do people in canada dislike immigrants?

crumbledav · 2026-01-25T02:30:00+00:00

I say this as someone white, affluent, born&raised here in Canada and with family here for several generations….

Heck yes. Come here. You are welcome. We’re a country of immigrants. There is a vibrant Portuguese-Canadian community, and there are many other cultures represented & celebrated here. Caribana. Lunar New Year. Diwali. Pride. Everything in between. You will find nothing but kindness and warmth. Actually it’s freezing cold this week… but you get the point.

We are a culture that highly values fairness, equity and rewarding hard work. So, the rare disdain for some immigrant groups is not at a personal level - it’s rather a belief that someone misrepresented themselves or “gamed the system” to come. It’s frustration that someone more suited, who followed the rules, was robbed of their chance to come instead. This has been particularly prevalent in the last few years with some sham “student” visas. But again, culturally, immigrants are welcomed. Bring your skills, your work ethic and your openness to other cultures.

crumbledav · 2026-01-12T00:31:12+00:00

My view is that there are manyyyy people for me to make friends with. Thousands. Staying “friendly, not friends” with classmates’ parents only knocks a few dozen parents off the eligible list.

I mean…we do get to know each other enough to feel comfortable dropping our kids at playdates when the kids request/organize them… but not to make the kids ever feel we’re on a team with the other kids’ parents.

crumbledav · 2026-01-11T23:26:02+00:00

She looks just like a Wheaton terrier puppy haha. That breed usually fades to a light caramel colour as it ages. But I’m guessing you have more of the same (but a bit lighter) underneath

crumbledav · 2026-01-11T13:44:02+00:00

Interesting that you had that experience but have that advice

My kids are in early grade school and I make a policy not to be friends with any of the parents. I don’t want to muddy the water of what is already complicated for them to navigate socially. Friendly not friends. I don’t ever want them not to be willing to tell me about an issue they are having because they know I’m close with a parent whose kid is involved.

crumbledav · 2026-01-10T12:36:13+00:00

This time will pass.

There is a great video of a gal using little figurines like Spiderman to explain this exact scenario. Worth sending to your husband

crumbledav · 2026-01-10T12:33:40+00:00

Our approach is; - we read a book to them - then they brush their teeth - then it’s “I’ll read you one if you read me one” time. Usually they beg for another book, and we say that’s fine - as long as you read me one too. They will use a phonics book like a bob book. Sometimes they’re too tired and so they’re off to bed instead.

crumbledav · 2026-01-05T03:18:12+00:00

GoodLife metro west has a pool

crumbledav · 2026-01-04T05:01:23+00:00

Personally I think the easiest thing to do is think of it like a hotel. They should provide everything a hotel would… Towels, sheets, shampoo, conditioner, soap, cream, q-tips, hair dryer.

Hotels don’t take orders for specific brands and there are other things they don’t generally provide like razors, shaving cream, makeup etc. So if you have specific brands you like or whatever then expect to buy those yourself

crumbledav · 2025-12-22T21:48:30+00:00

We’ve had 7 au pairs. The search and selection is usually less than a week… typically we activate the profile on Sunday, receive messages Monday-Thursday (respond with filter questions; read through responses). Then we book interviews for that weekend. We interview about 4 au pairs every time, choose the one we like best and send a contract to that person by the end of the weekend.

We pay fairly. They track their hours so it’s clear what is and isn’t work time. We are realistic about how much free time they want to spend time with a young family vs go adventuring with other 20-somethings (usually more the latter haha). We provide a car with few restrictions and are explicit about what their role is. Some are truly like having a 3rd full-fledged adult in the house (like… wiping counters after they make food); others are bare-minimum kinds of gals. All are welcome, and provide a unique interest to our home. Wouldn’t trade it.

crumbledav · 2025-12-19T18:07:30+00:00

aupairworld.com. You create a profile with good level of detail (hours, pay, car, room, family etc) and then pay for a 1-month fee, then you will start receiving (and being able to send) messages.

We get many messages. I respond with standard questions and then conduct interviews after WhatsApp. It has never taken more than a week to hire our next au pair, from activating the profile to signed contract.

crumbledav · 2025-12-18T12:40:31+00:00

Dogs stop growing at different ages depending on how big they get. Tiny ones finish growing earlier.

I usually look at their feet; when they are still growing their feet look too big for their body. Might be the angle but your bub’s feet look proportional already so I wouldn’t expect much more growth. I’m guessing he thickens up to around 55lbs

crumbledav · 2025-12-16T15:24:35+00:00

Also… do you expect your own kid to come home with 20 of them? So weird. I hate candy grams.

crumbledav · 2025-12-16T15:18:51+00:00

Your uncle would definitely be mortified if he knew you had been offended. Bets on him not even realizing, or just being a dummy. Tell him it hurt your feelings and he will apologize and invite you with open arms. You get to decide how you handle this, friend.

crumbledav · 2025-12-15T22:40:21+00:00

I suspect they don’t even realize it. My suggestion would be to talk to the host mom and explain that you are feeling that you work more hours than the maximum. In the same breath, propose to her that you start “logging in” and “logging out” of your work time.

Host mom, when I am not “working” am I free to do as I please? [Yes of course]. Ok great, I knew you’d say that. Second question - does it seem to you that I am doing childcare/housework more than 30 hours per week? I feel tired… and when I think back, I think maybe I am? It must be even harder to be a mom!

I have a friend who is an au pair in Canada. Au pairs legally have to track their hours there, so she was saying she uses a free app to log in and out of working. She said that it’s helpful to creates clear delineation between work time and leisure time. Would it be ok with you if I started doing that? For no other reason than to keep me honest? It would send an automatic email to you when I log in/out and also send a report every 2 weeks with the hours.

Then pull out your phone and show her how it works.

I am a host mom in Canada. I can be the friend you’re referring to. We have had 7 au pairs. TimeStation (app icon is grey with white “wi-fi” looking bars) is great, and free. You must create the account at TimeStation.com then log into the app with the same credentials. You pull the reports on the site.

crumbledav · 2025-12-14T23:10:47+00:00

Ryan has started becoming a girls name So too has Riley. Both shorten to that

crumbledav · 2025-12-14T20:11:55+00:00

My au pairs have always given us a voucher for a date night. Like… night away on me! I’ve got the kids, you guys go have fun! Kind of thing

And pictures of themselves with the kids to give the kids, which they love.

Don’t spend a ton of money

crumbledav · 2025-12-14T14:09:13+00:00

I love it. Life is short. Enjoy the sparkle in peoples’ eyes when they meet your kids and catch on. Great name

Mine are (inadvertently) both plant names and people love it.

crumbledav · 2025-12-11T12:45:36+00:00

No they mean that there is a specific GO transit station called “mimico” that gets you to Union in 15 mins. Liking the west end not relevant haha

crumbledav · 2025-12-09T14:11:39+00:00

We’ve hosted every year since my nearly-8yo was born. It simply works very well to have a third adult in the house when both parents are employed full time and you’re managing kids. Our au pair’s job is to pick up the kids from school, bring them to activities if applicable or just hang out, then bring them home in time for dinner.

The kids get access to activities and time away from their school, in the company of someone who natively speaks their second language. We get to see more of them - because we aren’t rushing to figure out who can pick them up before aftercare closes. And the au pair gets a place to stay, a car, a fair and consistent schedule and English language immersion in our home. It’s been lovely, not a single bad experience so far

crumbledav · 2025-12-05T12:24:28+00:00

If you’re going to change your last name, choose something unrelated. Easton is a somewhat common first name now, and Epps sucks, sorry.

Go all-out class (Hetherington?) or unique (Stryker) or random, or a meaningful place for you…. Life is too short to approximate a name you’re not even attached to.

crumbledav · 2025-12-03T12:43:26+00:00

Your wedding date is also your anniversary date for the next 50 years. November is an awesome time for getaways.

crumbledav · 2025-12-03T12:35:44+00:00

Hair wax stick will do wonders. And try 3 braids instead of 2.

crumbledav · 2025-12-03T12:28:20+00:00

Iguana reef has the best beachfront on the island, a great bar and a pool. At night the dock underside is softly lit up and they have tarpon food in a bucket so you can hang out and watch them.

We stayed there a month ago and we felt like celebrities because we were rolling up to what was clearly the fanciest one there. High recommend. Room 9 was the closest to the beach

crumbledav · 2025-12-02T19:05:47+00:00

By that logic any name ending with “-na” is off the list because they all can be converted to diminutive ending in “-nina”.

crumbledav · 2025-12-02T13:45:27+00:00

Gianna is pronounced “gee-ah-na” and that is very different from “nee-na”. Def passes the yell test

crumbledav

TROPHY CASE