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Trips to Canada have always left a bad taste in my mouth, but they've always been to Ontario, Quebec. I've been wondering if I'd like the people in Alberta bett

by Pigo 16d ago

Trips to Canada have always left a bad taste in my mouth, but they've always been to Ontario, Quebec. I've been wondering if I'd like the people in Alberta better.

pyth0 16d ago
What does this mean?
- Pigo 16d ago
  Just getting in I faced extremely rude border agents, which was just confusing. If it hadn't been for work I would have just gone home. There were some nice people, but I felt a general unfriendliness most places I went. Maybe it was just my experience.
  - TheCapn 16d ago
    As a Canadian I've had pretty shit experiences with the land crossings coming back to Canada from the US. They seem to be total grumpy shitheads all around. But at the same time I've had the absolute worst experiences crossing borders from Canada to US too. Seems like agents at the land crossings both ways just hate life or something. And lastly, as a Prairie resident, I've felt that general unease in Ontario/Quebec as well. I think people there are just generally more bitter. So I'd say don't take it personally, but that's only worth what you make of it I suppose.
  - technothrasher 15d ago
    > Maybe it was just my experience. It certainly hasn't been my experience visiting Ontario and Quebec. I've had nothing but good experiences. The Quebecois, especially in rural areas, are quite direct and I could maybe see that coming across as rude, but I've never felt unwelcome or a lack of friendliness there. I've had rude border agents in many countries I've visited, and I've watched CBP officers being incredibly obnoxious to visitors entering the US. I don't think that's a Canada thing.
- ChrisRR 16d ago
  It means they're an american who doesn't have any input, they just want to complain about canada without a reason
yokoprime 16d ago
I would suggest you brush your teeth more often if you have a bad taste in your mouth after traveling.
1attice 16d ago
Stay home, Yankee.
- Pigo 16d ago
  Gladly, I have
fidotron 16d ago
It's something many Canadians don't want to accept, but too much of their tourist facing industry is setup to exploit and frankly con Americans. I recall on my first trip here ending up in hospital, being mistaken for an American and shown one price list, only for my insurance company to get on the phone and promptly a new price list appeared and a lot of "We're sorry we thought you were American" from the staff. And prior to the mobile web dealing with Ontario hotels was like haggling in a Turkish bazaar with an obnoxious layer of passive aggression on top.
- donbox 16d ago
  When did you last visit Ontario. How was it compared to your first visit (pre-web so I am assuming a few decades ago).
  - fidotron 16d ago
    Months ago. I live in Quebec (which is where the hospital incident occurred). Now thanks to the Internet it's way harder for hotel clerks to claim prices are different, which used to be exactly what they'd do, consequently it's improved dramatically on that front. I still remember the face of an Ottawa guy decades ago confronted with a european smartphone shoved in his face to show he was lying through his teeth. He clearly wasn't ready for the whole concept.
    - hedora 15d ago
      The hospital thing is standard practice in the US. The Canadian hospitals likely have to lie to get reasonable payouts from US insurance companies. For instance, I once needed $600 of tests at the ER. The hospital billed $80K. The insurance company paid $7K. I paid $100. Sure, the $600 does not include the ER overhead, but the $7K was still insanely inflated. The important thing is that the money ultimately came from insurance premiums, so every middleman was able to reliably extort all patients.
      - fidotron 15d ago

by Pigo 16d ago

Trips to Canada have always left a bad taste in my mouth, but they've always been to Ontario, Quebec. I've been wondering if I'd like the people in Alberta better.

pyth0 16d ago

What does this mean?

Pigo 16d ago
Just getting in I faced extremely rude border agents, which was just confusing. If it hadn't been for work I would have just gone home. There were some nice people, but I felt a general unfriendliness most places I went. Maybe it was just my experience.
- TheCapn 16d ago
  As a Canadian I've had pretty shit experiences with the land crossings coming back to Canada from the US. They seem to be total grumpy shitheads all around. But at the same time I've had the absolute worst experiences crossing borders from Canada to US too. Seems like agents at the land crossings both ways just hate life or something. And lastly, as a Prairie resident, I've felt that general unease in Ontario/Quebec as well. I think people there are just generally more bitter. So I'd say don't take it personally, but that's only worth what you make of it I suppose.
- technothrasher 15d ago
  > Maybe it was just my experience. It certainly hasn't been my experience visiting Ontario and Quebec. I've had nothing but good experiences. The Quebecois, especially in rural areas, are quite direct and I could maybe see that coming across as rude, but I've never felt unwelcome or a lack of friendliness there. I've had rude border agents in many countries I've visited, and I've watched CBP officers being incredibly obnoxious to visitors entering the US. I don't think that's a Canada thing.
ChrisRR 16d ago
It means they're an american who doesn't have any input, they just want to complain about canada without a reason

yokoprime 16d ago

I would suggest you brush your teeth more often if you have a bad taste in your mouth after traveling.

1attice 16d ago

Stay home, Yankee.

Pigo 16d ago
Gladly, I have

fidotron 16d ago

It's something many Canadians don't want to accept, but too much of their tourist facing industry is setup to exploit and frankly con Americans. I recall on my first trip here ending up in hospital, being mistaken for an American and shown one price list, only for my insurance company to get on the phone and promptly a new price list appeared and a lot of "We're sorry we thought you were American" from the staff. And prior to the mobile web dealing with Ontario hotels was like haggling in a Turkish bazaar with an obnoxious layer of passive aggression on top.

donbox 16d ago
When did you last visit Ontario. How was it compared to your first visit (pre-web so I am assuming a few decades ago).
- fidotron 16d ago
  Months ago. I live in Quebec (which is where the hospital incident occurred). Now thanks to the Internet it's way harder for hotel clerks to claim prices are different, which used to be exactly what they'd do, consequently it's improved dramatically on that front. I still remember the face of an Ottawa guy decades ago confronted with a european smartphone shoved in his face to show he was lying through his teeth. He clearly wasn't ready for the whole concept.
  - hedora 15d ago
    The hospital thing is standard practice in the US. The Canadian hospitals likely have to lie to get reasonable payouts from US insurance companies. For instance, I once needed $600 of tests at the ER. The hospital billed $80K. The insurance company paid $7K. I paid $100. Sure, the $600 does not include the ER overhead, but the $7K was still insanely inflated. The important thing is that the money ultimately came from insurance premiums, so every middleman was able to reliably extort all patients.
    - fidotron 15d ago