I know I sometimes moan and groan about some of the crazy stuff that goes down here.  There are days when I feel like I live in a communist country in the 1980s.  I've gone on about the state of the roads, the terrible access to health care and bridges that fall down but there is some other crazy stuff.

The only place you can buy alcohol is in an SAQ (Societe d'alcools du Quebec).  A state run liquor shop.  They do also supply booze to supermarkets.  Despite their French ancestry, the Quebecois can't buy exotic wines from a quaint corner shop.  This craziness isn't confined to Quebec - a school friend of mine is married to a Canadian and lives on the other side of the country.  She's having a baby soon and can't find out the sex because the government is concerned that some sections of the community will practice gender selection!?!

University students still on strike.  This morning they're causing "economic unrest" out the front of the SAQ headquarters.

Enough of the craziness!  There are actually some really great things here too!  Despite ditching the Kyoto agreement, there are some great recycling initiatives here.  We can recycle nearly everything that isn't compostible.  You can also get cash back for certain plastic and glass bottles.  Paper serviettes and disposable drinking cups are all made from recycled materials as well.  You also have to pay for plastic bags so we take our own reusable bags.

The public toilets are fantastic - always important with small children!  They're super clean, well set up for babies and nearly all have automatic flushing, hand sensing soap dispensers and taps.  The less surfaces to touch the better in my opinion!  In buildings and shopping centres you'll also find hand sanitizer dispensers.  These things may be small but you need to appreciate the positives where you can find them!

xx