Canada
 

Hi all is there anyone here from Canada

I'm in Canada. Perhaps we know people in common.

Sort of
 

Well, I *lived* in Canada once. And I have relatives in Vancouver and Edmonton.

My dad was born in Moose Jaw and I ski Blackcomb. Does that count? :-)
Sandy

I was thinking that becuase there are so many of us in Vancouver, we should all have a get together.

Hey Keith did you ever hear of the SEB program by HRDC
I am assuming your are not currently employed

I live in Canada too! Do you know Bob Jones?

I know this Canadian guy who now lives in New Zealand. You guys must know him, Peter Sankoff? No? Hmm?

Honestly though I get that all the time. People think New Zealand is some small little island somewhere in the middle of the ocean....err..aahh..Ok I'll be quiet now.

Aaron

No, what is that program about? I am enthusiastic about putting money in my pocket and giving myself a meaningful future.

Off-topic. Hi Aaron, I was fortunate enough to get a chance to do some driving around the North Island a few weeks ago, and while I greatly enjoyed the country, I was disappointed by the apparent deforestation. Driving from Rotorua to Waitomo--basically, from one coast to the other--all one sees are sheep/cattle paddocks and mountains of pine farms (half shorn clean), with scarcely a patch of the dense native vegitation.

For being such an environmentally conscious country, I don't think New Zealand lives up to its reputation in the States as an unspoiled paradise. I noticed your sig and wondered what your take on it was.

These days I'm living in Canada as well, Vancouver. So if you want me to say, "hello" to anyone for you, just let me know. I also have this friend who lives in New Zealand. His dad was from Winnipeg (I'm from Winnipeg) and his father and my father had the same first name, they were born on the say day of the same year, they both got sick about the same time and passed away around the same time.

Hi Robert. Ahh so you were down here. Come through Auckland? If I'd known, would have been good to catch up.

Yeah, that's us alright. We're a major farming nation and so much of our native forest was removed for farmers. They complain that the rabbits and possums hurt the forest, but I think the humans have removed far more than them ;)

Although I don't have recent statistics, those from several years ago said that we do have one of the largest percentages of reserved land in the world though. I think it was about 20% or something. Not that I'm defending the other 80% ;)

Also a huge amount of our bush land is in the South Island apart from Cantebury where all the farmers are.

Yeah, the image of us being Clean and Green is an arguable one. We still use things like 1080 poison which is banned in a lot of countries. We have huge pesticide usage, and we even have dead lakes, killed by all the effluent that farmers dump into them.

I love the country though, as it is really beautiful and on such a small place you can visit so many different climates, but it's not the eco nation that it's portrayed as.

In Auckland we have one of the biggest rates of air pollution in the world. I think we have more than London.....Auckland 1 million people, London 19 million.

Cheers
Aaron

I'm in Canada too, halfway between Cape Breton Island and Winnipeg, in the oldest part of french Canada, Québec city.
Some visitors from Europe still think they could land in Montreal, go up the CN Tower in the morning, see the Rockies and Niagara Falls in the afternoon and drive back for dinner at the Chateau Frontenac in Québec. We're on a different scale, I guess.

Aaron, aren't you the guy who lives in the house in New Zealand. I've lived in both Canada and New Zealand does that count me in.

Aaron's not wrong when he says the majority of the forest is in the South Island. If you spend some time around Queenstown/Dunedin/Invacarrrrrgle you will see some of the most beautiful forrests in the world. BC Canada does a pretty good job of producing spectacular forrests. I lived a spell in Fernie and spent a bit of time hiking around the backcountry, absolutely breathtaking but very dangerous.

Hi Keith I am in the middle of this program here is how it works
1 You first complete a business plan through the YMCA a cost to you of 230.00$
2 Take the plan to coastal Business opportunities inc <http://www.cbdc.ca/english/news/2002/11/cbo.html>
3 It then is approved or denied by the board
4 If your business plan is approved you will get a self employment benefit of 300.00$ per week for 52 weeks plus the funding in the form of a loan you can borrow up to 500.000.00$
I am doing a buss plan right now I am looking for 6000.00$ for equipment
This is probably available in your area but under different organization
And in the first year you get free advise from lawyers and accountants and such