--- On Wed, 10/8/08, Carleton MacDonald <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>>>Ten years ago when I was in Canada it was a 600 mL bottle. When I went back
>>>in 2003, it was a 591 mL bottle. Idiots.<<<
In my opinion, Canada has not progressed, metrically speaking, in the past ten
years. If anything, there may have been some slight backsliding. Perhaps
"NAFTA" has something to do with it?
Consider the many consumer products now sold in both Canada and the United
States in the same packaging and labels. Pay particular attention to household
products, personal care products, and pet food & supplies. Available in both
Canada and the States, these packages include the Canadian-mandated bilingual
English/French labels and also the United States-mandated customary and metric
measurements.
Even some "packaged for sale in Canada only" food products still include both
customary and metric measurements including pre-packaged meat items (e.g.
frozen hamburger patties), packaged heat and cook items (e.g. pierogies), and
fruits & vegetables. Of course, fresh meats, seafoods, and produce are
primarily marketed in terms of price per pound, as discussed in this forum in
the past.
On a similar note, CHCH (TV station in Hamilton, Ontario) weather reporters
still will verbally slip in the temperature conversion in degrees Fahrenheit.
It irritates me to hear that, but I rationalize it by hoping they are doing
that for the "benefit" of U.S. tourists as that station serves the
tourist-heavy Niagara region. ;)
Finally a sign at an independent garden centre in Ontario sums up Canada's
measurement hodgepodge. The sign lists prices and products available such as
bulk and prepackaged stone, topsoil, peat moss, flower pots, seed, and
fertilizer. Measurements noted include kilograms, pounds, inches, centimetres,
cubic feet, cubic yards, and cubic metres. Good grief!
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Michael J. Barnes
Massachusetts USA
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