Readers write to us... Life in Canada

Readers write to us...

Allow me to list the advantages of Russia after living in Canada.
1. Taxes in Russia are on a five-tier scale, from 13 to 22%. There are none for low-income people.
In Canada, it is 14% for low-income people and 43% for everyone else. 
2. Healthcare in Russia is available to everyone; there is free and paid care (by choice). Calling an ambulance is free. Hospital stays are free. A doctor comes to your home; vaccinations for children are free. In Canada, an ambulance call costs 318$, there are no clinics, only hospitals, and my record wait time was 11 hours. Waits for a specialist appointment range from 6 months to 1.5 years. Vaccinations for children are the parents' responsibility. They find a doctor themselves, pay, and get them done. One day in hospital costs 350 and up. All medications are paid for. 
3. Kindergartens in Russia are free for low-income and large families; you only pay for meals (next to nothing). School is free too. In Canada, one day at daycare costs from 35 to 150$. It's a 20-square-meter room; children sleep on the floor on a changing mat, and eat and play there on the same little mat. They bring food from home in containers. 
4. Banking services in Russia are out of this world, as are ordinary delivery services. In Canada, people still pay by cheque, and you have to wait at least two days for a transfer.😅
5. School in Canada costs 8 thousand a year per child. Textbooks and uniforms cost another 2 thousand. Extracurricular activities: swimming 800$ a month, basketball 1.200$
6. The monthly cost of owning a two-bedroom apartment in Russia is from 100 to 200$. In Canada, condo fees are from 1000 and up per month, plus federal tax, provincial tax, and school tax. In total, per year, for an apartment you own outright, you pay from 20 thousand to 50 thousand. 
You can google the terrible roads, drug addicts, and homeless people in Canada. The crime situation could be better; we didn't go out in the evenings in Canada at all. There are VERY few museums and theaters. There's Cirque du Soleil, but only in the summer, and it only has acrobats. 
It's VERY hard to find a good job. Snitching is elevated to the level of an obligation, both at school and at work. 
Gay parades and fairy tales in kindergarten and school about f****ts are the norm. 
By the way, I forgot to mention internet and phone plans; that's about 300$ a month. A salary of 3.500- 4000$ is considered good. Take 43% tax out of that and there's nothing left. A trip to buy groceries at the cheapest store, “Costco,” costs at least 250$. I survived there, but in Russia I live comfortably and still have enough to go out and help my children, even though the country is under sanctions and at war. You're spoiled if you think you have a bad life in Russia.