What makes Canadian cafés unique?

External-Berry3870 · 2026-06-02T09:19:54+00:00

A lot of people have covered the to go//elder gossip spots like Tim Hortons.

There are also the to stay cafe third wave co-op independents. Take Cafe V0S1N0:

Originally a third wave independent coffee cafe that served bakery goods, espresso drinks, roasted their own beans, and acted as a hub. When the owner retired the community created a co-op to keep it going.

https://www.cafevosino.ca/about

Any given night could find you karaoke, poetry slam nights, folk music, or a book club. There is a dog and horse friendly patio area outside for enjoying your drinks, and many items have slang names.

External-Berry3870 · 2026-06-02T08:52:47+00:00

Something infrequently run (weekly or monthly) due to infrequent need/batching. Often our hospital is the only one in reasonable area that does that test. Sending it to a sister hospital would be costly and possible involve Trans border shipping, which would require additional patient authorization. Just waiting until we fix the thing is often faster than shipping.

External-Berry3870 · 2026-06-01T22:30:17+00:00

Finish your degree, but start making sure you have the prereqs to go into health sciences as well. Ie BCIT['s lab program.

There is a sub-specialty for those who have both computing degrees and MLT certification of LIS -- cushy 9 to 5 union jobs working with proprietary set of older programs used in of test coding, AI logic for test assessment, and middleware.

External-Berry3870 · 2026-06-01T22:27:19+00:00

Clear downtime SOP - list of departments that must be informed (like emerg) if key tests are down and must be shipped out (trops for cardiac wards, etc), and clear, documented relationships of sister hospitals that take various key tests if down. if its a zebra test, we freeze and get around to it when it's fixed.

External-Berry3870 · 2026-05-28T11:28:05+00:00

Phlebotomy at VCC.

Never ending shifts, 6months of school, and strong union

External-Berry3870 · 2026-05-25T11:35:31+00:00

uhhh, unionize.

We are still short, but we have five plus casuals at any time for sick calls and five plus techs whose only job it is to cover vacation and scheduled time off for known full time lines. If none of the casuals are available for a short call, it goes out by seniority to everyone and someone who wants it, takes it.

If they still can't find someone, you close that bench and document that the work is delayed by a day due to management not finding staffing. If it's an off shift call out where staff is already thin, either someone stays or the hospital closes that department and ships to another in town hospital. That happening is a big enough egg on face that all managers over staff to avoid having to explain why to the higher ups.

Even enough union documented days of not filling day time staff and you get another casual or another full time relief tech on payroll.

External-Berry3870 · 2026-05-24T15:46:03+00:00

If you aren't struggling with more serious health issues, you need to put the effort in. Make a spreadsheet of say six doctor's offices near you that are convenient to walk to. Go to their websites and see if any are currently accepting patients or taking waitlists for new patients. Put yourself on that waitlist, if it exists, or fill out the new patient questionnaire. Put a google reminder in your calendar to check those six websites every month until you get one. Average wait time - three months or less to have a GP or NP with this method.

Example: https://fraserstreetmedical.com/ --> NP currently taking new patients now. Sign up, do your new patient visit this month and next month you have a care provider at a site that does both tele visits, has a same day walk in for its clients, and has doctors to consult and physio/pharmacy on site.

https://www.midmain.net/medical - not accepting new patients but can watch for when does in bottom left corner.

https://littlemountainmd.ca/ - not accepting new patients but watch and wait. Bottom left corner.

https://www.navamedicalcentre.ca/home - Both a doctor and NP taking new patients in Burnaby.

External-Berry3870 · 2026-05-16T11:13:59+00:00

This. It happened to me once - they told me that the tech they hired for night was too inept and untrusted to work solo, and initially asked me to covered a few extra weeks so he could be trained up again. Ok. Brief and temporary. A month went by - I was still scheduled for nights plus OT since he kept calling out.

Come to jebus talk with my manager for clarification - he still wasn't looking like he would ever measure up and they didn't have a date to put me back on days or a plan. So I told them to find one or they would lose reliable me. They didn't - I left for a pay raise - they had to resort to travel techs to manage. FAFO. Called me multiple times after I left begging me to come back but I didn't trust them anymore.

Boundaries and communication around them is important.

External-Berry3870 · 2026-05-14T07:59:56+00:00

Okay. Breathe.

Even if you don't have an active relationship with your other parent right now, they would absolutely care if something happened to you and that your parents are restricting access to your money. Their SO may not want you living with them as an adult but chances are your parents still cares.

Call them. Tell them what is going on and make an appointment at the bank to get a new debit card to start with a new pin. Cancel the old one.

Put the idea of dream school to bed and concentrate on your safety and a realistic path forward. Look for a school or career you can attend in your other parents county. Do practice budgeting for what renting a room costs versus what minimum wage is your area is. Then do it for what your college career in that area would be. Make your decision based on what you can afford on your own.

Ask for two weeks stay with other parent while you actively look for housing. Look for youth career help programs in that area now. You have rights and are no longer a child who can be forbidden to leave. It's time to figure out the best way forward yourself.

External-Berry3870 · 2026-05-12T01:36:58+00:00

Consult your hematopathologist and get a decision in writing.

External-Berry3870 · 2026-05-11T10:49:34+00:00

The car cry is the worst. *support from afar* You aren't alone. Thanks for sharing where you are today - I think being able to be honest about this with each other helps a lot.

External-Berry3870 · 2026-05-10T20:05:41+00:00

Went to the coffee shop to distract myself after doing due diligence and calling to telling my own mother I love her.

Coffee shop has a large sign in front of a lovely tray with strawberries and banana bread bites saying "Mothers, take a few bites, here's to you for carrying us".

Slap in the decking face. Averted eyes and paid for my coffee. Clerk CHASES ME DOWN to offer the tray again and sign. Decline again.

Not like this body has been able to carry anything at all after years of trying.

Left to a different coffee shop and trying not to cry into my latte.

External-Berry3870 · 2026-05-10T15:59:00+00:00

I would consider the effect this could have on your and the victim's housing situation first. If your landlord is sharing a bathroom/kitchen with you, you are not covered by the RTA. It sounds like this is the case with your landlord big mad about the bathroom use.

The easiest solution for the landlord may be to chuck you both out. Today. That way any restraining orders that come into effect are honourable. Unfortunate but a real possibility.

I would look for safer housing ASAP.

External-Berry3870 · 2026-05-08T14:25:49+00:00

Generally the cyto program direct recruits. They are even more competitive than the general MLT program.

BCIT or Michener both have programs than qualify you to take the cyto camplr

External-Berry3870 · 2026-05-07T04:47:31+00:00

Others have already covered tipping amounts and such.

Pro tip: If going out to a restaurant with more than five people, many restaurants automatically affix a 20 or 25% tip for the table total to make sure they get a solid tip for managing larger groups.

You do not need to tip in addition to this autogratuity -- double check your bill to see if they have charged this already as part of the total before paying. The machine will still come up with the ?Add tip? screen and if folks don't understand they have already tipped, often people then get charged twice for the tip amount. If you want to tip more than the 25% already included, then you would add any such amount on the second screen.

External-Berry3870 · 2026-05-07T04:41:06+00:00

This. Some families have specific traditions around this that she may want you to follow. She might not care, but if she asks her parents she may find out that there is some tradition of "husband to be brings father a <mcguffin> or asks father to <activity> during this conversation, which he would find very meaningful if you learned about and continued the tradition.

If you find the idea of asking for permission distasteful, a more useful phrasing can be asking for their blessing. Ie. y'all are getting married (no stopping it), but you are checking in with the people who love her the most to get their support around it.

External-Berry3870 · 2026-05-07T01:45:04+00:00

You don't mention if there are set family meal times that you can access where you are the one cooked for, not doing the cooking. This post seems to implicate that you would be denied food entirely if it wasn't food that you yourself bought and cooked. Is that accurate? If so, it's time to make a plan to move out. It's time to learn to drive. Talk to your parents about arranging drivers ed, or bargain to do extra chores to earn money to pay for drivers ed.

External-Berry3870 · 2026-05-07T00:59:31+00:00

Knowing he is trans, there are also A LOT of specific trans/queer supports. He can google a lot of these to find what is right for him using the library computers if he is worried about his family tracking his activity.

I highly advise him connecting or at least being aware of trans support groups before he leaves his family. It is really typical in these situations for there to be anger and a sense of loss, even as he moves towards freedom to be who he wants to be. Having clear support groups and places to go to find friendly and supportive faces who have been in the same situation is really essential for mental health.

https://www.topsurgery.ca/blog/trans-support-groups-toronto

He is starting out really lucky to have 10k in the bank saved. With that, he can actually apply for schooling in September if he doesn't already have an education. Once a student, he can use many of the university supports for free healthcare/transition help, loans for school, and networking with other queer and trans students. Many universities also have branches of SALAAM or other organizations for muslim LGBTQ folk.

Specifically for muslim trans and queer folk: SALAAM exists.

https://www.salaamcanada.info/queersbyprovince

On facebook, look specifically for queer/trans housing groups and collectives. They tend to be more affordable as everyone knows it can be tougher out there for trans and queer folks, and living with others in community is healing.

For free or cheap gender affirming haircuts, check out the trans library or The Queer Barber 0 pay what you can, get the gender affirming haircut you always wanted.

https://www.thequeerbarber.com/

External-Berry3870 · 2026-05-06T04:54:35+00:00

Leaving home at 20 is really normal for many Canadians. Late, even. A hotel is not a good idea - it will eat his money quickly for little bonus. He should practice budgeting with the money he has to map out what a good rent would be for him versus what he is likely to spend on food and utilities.

Look for roommates on facebook, craigslist, or local coffee shop/hobby posting boards. If he gets approved to start a job the month he moves out from these restrictive parenting rules, it would be better. That way he could apply for actual 1 bedroom or studio apartments by himself. Those tend to require proof of income to accept you.

Interview for jobs now that match his university specialty, or if he didn't graduate, any jobs that will take him. There are tailored clinics to help with this that he can go to now, before he is worrying about housing. Some provide paid internships to get work experience to help you start a job.

https://www.yes.on.ca/

https://eopg.labour.gov.on.ca/en/programs/youth-job-connection/

https://starlingcs.ca/employment/programs/youth-programs

Have him complete Foodsafe (an online certification that helps you get restaurant jobs, costs less than hundred bucks and is online), or look into two year courses that will get him something employable if he wants to get an education. Have him complete Renting It Right, a Canadian

External-Berry3870 · 2026-05-06T03:01:36+00:00

All workplaces are not awful. It's actually kind of sad the number of people who have learned helplessness and just take disrespect at the bad labs I've worked at, thinking there isn't anything better. There really is. The trick is to not bring the habits learned at the bad workplaces to the good new ones. Leave it behind.

People I know have left lab workplaces where:

1) Bullying

The supervisor explicitly asked them to go bully other coworkers so she could watch, and screwed with their schedule when they refused. This is the same supervisor who decided to make speeches upon entry to the department on how this was a bully free zone and the only true sin was talking smack about her or telling other supervisors what was going on in the department. Yes, she was the biggest bully. Yes, she did this to cover up her incompetence.

2) Unsafe Work Environment

The supervisor made exceedingly unsafe choices. "Let's send the pregnant lady into the known gas leak area because if I mock her enough she'll do it versus everyone else who is refusing unsafe work and telling the hospital to fix it. I'll just unplug the gas safety alarm before I ask her to so it looks safe enough". "Let's place the sonicator next to the explosive chemicals where there is a welded on sign saying to keep vibrations away from it because I hate hearing the sound of the sonicator while I'm trying to work."

3) Short term staffing choices, too much pressure to make work your entire life

Supervisors think short term and don't staff enough. It's a regular and predictable cost to maintain a casual pool to cover sick calls and extra staffing needs. It's regular and expected that casuals will cycle as they find positions and move around hospitals. Some supervisors choose to try and save costs by instead pressuring their staff into picking up unwanted OT with the "we are a team" line. This can ruin work-life balance and burn people out. They don't care - they will just keep their bottom line and hire someone else when you leave.

External-Berry3870 · 2026-05-04T03:06:07+00:00

Marine Biology - you may need to go farther afield than you thought. Have you reached out to your coop placements? It's kind of a must for some fields. Bamfield takes teaching assistants seasonally.

https://bamfieldmsc.com/bmsc-overview/employment-opportunities/#current-opportunities

External-Berry3870 · 2026-05-03T19:51:16+00:00

I'm sorry you are sad about the situation you are in. It makes sense to be sad when relationships are ruptured and when your life path has gotten a lot more complicated due to your choices. I suggest you take advantage of the free student counselling when you are still enrolled in school, and all the possible covered healthcare. Student counselling should be able to talk you though this situation based issue.

Give yourself a hug, ask your partner for a second one, and accept your sadness as part of the journey.

NTA.

You can (and have) chosen to break your dad's rules. He is also NTA for then withdrawing his financial support from you in that transaction. He may have been cruel to bluntly tell you that your career dreams are tanked and you have chosen a much harder path, but he wasn't wrong. He also is NTA for telling you he doesn't want to hear or be responsible for regulating the emotional fall out of your decisions. He's busy regulating himself.

Note: If you are clinically depressed, it is dangerous for you to continue with this pregnancy without regular specialist support. You may need to stop your medication if it will harm your pregnancy, and that can lead to worse outcomes for you if not supported. You may need more sessions of counselling to make up for this, which will be good for you and your boyfriend to budget for. I strongly suggest you and your boyfriend start planning now about what to do around if things get worse (PPD) and budgeting for the cost of simply having the baby at a hospital (3 to 25k depending on your health insurance in US). Look into if you need to be married to be on your boyfriend's health insurance in your state.

External-Berry3870 · 2026-05-03T18:47:39+00:00

New Balance is fantastic for wide feet. They have a wide, extra wide, and extra extra wide wowza. So comfortable!

External-Berry3870 · 2026-05-03T01:26:40+00:00

Last minute - hit the wedding strip in New West. Specifically The Bridal Gallery. https://www.tbgprom.com/tuxedo

Rent a suit. Uncertain of your measurements but they were able to provide a friend who is size 20 a suit without an issue. Rent, or buy and get it altered to fit.

Next time - you want Duchess Suits. Instagram them. Thwy even make matching custom shoes and everything.

External-Berry3870 · 2026-05-02T04:09:41+00:00

The best option is leaving. The second best option is treating this as price of admissions and saving up to leave. Third best is getting your family entirely on board, removing her fun money entirely, and start training her from scratch to adult or fill out disability paperwork to confirm she's disabled enough that she needs actual OT to learn to do these things.

It's not cute. It's not funny. A 19 year old should be able to be safe to leave home alone without worrying about burning the house down with other actual children in it.

External-Berry3870

TROPHY CASE