• Avid Amoeba@lemmy.ca
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    23 hours ago

    As someone who’s grown up in one of those and now rearing a child in Canada, I’d like to tell you that it was an absolutely incredible place to grow up in. The urban planning is such that there’s parks with kid playgrounds sprinkled between the buildings. There’s ample trees. There’s schools and kindergartens at walking distance where kids would often walk alone to/fro. There’s convenient public transit stops. There’s density that lets kids make tons of friends and always have someone to play with without “playdates.” Parenting in such a social environment is so much easier than what parents face in Toronto, it’s not even funny.

    E: Oh and the square footage in the average commie block apt is equivalent to a large old-school 2 or 3-bedroom apartment in Toronto. Most are family-sized units.

    • gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de
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      4 hours ago

      There’s density that lets kids make tons of friends and always have someone to play with without “playdates.”

      man, that’s what i missed as a kid sooo much. i would have needed this.

          • Avid Amoeba@lemmy.ca
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            2 hours ago

            Ah. That makes sense. Let me make you feel better. In some provinces in Canada (or all?) children can’t be left alone, without adult supervision until the age of 12. It’s illegal and parents get in trouble for it. Even leaving your kid to play in your backyard in the suburb while you’re in the shower can become a problem if your bored neighbour calls the authorities. Imagine growing up with that kind of lack of autonomy. Even if there are kids around and even if there’s public transit. I still heven’t figured out how to workaround that for my kid but I suspect I’m gonna be breaking the law. 😂

    • SorryQuick@lemmy.ca
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      10 hours ago

      It’s probably fine if you’re used to it but man I’d be so depressed living in such a densely populated city.

      • bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works
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        4 hours ago

        Same here. I guess different people like that but I cant be around that many people.

        Pandemics happen easier because of dense populations too.

    • kameecoding@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      I still live in one of these, walking my dog is a treat, so many trees, kindergarten, school, pharmacy, groceries, even a pub all within 200 meters.

      The part I hate about this place the most is that they made a roundabout in front of the school so parents can drop their kid off by car easier, it’s the most americanized aspect, absolutely disgusting, there are literally two bus stops next to this school going in both directions.

      • Avid Amoeba@lemmy.ca
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        23 hours ago

        That’s my Canada goose brain talking. 😆🪿 It’s literally the common term used to refer to the total area of a housing unit. Here for example a major real estate firm explains the importance of square footage measurement.

        For extra entertainment, this is a handy flowchart of Canadian units of measurement:

        • Aljernon@lemmy.today
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          13 hours ago

          It’s similar in the US. We use gallons for milk and fuel, liters for mid size beverage (like a liter of water or two liters of soda) and fluid ounces for single servings (12 oz can). Pints are used to measure beer served from a keg into a glass. Medications use mililiters.

          Large quantities of weed use Pounds and ounces, smaller quantities use grams. Hard drugs pretty much exclusively use metric. Medication uses metric exclusively while most other commerce uses pounds and ounces. Firewood is sold by the “cord”

          • Avid Amoeba@lemmy.ca
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            6 hours ago

            Yeah. That said, I think on average there’s more imperial in the mix in the US than Canada. Canada went through an intentional Metrification process but it didn’t go all the way through. In part due to trade with the US. 😅

          • SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social
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            10 hours ago

            FWIW, a lot of the bougie drinks (fancy soda water, juices, pre-mixed cocktails, etc.) now come in 330mL cans, probably because at 11.7 fl oz, it’s a form of shrinkflation. And those mini cans of soda are technically 222mL.

            Also, do note that a U.S. customary pint is different than an imperial pint. (You get 20% more beer in Britain.)

      • stray@pawb.social
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        16 hours ago

        I would measure my apartment in square meters, but I’ve realized I would use the phrase “square footage” to refer to the surface area of a living space. Is there an alternative? “Square meterage” doesn’t work.