I was in Canada visiting my parents. I took a vacation from my job on the US East Coast. I often hear my US colleagues say how nice it would be to live in Canada, how the country cares for it’s people, provides lots of social services, just what a nice country should be. I grew up in Vancouver and after med school and working a while in Calgary, I moved to the US in 1992.

Here are some of my thoughts about the differences between the two countries. A lot of the hardship that seems more apparent in the US results from the fact it is a country of formidable size, so crime and poverty splash all over the news. Here’s some bad news: since I left Vancouver there seems to be as much crime as in the US – my mother lives in an upscale neighborhood and she has had several break-ins, as have all her friends. Despite the ‘free’ healthcare, downtown Vancouver is crowded with street folk who look as ill and unkempt as any you would find in Philadelphia or New York City.

As for the widely touted government funded social support in Canada, some say the social security there is more a trampoline than a safety net – rather than encouraging people back to work, many are content to collect unemployment benefits forever.

This government social network is tax funded which accounts for significantly higher costs of everything in Canada. I went to the grocer, Safeways, last night. A 3/4 pound bag of Starbucks which is $7-8 in the US costs $12 Canadian. A carton of Breyers ice cream is $4-5 in the US but sells for $11. The tax on beer is about 50% so a case of 24 varies from $26 to $38. Wine is very expensive. As for cigarettes, the price is enough to make one to quit for good. Gas is taxed to the lofty height of $6/gallon.

The only good news is that my family pays nothing for healthcare, not even a co-pay. Waiting is expected so when Mum had renal failure, she had to wait a few months to see the kidney specialist, but the consult and treatment was free, supported by the high taxes and high cost of everything.