Travel changes one's perspective. I'm British born, raised in Britain the first 11 years, lived in Canada the next 20, went back to Britain as an adult, and now live in Canada again. The experience has made me appreciate things about each country I took for granted when I lived there.
There are two main reasons so many of our roads are so twisty: most of them were first laid down long before roadbuilding machinery; if they didn't start out as a rough track, they had to be cut by hand with pick and shovel, so they tend to follow the contours of the landscape, which made them easier to build, and was easier for horse-drawn vehicles. Secondly, they often follow property boundaries which go back to mediaeval or even Roman times. It's easy when you just have to bulldoze a straight line across a prairie!
A sign that you are becoming more British is at around 6:48 when you refer to the season as "Autumn" rather than "Fall". Several times in fact...and this was even when referring to Canada! Anyhow, another very interesting video from you Megan. I can totally relate to you about distances. The flip side of that is that here in the UK, folks will think it's a long way if you tell them you are driving somewhere more than around 45 mins away. Back in greater Vancouver it would take me longer than that just to get from home to the Canada / USA border before continuing on to Seattle...or even the Oregon Coast. Oh and welcome back to Blighty to you both. Almost forgot...and I don't want to come across as a bellend! 🇬🇧🇨🇦
Not saying it's right or wrong, but those workers are typically unionized and have better pay, benefits and a pension. I've never heard of servers being unionized, at least, not here in Canada, and they typically don't have good benefits or a pension, and the tips somewhat compensate for that
We tip bar staff in Scotland. You buy a round, you tell the bar person to have one for themself. They stick the price of the cheapest drink with alcohol in the tip jar. Or if you're up north, they just pour it, and drink it right there.
Alberta here. Calgary (nic name Little Toronto.) 20 % tip is too high. In the very high end restaurants the waitress, pooled their tips and split them up with the bus boys and dishwashers every few months or at the end of the tourist season. Made out like bandits. Really great in Banff and Jasper. Straight roads? You haven't seen straight until you drive some prairie. Your experiences are mostly Toronto culture shock. We all know Toronto is a thing unto itself so not Canadian culture shock . The centre of the universe. Ask anybody from Toronto.
I do not believe the tax thing is actually because it's harder to put tax on the price label due to local taxes. The tax is calculated in store, for each item, by the store. It would make NO difference in difficulty to them to calculate that BEFORE printing the price labels for the items/shelves, as opposed to afterward. Not having the actual payable price on an item means that it's much less possible to calculate your price as you go, and gets people accustomed to the price at the till being an unknown/more than expected. This is very likely to encourage people to spend more overall, as strict budgeting down to an exact price is almost impossible. All advertising could still be done nationally with the pre-tax price, with only a '+tax' added at the end. People would get it, it's still easier than adding tax on later. I really think shops want it this way so that people will spend more.
Lots to consider in this video. I find compared to the states, the server-guest interaction in Canada is just right. And it's true no-one complains about the tipping culture cause of the big bucks to be made! But I had a UK friend come and he was bothered by the tipping of the barmaid! Yet you're not expected to tip when you go for coffee. 🤔 Also great points on the fall, the roads can curve if you go into the mountains as I learned this year when driving in both the rockies and the laurentians but yeah not quite like Europe! And of course the drinking outside but Quebec's a little more chill on that.
Hello! Thanks for the comment :) Yes the liquor laws do vary depending on which province you're in, and Ontario is one of the stricter ones! I agree about tipping bar staff! We should make it universal amongst baristas too, or not at all.
I am a Brit and I have been to Canada three times - twice on east side and once BC.I advise anyone thinking about it to go and see its natural beauty. For me it was mesmerising the large look of everything valleys, rivers, lakes are all super-sized compared to the UK. The wilds of BC are breathtaking but the city life of the east of Canada, is like any other city really in any other country. Including the UK. LONDON UK, is well catered for and has plenty to see, and far more people than Ottawa or Montreal. For me the strength of Canada is its wilds not particularly its cities although Vancouver is beautiful it is part of BC where the wilds are and is attractive for a base. I hate the tipping culture as for me everyone should have a wage that reflects your employment and the price of the meal should cover it. Too much of Canada is US culture.
Thanks for sharing! I agree, the strength in Canada lies in its wilderness, not its cities! I think there is a healthy mix of both American and British/Euro culture in Canada. The important things such as healthcare are modelled after the UK, so I'm happy about that!
Yep. We tip 20%! I have been enjoying the VIA lately from London to home. Thank Colonel Talbolt.. abrit for those straight roads. One and one quarter mile! I always find twisty roads weird. Great video.
Having spent time in Canada 6 months at batus sufflied drove to vancover it took 30hrs but the upside was i got to see black bears in the wild and had a great time in Vancouver also visited Calgary and medicine hat
Motorways in GB are “deliberately designed” to have minor twists and turns built into the carriageways - the reason for this, some motorways might have been built over what was an existing roadway, where the original foundations might have had a few little bends along the highway etc and it would not be possible to alter it much - but with the decision of building new M ways, the civil and roadwork engineers, rather than planning routes from A to B and C etc as completely straight lanes of the motorway, they considered the rule of always incorporating slight bends into the highways, as it would be safer and a good way of ensuring the driver would be concentrating on studying the road layout whilst driving, as it would be all to easy to just “nod off” at the wheel if a driver was just having to move the car forward and not having to look ahead and having to be aware of when there would be a need to turn the steering wheel!
I think tipping in %ages is wierd. I used to BF ina little Vietnamese cafe, rhe prices were so low that a 20% tip was my minimum but when eating at an expensive restaurant 10% seems inappropritly high.
After a meal out, I always round it up to the next tenner, i.e. £82 meal -£90paid. as a gardener and forester, your autumnal experience shows you don't visit the countryside during Autumn. Visit an arboretum and open your eyes........ffs.
I am from Scotland and have always tipped 10-15% and my family and friends all do. I see lots of videos from North Americans talking about tipping culture. Many in UK and Euro countries tip. Its just not something that is seen as 'compulsory' as North America and is a choice
Hi Megan! Thanks giving in Canada!!! I didn’t know you had a thanks giving in Canada. I knew the US had a thanks giving for the start of the genocide of the indigenous population, but I know nothing of the Canadian thanks giving! Cheers Aah Kid!
i live in scotland and i have always tipped in a restaurant and how much depends on service/meal, and tipping the bartender is essential especially if you are drinking in the same pub/bar all night or have a regular pub/bar you go to as it always helps you to be able to jump the queue and get served first. And nothing is worse than standing at the bar for 15min+ waiting to get served by the end of the night that could be more than an hour waiting for drinks and not drinking with friends ... scotland also has these dumb laws of no drinking alcohol on the streets but it has saved a few lives by not having a bottle smashed over a head
interesting! When I was in Scotland they had the service fee like they do in England, but it's typically only 10% if I remember correctly. In Canada it's expected to tip 18-20% Yes I remember Scotland has stricter alcohol laws than in England. It certainly makes sense in a lot of ways!
I hate the "it's the current year" argument. But as an economist I forget, and continue to be shocked, that neither Canada or the US have a federally synchronized consumption tax where the price on the tag is the price you have to pay. Maybe Canada's political system favours the (bad) status quo just as much as the US Congress does. There have been dozens of proposals for tax reform but nothing ever happens.
True, but pretty much everyone Canada has been influenced by the US. It's unavoidable, as the US is ten times Canada's size, our single biggest trading partner by a mile, and we're right beside them. Essentially, Canada andnthe US share a common culture. In earlier eras, since we were a British colony and most of our immigrants came from the UK and Ireland, we were heavily influenced by British culture. However, this started declining rapidly after World War II, and ever since we've been increasingly integrated into the broader (North) American culture. Allowing for fairly minor differences, even the accents of most Canadians and Americans are similar. In short, it's inevitable.
The excessive tipping culture, very poor public transit, and sales tax not being included in the displayed price. Are downsides that Canada, unfortunately, took influence from and copied from the USA.
😂 Canada did look to Britain all its life and that fizzled out eventually when American money & power took over after WW II when decolonization started with the beginning of the end of the British empire! Canada still has Britain’s monarch as its head of state and the Westminster system of government (yeah, something like 3 PMs in 6 months in the UK & none elected by the people) but it’s future (and Britain’s future especially after Brexit) can only be protected by the USA!… Yeah the British pound is falling precipitously against the dollar and the euro is now worth less or equal to the dollar!… Yep, when there is trouble around the world, everybody comes running to good old Uncle Sam!… That hasn’t changed!
In Canada, because we have a federal system with 10 provinces and 3 Territories, you can't put one price on a product with the tax built in, because each province has a different rate of provincial sales tax on top of the federal tax.
@@terryomalley1974 Yer I already know the reason why. Same as how different states in the USA have different sales taxes. But the USA and Canada are the only countries in the world which do it that way. To the rest of the world, it just looks so dumb and inconvenient. In all other countries, sales tax rates are set at a national standard percentage rate. Therefore the sales tax rate is the exactly same everywhere in the country and is always included in the total displayed price.
i'm in london now after not being here for a while, in some hotel in Ealing and oh my god it is DEPRESSING. I get London has a lot of cultural heritage and a 'vibe', but it's just not worth the utter depression the city emanates
The tipping culture seems to be entirely a US influence. There, 'tipped' workers (mainly servers) are only entitled to $2.13 per hour by federal law and are expected to make it up to the minimum wage in tips. If they fail to do so, theoretically the restaurant is supposed to make up the difference but in practice - should you draw attention to the issue you'll be written up and/or fired as your lack of tips is taken as proof that you are bad at your job (even if its actually due to matters outside your control like there simply not being enough customers). If you pay all workers a living wage, there is no need for a near-mandatory tipping culture. The disturbing 'pan-am' smiles and constant attention that results from that culture is off-putting - let alone having to endure a round of arithmatic at the end of a meal. (Not to mention the horrific harassment that servers end up enduring because they need tips to survive, better to live and work somewhere that believes that even if you're poor - you're still entitled to human rights.) The driving culture also seems to be anti-poor as the lack of public transport in the US and Canada (as well as the negative judgement against people who don't have cars) makes life so much more difficult for those who simply cannot afford to drive.
I love Canada however having stayed there for about a year I couldn't wait to come back..The last point being the main one.. Canada has some pretty archaic licensing laws.. I've always been a fan of pay your staff well and they will stay.. Relying on tips throughout a year would/could be very up and down. Imagine if Canada went through a major covid, which probably will happen, thing again no customers no tips extremely horrible for staff!!! Great video Meghan 🙂
Exactly! For Covid a lot of people in the service industry were able to get emergency compensation from the government. I’d imagine they would do it again if Covid or another disease reared it’s ugly head. But I agree, restaurants should pay their staff well and patrons should tip as a bonus for good service, not to subsidize wages 👍🏻
Travel changes one's perspective. I'm British born, raised in Britain the first 11 years, lived in Canada the next 20, went back to Britain as an adult, and now live in Canada again. The experience has made me appreciate things about each country I took for granted when I lived there.
Love this! Thanks for sharing. Travel certainly changes one's perspective.
I live in London and had no problem walking around Toronto,l loved it 😀👍
It is really annoying when waiting staff keep interrupting diners. If I need some help, I will ask for it.
There are two main reasons so many of our roads are so twisty: most of them were first laid down long before roadbuilding machinery; if they didn't start out as a rough track, they had to be cut by hand with pick and shovel, so they tend to follow the contours of the landscape, which made them easier to build, and was easier for horse-drawn vehicles. Secondly, they often follow property boundaries which go back to mediaeval or even Roman times. It's easy when you just have to bulldoze a straight line across a prairie!
ahh that makes sense! Thanks for that!
A sign that you are becoming more British is at around 6:48 when you refer to the season as "Autumn" rather than "Fall". Several times in fact...and this was even when referring to Canada! Anyhow, another very interesting video from you Megan. I can totally relate to you about distances. The flip side of that is that here in the UK, folks will think it's a long way if you tell them you are driving somewhere more than around 45 mins away. Back in greater Vancouver it would take me longer than that just to get from home to the Canada / USA border before continuing on to Seattle...or even the Oregon Coast. Oh and welcome back to Blighty to you both. Almost forgot...and I don't want to come across as a bellend! 🇬🇧🇨🇦
yes I did, didn't I! I still do sometimes say fall though. It hasn't completely left me! aha :) Thank you! aha of course you're not a bellend! xD
That was a nice comparison and is a good cultural update regarding these countries.
thanks Parkash! :)
Why should servers get tipped ..but not bus drivers …nurses …firemen ??????
Not saying it's right or wrong, but those workers are typically unionized and have better pay, benefits and a pension. I've never heard of servers being unionized, at least, not here in Canada, and they typically don't have good benefits or a pension, and the tips somewhat compensate for that
We tip bar staff in Scotland. You buy a round, you tell the bar person to have one for themself. They stick the price of the cheapest drink with alcohol in the tip jar. Or if you're up north, they just pour it, and drink it right there.
Oh really? I didn't know that! I'll have to remember that next time I go to Scotland 😊
@@MeganRuth If you're just buying a couple of drinks, don't. But do return your empty glasses to the bar! You don't always have to tip with money.
I'm Canadian but I spent 8 years in Scotland (10-17 years old) so I agree 100%!!
Alberta here. Calgary (nic name Little Toronto.) 20 % tip is too high.
In the very high end restaurants the waitress, pooled their tips and split them up with the bus boys and dishwashers every few months or at the end of the tourist season. Made out like bandits. Really great in Banff and Jasper. Straight roads? You haven't seen straight until you drive some prairie.
Your experiences are mostly Toronto culture shock. We all know Toronto is a thing unto itself so not Canadian culture shock . The centre of the universe. Ask anybody from Toronto.
I do not believe the tax thing is actually because it's harder to put tax on the price label due to local taxes. The tax is calculated in store, for each item, by the store. It would make NO difference in difficulty to them to calculate that BEFORE printing the price labels for the items/shelves, as opposed to afterward.
Not having the actual payable price on an item means that it's much less possible to calculate your price as you go, and gets people accustomed to the price at the till being an unknown/more than expected. This is very likely to encourage people to spend more overall, as strict budgeting down to an exact price is almost impossible.
All advertising could still be done nationally with the pre-tax price, with only a '+tax' added at the end. People would get it, it's still easier than adding tax on later. I really think shops want it this way so that people will spend more.
In the UK, if you look at notices on the street furniture you might see signs stating that drinking alcohol is not allowed in that particular area.
Lots to consider in this video. I find compared to the states, the server-guest interaction in Canada is just right. And it's true no-one complains about the tipping culture cause of the big bucks to be made! But I had a UK friend come and he was bothered by the tipping of the barmaid! Yet you're not expected to tip when you go for coffee. 🤔 Also great points on the fall, the roads can curve if you go into the mountains as I learned this year when driving in both the rockies and the laurentians but yeah not quite like Europe! And of course the drinking outside but Quebec's a little more chill on that.
Hello! Thanks for the comment :) Yes the liquor laws do vary depending on which province you're in, and Ontario is one of the stricter ones! I agree about tipping bar staff! We should make it universal amongst baristas too, or not at all.
I am a Brit and I have been to Canada three times - twice on east side and once BC.I advise anyone thinking about it to go and see its natural beauty. For me it was mesmerising the large look of everything valleys, rivers, lakes are all super-sized compared to the UK. The wilds of BC are breathtaking but the city life of the east of Canada, is like any other city really in any other country. Including the UK. LONDON UK, is well catered for and has plenty to see, and far more people than Ottawa or Montreal. For me the strength of Canada is its wilds not particularly its cities although Vancouver is beautiful it is part of BC where the wilds are and is attractive for a base.
I hate the tipping culture as for me everyone should have a wage that reflects your employment and the price of the meal should cover it. Too much of Canada is US culture.
Thanks for sharing! I agree, the strength in Canada lies in its wilderness, not its cities! I think there is a healthy mix of both American and British/Euro culture in Canada. The important things such as healthcare are modelled after the UK, so I'm happy about that!
@@MeganRuth Yes I agree, at least you kept the heathcare system👍😉
We have a common North American culture.
Plus unique differences in culture within each country
Yep. We tip 20%! I have been enjoying the VIA lately from London to home. Thank Colonel Talbolt.. abrit for those straight roads. One and one quarter mile! I always find twisty roads weird. Great video.
Having spent time in Canada 6 months at batus sufflied drove to vancover it took 30hrs but the upside was i got to see black bears in the wild and had a great time in Vancouver also visited Calgary and medicine hat
Motorways in GB are “deliberately designed” to have minor twists and turns built into the carriageways - the reason for this, some motorways might have been built over what was an existing roadway, where the original foundations might have had a few little bends along the highway etc and it would not be possible to alter it much -
but with the decision of building new M ways, the civil and roadwork engineers, rather than planning routes from A to B and C etc as completely straight lanes of the motorway, they considered the rule of always incorporating slight bends into the highways, as it would be safer and a good way of ensuring the driver would be concentrating on studying the road layout whilst driving, as it would be all to easy to just “nod off” at the wheel if a driver was just having to move the car forward and not having to look ahead and having to be aware of when there would be a need to turn the steering wheel!
Thank you! I never thought of that, but it makes perfect sense! More twists and turns are sure to make the driver more aware.
I think tipping in %ages is wierd. I used to BF ina little Vietnamese cafe, rhe prices were so low that a 20% tip was my minimum but when eating at an expensive restaurant 10% seems inappropritly high.
After a meal out, I always round it up to the next tenner, i.e. £82 meal -£90paid.
as a gardener and forester, your autumnal experience shows you don't visit the countryside during Autumn. Visit an arboretum and open your eyes........ffs.
Have you lived outside of Ontario in Canada?
I am from Scotland and have always tipped 10-15% and my family and friends all do. I see lots of videos from North Americans talking about tipping culture. Many in UK and Euro countries tip. Its just not something that is seen as 'compulsory' as North America and is a choice
Hi Megan! Thanks giving in Canada!!! I didn’t know you had a thanks giving in Canada. I knew the US had a thanks giving for the start of the genocide of the indigenous population, but I know nothing of the Canadian thanks giving!
Cheers Aah Kid!
i live in scotland and i have always tipped in a restaurant and how much depends on service/meal, and tipping the bartender is essential especially if you are drinking in the same pub/bar all night or have a regular pub/bar you go to as it always helps you to be able to jump the queue and get served first. And nothing is worse than standing at the bar for 15min+ waiting to get served by the end of the night that could be more than an hour waiting for drinks and not drinking with friends ... scotland also has these dumb laws of no drinking alcohol on the streets but it has saved a few lives by not having a bottle smashed over a head
interesting! When I was in Scotland they had the service fee like they do in England, but it's typically only 10% if I remember correctly. In Canada it's expected to tip 18-20%
Yes I remember Scotland has stricter alcohol laws than in England. It certainly makes sense in a lot of ways!
Drinking on thestreet is banned in England but is rarely enforced
@@petew5289 “band”? What musical band is that or banned?
@@petew5289 Du meine Güte! Warum, um Himmels willen, sollte ein Land ein solches Gesetz haben??
Von Freiheit scheint man da nicht viel zu halten...
I hate the "it's the current year" argument. But as an economist I forget, and continue to be shocked, that neither Canada or the US have a federally synchronized consumption tax where the price on the tag is the price you have to pay. Maybe Canada's political system favours the (bad) status quo just as much as the US Congress does. There have been dozens of proposals for tax reform but nothing ever happens.
Come on! Canada is not just Ontario.
Someone other that yourself assesses the service you received by defining the tip size?
Years ago when I used to drink I used to buy the barmaid a couple of drinks
that was nice of you!
This is just a promo for Canada I’m not complaining but this isn’t a culture shock this is a video promoting Canada
If it was just about promoting Canada I wouldn’t have the negatives (tipping culture etc) included in the video 😂
she's not an indian immigration consultant
Tipping culture comes from America. They would let the "coloured " folks provide services for tips.
True, but pretty much everyone Canada has been influenced by the US. It's unavoidable, as the US is ten times Canada's size, our single biggest trading partner by a mile, and we're right beside them. Essentially, Canada andnthe US share a common culture. In earlier eras, since we were a British colony and most of our immigrants came from the UK and Ireland, we were heavily influenced by British culture. However, this started declining rapidly after World War II, and ever since we've been increasingly integrated into the broader (North) American culture. Allowing for fairly minor differences, even the accents of most Canadians and Americans are similar. In short, it's inevitable.
You only have London transit to compare to. I lived in New York City for 5 years and Toronto transit is 500% better.
The excessive tipping culture, very poor public transit, and sales tax not being included in the displayed price. Are downsides that Canada, unfortunately, took influence from and copied from the USA.
yes indeed! I think Canada needs to look more to Britain in these areas...
😂 Canada did look to Britain all its life and that fizzled out eventually when American money & power took over after WW II when decolonization started with the beginning of the end of the British empire! Canada still has Britain’s monarch as its head of state and the Westminster system of government (yeah, something like 3 PMs in 6 months in the UK & none elected by the people) but it’s future (and Britain’s future especially after Brexit) can only be protected by the USA!… Yeah the British pound is falling precipitously against the dollar and the euro is now worth less or equal to the dollar!… Yep, when there is trouble around the world, everybody comes running to good old Uncle Sam!… That hasn’t changed!
In Canada, because we have a federal system with 10 provinces and 3 Territories, you can't put one price on a product with the tax built in, because each province has a different rate of provincial sales tax on top of the federal tax.
@@terryomalley1974 Yer I already know the reason why. Same as how different states in the USA have different sales taxes. But the USA and Canada are the only countries in the world which do it that way. To the rest of the world, it just looks so dumb and inconvenient. In all other countries, sales tax rates are set at a national standard percentage rate. Therefore the sales tax rate is the exactly same everywhere in the country and is always included in the total displayed price.
London is not a true reflection of living in the UK try Manchester or Newcastle 😊
They have to flip tables abroad to get their tips but not here, we tip if we hmget good service if we want to
Being in a large, sparsely populated land mass is not culture, it's geography.
🙄
I'm curious, have you guys always been dating or was this a gradual thing?
it was gradual :)
Yeh, I would pay them to leave me alone, ngl.
Who`d move from Canada to the UK unless they had to ? `Not saying the lass is on the run, a wanted woman, of course....
Nature in Canada is definitely better, London is convenient but way too many crazy people here
i'm in london now after not being here for a while, in some hotel in Ealing and oh my god it is DEPRESSING. I get London has a lot of cultural heritage and a 'vibe', but it's just not worth the utter depression the city emanates
Haha awesome video
thank you! :)
To appreciate Canada you probably have to like being outdoors, it's maybe not a place for urban dwelling Brits
Well, it’s certainly not for urban dwellers from Asia.
The tipping culture seems to be entirely a US influence. There, 'tipped' workers (mainly servers) are only entitled to $2.13 per hour by federal law and are expected to make it up to the minimum wage in tips. If they fail to do so, theoretically the restaurant is supposed to make up the difference but in practice - should you draw attention to the issue you'll be written up and/or fired as your lack of tips is taken as proof that you are bad at your job (even if its actually due to matters outside your control like there simply not being enough customers). If you pay all workers a living wage, there is no need for a near-mandatory tipping culture. The disturbing 'pan-am' smiles and constant attention that results from that culture is off-putting - let alone having to endure a round of arithmatic at the end of a meal. (Not to mention the horrific harassment that servers end up enduring because they need tips to survive, better to live and work somewhere that believes that even if you're poor - you're still entitled to human rights.) The driving culture also seems to be anti-poor as the lack of public transport in the US and Canada (as well as the negative judgement against people who don't have cars) makes life so much more difficult for those who simply cannot afford to drive.
I love Canada however having stayed there for about a year I couldn't wait to come back..The last point being the main one.. Canada has some pretty archaic licensing laws.. I've always been a fan of pay your staff well and they will stay.. Relying on tips throughout a year would/could be very up and down. Imagine if Canada went through a major covid, which probably will happen, thing again no customers no tips extremely horrible for staff!!! Great video Meghan 🙂
Exactly! For Covid a lot of people in the service industry were able to get emergency compensation from the government. I’d imagine they would do it again if Covid or another disease reared it’s ugly head. But I agree, restaurants should pay their staff well and patrons should tip as a bonus for good service, not to subsidize wages 👍🏻
do not tip.