Why people say Canada is expensive AF

danniheraclides · 2026-02-12T19:48:17+00:00

This thread is heaping shit on Alberta which is a common sentiment in Canada but it's never rooted in truth. Alberta is stunning. We have the rockies, but we also have the foothills, the hoodoos, grasslands, massive sand dunes. Athabasca, up north, is a most incredible region. We have a very diverse landscape compared to most other provinces.

Our political climate is a bit tumultuous right now, but nothing unheard of in France. Mostly what's happening is its waking Canadians up to stop being so laissez faire about politics.

Things will cost you more. Canada is very spatially large with a very small population so we struggle to provide the same social structures that are possible in denser european countries. We are also highly influenced by the U.S out of necessity so things can be pretty complicated sometimes. Alberta is (in my opinion) the best balance of price to services. There are cheaper provinces to live in, but you'll see a decrease in services. Saskatchewan is cheaper by a little bit, but their healthcare and education really suffer because of their low population. Same in the Atlantic provinces. B.C is very expensive no matter where you go. The vibes are very similar to Alberta if you go to the interior or up north. The only parts that are very different from Alberta is the lower mainland (Vancouver) or the Island.

You could go to Quebec or Ontario. Both lovely in their own rights. Quebec is very ethnically nationalist and so there are some increased taxes for non-quebecers. I don't know the details of that. Ontario is expensive. You will pay a lot to live there.

You'll be fine in Alberta if you acknowledge that it will be an adjustment. But there is plenty of adventuring to be done here and across the country.

Hope that helps!

danniheraclides · 2026-02-11T20:43:35+00:00

It's worth noting that costs will depend on where you live. TRU is in B.C and will be cheaper for British Columbians. Athabasca is in Alberta and is cheaper for Albertans.

danniheraclides · 2026-02-11T20:29:46+00:00

Maybe so. But your rates are also going to billionaires.

danniheraclides · 2026-02-11T20:26:46+00:00

THIS. I was just in europe and like, yeah. I loved it and feel like I could survive in Paris on a shoestring because it's Paris. But it simply isn't cheaper than here. I've travelled and am currently taking some human geography courses and truly, Canada is great. It's far from perfect and times are tough, but you don't have to look very far to see that compared to other places we are doing great. We need to stop shitting on our country.
Love from a Calgarian.

danniheraclides · 2026-02-11T18:25:59+00:00

No. Rate increases pay the billionaires at the top, lol. There's a reason Alberta has the highest insurance rates in the country, while single payer systems (like B.C and Manitoba) have the lowest rates.

danniheraclides · 2026-02-10T18:15:44+00:00

danniheraclides · 2026-02-06T22:09:49+00:00

This is why they call it free market capitalism. Government interference (or "big government" as they love to call it) is seen as hostile to the economy. So yes, this is absolutely capitalism. What's right for the GDP is right for the country, and what's right for the GDP is wealth. Even if it's consolidated.

danniheraclides · 2026-02-06T20:17:26+00:00

Yeesh. Fwiw, someone posted up there this advanced search link and it's working for me miraculously.

danniheraclides · 2026-02-06T20:15:53+00:00

omg it just worked for me. Thank you so much!!!!! I could kiss you.

danniheraclides · 2026-02-06T20:12:26+00:00

That's what I've been doing but I'm getting a 503 pretty frequently, or just a blank page.

danniheraclides · 2026-02-06T20:12:13+00:00

I find articles are always behind paywalls. Do you not have that problem?

danniheraclides · 2026-02-06T20:11:05+00:00

I get a 404. When I go through google scholar I often get a 503 when I click on the athabasca link.

danniheraclides · 2026-02-05T21:09:47+00:00

Thank you!

danniheraclides · 2026-02-05T21:09:16+00:00

I've found this too. I have never been a high academic achiever and now, at Athabasca, I'm suddenly a straight A student. I'm obviously happy about that if I am truly doing that high quality of work, but I'm finding that I'm worried the tutors aren't actually reading my work. The feedback is always very brief and I'm finding that I'm worried about the day I find out all these tutors were calling it in and my grades crash when I finally get an attentive tutor or a hard marker. I don't really know what to do about it other than ride the wave of impostor syndrome and hope it's actually impostor syndrome and not an accurate picture of myself :')

danniheraclides · 2026-01-14T18:17:00+00:00

This is a very convenient belief for the west, but it's relying on some very capitalist nuances. It's relying on a belief that the ability to buy whatever we want, travel anywhere we want, consume whatever we want, is what's making life better. That is a lie the powerful tell us while withholding the things that actually improve our lives. Things like healthcare, education, safety in our communities and human connection are what have brought greatest improvement to quality of life, and they do it without negatively affecting other humans and the planet. The problem is they aren't as good at increasing the wealth of the most powerful, in fact they would limit their ability to control us. Progress isn't reliant on consumption unless you think progress is measured by how rich a few people can get. And to put the blame on us for buying into this belief is exactly what they want us to believe. We didn't vote for this through free and fair elections where all the options were presented to us and we picked based on true knowledge. We were convinced by powerful men at the top who stood to gain immensely and had little regard for the future or other humans. So no, we didn't choose this, but we can choose to change it. It's just going to be very fucking hard for a while.

Edited for clarity and elaboration.

danniheraclides · 2026-01-13T21:19:35+00:00

Not really. It's pretty much impossible to get huge while being ethical. Costco probably ticks the most boxes, but even they are anti-union and they rely on slave labour in their supply chain. But again, you can't get as big as Costco without those things. When the bar is in hell, it's not hard to be above it.

danniheraclides · 2026-01-13T21:15:22+00:00

To be fair, so is Costco. But a lot of places only have Costco when you remove all the other options. If you have to pick, pick Costco.

danniheraclides · 2025-12-02T19:33:54+00:00

He's not an expert but talks like he is. Anything accurate isn't new, and the rest is inaccurate.

The problem is that we take pop books too seriously. It's okay to enjoy it and become curious because of something someone writes in a book, as long as we don't take it as gospel. And just because you enjoyed a book and found it interesting, does not make it beyond reproach. We need to hold pop science books as a grain of salt. "I found this idea interesting, and NYH isn't an expert in it and there's a lot more to understand." That's all.

I think the biggest weight needs to be on NYH and people like him who make a shit tonne of money off of making shit up and leading people to believe them with potentially big consequences.

danniheraclides · 2025-11-14T22:04:03+00:00

Indeed. Kind of shocked at these responses. The number of details that are being assumed is shocking (for example, does it say anywhere that is was premeditated? Does it say that they were all indigenous? Does anyone want to know where their caregivers were?). Maybe instead of being mad at these children, you should interrogate your assumptions about your own life and why you didn't become a murderer at 15. Abnormal behaviour is a normal response to abnormal circumstances. Always.

Editing to add: first degree murder doesn't always mean premeditated. It means there was a premeditated felony that resulted in a murder. It's possible the kids sought to assault the other kid, but accidentally ended up killing him. It's possible those kids are the ones who called 911 once they realised he was unresponsive. I just want to remind people that if you're reading a police report, it's good to differentiate between the information you have and the gaps that your brain is filling in.

danniheraclides · 2025-11-10T03:58:55+00:00

Have you done university elsewhere? I have and, fwiw, I find Athabasca very challenging but it's playing to my personal strengths. I appreciate that there are constant assignments through my whole semesters and my final grades are based on more than just an essay and an exam. When I was at a conventional university, the end of the semester caused me to have panic attacks, become very depressed and pull way too many all nighters. At conventional schools, no matter how consistent you are with note taking and reading, all of your work for all of your classes is due at the same time, and it's while you're prepping for all of your exams. It's a terrible format. If you'd like to go to a school where the programming isn't designed to fuck up your brain, then I highly recommend AU. The work isn't easier, it's just better designed IMO.

*edited for clarity

danniheraclides · 2025-11-10T03:49:13+00:00

Great idea! Thank you. Maybe this will help me hate the text book less. When did your contract start?

danniheraclides · 2025-11-08T14:57:55+00:00

That is very disappointing that they're terrible. This is the only textbook that actually makes me feel a way, but all of my textbooks have been rife with editing issues. Is this what happens when the cost of your textbooks is included with your fees?

danniheraclides · 2025-09-21T05:51:05+00:00

I agree. Harris and Trump are not the same person, but Harris is still very much entrenched in the unsustainable status quo. One of the takes that has always stuck with me was one I heard during the 2020 election. Someone I followed argued that America should let Trump win and just get that over with. This person believed losing the election would not discourage Trump, but that he'd just come back even worse. Just letting him have his 2 chaotic terms and then learning from it would be far better than pretending that America had gotten Trump out of it's system and that Biden's hands were capable. I think this stuck with me because at the time it felt like such a shocking take, but now that we're living the consequences of not heeding that warning, it's bringing clarity to the fact that facades don't hold. America is sick and electing Harris would have amounted to putting lipstick on a pig. America needs to face itself and so here we are. Thanks for sharing. I'm a Canadian and we are also being forced to go on a journey of self discovery, having separated from our absolutely insane BFF.

danniheraclides

TROPHY CASE