FINDING OUT ABOUT THE LIFESTYLE

The United Nations declared Canada ‘the best country in the world in which to live’ in terms of lifestyle. Why? Certainly the standard of living, which we will look at more closely, has a lot to do with it, but perhaps it is more the style of living that makes Canada so appealing.

Taking sport seriously

As indicated above, Canada has a great deal of room for manoeuvre and that in itself is a major attraction. It also accounts for the predominantly outdoor nature of the Canadian lifestyle. Sport plays a major part in most people’s lives, and it’s not just hockey! (Although almost 500,000 Canadian youngsters participate in organised hockey leagues.) All types of team sports such as baseball, soccer, tennis and rugby are popular, as are the more individual recreations like skiing, skating, sailing,

windsurfing, etc. The varied climate leads to a great diversity in the types of recreation available. There is no doubt that Canadians consider sports of all types an integral part of their lives.

The announcement that Vancouver will be host city for the 2010 Winter Olympics was big news, both for sport and for the economy. Vancouver will be home to the Olympic Village and stadium whilst the ski resort of Whistler, further north, will accommodate the skiing and sliding events. With 1.8 million tickets available, this is a huge boon to tourism. Many other industries, including construction and retail, will inevitably benefit.

Recognising the arts

There is a great interest in the arts in Canada. Stratford, Ontario, is home to a Shakespearean company of worldwide repute. Both Vancouver and Montreal have prestigious symphony orchestras. Opera lovers are well served by the Vancouver Opera Association, the Canadian Opera Company and others. Montreal’s annual jazz festival is world-renowned. Canada boasts three large ballet companies – the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and the National Ballet of Canada – which perform regularly on the international circuit to great acclaim. In the world of television and cinema, Canada’s profile has grown much stronger of late. Always respected for producing ‘artistic’ movies, Canadian cinematographers are enjoying increasing involvement in Hollywood productions, with Vancouver and Toronto vying for the title of ‘Hollywood of the North’.

Many cities are home to theatre companies, orchestras, opera groups and art galleries of high standard. In the more remote areas such cultural advantages become thinner on the ground but are generally not ignored.

Attitudes to work

Any observation on a country’s attitude to work will be a generalisation, and Canada’s vast size and multiculturalism make any such generalisation suspect. However, it would be true to say that the Canadian attitude to work is informal and perhaps less tense than in, say, America or parts of Europe. That is not to say that Canadians do not work hard or have high ambitions, but rather that work is generally seen as only a part (albeit a very important part) of the fabric of life.

Looking at the economy

It’s pretty much impossible to keep this information up to date, as the world economy is in a constant state of change. However, I am pleased to say that the good news of continued economic growth in Canada that I reported in the fourth edition of this book published in 2004 continues. Canada currently has one of the world’s strongest economies and the future is looking very bright with an expected growth of 3.2 per cent in 2005.

As of July 2005, the unemployment rate stood at 6.8 per cent which, according to Statistics Canada (StatsCan), is ‘among the lowest in almost three decades’. Inflation is currently at 1.7 per cent and the primary interest rate is 4.25 per cent.

The ever-changing nature of the world economy means it is inevitable that the above information will change. Fortunately, it’s not difficult to get recent data. Statistics Canada release regular updates. These are available at most libraries and from the website www.statcan.ca/ Also, the monthly magazine Canada News will keep you informed of current trends.