"I hated living in Canada gotta go back again!"

[cartuin]

There's no vacancy in the igloo anyway.

Thanks for the laugh with that great line!!! :D

[lamia]

OK here for all those offended people.
-I am NOT trying to depict Canada as a third world country.Certainly it is not! I have lived in Vancouver BC and think it is the most beautiful place I have ever lived in .I will be moving there anyway if I do.I love waterfront,downtown Vancouver and the sky trains there.

-I am NOT worrying about money .I am still a resident physician in Psychiatry and my huband has a great job in Computers.Being a physician does NOT mean you are a millionare! I still have to pay off student loans,house bills,day care for my son tons of other bills that other people dont' have!!.That with my addiction for shopping for Cool baby stuff does not help at all!.Combined with Canada's strict policies for accepting American trained doctors I am bound to be taking a big Pay cut if I move there.

- I was in Canada in 2000 last time at that time internet shopping was almost non existent.If i ordered anything from the US it would be held at the postoffice and I had to pay tons of duty before I could pick it up.That pissed me off big time.I think things might have changed now and the value of the Canadian $ has also increased so maybe I can shop from local sites or Ebay now..

- I think I was just wanting to vent and that is it.For all those people pissed off I am sorry and hope to see you in Canada.
-

[smiliedds]

Am I in the wrong forum? Isn't this a forum about baby bargins in Canada? I am shocked to log on and find 'this'!!!

OT: I lived in the States too but for only 1 year. And I love shopping too. But for all the things I had access to when I was there, I am still glad that I am back. Uhm, I don't want to hurt anyone's feeling so I'll stop here.

Rebecca

[nov04]

I'm still trying to figure out 1. why this needed to be cross posted from the bitching forum and 2. Why on earth would something like this be posted in forum with Canadian members? I think this could have been worded a lot less offensively especially since you were looking for help.

edited to take out "pro"!!!!!!

[JeanneD]

>I'm still trying to figure out 1. why this needed to be cross
>posted from the bitching forum and 2. Why on earth would
>something like this be posted in a pro-Canadian forum? I
>think this could have been worded a lot less offensively
>especially since you were looking for help.

I agree that the original post could have been worded a lot better, but...

This is a Canadian forum, not necessarily a pro-Canadian forum. We're here for baby bargains, not national boosterism. Besides, if complaining about better shopping in the US means one isn't a "true Canadian," then I guess there must be a lot of fake Canadians out there. Including all my relatives! LOL.

Anyway, on a more positive note, I think it would be a great idea to put together a "baby gear survival guide" for families moving from the US (or other countries) to Canada. For instance:

- Links to Canadian online stores, to give an idea of the prices.
- What specialty items are widely available and reasonably priced in Canada (e.g., Robeez shoes, Kooshies stuff, locally-made nursing and maternity clothes).
- What specialty items are unavailable in Canada (e.g. certain clothing and stroller brands), and how much hassle/cost would be involved in importing them.
- The importance of having that magical and mysterious bilingual sticker on your car seat.

I admit to having a personal interest in such a guide, since there's a chance that our family could be moving back to Canada after several years in the US. Unlike the original poster, I'd be mostly happy about such a move...but then, I'm not a shopoholic. ;-) ) (I would miss the thrift shops and yard sales, though. The big spenders here think nothing of tossing out all kinds of great stuff!)

[psophia17]

I think the idea of a baby gear survival guide is AWESOME!

I moved to Vancouver from NY in August, 2004, and I'm still reeling with confusion over where to get things, only to find out that said things are either unavailable or completely unaffordable...and I'm not 10 minutes away from the stinking border!

[Piglet]

Hi,

While I agree that this is not a "pro-Canadian" forum, generally you will get more positive responses when asking a question by not offending the people who might consider answering. If the OP had phrased her question in such a manner as - "I was wondering where everyone buys baby stuff in Canada", she would have received many responses. We have all been there and done that... we have all ogled things that we can't get in Canada. I have griped many times about Gap Maternity not shipping here, but I have always been impressed with how many great things we can get.

I think complaining about Canada is a national pasttime (particularly now that the hockey season is cancelled). I am all for a good rant session now and then, but I realise that we have it pretty good all in all. My issue with the poster is that she wasn't looking for answers, she was looking to put down Canada, or at least that is how she came off. She never specified what kid of baby gear she was looking for, just that she hated the thought of moving back to such a backwater country with her expensive tastes. I was offended by the tone of the post and the fact that she needed reassurance that things have improved since 2000 - they weren't all that bad in 2000! They aren't all that bad now and they definitely are light years ahead of many countries in the world.

We are all on these forums to find good info on baby gear, but ultimately if our strollers were garbage, our bedding was minimal, and our clothing was non-designer, we would still be happy. Thankfully, we have healthy children, wonderful homes, good friends, etc. I consider those things more important than the ability to ship pretty maternity clothes from the US, and that has nothing to do with the country I call home.

[nov04]

You're making much more out of this post than I intended. We all seem to be here to make the very best out of being Canadians consumers. That's what I mean about being pro-Canadian not what you're talking about! I probably would have worded it differently if I had more than 2 hours of sleep 2 nights in a row.

[Piglet]

Thanks for the well wishes. Today is my last day of work (yay for the 1 year mat leave, while we are on the subject of what makes Canada great)! The baby's eviction papers have been served and I am getting pretty excited.