To Canadians and those who've stayed in Canada

[hanzj]

Hello,

1. What are some famous buildings in Canada?

2. What types of animals are famous as pets in Canada?

3. Are Canadian soccer players better or worse than Japanese soccer players?

4. Name dangerous places in Canada.

5. What are the differences in clothings between Canada and Japan?

6. What similarities are there between Japan and Canada? This question is left open-ended. Name any similarities you can think of.

7. What are some beautiful scenery in Canada?

8. What are houses like?

9. What do students (say, junior high school students) study?

10. How long do students study in a day?

[gmc]

Hello,

2. What types of animals are famous as pets in Canada?

Beavers and Moose. Seriously though, Canadian's have normal pets, cats, dogs, etc...

3. Are Canadian soccer players better or worse than Japanese soccer players?

Well, since you asked. Of course Canadian soccer players are better than Japanese players. What else would you expect me to say :-D

4. Name dangerous places in Canada.

Niagra Falls (especially if you are in a barrel). Or Northern Ontario where the Beavers and Moose roam free. Nothing like being attacked by a hungery beaver when your camping outdoors :-)

7. What are some beautiful scenery in Canada?

Pararies (Flat), Niagra Falls, Rock Mountains, East Coast (P.E.I., Nova Scotia shore lines). Geez, I could go on for a while on this one. Canada has just about every sort of scenery you can imagine.



:-) Hope that helps

Gord (@ Toronto, Canada)

[Stew2]

"Nothing like being attacked by a hungery beaver when your camping outdoors"

:D Too true! :D


edit: sorry, I couldnt resist :)

[hanzj]

7. What are some beautiful scenery in Canada?

the Northern Lights is one.

[kanem]

Just to nitpick: Skydome is where the BlueJays (baseball) and Argos (football) play. Raptors and Leafs play in the Air Canada Centre.

Another famous sports building is Maple Leafs Gardens mostly known for hockey but was actually the site of the first NBA game (New York Nickerbockers vs Toronto Huskies).

We need some non-Torontonians here..

Beautiful places? It's easier to ask where the non-beautiful places are in Canada. In the middle of some of the more industrial cities perhaps. But even then a short drive will get you to some amazing scenery. But if you want the stereotypical beautiful scene of snow-capped mountains and lakes then it's Alberta and British Columbia.

[Hygelac]

I think I can answer a few of those:


1. What are some famous buildings in Canada?
The CN Tower may be famous, but the only Canadian building I've ever seen in books that survey international architecture is Habitat '67 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitat_67). There are quite a few interesting buildings in Montréal which date back to Expo 67 and the 1976 Olympics; but I don't know how famous they are outside of Canada. I think the Château Frontenac (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chateau_Frontenac) and Notre-Dame Basilica (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre-Dame_de_Montréal_Basilica) are fairly well known too. Note that I've really only covered buildings in Québec with this list.


2. What types of animals are famous as pets in Canada?
Although it is not a pet, I'll add that the Canada Goose (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Goose) is right up there with the moose and the beaver.


4. Name dangerous places in Canada.
Another dangerous place in Canada is a snowmobile over a frozen lake in the spring.


5. What are the differences in clothings between Canada and Japan?
I think Canada and Japan are fairly similar in terms of contemporary clothing; but I have never been to Japan so I don't really know. Traditional clothing varies greatly though; here are links to pictures of a few examples (I could only find a few and they are not representative of everything!): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Coureur_de_bois.jpg, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Carlb-ansemeadows-vinland-01.jpg, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:ThomasDArcyMcGee.jpg,


6. What similarities are there between Japan and Canada? This question is left open-ended. Name any similarities you can think of.
I hear that the Japanese pension system is threatened due to low birth-rates and an ageing population. The public health-care system here is threatened for the same reasons (a diminishing source of funds for an increasingly large program).


7. What are some beautiful scenery in Canada?
That depends on what you find beautiful. For instance; if you like fjords and cliffs and rocks etc, there are some places in Newfoundland you would find nice (i.e.: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:114_1403.JPG); but as gmc said, the geographical variation here is considerable.


8. What are houses like?
I don't know how to answer this; what are you asking? Houses cost more in major urban centres, and house-size tends to increase with wealth. Wood is a common (essentially universal) building material. Brick and stone used to be much more common than they are now. Many modern (wooden) houses have fake exteriors of 'brick' and 'stone' (wooden poles are attached to the side of the house, and then the bricks/stones are attached to the poles; it's purely cosmetic).


9. What do students (say, junior high school students) study?
When I was in junior high (or as they called it: "Senior Elementary") we studied junior-high-level math, English, French, science (mostly simple physics), religion (it was a Catholic school), music, gym, and probably some other stuff that I now forget.


10. How long do students study in a day?
That depends on the student. In junior high I did very well without much study (an hour at most per day, if at all).

Does that help; and out of curiousity, may I ask why you want to know? I'm afraid that I know nothing about soccer so I cannot help you there.

[hanzj]

Hygelac said:
---
When I was in junior high (or as they called it: "Senior Elementary")

----
Interesting. So from grade 1 to grade 12 can you tell me how they name the divisions of schooling in Quebec? What grades are included in what division?
And is this special for Quebec only, or for other Eastern provinces?

I ask these questions because the natives in J-land want to know.

[Stew2]

I'm from a small town in Alberta and the snow capped mountains and turquoise lakes in the Rockies are a very beautiful site. I think the biggest diffrence you would notice is the abundance of space in Canada. We have a very small population considering the size of our country. If you want to see some beautiful images from Alberta, do a google search for "Banff" or "Jasper national park" and then click on <images> instead of <web> on the google page to see some breathtaking mountain scenery. The town I live in is about 5 hours by car to the mountains, my scenery around here is mostly prairie farmland :) .

Regards,
Stew

[Hygelac]

Interesting. So from grade 1 to grade 12 can you tell me how they name the divisions of schooling in Quebec? What grades are included in what division?
And is this special for Quebec only, or for other Eastern provinces?
I actually don't know how it is all divided here; I'll explain.
I was born in Newfoundland, where as I recall grades 1-3 are 'Primary,' 4-6 are 'Elementary,' 7-8 are 'Junior-High' and 9-12 (or maybe 9-13; I forget if Newfoundland had a grade 13 then) are 'High School.'
I did grades 5-9 in Ontario, which I think follows the same naming-convention as Newfoundland (grades 7-8 were usually called 'Junior-High' there too; it was just my particular school that called itself 'Senior Elementary' instead for whatever reason). At that time Ontario was in the process of eliminating its grade 13, and it now has a grades 9-12 high-school system.
I have been living in Québec since grade 10. High-school here is grades 7-11 (I don't know how 1-6 are divided), although those in grades 7-8 are often kept in a separate part of the building and have separate lunch-hours. Then there are two years of something called 'CÉGEP' after high-school. The first year is equivalent to grade 12 and the second year is equivalent to the first year of university (but MUCH cheaper). That means that when I enter my 'first year' of university in the fall it will actually be 'second year' from the perspective of students who come from out-of-province; and if I were to go to a university outside Québec, I would enter it in second-year.
Is that what you wanted to know?

EDIT: In Canada, education is under provincial jurisdiction, so I do not think that there are any national guidelines that specify the division of grades.

[Bragador]

Actually, the second year of cegep is not the equivalent of the first year of university.

It is still a general education and it is an extra year of education that people in the rest of the country don't have to do.

THEN we go to university and our university programs are as long as those in the rest of the country. So Quebecers are one year older when they go to university compared to the rest of the country but we have a wider general education.

[Hygelac]

Actually, the second year of cegep is not the equivalent of the first year of university.

It is still a general education and it is an extra year of education that people in the rest of the country don't have to do.

THEN we go to university and our university programs are as long as those in the rest of the country. So Quebecers are one year older when they go to university compared to the rest of the country but we have a wider general education.
How? Undergraduate degrees are 3 years here; aren't they usually 4 in the rest of Canada? For example, if I go to McGill in the fall I enter in Year One. I graduate after completing an additional Year Two and Year Three. Students from out-of-province must do a Year Zero before Year One. Also, most other Canadian universities accept CÉGEP credits as transfer credits for first year, which allows one to 'skip' the first year of university (because it has been done already). If these two things are true, then how is the second year of CÉGEP an 'extra' year?

[Bragador]

How? Undergraduate degrees are 3 years here; aren't they usually 4 in the rest of Canada? For example, if I go to McGill in the fall I enter in Year One. I graduate after completing an additional Year Two and Year Three. Students from out-of-province must do a Year Zero before Year One. Also, most other Canadian universities accept CÉGEP credits as transfer credits for first year, which allows one to 'skip' the first year of university (because it has been done already). If these two things are true, then how is the second year of CÉGEP an 'extra' year?

I find this all quite disconcerting. I'll have to double check to be sure but I've never heard of these "year zero".

Some programs are 4 years long or more (i.e. If you want to be a medical practitionner or teacher) but it's almost always 3 years for your bachelor's degree.

If we didn't have an extra year of scholarship in quebec, we wouldn't be using Cegeps and we would still be using the english system.

[nalmeth]

1. What are some famous buildings in Canada?
The hotel's out in Banff are quite famous, of course there's toronto's tower, etc

2. What types of animals are famous as pets in Canada?
Beaver's :p
No just regular dog's / cat's in urban area's, rural area's will have out-door pet's and such, i have friend's who have horses, and have friend's on farms.

3. Are Canadian soccer players better or worse than Japanese soccer players?
I have no fact's, but I think most countries could beat Canada at soccer. We're hockey player's.

4. Name dangerous places in Canada.
Rocky Mountain's can be quite dangerous. Just looking at wildlife there's cougar's, bear's and things of this nature. Urban center's are pretty safe, but have their crime/gang activity of course.

5. What are the differences in clothings between Canada and Japan?
Not too sure how to answer, but there is not a thriving, fast-paced fashion scene or anything. Maybe in Montreal/toronto/Vancouver, but it's all fairly normal. Hippies dress different than business men and farmers.

6. What similarities are there between Japan and Canada? This question is left open-ended. Name any similarities you can think of.
I don't think they share a lot of similarities at all. Canada is very spread out, and very open. There is a lot more space per individual, to look at it that way. They're very opposite in many ways.

7. What are some beautiful scenery in Canada?
ooh, the rocky mountain's, no doubt. I just did some hiking on the weekend in the mountains, and they still never fail to take my breath away. I love it out here.

8. What are houses like?
You would probably consider them quite big.

9. What do students (say, junior high school students) study?
Junior high is like grades 9 and 10 here. This is regular General Education, you don't study anything really specifically until you get to college, beside's picking a science or something like that.

10. How long do students study in a day?
Not long heh heh

I studied japan a bit back in school, and we spend FAR less time daily working with school. I remember that much for sure.

Doing a research project of your own?

[hanzj]

Hygelac,
thanks for telling us about Habitat 67. I've never heard of that place. I saw the pics. Looks amazing!

[CheshireMac]

Hello,

1. What are some famous buildings in Canada? CN Tower, Toronto City Hall, Sky Dome . . .all in Toronto

2. What types of animals are famous as pets in Canada? Pet moose (That's a joke . . .cats and dogs, same as everywhere else . . .although I do know a guy with a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig)

3. Are Canadian soccer players better or worse than Japanese soccer players? I'd have to say that Japan is better . . .but that's not our sport.

4. Name dangerous places in Canada. Toronto is ridden with violence lately . . .but it's still a nice city to visit . . .just don't get shot.

5. What are the differences in clothings between Canada and Japan? Japan seems to me to be more fashionable, where Canucks are oriented towards parkas and boots . . .except for me. I always look fantastic. ;)

6. What similarities are there between Japan and Canada? This question is left open-ended. Name any similarities you can think of. We have some Japanese people here . . .that's all I can think of. ~LOL~

7. What are some beautiful scenery in Canada? Niagra Falls, Rocky mountains, East coast shoreline, west coast shoreline, the women, and me. :D

8. What are houses like? Square . . .:S

9. What do students (say, junior high school students) study? Junior high has general courses (english, french, math[basic], phys-ed . . .)

10. How long do students study in a day? Approximately six-eight hours a day. Word

[fuscia]

stayed in the banff area for week. it's the most beautiful place i've ever been. we saw elk, mule deer, mountain goats, coyotes and even a grizzly bear.

[justaguynpc]

Can transplants from the US participate in this? LOL

[sanderella]

In Ottawa, the Houses of Parliament are like minature versions of the ones in London. Ottawa has some nice buildings, and also has the Rideau Canal where you can skate for 8 km without turning around.:)

[Luggy]

1. What are some famous buildings in Canada?
The Parliment buildings and CN Tower. I can't think of famous buildings but there are lots of musemus and places.

2. What types of animals are famous as pets in Canada?
Dogs and cats, not really famous but just the most common.

3. Are Canadian soccer players better or worse than Japanese soccer players?
Oh geez. I'd have to say worse. We don't care about soccer but Japan has qualified for the World Cup of a few times.
Go watch a hockey game instead ( btw Flames > Canucks )

4. Name dangerous places in Canada.
Winnipeg.


7. What are some beautiful scenery in Canada?
The Rocky Mountains, Niagra Falls are a few land mark kinda places. I would recommend just going out in the bush and seeing for yourself there is a lot of beauty out there.

8. What are houses like?
Four walls and a roof :p

9. What do students (say, junior high school students) study?
Math, science, english...

10. How long do students study in a day?
6 Hours maybe? It's been a while since I was in junior high.

[Omnios]

1. What are some famous buildings in Canada?

CN Tower. A lot of small towns etc have famous road side sculpters and things like airplanes mounted on a pedistal or giant golfballs or geese sculpters. Worst one I was was a Giant thermomitor commemerating the fact that the town had the coldest recorded temperature record at about -50 below.

2. What types of animals are famous as pets in Canada?

Snarling beavers lol. Joking. Dogs, Cats and Birds seem to see a lot of ferrents. You used to be able to buy tamed Wild Cats but I think they are illegal now Basicly a cat about the size of a dog. You can not buy a Monkey in Canada as they are also illegal.

3. Are Canadian soccer players better or worse than Japanese soccer players?

Ummm Canadian soccer?

4. Name dangerous places in Canada.

The great north if you get lost chances are that you will not run into other people.

5. What are the differences in clothings between Canada and Japan?

6. What similarities are there between Japan and Canada? This question is left open-ended. Name any similarities you can think of.

No Idea never been to Japan
7. What are some beautiful scenery in Canada?

Great north there are logging roads all over north western Ontario around Thunder Bay, some of the lakes and scenery is breathtaking and some of the well stocked fishing lakes are humongus. Beware of bears in the camp grounds though they will run from you. Keep food covered and garbage burried. Bring a lot of off the flyes and moscits are rediculas.

8. What are houses like?

Like in the states and there are some really nice ones. In far north country the main difference is a steeper foor for snow loads.

9. What do students (say, junior high school students) study?

Including my niece wierd stuff like sicology even though she does not want to work in the field. Her friend is a cook with years of school though she does not intend to work in the field, Some take lay and end up owning a small buisiness. This I find really wierd.

10. How long do students study in a day?

All day homework is a bitch, one hour here one hour there adds up to a lot of homework.

[mips]

Can transplants from the US participate in this? LOL

Nope, maybe they classify you under question number two :mrgreen:

Just kidding.

If you live there and feel you can contribute then why not ?

[justaguynpc]

Nope, maybe they classify you under question number two :mrgreen:

Just kidding.

If you live there and feel you can contribute then why not ?

Yep, I call Canada "home" these days. This is my 2nd winter, should qualify me for something, having left Florida after nearly 14 years. Call me crazy, eh?

Haven't seen too many sights though, am soon to be an "innkeeper" of a 120 year old Victorian in Muskoka, Ontario. The renovation has taken 2 1/2 years so far, and isn't quite finished yet.

Looking forward to the lakes after the ice "goes-out".

Cheers! :)

[mips]

Call me crazy, eh?


Certifiable. Are you mad, what were you thinking swapping the heat for the cold ?

[Omnios]

Up here in Canada we have people that are refered to as "Snow Birds" They live here during the summer and head to Florida for the winder months. Some have huge motor homes and others own condos there.

[sanderella]

Up here in Canada we have people that are refered to as "Snow Birds" They live here during the summer and head to Florida for the winder months. Some have huge motor homes and others own condos there.

Wish we could afford it:(