For those of you who don't follow Canadian politics (aka 99% of you), Carmey is about to win. Carmey is Trudeau on steroids. All of the bad (censorship, gun control, mass immigration aka invasion, crazy inflation), none of the good (dental plan, that's about it).
Canada has been done for for 25 years, but in recent years, it became much worse. Montreal is filled with invaders and it's not even funny. Metro is basically unusable now and it's up to a point where if you go to a restaurant, you'll be one of the few whites around. Indians recruit only indians, so good luck getting a job.
I've wanted to move for a very long time. Recent events (Carmey) made that even more obvious. But where?
My options:
-
Rural Quebec - still inured to most of the problems that poison the more urban centers. Are you surprised to hear Montreal/etc are 90%+ liberal?
-
Alberta - higher pay, more conservative
-
USA - but where?
-
Europe?
-
SEA?
I have a bit saved up. I can't see myself have a life here. I want to build something, etc. I'm a high school teacher and I'm paying close to 50% in come taxes, plus 15% sales taxes, plus alcohol, property, gas etc etc taxes.
Looking for a way out, Canada is done for. Thank you
Why Sault Ste Marie?
I can't think of much good or bad about SSM either way.
The Soo was once a steel town, but I think that's all but over. Remaining employment is likely either government/public services or maybe forestry.
The best part about SSM, Ontario is that the USA is just across the river. The less great part is that there isn't much on the Michigan side. Their SSM, Michigan sister city has only about 40% of the pop of the Ontario side. There's not much else other than Indian reservations, casinos and poor farms for the many hours south to Flint and Detroit.
The biggest downside to the Soo is probably how geographically isolated it is on the the Canadian side. Thunder Bay is about six hours northwest on an awful single-lane undivided highway, with no reason to ever go there. Ditto Sudbury, Ontario another four hours east on another single-lane deathtrap of a highway, but at least flatter & less likely to be closed completely over the winter.
Toronto is a good 8 hours away, making it reachable but also too far to travel comfortably.
SSM also has shitty air service, no passenger rail and only government-backed intercity bus service after Greyhound Canada folded.
On the Canadian side, yes. Cross the border and drive for twenty minutes and you've got the Delta puddlejumper to Minneapolis (and Detroit, but, well, fuck Detroit), which is the Delta hub. From MSP you can fly just about anywhere.
Because just across the border is the nicest parts of the US. Notwithstanding the fact that their governor is an idiot, Michigan is some of the best outdoors living in the country. Sure, you can't live there, but you can visit there visa-less anytime.
I think we might have different conceptions of what is desirable and acceptable travel distances. Being American and from flyover America, I'm entirely used to having to use a connecting flight to get anywhere, it's just how our air system is structured. I also regard getting away from civilization as inherently good. There's nothing in the cities worth staying in the cities for. A small city, as long as it has a daily scheduled puddlejumper, is more than enough for me to move in as long as I can find work.
In my line of work it's a lot harder to avoid civilization unless I go full remote. I'm in Green Bay, and that's about as small as a city can get and still need software developers.
I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder as well.
I've spent not insignificant periods of time with the Yoopers in the Upper Peninsula. And never did it ever cross my mind that "This place is beautiful".
There are lots of things I like about the UP - the Interstate is smooth and well maintained, the shopping is better, the people are friendly and mostly white with no jeets to be seen, it does seem like a cool, down-to-earth rural culture up there.
But the parts of the UP I've seen have mostly been flat, featureless and boring. Granted I haven't seen most of the western and northern parts of the Superior coast.
I think the Canadian SSM side is ugly as shit as well, but at least the topography is a lot more distinct and feral.
You don't know flat, featureless, and boring until you've driven across South Dakota or Nebraska.
And you don't know ugly as shit until you've been to Louisiana or Florida. Or Mississippi. Or Alabama. Georgia. Arkansas. You know what that whole quarter of the country is basically just swamp and mosquitos.
Sure, is Vancouver pretty? Yeah, mountains everywhere. And it's full of fucking crazy leftists. Cross the border and you're in Seattle where there's MORE fucking crazy leftists.
Canada has no equivalent (that I'm aware of) of Appalachia.