There's good news (Canada) and bad news (US/us)

[hoosier]

No Exit

Oh no, they're still here! "It seems Americans unhappy about the result of last November's presidential election have decided to stay at home after all," Reuters reports from Ottawa, noting, "Canadians can put away those extra welcome mats":

In the days after President Bush won a second term, the number of U.S. citizens visiting Canada's main immigration Web site shot up sixfold, prompting speculation that unhappy Democrats would flock north.

But official statistics show the number of Americans actually applying to live permanently in Canada fell in the six months after the election.

One reason may be simple laziness. Also, perhaps anti-Americanism is really nothing more than a pose--like the teenager who "hates" his parents but would never actually give up his dependence on them. One expat suggests another possibility:

Toby Condliffe, who heads the Canadian chapter of Democrats Abroad, did have an explanation of sorts.

"I can only assume the Americans who checked out the Web site subsequently checked out our winter temperatures . . . and had second thoughts," he told Reuters.

The winter temperatures? How about the summer temps? According to the Globe and Mail, the expected high today in Toronto is a bone-chilling 28 degrees. This almost sounds appealing when you're in sweltering New York City (current temperature: 97), but then if we wanted subfreezing temperatures in the middle of August, we'd move to the Southern Hemisphere.

Of course, it turns out it isn't really that cold in Toronto. Weather.com gives today's high as 82, not 28. The trick is that Canada is on the metric system, in which temperatures are read backwards. What a clever way those Canucks have found of keeping undesirable immigrants out.

- Opinion Journal