swiss Army Knives and Bowie knives on our belts at all times.  (We live in the mountains and need to.)  I make my own pepper spray and have never had a problem doing any of the above - ever.

Will write more later.  Must run now.

Blessings to all,

Jesse.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

Taken directly from the Quebec healthcare website:

Persons arriving from another province to take up residence in Québec become eligible for the Québec Health Insurance Plan when they cease to be covered by the plan of their province of origin. For as long as they remain covered by the health insurance plan of their former province, they must present their health insurance card of that province when receiving healthcare from a doctor in Québec. The health insurance plan of their former province will cover the cost. However, if the Québec doctor does not accept that card, they will have to pay the doctor's fee and then apply for a refund with the organization administering the health insurance plan of their province of origin. Usually, coverage under the Québec plan begins on the first day of the third month following the month of arrival in Québec.

ALL provinces and territories are signatory to the same health care 'transition' agreement. Therefore all have the same 3 month transition period where your coverage is provided by the previous province of residency.

As to 'free' - Yukon residents pay income tax just like the rest of us, although the provincial tax rate may vary from province to province/territory.

So no, Yukon residents don't get 'free' health care, neither do the rest of us.

Differences between health care systems in various provinces:

Here in Ontario, a direct surcharge is imposed for health care when taxable income reaches $20,000 (2014), other provinces apply or don't apply a surcharge at will.

This is in addition to the amount of general tax dollars of both federal and provincial income tax that are directed toward the cost of health care.

As to differences between provinces/territories, yes there are some. For example here in Ontario one pays a $45.00 fee for an ambulance ride. In some other provinces there is no fee, in others it's higher. Drug benefits for seniors varies between provinces too as I've previously noted. In some provinces there is coverage for such things as physiotherapy, doulas for childbirth and holistic practitioners. In other provinces it's either not covered at all or only for a specific amount.

I've already taken a look at BC health insurance and although I am a non-user of the health care system (except for emergency care for sutures and bone breakage), I will be better off in BC than here in Ontario should I ever need to utilize western medicine.

I think if you look deeper into Quebec you will find that if you move into Quebec from another country your insurance kicks in right away, as opposed to BC where you have to wait three months.  When I lived in BC we used to pay health care premiums on a monthly basis and when I lived in the Yukon we did not. Things may have changed.

 

[Canine]

I see the big items are being discussed- I'm curious about adapting to all the little nuances of a different culture. How challenging is that? How long do you suppose it takes to begin looking more like a native rather than a tourist?

 

[Almost There]

I see the big items are being discussed- I'm curious about adapting to all the little nuances of a different culture. How challenging is that? How long do you suppose it takes to begin looking more like a native rather than a tourist?

The culture really isn't all that much different but that depends largely on where in the US you're from as well as what part of Canada you're referring to. Some people keep their accents for the rest of their life and you can always tell where they're from in the world, others fall into local accents quite easily. I sounded like a Georgia peach after a month in the south but then I've always had that knack.

In English Canada (as opposed to French Canada), we spell a lot of words funny - older english version with the u in labour, colour etc. We never allowed our written english to be dumbed down although texting is doing a fine job of that worldwide now!

It also depends on where you are in the country - if you're on the east coast you'll never be able to sound like a native....   and you'll need a 'newfie dictionary' to even understand anyone in Newfoundland.

In Quebec, particularly Montreal, good driving habits will quickly label you a tourist You think New York drivers are bad...ain't seen nothing yet!!

And of course, there's somewhat of a language barrier in a lot of the province even though most native Quebecers are bilingual they won't talk English if they think you don't speak French.

Ontario, well, you need to learn to say 'eh' properly...   I still don't and get called on it around the campfire sometimes. But then I also learned to say y'all with the time I spent in the south, never got used to grits, which by the way we don't have here.

We drive on highways not interstates and the only time you can get iced tea is in the summertime. Poutine has migrated from Quebec and is now a mainstay thanks the New York Fries - it's french fries with gravy and cheese curds for those that aren't familiar with it.

Our power is called hydro not electricity - mainly came into being because most all of our early electricity was water generated.

And of course you'll need to learn the rules for Canadian football - don't ask me, I don't watch it.

If you're not a hockey fan you could be in for a long cold boring winter of tv.

Thanksgiving comes way early here, which is a good thing because by the time US Thanksgiving happens we're well into winter. BC drivers need chains to be able to leave the lower mainland area. Snow tires are mandatory in some areas.

No we don't live in igloos, not even the Inuit although some of my friends go winter camping (silly fools) and build ice huts for fun.

It used to be our children learned to skate at the same time as they learned to walk but not so much now, the current generation of parent is still glued to their cell phone and their computer screen.

Our big cities have a similiar gang problem as large US cities do, as well as the same gridlock at rush 'hour'. 3 of our cities rank in the top 10 for worst traffic congestion in North America.

Probably lots more as I think of them!

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

i lived in sudbury ontario two months...it was almost exactly like west virginia, except the milk in bags.

 

[Almost There]

i lived in sudbury ontario two months...it was almost exactly like west virginia, except the milk in bags.

Oops forgot about those milk bags! But then I don't drink regular milk so I never use have it in the house. My Almond Milk still comes in cartons.

Oh and our butter isn't cut into quarters already for us.

 

[skyl4rk]

Most things that you buy in Canada are sold at rip off prices. I wonder how poor people survive.

Is the retail and distribution system so inefficient? Or the distances so great? Or is everything controlled by big wheels in Toronto who are raking in the cash?

I often hear that Canadian culture is much like US culture. I disagree. It is a very different culture, even when crossing a border between MI and ON, where there is shared media (TV, radio) and many families have relatives on both sides of the river, the differences are striking.

 

[Almost There]

Most things that you buy in Canada are sold at rip off prices. I wonder how poor people survive.  

Is the retail and distribution system so inefficient?  Or the distances so great? Or is everything controlled by big wheels in Toronto who are raking in the cash?

I often hear that Canadian culture is much like US culture.  I disagree. It is a very different culture, even when crossing a border between MI and ON, where there is shared media (TV, radio) and many families have relatives on both sides of the river, the differences are striking.

Yes, there's a wide disparity between prices for the same product when comparing US and Canadian prices.

That's why I do as much cross border shopping as I can and am delaying adding certain things to my van.

The pricing difference is actually quite complicated but here's a bunch of the causes -

- currency exchange - right now I'd have to pay about about $1.27 Cdn for each US dollar.

- distribution network - the population of Canada is about equal to the legal population of the state of California which means that you're dealing with a much small population than in the US. It's always more costly to deliver goods to a smaller population than it is to a large one.

- distance - 90% of that smaller population is congregated within 100 miles of the US border which is some 3,000 miles long and separated by great distances of sparse population.

- transportation costs - price of gas is much higher, largely due to high taxation. The various taxes (federal excise tax, carbon tax, transit tax, provincial sales tax, federal sales tax average about 31% (2012 stats) of the price of a litre of gas at the pump. Transportation businesses can recoup only a small portion of that but bear the burden of accounting for it all.

- wages and employment burden - Cdn minimum wages are much higher than most US states. Minimum wages range from $10.25 to $11.00, varying by province/territory. The cost of the additional employment burden is also much higher - employment insurance, Canada Pension Plan employer contributions, Workers' Compensation fees, sick leave, vacation pay, statutory holiday pay all contribute to a cost burden of employees that adds some 25 to 30% to the cost having employees.

- taxation - property tax, auto licensing, etc, etc. all add to the cost of a product.

- import duties and customs brokers cost - despite free trade agreements, trade isn't 'free'.



Skyl4rk - I'm very curious as to what you find differences you find so striking. Maybe it's because I've spent the better part of 40 years floating between the 2 countries that it's become subconscious to me. Other than knowing how fast I can drive and how far I have to go (j/k I'm multispeed...lol), I don't find the differences that great!

 

[ilovemyvan]

Almost There, I am SOOOO impressed with your knowledge and understanding of just about everything. I love reading what smart people have to say.

I was born in Montreal but grew up in St-Hyacinthe. The radio station was happy to claim that we were the most French city in North America -never checked that one out. I moved to Toronto at 23. I couldn't stand these closed minded "separatistes". Talk about culture differences. At that time Quebec seemed to have more of a European flavor while Ontario was more British. I left Canada in 1989 so I really enjoy following this post . I still have a lot of family in Quebec and from what they are saying the place have changed a lot in the last few years due to an increase in immigration. Is it the same in the rest of the country?

-Nicole

 

[Almost There]

Thanks Nicole - I don't know about the smart bit, mostly I'm told I'm a smartass instead...

And I can't play Trivia for love nor money!

As to how it is in the rest of the country - according to what I see on the news the answer is yes!

But then I live a very, very insulated life in the near north where it's extremely homogenous. I can count on less than one hand the number of families living here who are of foreign birth and even those have been here for decades. The immigrant population seems to confine themselves to the larger metropolitan centres that I avoid like the plague - (the large cities, not the immigrants...lol) BTW I live in a village of a 1,000 that is a good 45 minute drive from anywhere that could be conisidered a 'shopping destination'!

I guess the two largest differences between the US and Canada in regards to population mix is 'country of origin' - Canada has a large immigrant population from other British Empire countries as compared to the US. That and the difference between mosaic and melting pot thoughts on integration into society. Canada considers itself to be mosaic, allowing/encouraging immigrants to maintain their cultural differences whereas the US tends to be more of a 'melting pot'. How accurate that is, is open to interpretation or course.

 

[Canine]

A place named Long Beach on Vancouver Island

Hi all,

From time to time, usually summers, I cross the border into BC and Alberta to see different sights.  On this trip I went to Vancouvet Island, Vancouver, the Frasier Valley, the Okanagan and then crossed back.  This is what I noticed:

Gas of course is high.  Currently $1.26 a liter, but don't be simplistic and multiply by 4 to get a gallon, plus the imperial gallon is 20% greater in capacity.  

From Wikipedia:
"The imperial gallon, quart, pint, cup and gill are approximately 20% larger than their US counterparts and are therefore not interchangeable. The imperial fluid ounce, on the other hand, is only 4% smaller than the US fluid ounce and therefore they are often used interchangeably."

So take 20% off those prices and it's still high, but then take 20% more off currently for the exchange rate (though it's been at par more often than not), and currently gas isn't so bad.  Diesel was consistently 5 cents a liter or more cheaper...

Speaking of gas prices, they don't seem to vary there by more than a penny a liter.  From one end of a town to the other the chains prices were nearly identical.  That's different.

People seemed to follow traffic rules and were more courteous.  When walking across the street, almost everyone used the crosswalk signals and car drivers didn't seem to mind.  (If I walk in Phoenix I take my life in my hands, tho' maybe I'm ok cause who wants to to hit 370 pounds headon and total their front end?)  

Nearly all food was higher, see gas and other transportation expenses for some of the reasons.  Some brands are different, I noticed that periodic advertised sales brought the prices down to nearly the same as non-sale US costs.

Harley's (motorcycles) are there but pretty darn quiet.  I like that.  They don't seem to have bought the Harley hype that straight pipes = mufflers...   I didnt see the outlaw gang colors riding there either, but then I'm not in Toronto.

Prices for hardware and tools were high as well, though their version of KMart (Canadian Tire) runs numerous sales that bring prices down between 25-50 percent.  Shows the amount of markup.  Remember sales at Sears years ago?  Same thing.  You'd have been nuts to walk into a Sears and pay full price for appliances or tools...  
A walk through a Home Depot had paint from $30 a gallon for the cheap no name stuff to $60 a gallon for premium 1 coat coverage products.  That's at least 30% higher than at home.  Building or repairing a home is expensive there!

Police roadside checks.  I was driving back from a scenic lake in the Frasier Valley and there was a roadside sobriety check.  Just questions and looking for the obvious open containers I guess.  I've also been stopped in years past for a vehicle safety check: rust, brakes, windshield, lights.  People there just "que" up and wait patiently...  In the U.S. there'd be lawsuits, road rage, drivers getting arrested for cussing out the cops etc...

No gun noise at night.  Can't say that about Phoenix.  Newspapers (free at McDonalds) cite a teenage drug overdose as headline news.  That's back page stuff in Phoenix.  

I talked to a few guys while there this trip, one was recovering from cancer, he had no real complaints about his care.  He said that from diagnosis to beginning hospital chemo was a 3 week wait.  He's a year past now and cancer free, for now.   Another guy said the healthcare system has its faults but everyone is covered and it's cheap.  Elective surgery waits are long but hey, that's what "elective" kinda means...

Housing prices in Vancouver and the nearby area are horrible!  $350,000 buys you a 1970's bi-level dump.  Anything decent is $600,000 and up.  Maybe our east coast and California are the same but for $350K in Phoenix you'd be living large and 600K is high high end.

I didn't notice the speech patterns that much, a slight accent and pronouncing the letter "O" differently, and some of the "eh" at the end of a sentence, though not even half the time.  

Lots of turbaned Sikhs and other East Indians up there, they still group together in neighborhoods kinda like the U.S. In the early 1900's.  I heard maybe 2-3 people speaking French, that's it, but then, I was a long ways from Quebec.

Not much else.  Very easy to get around, all the same types of roads and rules, though they have blinking green traffic lights.  Border crossings aren't too hard, just get asked about gifts, cheese, dairy, alcohol, tobacco and guns.  I was searched (vehicle, not me) once but it seemed random.  Going back to the states they only wanted to know how long I was gone and said "welcome back".

Beautiful country to visit and people don't litter the place up either.

Dusty, still on the road to escape the AZ heat