For me coming from the Westcoast with lots of rain at sea level the lack of drain fields around the houses in the Prairies was a similar moment for me when I was looking at homes for a move many years ago. Their drain spouts just run out into the yard above the ground. It was a what the heck is going on here?

Their basements are also fully enclosed under ground. On the coast we require a secondary drain field just for the down spouts and the basements are only halfway in the ground so it was very strange to me.