u/Banner9922

Outside of Quebec City and Montreal, I don’t think most English-speaking Canadians know much about what goes on in Quebec. I’m curious about the smaller cities like Trois-Rivières, Sherbrooke, Drummondville and Saguenay.

I’m from a small city and from my travels find a lot of similar sized places like Saint John, St. Catherines, Brantford, Sudbury, Sault Ste Marie, Sarnia, Lethbridge, Chilliwack, etc. fit the same general profile:

• Largely blue collar
• Economies centring around manufacturing, mining or oil & gas.
• High levels of homelessness
• Intergenerational poverty + concentrated wealth in a few neighbourhoods
• High rates of alcohol and drug use, especially among youth
• Struggling downtowns
• Lower rates of post-secondary education
• ~80% European-descent populations, often with prejudice directed at minority groups

(There are exceptions of course like Kingston, Fredericton, Kelowna, and Guelph)

Do small cities in Quebec struggle with the same issues? Or are they different?

For context, I’m an ambiguous looking brown man born and raised in Canada. I travel a lot around the country for work. I live in Vancouver and recently spent a week in your city.

Getting off the seaplane and walking towards downtown, I‘ll admit I was a bit nervous of how I would be perceived and whether I’d encounter any problems due to race. Nanaimo is somewhat diverse for the Island, but it’s not quite Vancouver, or even Victoria.

Instead, what I encountered were some of the warmest, nicest people I’ve met almost anywhere in the country. (Only St. John’s might be similar). Young, old, male and female.

One night I went to a packed karaoke bar downtown. When a girl briefly passed out outside, half the bar ran out to help her and make sure she was okay. That would never happen in Vancouver.

Another evening I went to watch a local band play a show. I was the only person of colour in the room, and initially felt a little on edge due to bad experiences in the past. Instead, I wasn’t just welcomed but felt like people took a genuine interest in wanting to know me.

One morning, I went to grab a coffee and an older gentleman struck up a conversation with me. When I told him I was looking for a good restaurant, he insisted on walking the two blocks to show me his recommended spot.

On another occasion, a group of young men from Snuneymuxw sitting at the table next to me ended up inviting me to join them to go fishing. We exchanged contacts and I might just have to come back for that.

Even at the hotel I was staying at, I overheard enough conversations between staff (some of whom were new to the country, some of whom were not) to know that they genuinely liked each other and had some level of friendship.

The waterfront & the nature is all very beautiful too, but you can say the same about most places in BC. What really made Nanaimo special for me was the people I met. I’m sure like everywhere, your city has its fare share of flaws and not-so-great people. But the trip I took really left an impression and I’m sure I’ll talk about it for years to come.

Thank you Nanaimo for being so unexpectedly cool.

Edit: Didnt know how this post would be received but it’s been really special reading all of your responses. My partner and I work in fields that are needed on the island (healthcare), and are seriously considering a move. Thank you!

I'm a non-Black POC, and have observed that whenever you look into predominantly Black communities in the US there is usually a notable gender gap with around 80 men to every 100 women.

Why is this?

Examples

Jackson, Mississippi: 79% Black - 84 men to 100 women

Lauderhill, Florida: 75% Black (mostly West Indian) - 79 men to 100 women

Petersburg, Virginia: 74% Black - 83 men to 100 women

Glenarden, Maryland: 77% Black - 78 men to 100 women

Detroit, Michigan: 77% Black - 83 men to 100 women

Mound Bayou, Mississippi: 97% Black - 72 men to 100 women

I picked random samples from different regions: small towns, suburbs, and cities. Even if we discount for socioeconomic status and look at areas with a lot of wealth the trend continues:

Mitchellville, Maryland: 83% Black - 80 men to 100 women

Ladera Heights, California: 63% Black - 79 men to 100 women

Here are some of the random things I've come to learn over the years:

• Brantford was once considered as the potential site for Canada’s capital. The capital moved six times before Ottawa was chosen as the permanent location.
• More than 100 years ago, Brantford had a Chinatown along Market Street.
• Harmony Square was modelled after a piazza (public square) in an Italian town. It was the dream of one man, Frank Bucci, and his dream eventually came true when it opened in 2008.
• In 1945, Brantford became the first municipality in Canada to fluoridate its public drinking water.
• Many of Brantford's first European residents were squatters living in makeshift shacks and tents, with crime, fighting, domestic abuse, and poverty all common. These conditions continued for decades before Six Nations chiefs provided 800 acres of land that became the original Brantford town plot. After the closing of several factories in the 1980s, Brantford crime rate peaked and it was considered the most dangerous city in Ontario. In 2024, Brantford recorded its lowest Crime Severity Index on record. You can argue our city has never been safer.
• If you've ever noticed snow clouds clearing up as you enter Brantford, its because the city sits in a microclimate. From 1981 to 2010, Brantford recorded 20% less snow than Hamilton, 63% less snow than Kitchener, and 97% less snow than London.

Would love to hear more!

Listings show the area as "Bolivar Heights", stradling the border of Guildford and Whalley.

We are a mixed family living in Vancouver wanting to raise our kids in a more multicultural suburban environment. The area has some older homes on large lots that are fairly affordable (compared to Van).

Is this a good area?

https://preview.redd.it/7fkka4pttfeh1.png?width=1448&format=png&auto=webp&s=14350f036e22df493b9c239c398cff761c750e03

Within Canada: 5 from BC, 3 from Ontario, 1 from Alberta.

https://preview.redd.it/mg2475fstfeh1.png?width=1448&format=png&auto=webp&s=0923cfb717f8fad61aaa9bfea23ca87b3620e193

I live in Vancouver and am 2 years at the bar. I’ve worked in several other fields before law.

I’m trying to wrap my head around why lawyers seem so far removed from humanity. Everyday I walk into work and it’s like the movie “Get Out”. There’s this greedy, judgmental, self important air to a lot of the lawyers I encounter. This becomes even more apparent when dealing with the partners (not just where I am). They have a false likability, that often leaves me with an icky or weird feeling after a conversation, especially when personal questions come up.

Its hard to put in words - but you don’t encounter this with people in other fields, even when their jobs are as “prestigious” or they earn similarly.

My best theory is most lawyers come from wealth, so maybe they’ve never really had to develop a personality of any depth (?)

It’s really off putting and I’d love to understand why or how this became the culture. Could it just be the city I’m in (?)

edit: no offence

I was invited to interview at a medium sized firm. I'm wondering how many other students I'd be up against? How many people make it to the interview stage?

Appreciate any insight!

I live in a larger Canadian city. I’d say a good chunk of my close friends are non-white, but also non-South Asian and queer. They are watching bollywood movies, following Indian musicians, attending Indian film screenings, and listening to Punjabi music.

It’s funny to notice because queer people are usually a few years ahead in trends. It’s kind of giving me hope for the future.

I wonder if others have noticed this? Or maybe it’s just the people I know? 🤔

There was a recent discussion in a Vancouver sub where someone talked about people in the city being closed off and mostly socializing within their own ethnic or cultural groups. A few commenters brought up Surrey as a place that feels more socially inclusive & mixed

I’m from Toronto, where I’d say you get to know the world by Grade 5. Obviously it depends on the neighbourhood, but most people grow up around all kinds of cultures, date across cultures, live among diverse neighbours, and still feel a shared sense of belonging. It's actually looked down upon to not have a mixed friend group, like there's something wrong with you. I’ve felt that same thing in places like NYC, Chicago, & London, England

I was surprised to see people describe Surrey that way because from the outside people often reduce it to being a South Asian enclave, even though anyone who has spent time there knows it is much more diverse than that

So I’m curious... do people in Surrey actually feel like the city is more socially integrated than Vancouver? Do people mix across cultures more naturally there? Is there a stronger sense of belonging?

If so, that’s honestly pretty amazing and Surrey might be one of the only places in BC that has that kind of big-city multicultural feel