Are you planning to immigrate? There’s a chance someone will recommend that you move to Canada. After all, the country welcomes hundreds of thousands of immigrants every year and boasts of high quality of life. However, you should know more about the living conditions in the country before moving. So, is living in Canada hard?
Life in Canada is great. There are just so many things to enjoy here, such as high quality of education, ethnic diversity, access to quality healthcare, and the country’s natural beauty. But this isn’t to say the country is perfect due to the cost of living, inequalities, and the harsh weather.
Regardless of the factors that might make life difficult in the country, Canada is still one of the best places to live in the world. This article discusses whether living in Canada is hard.
Quick navigation
What Makes a Living in Canada Great?
If you’re considering whether to live in Canada or not, you should first examine what makes a living here worthwhile. There are several qualities in that regard, and they include:
1. High Quality of Educational Infrastructure
Canada is one of the most educated countries in the world. The high level of education and literacy here is due to the standard of educational facilities available. Whether public or private, you can expect that your child will get one of the best education possible in Canada. Public education is excellent and limits family spending on education until tertiary institutions. Even though Canada doesn’t have an Ivy League university, it has some of the best research institutions in the world. Several schools in Canada are in the top 100 universities in the world. So, living in Canada means you don’t need to send your child overseas to get a quality education. As a resident, too, tertiary education in Canada is cheaper than what you’ll spend to get the same standard of education in most developed countries. Thus, living in Canada means having access to one of the best educational systems in the world.
2. Natural Beauty
Lakes, rivers, parks, mountains, and more. Canada had it all when it came to natural beauty. There’s no city or town in Canada without multiple parks. Over the years, successive governments have taken extra care to preserve the natural resources of this country. Living here means you can enjoy excellent air quality in lush natural surroundings. Even those who live in cities can still enjoy nature because there are multiple parks all around. If ambient natural environment is one of your considerations when finding a place to live, Canada should be one of the countries on your list.
3. Ethnic Diversity
Canada is one of the most ethnically diverse countries you can live in. With almost half of the population not being born in the country, this is a place where you’ll find people from every corner of the world. No matter which country you’re moving from, you’ll find other people who share the same cultural background as you are in Canada. The ethnic diversity here means that discrimination isn’t as rampant as you’ll find in countries of similar stature. But it’s not perfect either.
4. Access to Healthcare
Getting high-quality healthcare for almost free isn’t something you find in many countries, but Canada guarantees that for its permanent residents and citizens. The standard of healthcare here is relatively high, and the universal healthcare insurance for provinces and territories makes it possible to have access to this. The only issue with healthcare here is likely the waiting time. Canada has one of the most extended waiting times among OECD countries.
What Makes Living in Canada Hard?
Living in Canada isn’t rosy, at least not for everyone. Some of the things that could make life a bit hard include
1. Economic and Social Inequality
The Canadian experience differs broadly. Many enjoy all the amenities and several resources that the country offers. But a subset of the population living under challenging conditions. Many members of the First Nations belong to this group. Several of them live on reserves where families don’t have enough living space, where basic amenities like running water and good schools are scarce. In addition, this group of people has limited access to healthcare services. For this group, life in Canada is hard.
2. Cost of living
If you’re earning minimum wage, life in Canada might not be that good. The cost of living in Canada is relatively high. This means that you need to be earning well to enjoy living in the country. Unfortunately, not everyone makes enough money. The poverty rate in Canada is around 10%. That means about 3 million people live below the poverty line in the country. For this group of people, living in Canada is not easy. Another group of people who suffer from the high cost of living in the country is homeless. This is because real estate prices in Canada are quite high. Annually, over 235,000 people experience homelessness. Canada is hard for the person who has to stay outside even in the winter because they can’t afford shelter.
3. Weather
Another factor that could dampen your Canadian experience is the weather. Depending on where you live, Canada can be almost unbearable during the winter. This happens especially when you don’t live in the warmer provinces such as British Columbia and Ontario. Even in the warm provinces, the temperature can still drop negatively during the winter. If you have any health condition that worsens with cold, Canada might not be the best place for you. If you live in Canada, you might have to go to warmer areas during the winter.
It’s not only the temperature that makes Canada winter harsh; the environmental conditions aren’t that good either. Snow, storms, blizzards, and slippery roads are standard features of winter here. This makes driving or even moving around during winter quite tricky. It gets worse if you’re not living in a major city. Navigating the roads and community during the winter can be challenging.
In Conclusion
Living in Canada isn’t hard when compared with most countries. The country has one of the best standards of living in the world. But there’s no rose without thorns. Some factors make Canada hard to live in due to for, and some groups of people experience these challenges more than most.