----- Original Message -----
From: "Justin WASTNAGE" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, 2001-04-24 06:45
Subject: Re: [ukma] Canada Metric
In Montr�al, the street addresses are resolutely metric. Building numbers
count up from the Saint Lawrence river (so when I lived at 3861 Rue
University, my front door was 3,861 metres from the river, or nearly 4km).
For east-west streets, it is the distance from Boulevard Saint Laurent ("the
Main"), followed by 'Ouest' or 'Est' depending on the direction. thus 10
rue Sainte Cath�rine O is twenty metres from 10 rue Sainte Cath�rine E.
So, apart from in the old city, navigating oneself is very easy.
Justin
----Original Message Follows----
From: "kilopascal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: "kilopascal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "ukma discussion list" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "U. S. Metric Association"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [ukma] Canada Metric
Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2001 19:21:36 -0400
2001-04-23
I recently spent this past Friday and Saturday in Calgary, Alberta. While
there, I had the opportunity to visit 2 grocery stores. One was called
Safeway and the other Superstore.
I went up and down each aisle and looked quickly at the products on the
shelves. From what I saw, about 95 % of the packages were metric only,
maybe about half rational. Those not rational appeared to be equivalents to
US sizes. But, only the metric amount was shown. The shelves were all
marked with unit price stickers either per 100 g or per 100 mL. No imperial
at all.
In the produce section, prices were mostly in each (ea.) or per pound
predominate with per kilogram in small font. There was always a per
kilogram price. If the produce was pre-weighed and sealed, the amount on
the label was in grams only.
All the bulk foods, that the customer weighs out by him/herself were priced
in per 100 g units only. No pounds to be found. In the Safeway, the scales
used to approximate the fill were dual. There were about 5, and they were
table models, but, they were all damaged as none pointed to zero when there
was no produce on them. Obviously, these scales had been knocked to the
floor more times then once.
The Superstore had scales in grams only and they were suspended from a pole.
They were in good condition and obviously of high quality.
At the deli/meat counter, where the legal scales were located all the prices
were per 100 g, with NO pound pricing to be seen. None what so ever.
Conclusion: These two stores were virtually 95 % metric only. The only
place pounds were found, were with heavy items that were to large to
advertise in 100 g units. So, they were in kilograms, but because the
kilogram prices looked too high compared to the pound pricing, the pound
pricing seemed to predominate. But, pound pricing was very minimal to say
the least.
I did notice in Alberta, that Coke products, plus some others, used the 591
mL bottle (marked only as 591 mL) instead of the 600 mL. Coke products sold
in vending machines at Toronto airport were in 600 mL bottles. Go figure!
The people I talked with freely used metric to describe the heights of
mountain passes (never feet, only metres) and the temperature in degree
Celsius. However, they always gave distances in miles. I asked two guys
how they could do this if their only means to measure distances, their
car/truck odometers, were calibrated only in kilometres. I got two
different answers.
One guy, who was 38, said he remembers his school was EXACTLY 1/2 mile from
his home and he relates everything to this. I found this explanation a bit
far fetched, but I didn't challenge him on it, since he was paying for
dinner. The other guy, 44 (actually two months older than me), said the
roads in Alberta are laid out in 1 mile squares, except where they bend
around rivers and depressions. And, so you can judge the distances by this.
When I asked if this mile pattern is still followed as the city expands and
builds new roads, he wasn't sure, but he did admit they use metric and not
imperial. I later checked a map, and saw more roads with bends then
straight. I think this mile pattern is seldom followed.
When the 38 year old asked me about how far it was from Cleveland to
Cincinnati, I responded about 500 km. Quickly he asked me if that was 320
miles. I answered "I guess so". I base my distances on time. I use 100
km/h as a base, and if the driving time is about 5 h, then it is about 500
km distance. I haven't been to Cincinnati in a long time, so I just guessed
at the 500 km distance, thinking it took 5 h driving time.
Canada allows supplemental units on packages, but does not require them. As
a result, very few, <5 % use them. I'd bet, if they were made illegal, no
one but the TABD would notice or complain.
Just my 2 day experience in Calgary, Alberta proved more positive then I
thought. For a person that wants to use metric, Canada is very metric
friendly. For a person who wants to use imperial, they have to go to the
trouble of mentally back converting. Canada may not be 100 % metric, but
more so than not.
John
Keiner ist hoffnungsloser versklavt als derjenige, der irrt�mlich glaubt
frei zu sein.
There are none more hopelessly enslaved then those who falsely believe they
are free!
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
UK Metrication Association
http://www.metric.org.uk
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