By: Ish Theilheimer

  Canadians are constantly being told our neighbours in the States are better off than we are.
  In some ways that may be true. But as a person with family and friends in many provinces and states on both sides of the border, it always seems when I travel in the States that prices are the same or higher, that wages for most working people are the same or lower.
  Taxes vary more from place to place and country to country. And again, they don't seem all that different for ordinary families - although some readers already report important differences.
  Blair Hamren, of Ste. Anne, Manitoba, for instance, writes that generous child tax credits and other benefits directed toward low-income families were a huge boon to a family with nine children. "I can tell you from personal experience that it is FAR cheaper to live in the U.S. in my case." Straight Goods columnist Richard Shillington would agree completely. Canada doesn't do nearly as much as the US is now doing for working poor families.
  But in many other regards, the balance goes the other way. Mr. Hamren says his health care in the States was free. Others are not so fortunate.
  Today Straight Goods begins a series to find out who's better off. Based on personal experience, I expect the differences won't be that great for ordinary families on either side of the border. Keep in mind, the average Canadian only makes $33,000. Many of us make less.
  We'll try to break down some of the complex questions about taxes, wages and exchange rates later. But to begin, we're going to look day by day, at the everyday costs we pay as ordinary families consuming ordinary things. And we'll ask questions.
  If lettuce is grown in the US, and the Yankee dollar is worth almost half again what ours is, why does iceberg lettuce cost $1.09 US in Olympia, WA, $1.29 US in New York, NY, $1.09 US in Northport, MI, $1.29 CDN in Vancouver, BC, $.99 CDN in Pembroke, ON?
  How come they get American lettuce in Pembroke for less than half what it costs - after exchange - in Olympia? The price in Olympia, which is 1.09US, converts to 1.58CDN. So lettuce is 45 percent cheaper in Pembroke - without all that rain.
  We want your experiences. No matter where you live, please fill out the shopping list and send it in to qualify for a chance to win $100 from Straight Goods.

Over the next two weeks, we'll be looking at: