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Life in Montreal from a Native New Yorker
It’s not what it’s cracked up to be
When I moved from NYC to Montreal in 2022 I was ecstatic. After years of pushing onward to achieve this objective, actually living in one of the oldest neighborhoods in all of Canada felt sublimely surreal. Although still pleased with this original choice, the draconic language laws and abysmal healthcare has modified my romanticized perspective.
An ‘assimilate fully and immediately’ credo rather than ideals of ‘unity in diversity’ has contributed to our plan to move to Alberta. Correspondingly, the absence of quality healthcare has also influenced our decision to leave.
Having to drive or fly back to New York to receive quality treatment is not only time consuming. It is an exorbitant expense. This is the nail in the coffin. The only upside is writing off the costs through Canadian taxes.
There is no perfection in life, but when mediocrity is too high a bar, it’s time to move on.
