If we're being honest living anywhere comes with a whole list of pros and cons, and Canada is no different.
Well, Reddit user u/IDoNotLikeTheSand recently asked, "What are some downsides to living in Canada?"
And some of the answers were rather facinating! Here are some of the top-voted answers:
1. "Compared to the USA - lower salaries in many fields, higher taxes in some cases, more expensive products and services generally. Compared to Europe - less effective public transit, less paid time off from work."
2. "The vast distances. It’s cheaper to fly to Europe than to many places within my own country."
3. "The winters can range from rough, to absolutely brutal depending on where you live. Outside of the cold and snow, days are also significantly shorter."
"You can expect the sun to just barely be out when arriving at work around 9, and to already be setting when leaving work at 5. Canadian's have much higher rates of vitamin D deficiencies than other countries due to a lack of sunlight."
4. "Less job opportunities. My dad is always complaining about the lack of jobs in his field compared to America"
5. "We have a horrible history of genocidally mistreating our first peoples."
6. "Obnoxiously high cost of living. Rents are high, houses are unaffordable, cellphone plans are expensive, dairy is expensive, liquor is expensive especially at the bar."
"I make what is supposedly a high salary and I honestly don't understand how people making ordinary money live here."
7. "You need a car. Unless your life is extremely limited in terms of travel and you never leave your city except by train (and that's only if you live in the east). In some cities, you can't even take the bus reliably."
8. "Our roads and infrastructure are really, really bad. I'm not talking about repair, I'm talking about design. The US has a similar issue."
9. "The fact that a mental health crisis gets treated by a police officer. I thought my tax dollars were being spent on health care."
10. "Living in close proximity to the US means that US media often dominates our own. Often Canadians pay more attention to US elections more than our own for example. The CFL (Canadian Football League) has a really difficult time competing with the popularity of the NFL."
11. "I'm surprised nobody mentioned how expensive the dentist is."
12. "Owning a property. Many people cannot even dream about stopping paying rent to buy a condo at least."
– u/snydox
13. "Overall I just find it's hard to buy stuff here in general if it's not standard every day items. And even when you DO find a place that sells it here, it's probably coming from the states anyway. We basically have like zero supply chain for anything here, we just rely on the states."
14. "You live next door to a belligerent warmonger that keeps invading people and dragging us along."
15. And finally: "Having to admit Bieber is Canadian."
You can read the full thread of responses on Reddit.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.