As the UK implements massive cuts to save the economy – it is quite sobering by contrast to prosperous Canada from where I have just returned.

Spending time in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal one is struck by the enormous amount of construction going on – not just in housing, but in roads and other infrastructure such as the massive rebuild of the newly twinned Portmann Bridge in New Westminster BC and the expansion of the highways all the way from the city to Maple Ridge and beyond. The traffic jams in every direction make this self evident as well. (Of course my immediate and very European response is why aren’t they building railways?  Canada is not by any measure very green orientated and very fixated on the car and suburban expansionism.  Toronto is a little better with a train and subway system as is Montreal with an effective subway system, but the car rules their cities and the jams are huge.) *This is what it will look like when finished

Although every Canadian you meet complains loudly about the new harmonisation tax which is added to everything you buy (12.5%) and it is hugely irritating, it pales behind the VAT we pay in Europe (but hardly notice as it is built in to every price).  Furthermore they are only paying around $1.10 cents for a litre of gas contrasted to the UK where we pay the equivalent $1.80 a litre which gives them quite an edge in competitiveness. 

Whilst I was in Vancouver the Government statistic office revealed the average price of a home in the city was $667,000 dollars (£444,000) which comes as quite a shock and is actually more than living in London right now.  By contrast in Montreal it is $240,000 (£160,000) and the cold winters aside, Montreal offers a pretty sophisticated way of life and better value for money.  I had never been in Quebec before and was worried that everyone would only respond to speaking French, but in fact in Montreal, at least, everyone speaks English and have little resentment at one's bad French.  Café society is well entrenched – hardly a Starbucks to be found in the neighbourhoods and the restaurants are pretty darn cool. (And crowded – did I mention how prosperous Canada is right now?)

We were staying at my niece and her fiance's loft apartment behind the giant Ubisoft building off St Laurent Boulevard (Where hundreds of pretty normal looking employees develop Assassins Creed and other violent games). In true French style they all stream out of the building for lunch at 12 and you can spot game developers smoking furiously on the sidewalks all around the building most hours during the day.  Yes everyone smokes in Montreal, which is the least attractive aspect of the city.  Yet here is a great neighbourhood, among many great neighbourhoods, with cool unique shops and cafés.  Favourite stores found were devoted to graphic novels or odd clothes and stuffed bunnies.  My pal Kit bought a neat dress with kitty cats on it.   You can get all the real fresh French pastries everywhere and you could see why Montreal is so civilised.  It is very different to Vancouver and the architecture immediately marks it out as East Coast and old. I guess Old Montreal is bit of a tourist pit, but I enjoyed Olive & Gormando which is a pretty unique lunch spot and highly recommended.
           
My hosts clearly pointed out the demarcations in Montreal. ‘This is where the English live,’ and here the French etc, but to be honest his divisions were invisible to me and with many Universities (McGill, Concordia, Université of Montreal as well as LaSalle College) there is a lot going on here.  We were taken to the F.A.C.E. school performance evening on the Friday. (A School for the Arts from early years right through to High School like FAME).  It was impressive. Kids singing and playing rock to higher standards than anything you’ll see on Pop Idol or X Factor and more mind boggling when you realise you are listening to 10 or 13 year olds giving their all with confidence.  If I had kids I’d really want them to go there. Amazing and I’m just a tad jealous considering how dull English schools are.

Tab & Kit in Toronto

Toronto was busy.  We dined at the Drake on Queen West (oh so hip with tattoo artists in the upstairs bar) and explored all the coffee shops on King and Queen streets. Favourite place was Gallery 44, a kind of co-op for artists I guess.  Again we were struck by the vitality of the arts and the talent shown in photography, literature and pretty well every medium.  I think there is more creativity going on in these three cities than the whole of the UK and the indie coffee shops thrive too. Kit was happy to discover all the coffee shops on Queen Street and we met up with Tabytha Towe, one of Hackwriters earliest contributors, who helps keep the Drake Hotel's cool restuarant running smoothly. She was busy packing for a quick trip to Cuba. Just a few hours away by air.*She has promised me a feature on Cuba. We took the road to Montreal. My miscalculation I think. We should have gone by train as we didn't use the car once when we got to Montreal. If you do this trip make enquiries about the train, it's is cheaper and you don't have to pay the $31 bucks a day insurance on a hire car that really drives the cost up.

We enjoyed the shopping on St Catherine Street too. Simon's Department store in particular and of course Chapters bookshop, which has such an incredible range.  In winter everyone shops in the underground malls but I think I’ll stick to above ground weather for my future visits.  One can’t leave Montreal without mentioning the ‘Mountain’.  Our host kept referring to it, and Kit and I were looking for a mountain, failing to notice this little hill above the town (where the rich English live).  Eventually we joined the whole city that had driven up there on Thanksgiving Day to check out the view.  Mont Royal was in fact why the Montreal location was chosen so they could see the British coming…  Some pretty lavish homes overlook the city.  Take the drive.

My sister is living in an area I had always ignored, Pitt Meadows, and it was with surprise I discovered it was between two rivers (The Fraser and Alouette) providing great dog walks on both.  Some interesting adventures in architecture are going on by Mosaic the developers, but the lots are small which is kind of crazy when you think how big the whole country is. Image: The Alouette River with Golden Ears Nature Reserve in the background

I met the guy who has just brought a three-screen cinema to life there (The Hollywood) and was surprised to discover that the digital screening equipment comes from Belgium.  In fact I was shocked at how much it actually costs to re-equip a small cinema.  If you ever had a notion to revive one, you’ll get no change out of a million bucks that’s for sure.  But it’s good to see someone taking a risk. (For keen fans the Twilight films were partially filmed nearby in PoCo).

The moment I said I was back in Canada everyone said how cold it must be…  well the daytime temperature never fell below 20c the whole time I was there and some days it was closer to 25c.  Autumn in Canada is often like this and the fall leaves were spectacular. The boring drive between Toronto and Montreal was much like driving through an oil painting of extraordinary rich colours.  Wonderful. (Save for keeping an eye out for the speed cops who 'fly' overhead).

Canada thrives, the people are incredibly friendly and right now they are living a great life with huge promise.  Yes it is slightly depressing to return to the UK and face reality, but then again Canada has had rough times and this time they have everything right.   I suggest you check your points now and see if your skills are needed there.  I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. *Image: Granville Island from Go Fish

Toronto has a few reminders of its early years. The flatiron buidling here taken at twilight looks almost ridiculous against the giant towers behind, but I think it is essential to keep some of the past for their beauty or even if just to prove that buildings erected 100 years ago or more are a lot more durable than the towers that replace them. On our last day we nearly ran out of gas on our way to the Pearson airport. Flashing empty, Kit panicking as she anticipated we'd miss our flight, meanwhile we were in the biggest traffic jam (eight lanes across) I have ever seen, we finally found an escape road and got some gas in a scary area where everyone was super friendly actually. Rejoining the traffic jam we discovered it was caused by a truck overturning with 80 cows on board. Not a good day for cows in Canada and we just got there before they sold off our spaces on the plane. *all images taken by Sam North with a Nikon Film camera using Fuji 400 ASA