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Old Posted Mar 14, 2023, 8:47 PM
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Little perks of your city

What are some minor, not often discussed, aspects of living in your city that are convenient/nice to have? Little conveniences, basically.

I used to live in Ottawa so I'll start the thread off with both Kingston and Ottawa.

For Kingston, its the utility corporation. The natural gas network in Kingston is actually municipal-owned (its not Enbridge or Union) and the city merged this gas company, the city-owned hydro network, and the water & sewer department into a single municipal corporation called "Utilities Kingston". As a result, us Kingstonians have 1 combined bill & 1 account for water, sewer, gas, and electricity. Its way more convenient than in Ottawa, for example, where you have a city water bill, an Enbridge gas bill, and a HydroOttawa bill that all have to be paid seperately.

For Ottawa, its the water. The municipal tap water in Ottawa is extremely high quality; its one of the softest water supplies in the world, IIRC something like 30ppm of dissolved metals. As a result people in Ottawa never have to deal with scaling on their appliances. My brother in Ottawa drained his hot water tank after 12 years of use and there was literally no sediment.

What's a similar, minor detail but nice to have, aspect of your city?
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  #2  
Old Posted Mar 14, 2023, 8:50 PM
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Originally Posted by 1overcosc View Post
For Kingston, its the utility corporation. The natural gas network in Kingston is actually municipal-owned (its not Enbridge or Union) and the city merged this gas company, the city-owned hydro network, and the water & sewer department into a single municipal corporation called "Utilities Kingston". As a result, us Kingstonians have 1 combined bill & 1 account for water, sewer, gas, and electricity. Its way more convenient than in Ottawa, for example, where you have a city water bill, an Enbridge gas bill, and a HydroOttawa bill that all have to be paid seperately.
Do apartment listings in Kingston still refer to "PUC" being included or not included? You need to learn what that means when you're looking to rent a place in the city.
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Old Posted Mar 14, 2023, 9:07 PM
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It's not just a Gatineau thing but cities in Quebec (almost all of them including Montreal and Quebec City AFAIK) do not have residential water meters anywhere I am pretty sure.

You just pay a flat rate on your taxes for water, in the range of 150 dollars per year.

Not a good thing ecologically of course, and there is talk and maybe even a new policy coming to bring water meters on board in our municipalities. But so far I have not hear much about it.

Commercial and industrial buildings do have water meters I think.
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Old Posted Mar 14, 2023, 9:13 PM
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Part of the city specifically - the Niagara Escarpment creates a little micro-climate for Lower Hamilton. In spring and fall, it's it's pretty common for me to get to my work up on top of the mountain and be surprised by an inch or so of snow, while it was only raining down below.
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Old Posted Mar 15, 2023, 3:18 AM
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I took Toronto's pet friendliness for granted - there's no shortage of dog parks, vets, and pet stores; and most importantly apartments there are universally pet-friendly by law, unlike in Vancouver where its already-tight rental market is made even more challenging if you have an animal.

In Vancouver, I appreciate that parking is free 24/7 in most residential neighbourhoods. Makes life easier not having to deal with permits, etc.
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Old Posted Mar 15, 2023, 3:22 AM
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Nice thread idea (credit where it’s due). For Calgary I would say I really appreciate the natural park space and pathway system. From Fish Creek to Nose Hill and all along the Bow river. I realized this once I returned from a 38 day trip across Europe in my 20’s. Also proximity to the mountains in one direction and badlands in the other.
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Old Posted Mar 15, 2023, 3:54 AM
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London has really great naturalized spaces and a very wide-reaching and highly connected multi-use pathway system that runs through the Thames River. It’s definitely not as green or as naturalized as some other cities in the country, but no matter where you are in London, the Thames River or some offshoot creek or forested area is located nearby, and there’s a good chance it is connected to the Thames Valley Parkway path system.

I lived in Windsor for 6 years and Chatham for 1 year, prior to moving to London. Both have a terrifying lack of naturalized green space throughout their urban areas and you can very easily feel the effect that it has on you. I will never take good naturalized green space for granted ever again after living in both of those places. The fact that many SW Ontario cities (and SW Ontario as a whole) have long neglected the need for naturalized areas is a tragedy, in my opinion.
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  #8  
Old Posted Mar 15, 2023, 4:48 AM
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Living in the God forsaken suburbs but enjoying a real sense of community. Cloverdale is an old town and has tons of interesting little shops, restaurants, parks, bars, and everything anyone could need is within a 5 minute walk max in a historic and attractive historic town centre.

Use to live in White Rock but they have destroyed all the old Mom & Pop businesses and built ugly high rises that no one can afford. Thank fully they can never do that in Cloverdale because there is a max 4 story limit due to a very high water tables. Fast growing area but pedestrian friendly low rise condos and townhomes. White Rock has the reputation but Cloverdale knocks uptown White Rock right out of the water.
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  #9  
Old Posted Mar 15, 2023, 4:59 AM
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The city clears the snow from our sidewalks in Stratford. I don't have a lot of frontage in front of my house, so I could do it easily myself, but having the city come by with the Kubota makes for uniform clearance all along the street. Older or incapacitated folks don't have to worry about doing it.

Though locals do complain about our relatively high property taxes...
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  #10  
Old Posted Mar 15, 2023, 5:22 AM
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For Vancouver, it's the number of neighbourhood parks absolutely everywhere. I never really appreciated these parks until I moved to East Asia, and they became non-existent.
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  #11  
Old Posted Mar 15, 2023, 6:59 AM
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For Vancouver, it's the number of neighbourhood parks absolutely everywhere. I never really appreciated these parks until I moved to East Asia, and they became non-existent.
I was going to say that too. I have two parks within a block or so of where I live, and visitors I've entertained here have noticed and commented on those. I guess having natural features like beaches, Stanley Park, and seawall shorelines, etc. within reach are also a perk, as well as all the eateries, especially sushi restaurants & coffee shops. It may be a common trait of big cities, but I also appreciate the many walkable streets, both residential and commercial, and the tree canopies. The city puts a great deal into public landscaping, and it shows well. The alley network is another thing I like, as it removes many of the normally intrusive activities, driveways, garages, and service areas from the actual streets.
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  #12  
Old Posted Mar 15, 2023, 9:43 AM
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The air. The salty freshness hits you as soon as you step outside through the airport entrance. Barring some temporary tragedy, it’s never heavy and oppressive or polluted, at all, ever.

Like most coastal cities, downtown is at the edge of the city, not in the middle of some expanse of suburbia for an hour in every direction. Although I’m no fan of car infrastructure, I can get on a proper highway out of the city about a 1-minute drive from the heart of downtown.

End of the line engagement. St. John’s isn’t a city you can just pass through. Everyone who comes here, by necessity, it is their destination, often one they’ve wanted to visit for years. It’s hard to describe exactly how but it makes for a unique atmosphere in interactions between locals and visitors. If I had to guess, locals are nosey and curious, and visitors are open to experience all they can hear, so excited and receptive to any interaction.

Final one, and probably most important to me, is full immersion. There are corners in the city where everything you can see in every direction is old. There are clifftop coastal hiking trails just 15 minutes downtown where you cannot see any other sign of human settlement other than the well-trodden path you’re standing on. You feel small and insignificant but still fortunate and contented. People are and have traditionally been quite worldly and aware of what’s happening beyond our borders, it’s not that type of insular, but still the entire rest of the world is just “away” - he’s from away, I went to school away, I’ve got family coming from away, etc. It’s a kind of unique mix - aware of the wider world, but apart from it.
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  #13  
Old Posted Mar 15, 2023, 10:06 AM
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Originally Posted by ericmacm View Post
London has really great naturalized spaces and a very wide-reaching and highly connected multi-use pathway system that runs through the Thames River. It’s definitely not as green or as naturalized as some other cities in the country, but no matter where you are in London, the Thames River or some offshoot creek or forested area is located nearby, and there’s a good chance it is connected to the Thames Valley Parkway path system.

I lived in Windsor for 6 years and Chatham for 1 year, prior to moving to London. Both have a terrifying lack of naturalized green space throughout their urban areas and you can very easily feel the effect that it has on you. I will never take good naturalized green space for granted ever again after living in both of those places. The fact that many SW Ontario cities (and SW Ontario as a whole) have long neglected the need for naturalized areas is a tragedy, in my opinion.
Chatham and Windsor are probably the most backward places in Canada. A few years ago, Chatham discussed introducing a tree cutting bylaw, and promptly thousands of acres of precious Carolinian forest were bulldozed by farmers trying get a few more bushels of beans. Deforestation is now at over 97% in both Essex and Kent.

The perks are, ironically, Point Pelee and Rondeau, as well as Lakes Erie and St. Clair

My taxes are very low, but you're on your own for everything. I don't even have garbage pickup or recycling
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  #14  
Old Posted Mar 15, 2023, 11:50 AM
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Deep southern Ontario and it’s complete dearth of public land is a big reason it’s so conservative IMO. My wife is from the area and it was quite shocking to see her family talk about the kind and size of natural spaces they have access to compared to what I had access to growing up in Durham.


Turkey Point is a “big provincial park” where they go hunting. In Durham a wooded area like that would barely even be notable and probably sit basically untouched, but in Norfolk it’s basically the only large plot of publicly owned land.

In that area if you want good access to nature you basically need to own your own acreage.
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Old Posted Mar 15, 2023, 11:59 AM
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One perk for living in Toronto is that any concert, show, exhibit, appearance, etc on tour will most likely include a Toronto date.
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Old Posted Mar 15, 2023, 12:31 PM
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One perk for living in Toronto is that any concert, show, exhibit, appearance, etc on tour will most likely include a Toronto date.
The range and number of entertainment options is a huge perk.
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Old Posted Mar 15, 2023, 12:57 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1overcosc View Post
What are some minor, not often discussed, aspects of living in your city that are convenient/nice to have? Little conveniences, basically.

I used to live in Ottawa so I'll start the thread off with both Kingston and Ottawa.

For Kingston, its the utility corporation. The natural gas network in Kingston is actually municipal-owned (its not Enbridge or Union) and the city merged this gas company, the city-owned hydro network, and the water & sewer department into a single municipal corporation called "Utilities Kingston". As a result, us Kingstonians have 1 combined bill & 1 account for water, sewer, gas, and electricity. Its way more convenient than in Ottawa, for example, where you have a city water bill, an Enbridge gas bill, and a HydroOttawa bill that all have to be paid seperately.

For Ottawa, its the water. The municipal tap water in Ottawa is extremely high quality; its one of the softest water supplies in the world, IIRC something like 30ppm of dissolved metals. As a result people in Ottawa never have to deal with scaling on their appliances. My brother in Ottawa drained his hot water tank after 12 years of use and there was literally no sediment.

What's a similar, minor detail but nice to have, aspect of your city?
Agreed on Ottawa's waster quality. I'd even throw in Hydro Ottawa in there; although their rates are the same as Hydro One, the extra fees are far lower. They are also a very competent, well managed utility company compared to Hydro One.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack View Post
It's not just a Gatineau thing but cities in Quebec (almost all of them including Montreal and Quebec City AFAIK) do not have residential water meters anywhere I am pretty sure.

You just pay a flat rate on your taxes for water, in the range of 150 dollars per year.

Not a good thing ecologically of course, and there is talk and maybe even a new policy coming to bring water meters on board in our municipalities. But so far I have not hear much about it.

Commercial and industrial buildings do have water meters I think.
But Gatineau's water quality is terrible. Boil water advisories nearly every week at different corners of the City. There's a certain street in Touraine that has had major water quality issues for quite a while, and the City refuses to do anything about it, going as far as telling citizens that their house is the problem (water tank, water pipes).
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Old Posted Mar 15, 2023, 12:58 PM
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For Oakville, there's just a tremendous number of wooded trails, often running alongside creeks. I would not be surprised if Oakville had the highest number of trails or combined trail length per capita in Canada. I live in the middle of the city, so I'm not by the lake, but there's one wooded creek trail a two minute walk to the east with another that runs along the top of the river valley a five minute walk to the west that includes a boardwalk.

When my BIL moved up north close to where the cottage is, their property backed onto the Trans Canada trail, which his wife loved as she only works PT and goes for long walks with the dog. Problem is, it was covered in snow for so much of the year and so it was unuseable (lots of lake effect snow). At their former house in Oakville, they had a creekside trail in a small valley a two minute walk away. Very few days of the winter that it would be unwalkable.

There's also two rivers, separated by 10-15 minute drive. Both in deep valleys, relatively speaking. Both have red clay (iron deposits) valley walls. Makes for amazing views right in the heart of the city. And if you're an angler like I am, you can launch a boat at the river mouth and go out to the lake or go upstream for a while before it gets too shallow. Or you can shore fish/wade at any point where it's shallow. You can catch carp, suckers, atlantic and pacific salmon, rainbow and brown trout, smallmouth bass, northern pike, brown bullhead catfish and occasionally white bass, walleye and sheepshead, etc. And if you're willing to walk 15-20 minutes in waders, there are spots you can fish where there will be no one else.

As for Burlington, my last residence and possible future residence if I upgrade my house, got the lake at the bottom and the escarpment at the top. Lots of wooded areas with lots of creeks. Also got the fishing mentioned above.
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Old Posted Mar 15, 2023, 1:07 PM
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I get a kick out of taking my boat when going out to dinner. In Halifax I can dock pretty much directly in front of or very close to a number of downtown waterfront restaurants. My out of town guests love it. And it's free parking!...as long as one doesn't stay past 11pm.
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  #20  
Old Posted Mar 15, 2023, 1:09 PM
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Agreed on Ottawa's waster quality. I'd even throw in Hydro Ottawa in there; although their rates are the same as Hydro One, the extra fees are far lower. They are also a very competent, well managed utility company compared to Hydro One.



But Gatineau's water quality is terrible. Boil water advisories nearly every week at different corners of the City. There's a certain street in Touraine that has had major water quality issues for quite a while, and the City refuses to do anything about it, going as far as telling citizens that their house is the problem (water tank, water pipes).
I'd disagree that Gatineau's water quality is terrible. It's perfectly fine and there is no tangible difference with Ottawa's. Boil water advisories are frequent but are almost always preventive and due to them being worry-warts about anything happening.

Yes we have water main breaks sometimes just like any other city with thousands of km of older pipes.

The main impact of not having water meters I already acknowledged, which is that it leads to lots of waste.

We also have lawn watering restrictions in the summer which cities like Ottawa do not have because the meters temper the enthusiasm of water wasters.
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