kat, our current rates for our B.C. Med are $62.00 per month for a family of two. If you are very low income, the Medical is paid for by the government and half of medical is usually paid for by your employer, but if you are self employed you pay the whole shot.

Before you decide this is the land of milk and honey, remember that we are very heavily taxed. The Medical Premiums do not cover the cost of health care so the government gets it other ways.

Unfortunately, there has been a bit of migration of Canadian doctors to the states, particularly in recent years of specialists and recent graduates, as they can make big bucks down there and we the taxpayers of Canada are footing the bill for what it really pays to educate and train them.

In B.C., 31% of the population (1998 statistics) is now living below, what is termed, the poverty line, that is one of every three in the province and this Province is considered one of the rich ones and the gap between rich and poor is ever widening.

The average house price for a starter here in Victoria is in the range of $200,000 to $230,000 and is higher still in Vancouver. It drops fairly substantially as soon as you are out of major economic areas. (remember the Canadian dollar is valued at about 67 cents U.S.) but once here you are earning Canadian money.

Unfortunately, racism is alive and well in Canada (usually subtle) but not always.