Canada may be just next door to the USA, from where Kirsten hails, but living in Montreal in the province of Quebec is an entirely different experience. Here she describes things like the importance of knowing how to communicate in French, the variety of entertainment options, and some medical care access woes.
I was born in Madison, Wisconsin, USA and I’m living in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I live there with my boyfriend and I’ve been living in Canada Since 1996.
Originally Posted March 29th, 2007
-What is your age?
39
-When did you come up with the idea of living in Canada?
I first thought of living in Quebec when I took French in high school. Then, in 1993 following a serious car accident, I decided I wanted something different – to try living in another country, speaking a different language.
-Was it hard to get a visa or a work permit?
Moderately difficult, I would say. If you have a trade or special expertise that is in demand, it can be fairly easy.
What about medical insurance?
No, Canada is known for its social medicine program.
How do you make your living?
I work for an English university in public relations. I worked my way up (started with this university in 1996). The language was a barrier initially, a lot of businesses and institutions in Quebec want employees that are fully bilingual (written and spoken, French and English).
When initial attempts to “canvas” my CV around the city failed, I tried applying to an English institution and was hired right away. I’m old-school: hand-delivering the resume, following up with a phone call, etc.
-Do you speak French and do you think it’s important?
Yes and yes. I majored in French at university and took courses here to complete my advanced proficiency certificate. Language is of social and political importance in Quebec, a sensitive issue. I think it’s important to be able to communicate here, BOTH in French and English.
You Miss Home from far and Away??
I do miss my family, we are very close. I visit twice a year and they usually come to visit me annually.
There are things I miss about the United States, but I am happy to be on the periphery given its current political situation.
Montreal is a great city for entertainment and museums. I enjoy heading down to the Old Port for a stroll or walking Mont-Royal. Excursions to the Maritimes – places like the Gaspé Peninsula, Quebec and Cape Breton, Nova Scotia – are great, too.
-Do you have plans for the future?
I am working towards my translation studies diploma now. Eventually, I would like to work as an independent translator. For travel, my boyfriend is from Colombia, and I am looking forward to meeting his family and visiting his country this summer.
-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
I rent, as do many to most Montrealers. Rental costs have gone up in recent years. We had a serious housing shortage about four years ago, but it has leveled off.
The housing market is still up, so buying is not appealing to me for now. I pay $560 for a one-bedroom, but the average is more like $700.
-What is the cost of living in Canada?
Montreal is moderately expensive. Not as bad as Ottawa or Toronto. Food and restaurants are not cheap.
You have to be careful about purchasing things like appliances, electronics and clothes, because prices vary GREATLY from store to store. Definitely shop around before purchasing.
-What do you think about the Canadians?
I think they are quite friendly, but I have heard negative comments from others. Montreal is like any big city in North America. People don’t have a lot of time for questions or slow people (i.e., paying at the cashier in stores).
They are passionate, funny and vastly different, due to a great variety of old and new cultures.
-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Canada?
There is a saying, “Canada has great healthcare, just don’t get sick!” And I think it’s true. You can wait a LONG time for simple things like consultations, procedures or surgeries. And urgent care is a mess.
You WILL wait from two to five hours to get medical attention in a walk-in clinic or emergency room. On the upside, it’s not deflating your wallet like it does in the States.
The consumer in me laments the lack of variety and deals on purchases. And the ongoing language “battles” and calls for separating from Canada can be frustrating at times.
-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Canada?
Wow, that’s hard because Canada is such a big country and so different from one place to the next. British Columbia and Quebec are like two different countries.
To live in Quebec, I would say it’s important to speak French, at least for basic communication and comprehension. And to set the consumer bar lower when it comes to deals, purchases and variety. Also, don’t expect to get superior, customer service.
-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Canada?
YULblog and Metroblogging Montreal
I found Canadians to be extremely passive-aggressive towards US
I moved from my native California with my Canadian husband in late 2006. After spending countless hours on immigration matters, thousands of dollars on fees and moving/relocating expenses,…… I (we) moved right back across that border in July 2008! I made a major mistake when I allowed my husband to talk me into moving to a place that he wasn’t willing to stay in permanently himself.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the never ending wave of Anti-Americanism that acts as a replacement for the country’s lack of any Canadian Culture. Not being American IS their culture. I found that even the nicest people that I met openly displayed hostility for Americans, while at the same time being utterly inthralled by any,every, and all things American. You can not even turn on the TV or radio without seeing/hearing something American within 4 to 5 minutes. And believe me….. it will ALWAYS be negative. I think they’re obssessed with America. They obviously feel inferior, or they wouldn’t spend so much time and energy trying to convince us that we’re inferior to them.
I was very excited, and felt lucky (having grown up in a very poor family) to be able to live in another country. And being a non-white person, i’ve always been prepared for rascism. But I never imagend that I’d be discriminated for nationalism!
I’ve been back home for over 2 years now. My husband would NEVER admit it, but he was happy to leave Canada as well.
I am still soooo sorry that things didn’t work out there (even though I never wanted to leave California), I had thought that it would be nice to see my husbands family more (they’re also very anti-american…I just grin and deal with it).
Lastly….Oh my goodness are things expensive up there! Gas is outrageous, they’re taxed up the wazzoo, can’t get your trash/garbage picked-up regularly (had to go to the dump for regular trash items), the stores are void of anything near any level of variety, food was on average 40% higher, and meats,cheeses, fish were at least 60% to 70% higher, and lets not even mention alcohol, car/home insurance, cellphone plans,cable,internet…..they’re all sky high…..and i’m from California where we complain all the time. Needless to say, I don’t complain any more….I know how lucky I am.
And on the subject of health care, I did manage to find a family doctor for the 2 of us with in about a year of constant calling. We were lucky…. many Candians have no regular doctors (yeah,yeah,yeah, I know that many Americans have no health coverage here. I was once one of them. But we don’t claim to have guaranteed health care for everyone) and as mentioned previously, wait countless hours for care. I will say that I didn’t have any horrible health care related experiences, I was shocked at the fact that after having routine tests performed, I was not given ANY results what so ever! I was told that no news in good news. I even insisted that I recieve results regardless of the fact that nothing negative was found, they still refused to give me anything in writing. And they refused to send my medical records to my new doctor when I moved back to California….. even though we both requested the records numerous times. And there’s no department to complain to about poor medical service! There’s that old saying “You get what you pay for”. Well you Canucks pay a hell of a lot of taxes, and you’re getting screwed royaly! Fortunatly my employer picks up the tab for our health,optical and dental. We pay 0 expenses other than a $10 dollar co-pay, and we of course can choose from various Dr.’s at various locations. We can even choose the sex of our Dr.’s.
Please forgive me for my lousy spelling(it’s late and I’m tired) and for this emotional tirade. Even though I had such a horrible experience there, Canada is the birth place of one of the worlds greatest human beings…. my husband. And for that reason alone I could never hate Canada, I just don’t ever want to live there.
I’m writing a book about Americans in Montreal
I’m a university professor in Oregon and am fascinated by the idea of living in Montreal. Since I’m unable to leave my current job or life here (!), I’m writing a book on the experiences of Americans in your city (as compared to Americans living in three other cities in other parts of Canada).
Is there any chance my American research assistant at McGill could set up an interview with you for this project – or send you a brief questionnaire to fill out? We’re interested in finding out why you wanted to leave the US and move to Canada and your experiences after settling in Montreal.
Many thanks!
Dr. S.W. Hardwick (susanh@uoregon.edu)
I came across this recently when googling about Americans living in Montreal. I believe this is a really fair assessment of life in Montreal if you are from the U.S. I moved here in 2002 for school and stayed…
I recently got married to a native Montrealer, so I’m in it for the long haul! I still miss a lot about the U.S. (it was never my intention to stay here). But you’re close, and can easily visit upstate New York for the day. Things Americans should know: immigration is long, expensive and tedious (a 2 year wait is the best-case scenario), and don’t expect to immigrate to Quebec unless you are reasonably fluent in French. Don’t expect to get a job here very easily (if at all) without being reasonably fluent in both French and English (and these days a 3rd language is a major bonus).
The business culture here is very different, it takes some getting used to, although I find that the culture of the younger generation here is far more similar to the younger generation in the U.S. When I first moved here there were far fewer American brands (American Eagle, Old Navy weren’t here, there was only 1 Starbucks…) and that has gradually changed although the city is still not overly “Americanized” – nothing like Toronto.
The infrastructure is generally a mess and an eyesore although the historical buildings are gorgeous. There is a ton of bureaucracy and the medical system gives me a headache (believe it or not, I find it easier to pay and go back to see specialists and my old dentist in my hometown in the U.S.! I can’t stand the system here, you have to jump through hoops and waste hours for something as basic as a consultation with a dermatologist!) Oh, and yeah, the winters are harsher than most places in the U.S. Great things about living in Montreal: this is a big enough city it has all of the benefits of a city, yet still small enough to be comfortable to live in. It doesn’t smell and is reasonably clean for a city.
I love living near downtown, it’s active 24/7, and has so much more character than any other major North American city. The fashion is unique and interesting, and there’s a big art and music culture here. You can find food from any part of the world. The people take some adjustment; I find they’re reasonably friendly but they are wary, you have to get to know them before you become friends. But there are tons of Americans, English Canadians, and people from every country in the world living here, so you can bond with just about anyone from anywhere! Best of all, you get a “global perspective” you’d never get anywhere else in the U.S.
Hello Kirsten.
I thought your comments on Montreal are fair. I agree in many respects…I am from Ontario and have been living in Montreal for about 27 years.
I am fed up with many things in Montreal and plan to move back to Ontario in July 2010.
Among the things I am fed up with:
traffic congestion (no freeway bypass around the city, narrow streets)
poor and rude customer service (tipping entitlement regardless of service quality)
cyclists riding their bikes on the sidewalks
the number of panhandlers, squatters and homelss downtown
potholes
high taxes (sales, income, parking, etc. and poor services)
slow & congested transit system
not so friendly people (not one single Montrealer I can can call a true friend)
widespread corruption in city politics
constant strikes (police, city blue collar workers, transit system, etc.)
very slow snow removal ( sidewalks are always icy and forget about parking next to the curb!)
trash all over the place
I could go on….
It’s time for me to go.
Cheers
Louis