@ShrimpBurrito I agree with you to some extent, that it’s not the same culture as visiting Europe, for example. however if you stay in Vancouver long enough you’ll see that a lot of residents seem to share a massive outdoors culture: skiing, (Whistler, plus Grouse Mountain is in the city) hiking, cycling. Many of the international students I’ve met here have said they came for the skiing
What in particular about mainstream political viewpoints and current status in Canada would a “liberal Democrat” from the US find to be far to the left of where s/he is? Universal medical insurance, acceptance of various ethnicities and religions and LGBT, more equal schools, lower Gini index, etc. seem like the things that a “liberal Democrat” from the US would like as mainstream political viewpoints and current status.
@rainierdays “Many of the international students I’ve met here have said they came for the skiing.”
And my D would be one of them! 
The outdoor pursuits are UBC’s biggest draw for her. We leave for Vancouver tomorrow for her second UBC visit.
@CADREAMIN I share your concerns regarding health care. I have run across this helpful resource, but it seems to be a few years old. I don’t know how much has changed.
http://www.unofficialmcgillguide.com/health-services/
@ShrimpBurrito hope you enjoy it! Check out Wreck Beach, basically right on campus.
@ucbalumnus For one thing, private universities like Harvard are not allowed. Private=elitist, a dirty word in Canada. even though many top Canadian students come south to the Ivies etc. A tad hypocrital.
It looks like private universities do exist in Canada, so “not allowed” appears to be inaccurate. However, most of them are small and religious.
@ucbalumnus I said “private universities like Harvard”. The small evangelical universities have limited accreditation. My point remains the same.
@ucbalumnus : Try beliefs that market solutions are often preferable to government rules, that free speech is worth protecting even when it offends some, that military force is sometimes justifiable, and that capitalism is an acceptable and even in most cases a desirable system for organizing productive activity.
I think those are pretty mainstream beliefs in much of Canada, too, but not so much among 18-year-olds in Quebec.
@CADREAMIN I am a Canadian studying in Canada, so not sure how much help I can be concerning healthcare for an international student. Here’s my breakdown:
-I’m from Alberta. As an Albertan, I have a provincial health care card (issued at birth, which is mandatory). As long as you have your card, you access any walk-in clinic, have blood tests, all doctors and hospital visits, free. Dental, psychological services, and prescriptions are covered by insurance, generally, or you pay out of pocket. We can also opt-in or out for healthcare insurance from our school (about $75 a month).
-As a student in BC as an Alberta resident with Alberta healthcare, I don’t need to switch to BC provincial healthcare, as long as I remain enrolled at my school.
-I’m not as familiar for how healthcare works for international students, but here is a link to UBC’s healthcare page (with info for international students): http://students.ubc.ca/livewell/health-insurance#international
@CADREAMIN - Toronto resident here (D attended McGill) - with regard to your question on Healthcare there is UHIP - the university health insurance plan at U of T for international students. You may want to look at the website and contact the school directly for more information. FYI Healthcare in Canada is governed by the province - when D crossed the provincial border into Quebec to attend school she informed the Ontario Healthcare ministry and our understanding is that the charges from Quebec were processed through to Ontario. (Also, it was to maintain her coverage in Ontario, without the 3 month waiting periods once she re-entered the province) My brother just moved back to Toronto from Washington, DC (after 12 years in the US, is a Canadian citizen, but has the mandatory 3 month waiting period for provincial healthcare. He has access to the Ontario healthcare system, but any health services normally covered by the province is considered an out of pocket cost for during the 3 month period) FWIW, D’s bf is from the northeastern US and found the system at McGill/Quebec bureaucratic but manageable.
@TomSrOfBoston I spent a couple weeks camping up the western side of Newfoundland, mostly the Northern Penninsula, almost 20 years ago, visiting outports, Gros Mornes, L’Anse aux Meadows, blackfly capital of the world Pistolet Bay campground 
,etc. Remarkable place, unique in so many ways. I’ve never been to St. John’s and the rest of the more populated side, though.
New England born, have lived in Midwest for two decades. Montreal, Toronto, BC… all are so much more “home” than anoxic, inland U.S. If your child seeks worldly, scientific sanity in the beautiful country of Canada, count yourself lucky. My Canadian grandmother would have been stunned, after her very long, proud struggle toward U.S. citizenship, to see her great grandson up in the middle of the night post-election researching Canadian schools. McGill is wonderful and I hope he gets in.
One other “cultural” difference is that in most of Canada a “snow day” is considered to be an American concept. At least in Montreal there can be a snowstorm dumping 12-15 inches of snow and the city, including urban schools, will still be functioning as normal.
Here to in Boston @TomSrOfBoston lol. Not like Washington DC that gets shutdown with two inches of snow.
I cannot speak to western Canada but I find Quebec to be a wonderful place that offers a very different culture than the USA. The eastern part of Canada (above Maine) is a lot like northern Maine in that the jobs are rare and most try to get by doing non-high tech occupations. Not a whole lot of opportunity there for recent grads either. One needs to venture closer to the population centers for work that would require extensive college studies.
On the whole I do believe Canada is a safer society than the USA. One only needs to compare crime stats. The USA is an incredibly violent society. It is one of the most violent on the planet if not the most violent (aside from an active war zone). But even when war zones are included, the USA may beat those war torn counties with our violence.
McGill has always been a popular school for kids in my district as we are only 3 quick hours from Montreal - plus it’s quite affordable as compared to private colleges here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate indicates that Canada’s intentional homicide rate is considerably lower than that of the US. However, it is hyperbole to say that the US is “one of the most violent on the planet if not the most violent (aside from an active war zone)”. It is true, however, that the US has a significantly higher rate than other rich countries in general. But many poor and middle income countries have much higher rates than the US.
Within the US, Massachusetts has a relatively low intentional homicide rate, so it may look as if much of the rest of the US is a high crime zone if one lives in Massachusetts.
I posted this a couple of months ago in another thread. The differences in murder rates between American and Canadian cities is striking.
“University admission offices across Canada are seeing far more American applicants than normal in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election.”
'Changes to immigration rules quietly announced a few days after the U.S. election will make it easier for Americans to come to work in Canada, and easier for them to move toward citizenship once they’re here, immigration lawyers explain."
@JHS, well, many liberal Democrats would be considered right-wing on some college campuses in the US as well.
Honestly, the US if you cut off the South is very similar culturally and politically to English-speaking Canada.
Just look at who would have won the Presidency over the past several decades if you remove the electoral votes of the former Slave States.
@ranierdays and @northernparent Appreciate the information, super helpful! My D interviewed with U of T and they mentioned the health care plan for international students. It seems U of T’s healthcare is more easily accessible but I am early in my learning curve. She is seriously considering both (if admitted). McGill has the upper hand for her because of her fluency and interest in French and the culture there, where UoT seems better to me in terms of healthcare. She could make it easy on all of us and go to UBC which is much closer (yet to figure their healthcare out). Thanks again, happy holidays!