U.S. Tax Madness

Taxes are always overwhelming, for everyone -- everywhere -- but trying to find answers to questions about the U.S. tax code is like trying to reason with HAL. "... I'm sorry, Dave ... I can't do that, Dave. ... Dave..." says the automated receptionist in my mind ...

In the process of trying to get my tax refund direct deposited in my Canadian-based, U.S. Dollar bank account, I did have an interesting chat with the Royal Bank customer service representative. He couldn't help me with the direct deposit business; in order to transfer funds to my account, you need first a three-digit institution number, then a five-digit branch transit number, then my seven-digit account number. However, the U.S. tax form asks first for a nine-digit routing number (my parents and I got into a lively discussion about the pronunciation of rOOting-vs.-rOWting -- apparently one pronunciation is Canadian and the other American, though I suspect it's simply regional), and then a seventeen-digit account number. Norman, my customer service representative, was able to get the routing number (money from the U.S. comes through JP Morgan Chase first, before going on to RBC Financial), but the seventeen digit account number remained a mystery -- to both of us. Norman suggested I 'simply call them up' and ask if they will do direct deposit to a Canadian bank (I'm sure there are other people who do this; I'm not the only Canadian who's ever worked in the U.S.) ... but alas, ... HAL...

Norm and had a good little conversation about my experiences as a Canadian in the U.S. though. Of course, he asked me the age-old question (the one everyone always asks me when I tell them I went to school in the states): what's it like? His kids were thinking of going to school in the U.S., and he wanted a blind, unbiased opinion from a stranger (...). I said, it's almost like here [Canada], only fewer things are free (i.e. health care, social services, a good public library) -- and only the strong survive. I found living in the U.S. to be fairly cut-throat -- not in the sense that anyone is out to get you, but in the sense that, in the U.S., one must raise raise one's voice in order to be heard. You need to be a vocal, pro-active personality in order to be successful and find what you want -- and in order to get what you want, you have to be able to ask for it.

Besides the challenge of living in a nation of extroverts after growing up in a nation of introverts, I told him that the second challenge was this: everyone assumes that, because Canada and the U.S. are neighbouring North American cultures, most things are exactly the same -- and that most institutions are completely compatible, when they most certainly are not. (Case in point -- the very difference and incompatibility between Canadian + American direct deposit information and routing (or Routing?) number practices. The irony that this customer service representative had no idea whether or not they could or would wire my cheque from the U.S. to the Canadian bank that he works for, and how, being a customer service representative, he might help me to arrange that -- I think the irony was lost on him.)

I told him how, when I first moved to Rhode Island, I had another banking problem, when my small-town Rhode Island bank branch failed to process a transfer of funds because the computer system was not set up to recognize foreign currency (transferred from my same Canadian bank -- an institution that also primarily deals in Canadian funds, but also in U.S. dollars!) . Norm tried to sell me on another bank service, RBC Centura -- which has branches in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. But what good would that do me, way up in Rhode Island?

I think I'll just do it the old fashioned way, and wait for my cheque to arrive in the mail -- like everybody else.

BDH on Canadia and Canucks on life at Brown

In the fall, there was an article published in the Brown University's daily newspaper about how Canadian students at that American Ivy League university had to adjust to college in the United States. It validated some of my own experiences as a student there: that many Americans (yes, even the smart ones) are woefully ignorant of their northern neighbour -- and that other Canadians also tend to quietly but fiercely defend their country and culture from the usual fare of ignorance and oversimplification when in the U.S.

The author and I had a lively online exchange about the meaning, purpose, and effect of his article ... I'm including it below.

Oh, Canada!

Canucks reflect on life at Brown

Chaz Firestone

Issue date: 10/6/06 Section: Features

http://media.www.browndailyherald.com/media/storage/paper472/news/2006/10/06/Features/Oh.Canada-2336493.shtml


They're friendly, they can drink at a younger age than you can and they actually care that hockey season began Wednesday night. Still, students from Canada - the foreign country most represented at Brown - have had to adjust significantly to life in Providence despite being America's next-door neighbors.

"I genuinely find people here surprisingly ignorant," said Sarah Andersen '07 of Victoria, British Columbia. "(Brown students) have no idea if we're governed by the Conservative Party or the Communist Party."

Andersen is one of many Canadian Brunonians who believe their neighbors to the south know hardly anything about Canada. "Everyone should know about their neighbors," she said. "When you move into a new neighborhood, you bring cookies to your neighbors. That totally doesn't happen here."

Vernissia Tam '09, a native of Toronto, Ontario, and "co-prime minister" of the Canadian Club at Brown, agreed that her classmates demonstrate minimal knowledge of Canucks. "I've been asked, 'do you have Internet in Canada?'" she said. "I'm from Toronto, and they think I live so far away." She said Californian students are amazed that she's come all the way from Ontario to attend Brown, without realizing that the mere 424 miles she has traveled pale in comparison to their 3,000-mile journey.

However, despite the geographic and cultural distance between Canada and Providence, most Canadian students interviewed by The Herald said they feel welcomed by their American peers, uninformed as they may be.

"I feel pretty at home here," said Matt Dennis '09 of Toronto. He added that Brunonians' open-minded views have eased his transition to American college life.

Professor of Economics Peter Howitt, who is originally from Guelph, Ontario, but has lived in the United States for 12 years, agreed with Dennis. "There are cultural differences (between the United States and Canada), but less in Rhode Island than just about anywhere in the States," he said.

Though Rhode Island may feel close to home for Howitt in some ways, he said he misses Canadian health care, which is publicly funded. "Canadians are proud of their health care system," he said, adding that universal health care seems to him much less likely to be implemented in the United States. "A lot of people think that (universal health care) is the first step towards socialism," he said.

Howitt is not the only Canadian expatriate who prefers the simplicity of health care in his native country.

"I miss the health care system," Tam said. She recalled getting a simple throat swab and culture, a procedure that would have been free in Canada, at University Health Services. By the time she received the test results, she had recovered - but had paid a whopping $200 for the process. "I think I just had a sore throat," she said.

Health care is but one topic on which Canadians and Americans might disagree. Andersen also said Canadians may be more likely to show concern for the environment and that her British Columbian neighbors ride their bikes for miles rather than driving short distances, as Americans do.

"(In Canada), there's more awareness of preserving the outdoors and the environment," Andersen said. "Plus, we have more nature-y stuff in Canada. Like the Marijuana Party."

However, Andersen and others said the most obvious difference between the two neighboring countries is neither health care nor an approach to the environment: it's language.

"Most people treat you exactly the same (as other students), except for making fun of the way you talk," Andersen said. "People always ask me to say 'about.' I do say 'zed,' and of course I say 'eh.'"

Howitt joked that 'eh' is a crucial part of Canada's cultural identity. "Don't you know?" he said. "That's how Canada got its name! 'C, eh, N, eh, D, eh.'"

Among other linguistic oddities in Canada are British spellings like centre, favourite, judgement, haemophilia and cheque. But Canadians are quick to defend their idiosyncratic spelling. "We're in the Commonwealth of England - the country that invented English," Tam said. "I think we'd know.

But one aspect of Canadian culture that incites even more fervor is hockey, which was declared Canada's national sport (along with lacrosse) in 1994 by the National Sports of Canada Act.

Edmonton, Alberta native Jordan Pietrus '10 said he came to Brown to play varsity hockey. When asked about the significance of Oct. 4, the start of this year's NHL season, he responded instantly. "Best day of 2006," he said.

Looking to the future, most Canadian Brown students said they expect to stay in the United States for many of the same reasons they came in the first place.

"There's a kind of prestige you'll get here that you just can't get in Canada," Tam said. Dennis added the flexibility of American higher education appealed to him because it provides similar professional clout but doesn't require that its students specialize as early in the process.

In Canadian universities, he said, "You apply to a program, and from day one, you're in that program."

Tam said she hopes her fellow Canucks make their presence known on campus as much as she does. "I have a huge flag up in my room, I have badges on my backpacks and I have shirts that say 'Canadians girls are the best.'"

"We have to display our Canadian pride," Tam said.

[Anonymous]

posted 10/06/06 @ 8:15 AM EST

Canadians are always saying please and thankyou, whats up with that. OH and in America Canadian Beer is better because its an IMPORT!

Liam Gerussi

posted 10/06/06 @ 1:33 PM EST

Chaz Firestone has put together an interesting article explaining what many Canadian students experience at Brown, but he misses an important point. The reason Brown students (and Americans in general) are woefully ignorant about Canada is partly because they simply aren't interested, or else haven't yet made the effort to learn more about their northern neighbours.

What doesn't seem to help, it seems, is the prevalence of trivial knowledge and stereotypes associated with Canada and Canadians (such as hockey, health care, and always saying 'eh'). Anecdotal explanations of how Canada is different from the U.S. only perpetuate the idea that Canada is a nicer, less glamourous and more liberal America, and unfortunately, such an oversimplification prevents any true understanding of what it means to be Canadian from getting through.

By highlighting the few things that they already know (that Canadians are nice, polite, and environmentally conscious) we can only further alienate Americans from a gaining true understanding of the Canadian experience.

Chaz Firestone

posted 10/06/06 @ 5:29 PM EST

I am glad Mr. Gerussi took the time to read my article, but am sorry he feels the way he does about its portrayal of Canadians. Perhaps if he had returned my e-mails asking him for an interview, his opinions would have been expressed in the article.

But I digress. Firstly, I would inform Gerussi that this was not an editorial, but a feature. My opinion was not expressed in this article, but rather the opinions of Canadians at Brown. If I did not address reasons for American ignorance, it is either because my interviewees did not give noteworthy answers to my questions about American ignorance, or because--given that the article was a profile of Canadians--Americans were not interviewed.

Secondly, as a Torontonian himself, I am somewhat surprised at the class of Canadian miscellany that Gerussi deems "trivial"--namely hockey and health care.

Hockey is a staple of Canadian culture. It has enough clout to have a formal act (the National Sports of Canada Act referenced in the article) dedicated to its establishment as Canada's national sport. Hockey players appear on Canadian stamps, and according to the CBC's "The Greatest Canadian" series of programs in 2004, two Hockey icons appear in the final list of the top 10 Greatest Canadians ever (Don Cherry at #7 and Wayne Gretzky at #10). Maple Leafs Gardens is so beloved by the city of Toronto that campaigns have sprung up to protect it from being sold. In 2002, after Canada took the gold medal at the winter Olympics, national pride skyrocketted and cheers were heard throughout the country. "Canada is hockey and hockey is Canada" is a quote that has been used many times, by many reputable sources (FOX Sports: http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/story/5621790).

Public health care is also far from "trivial." In the same CBC feature "The Greatest Canadian," Tommy Douglas claimed the *#1* spot as the Greatest Canadian ever. Douglas was known by many as the "father of medicare," championing public health care and leading the federal New Democratic Party as well as being Premier of Saskatchewan. In 1946, he passed the Sakatchewan Hospitalization Act, which guaranteed free hospital care for the province. Later, he pressured the federal Liberals to pass the Canada Health Act, which sought to establish "that continued access to quality health care without financial or other barriers will be critical to maintaining and improving the health and well-being of Canadians." He also pressured the same government to pass the Medical Care Act, the final step in assuring public health care for all the provinces of Canada. Public health care is certainly not trivial. It is a source of great pride for Canadians, as Professor of Economics Peter Howitt (it should be noted that I did not even ask about health care, but Professor Howitt felt it was important enough to mention, as did Tam) pointed out in the article, and deserves to be included.

Once again, the views expressed in the article are the views of Canadian interviewees, and are not my own--such is objective reporting. Had I been writing an editorial, perhaps I would have addressed some of the points Gerussi does, but those points are outside the scope of the article, which was an innocent and fun profile of Canadians at Brown.

Liam Gerussi

Posted 10/16/06 @ 4:33 PM EST

It is a shame that Mr. Firestone and I were unable to connect in time for the publication of his article. I did in fact respond to his e-mail and volunteer to be interviewed, but I did not receive the follow-up responses he claims to have sent.

The fact that the article was not an editorial but a light-hearted feature about Canadians at Brown is a fair point. In this limited context, it is a successful article, and I enjoyed reading it. There is nothing wrong with highlighting 'Canadian miscellany', as he calls it, such as hockey and health care, and indeed, in some cases doing so might even improve Brown students' awareness of Canada and Canadians. I also respect Mr. Firestone's efforts to seek the highest standard of objective journalism possible – and in doing so, he is right to withhold his own opinions.

Where I find fault with Mr. Firestone's article is in the depth given to its subject, rather than the breadth of his reporting and his investigation.

As a Torontonian, I recognize that a city is much more than its icons – likewise, Canada is much more than hockey and health care. Toronto is a city of neighbourhoods. As the largest urban centre in Canada and the fifth largest in North America, it is home to over 5 million people, half of whom are foreign-born. These facts make it one of the most cosmopolitan and diverse cities in North America. Now, Toronto is also known for its skyline, which includes the world's tallest freestanding structure: the CN Tower. But if you were to interview residents of Toronto, I would think that the CN Tower would be one of the lasts things that they would ever use to define themselves – and if they did defer to the tourist monument, it would signal perhaps that their image and understanding of the city they live in is a rather shallow one.

What I lament is the fact that the first substantial article in a Brown publication about Canada – the U.S.'s closest neighbour and largest economic partner – necessarily needs to focus on such cultural clichés. This kind of approach ensures that non-Canadians will see only a caricature of the country and its people. Can one not be Canadian, and still find themselves an opponent of Canada's bureaucratic, expensive, and constantly under-funded system of universal health care? Can one not be Canadian and still show distain for Hockey Night in Canada and the way it seemingly replaces all other cultural exports?

Certainly, Canada's health care system is not a trivial matter -- nor is its most beloved national sport, hockey. But I deplore the author's reliance on such archetypal staples of Canadian culture.
A quick search of the BDH's website revealed that Firestone's article was perhaps the first and only article to focus on Canada in Brown's recent history. If an American college newspaper, over the course of the last three years, publishes only one article that deals directly with anything related to the country that is its national neighbour, cultural cousin, and the birthplace of its largest contingent of international students, then what does this tell us about the surrounding culture? I believe it speaks mountains about the ignorance, inward focus, and the tragic un-cosmopolitan nature of the surrounding campus. Despite our best efforts to cultivate diversity, we fail to take advantage of the diversity that is all around us, because we are too busy thinking about ourselves to take an interest in getting to know our neighbours.

There is a lot more one can say about Canada besides the stereotypical elements Mr. Firestone's article focuses on. Perhaps the Canadians whom he interviewed at Brown ought to take their responsibility as cultural ambassadors more seriously by taking some time to look beyond the obvious about the country where they come from, while journalists such as Mr. Firestone should perhaps spend more time looking beyond their school and country's sheltering borders.

Supplies from Seattle?

So. I work at a Starbucks in downtown Toronto. Earlier today, my manager is expecting a shipment of stock and supplies to arrive. It hasn't. He makes some calls and asks around over the course of the early afternoon.

Now, I am only a barista ... but over the next few minutes, I continue to overhear bits of a conversation between my Store Manager and Assistant Store Manager, both of whom are trying to solve this quandary of the MIA supplies. Between making change for over sixty people's twenties and trying my best to properly call each decaf, triple, tall, one-pump, nonfat, hazelnut americano (or other complicated, personalized, foreign Starbucks-language-coded drink), I may have missed out on some of the details. However, I know that by 3:30 pm, enough concern had been generated over the undelivered goods that my managers decided that a call to Seattle -- to Starbucks' head supply office -- was in order. Apparently, we were not the only store in the GTA not to have received its shipment this weekend. None of our local superiors could give us any more information; so, we took our query right to the source.

As I sit there in the back room, counting my till, I hear the following exchange between my manager and the person on the other end of the line:

"Oh ... it's not coming today? ...

"Oh ... not tomorrow? ...

"Ok. Thank you ..."

Apparently, they're not working at the Seattle supply office this weekend. Some sort of holiday.

Why aren't they working, my Assistant Manager asks out loud? The answer, of course, hits me: Presidents' Day.

This weekend is Presidents' Day weekend in the US -- the amalgamation of two holidays that were historically meant to honour Lincoln and Washington's birthdays, and in some states, Jefferson's birthday as well. (For any clueless Canadian readers, Presidents' Day is the American catch-all equivalent of our May 24 long weekend, Victoria Day).

The fact that, for whatever reason, our Toronto Starbucks' location did not know that Presidents' Day would put a wrench in their supply schedule is somewhat amusingly ironic to my ears. Apparently, Canadian operations were too clueless to realize that an American holiday even existed this weekend, or managers and suppliers in Seattle did not think to notify Canadian operations that this would be the case (or perhaps -- a bureaucratic nightmare -- both). And this from a company that is easily the most successful coffee chain in the world -- a corporation that ought to be renowned for its efficiency!

The whole thing reeks of Canadian and American miscommunication.

I think Canadian and American businesses -- especially American businesses -- assume that the culture on either side of the border is so similar, that they can treat the foreign Canadian or American market as simply an extension of their home country's operations without thinking of the logistic, cultural, and technical consequences of doing business internationally.

One thing is for certain: I won't be coming in specially to receive a shipment of supplies on May 24th. If Starbucks and other like-minded corporations want their international operations to run smoothly, they'd better take the time to learn something about the country they are doing business in, and they'd better learn to coordinate information and operations between those countries.

And if they were really smart, they would learn to use the local vernacular, too (See "Sacred Milk" blog entry, 02/08/07).

What state should you live in?

. . . and of course, the U.S.-equivalent quiz (as with everything, there's always a U.S. equivalent -- though it is always markedly different).
http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=24094

Apparently I ought to live in Louisiana (although, Florida was pretty close. Funny that, especially since many Canadians migrate there this time of year).

FYI, the tie-breaker for Louisiana vs. Florida for me was a choice of either "YOU LIKE TO PARTY GET DRUNK AND SHOW PEOPLE YOU BOOBS/ OR LOOK AT BOOBS", or "YOU LIKE SPRING BREAK". I went with boobs; where I come from, it's pronounced "March Break".

Sacred milk: linguistic Manifest Destiny

This is an article written by my witty and incredulous sister, Michaela Gerussi. Of all the articles posted on this blog, this one has by far the most spirit and panache.

If you care at all about local businesses, cultural and linguistic freedom, or calling a spade a spade, read on.

Coffee Talk

If you’re interested in becoming a ‘Barista’ at Starbucks, apply now. They’re mass hiring right now, and have plans to open five hundred new cafes in Canada. Starbucks is taking over the country.

Starbucks’ success in Canada is undeniable. It’s the trendy place to go for coffee, tea, and reduced fat, vegan brownies.

Many of us feel that it’s important to support Canadian, if not local businesses. Unfortunately, most accessible restaurants and cafes in Toronto are American owned chains. Even your friendly neighborhood Second Cup, which at least started out in Canada, is now owned by an American company. Lately, Second Cup has been overshadowed by the merciless Starbucks.

A recent recruit shares his experience of being thrust into the world of Starbucks:

“I was surprised at how seriously they take working at Starbucks. I have a huge textbook to read through about making coffee. I’ve realized that it’s not an evil company, they’re just incredibly successful. They’ve thought of everything. They use fair trade coffee beans, and invest in community centers in the areas where they get the beans. Their prices are high, but what you’re paying for is a drink that you can customize to be exactly what you want. The high costs also let them treat their employees very well. Nine dollars an hour and free drinks on every break is enough, but after six months, I actually get health benefits, and the company will help contribute to my RRSP account.”

Starbucks has swooped in on us, and we willingly agree to order deliciously artificial American drinks using words like ‘venti’ and ‘macchiatto’ as if we’re in an Italian espresso bar.


To be honest, this is not a problem for me. They are not ripping off any coffee farmers in South America or testing their products on baby Rabbits. I have no problem with the company; in fact I hear good things. My issue with Starbucks is the effect it has had on our culture so far.

Starbucks is not only oozing onto every street corner in Toronto; it is slowly but surely breaking down the sacred tradition that is Skim milk.

I can’t figure out how they got away with ‘non-fat’ milk. In Canada we say skim milk, obviously, and have been saying it for who knows how long. All of the workers and customers are Canadian, so the only ones forcing ‘non-fat’ on us is those little stickers on the milk jugs. ‘Skim’ even takes less time to say (and of course we all know that Starbucks is for busy, busy people) but the Americans up in the offices don’t know what that means, and it confuses them.

If you think about how many people go to Starbucks and are exposed to the ‘non-fat’ phenomenon, it’s easy to see how it has really impacted the milk world.

Caitlin has been working at Second Cup for a few months now. For a little experiment, I asked her about the milk situation at good old second Cup. By the way, Second cup has been in Canada since the seventies, and has been ‘Skim’ from the beginning. Caitlin told me that they still label the milk ‘Skim’, but almost all of the customers order ‘non-fat’ milk. It’s pretty amazing how ‘non-fat’ spread like wildfire.

I think it’s just plain rude to disregard our cultural language the way Starbucks has. Little by little, America is molding us. I would hate to see it get so bad that we call toques ‘knitted ski caps’.

Michaela Gerussi

About the name "Canadia"

I should probably explain a bit about the title.

According to Wikipedia disambiguation, Canadia is, "Another, generally humorous, name for Canada, by back-formation from "Canadian".

It's usually used in reference to Canada by Americans, with the implicit joke that they themselves know little or nothing about Canada (as in the 'Family Circus' comic strip, above). Alternatively, I've seen and heard it used by Canadians poking fun at that same American stereotype.

After spending two-and-a-half years living in the United States attending an American University, I have amassed a lifetime's worth of anecdotal evidence which helps illustrate the Canadian-American cultural divide. This is what the blog -- and my film -- are supposed to be about, though the analysis will be more in-depth than just that.

I chose the title "Canadia" not only because it is a quirky cultural joke; a quaint product of the iGeneration's sense of humour. As the fictitious name of an imagined country, Canadia is a fantastic name. It implies mystique; fantasy; adventure. Americans who are aware of their ignorance about Canada see this as a fitting description. To them, Canada may as well be Narnia; they have heard stories of it's unlivable climate, it's wilderness, it's magical mystery, it's 'mounties' and 'igloos'; but they have never been through the looking glass to see it for themselves. (Or, even if they have, they have not seen the real Canada -- all they have seen is a North American society, much like a mirror image of themselves. Nothing could be farther from the truth.