150 Reasons to Thank Canada

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Canada is 150 years old! Wow! 

When my grandparents decided to emigrate from Italy to Canada, they did so with direct purpose. They aimed to establish a better life and future. They wanted the ability to grow a family in a positive environment – an environment that paid off with hard work and friendliness. An environment that anyone could engage in the Canadian dream – regardless of your ethnic background, religion, sexuality, age, etc.  So, I have a profound respect for this beautiful country as I see the beautiful life my grandparents established as hard working immigrants and citizens with dreams to be better and do better. Canada provided my grandparents with the ability to lay down a strong foundation that the next generation (my parents, me, my children) can stand on in order to create more opportunities for our families and add value to the country as responsible and hard-working citizens. 

So, what does Canada mean to me? It means opportunity, freedom and inclusivity. It means love, support, peace, friendliness and diversity.

Even in this gigantic universe, Canada is still pretty young and pretty small with a population of roughly 35 million; however, the impact we have had on the world has been tremendous.  According to US News, we rank as the #2 best Country in the world with a 9.7/10 rating. Take a look at these numbers:

  • Adventure – ranked 19th in the world
  • Citizenship – ranked 4th in the world
  • Cultural Influence – ranked 11th in the world
  • Entrepreneurship – ranked 7th in the world (I personally love this one – let’s get to #1!)
  • Heritage – ranked 41st in the world
  • Movers – ranked 38th in the world
  • Open for Business – ranked 7th in the world
  • Power – ranked 12th in the world

And last but most important:

  • QUALITY OF LIFE – RANKED #1 in the world

With that said, here are my 150 reasons to thank Canada:

Adventure

  1. Ski Whistler
  2. Killer whale watching
  3. Storm watch on Vancouver Island
  4. The Trans Canada Trail
  5. Raft the Shubenacadie tidal bore 
  6. River Canoeing/Kayaking
  7. Polar bears in Churchill
  8. Red-sided garter snakes
  9. Wired for fun in Whistler
  10. Toronto’s pillow fighting league
  11. CN Tower Walk
  12. Niagara Falls
  13. Muskoka Lakes
  14. Quebec City
  15. Iceberg Alley in Newfoundland & Labrador

Citizenship

  1. We welcome immigrants
  2. Education – 48.4% of Canadians have a post-secondary degree
  3. We accept homosexuality – 80% of Canadians say society should accept the LGBT community
  4. Charity – 64% of Canadians donate money to charities
  5. Social mobility
  6. Freedom to travel
  7. You can get involved in politics
  8. Freedom and ability to work in all jobs
  9. Unemployed Canadians receive higher welfare cheques than unemployed Americans
  10. The Maple Leaf on a travelling bag is renown for peace
  11. Canada has the lowest crime rate among major industrialized countries
  12. Building a country together
  13. We belong to the UN
  14. We belong to NATO
  15. We don’t start wars

Culture

  1. We are diverse
  2. We are tolerant
  3. We are understanding
  4. We are polite
  5. We are peaceful
  6. We are accepting
  7. We are Patriotic
  8. We are multicultural 
  9. We are a free and democratic society
  10. We legalized same-sex marriage years ago
  11. You can speak English or French
  12. Each province has its own culture
  13. We say ‘eh’ a lot
  14. We have three of the most livable cities in the world (Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver)
  15. Quebec City is the only fortified city north of Mexico

Health

  1. The majority of us are fit
  2. Life Expectancy – avg. 81 years old
  3. Life satisfaction – 7.4/10
  4. Social benefits
  5. We have four seasons
  6. Our tap water rocks
  7. Public health care
  8. Lester Pearson expanded the Medical Care Act
  9. Birth mothers are entitled to take pregnancy leave from work
  10. Healthcare in Canada is designed to put people, not profits, first
  11. Healthcare is not tied to a job or dependent on your income
  12. Healthcare coverage stays with you for your entire life
  13. You can freely choose your doctors and hospitals
  14.  In Canada, it is unheard of to go bankrupt due to healthcare costs
  15. Affordable drug prices

Sports

  1. We dominate Hockey
  2. We have the most popular Ski resort in North America – Whistler
  3. We invented basketball
  4. Curling is a popular sport in the prairies
  5. We invented Lacrosse
  6. Running is a popular Canadian activity
  7. Field hockey
  8. Don Cherry – most popular hockey personality
  9. Our balls are bigger – in regards to footballs
  10. Hockey Night in Canada is a Canadian tradition
  11. We have some awesome golf courses
  12. Canadian Dancer (for being the first Canadian-born thoroughbred to win the Kentucky Derby)
  13. Sidney Crosby (for breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record for fastest player to 200 points)
  14. We have hosted the Olympics three times
  15. Many Canadian children participate in recreational sports

Entrepreneurship

  1. Abundance of seed capital
  2. Access to a variety of government grants and tax credits
  3. Access to great technical talent
  4. There are over 2 million Canadian patents
  5. Every year 130,000 new small businesses are created
  6. 40% of Canadians say that starting a company or being self-employed would be the most rewarding career path for them.
  7. Small businesses account for between 60% and 80% of all jobs created in Canada
  8. On average, small businesses with fewer than 100 employees contribute about 51% to Canada’s GDP.
  9. Studies show that entrepreneurs with education in entrepreneurship, or previous entrepreneurship experience have an 80%-90% chance of success with a new business
  10. Startup Canada’s Innovation Nation Campaign
  11. Silicon Valley of the North – aka Kitchener/Waterloo
  12. Abundance of accelerators and incubators to breed promising startups
  13. Low cost of living
  14. Universities embracing Entrepreneurship
  15. Alexander Graham Bell

Doing Business

  1. Corporate Tax is low – Canada ranks 1st amongst G7 countries in tax competitiveness according to KPMG
  2. Banks are better – 4 of the top 10 are Canadian
  3. Low unemployment rate
  4. Minimal government regulations in starting your own business
  5. Favorable exchange rate
  6. Abundance of entrepreneurial talent
  7. Access to North American Market
  8. Highly educated workforce
  9. Competitive R&D environment
  10. Financial Stability
  11. Great place to invest, work and live
  12. Canada ranks 2nd in the world for cybersecurity
  13.  Companies headquartered in Canada are the most reputable in the world
  14. Canada is a global top 5 location for creativity
  15.  Ontario is North America’s 2nd largest information technology cluster

Restaurants/Food

  1. Tim Hortons Timbits and donuts
  2. Swiss Chalet Rotisserie Chicken
  3. Poutine
  4. Hawaiian pizza was created in 1962 in Chatham, Ontario
  5. We love our Kraft Dinner
  6. Mr. Sub
  7. McDonald’s offers the McLobster in the East Coast
  8. Maple Syrup reserve
  9. Montreal Smoked Meat
  10. Peameal bacon
  11. Oka cheese
  12. Beaver tails
  13. Butter tarts
  14. Montreal style bagels
  15. French-Canadian Tortierre

Icons

  1. Jim Carrey
  2. Chris Hadfield
  3. Terry Fox
  4. Drake
  5. The Weeknd
  6. Bryan Adams
  7. Celine Dion
  8. Neil Young
  9. Wayne Gretzky
  10. Sydney Cosby
  11. Michael Buble
  12.  Justin Bieber
  13. Paul Anka
  14. Elon Musk (he was Canadian first)
  15.  Santa Claus is Canadian

Innovation

  1. Insulin
  2. Pablum
  3. Easy-Off oven cleaner
  4. The cardiac pacemaker
  5. Trivial Pursuit
  6. Sonar
  7. The snow blower
  8. Electric wheelchair
  9. Computerized Braille
  10. AM Radio
  11. The pager
  12.  Blackberry technologies
  13.  Standard time
  14. Walkie-Talkie
  15.  Robertson screw

 

I can go on and on…but I think you get the point! Thank you, Canada, for taking care of my family and friends! Wishing you all the best in the next 150 years!

 

On behalf of Nunzio Presta, From The Desk of BizON

Health. Happiness. Family. Success.

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