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I live a couple hours east of Toronto and the homelessness here has got so much worse over the last few years.. 15 or 20 years ago there was only a couple homeless people here. There were so few most people knew them by name. But now there are so many it is unbelievable, and they act so much more crazy now. Its obviously the drugs that do that. Probably most of the ones that have came here over the last decade have been from Toronto. And its just going to get worse.

I’m a Canadian who lived in Toronto during and after the pandemic (and now moved abroad). The city is not what it was when I was a kid. Completely run down, escalated crimes, homelessness outside my apartment building. Also many immigrants are given more opportunities to fill company’s quota of diversity. Good journalism on this video, thank you for showing the real Toronto. Many foreigners think Canada is a dream country and it’s simply not. Canadians are struggling in our own country, it’s just sad.

the west is neglecting the people born here and flooding our countries with millions of people from the third world. the US has just as insane immigration numbers as us. I don't think most people hate immigrants but we cant sustain these numbers any more its killing us all. Then to see the drug problem get this out of hand because of Decriminalization has truly destroyed Toronto. i don't live in the GTA, a few hours outside of it, but the tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people leaving the city all say the same things said in this video. we cant continue down this path...

Born here and sadly spent a few years homeless in Toronto after both of my parents died (orphaned) when I was younger. I remember being told I had to be at least 25 years old to get help from Streets to Homes in Toronto and was homeless at 17 with no living parents (orphaned). It wasn't until the beginning of Covid that I moved away and another city helped me get off the street in 4 months. Have my own wonderful place for the past 3 1/2 years.\n\nSo glad I never gave up, and so glad I never started drugs.

lived in toronto from 3 to 31 years of age, im in mississauga now, wanted to go back to Toronto but its not the same

Ive lived in toronto my whole life. This is the cold hard truth. This city is a shithole. Too many immigrants, crime, homelessness, drugs. Trudeau is the worst prime minister we've had to date... Cant afford a house, rent, food, gas. \nCanada is becoming a third world country.

Speaking as a Canadian, I thank you for raising awareness of these disturbing trends in Canada, @thegavinbarry - I have lived in downtown Toronto, and am there almost every week - Toronto and Canadians deserve much better governance…

Its not just toronto the homeless problem is in every populated area from ontario to alberta to bc i ised ro live out west in red deer alberta and its worse here in st catharines ontario but still the homeless are everywhere thats populated and its gotten real bad and creaped into places that never had it like saskatchewan and mabitoba since the immigrants started flooding in because of Trudeau's camp and the laws hes getting passed hes an idiot and he needs to be replaced

The sad part is, this is just one of the many issues plaguing Toronto. Our infrastructure is beyond overwhelmed, traffic is atrocious, crime is through the roof... you can't even take public transit without worrying about getting stabbed. Car theft is the norm, it has reached a point where people started installing bollards on their driveways. I can go on with housing, cost of living, food prices, etc but you get the idea... it's bad.

i live in toronto real reson is the mayor can do something but she wont there r buildings in my area they wont use for the homeless

No one force you to live in major cities like Vancouver and Toronto. Why not try Saskatoon ? much cheaper housing. San Francisco is not cheaper either?

awesome video. lived in toronto all my life and have never seen this much terrible shit going on. almost inhaled crack by accident from a guy at 7/11 on College lmao

Awesome video you’re editing is top notch, I can see this channel blowing up, I live 45 minutes north of Toronto and this problem has spread to small towns

Welcome to Canada .. where a 100K salary will make you think twice if you really can afford that used bicycle on marketplace\n\nNo joke .. if you are not born on 3rd base with some serious old folks money and massive inheritance luring at some point... Living in this country with only the bare median-wage is just existing to fill up your landlord's wallet , the banks and the govt. \n\nCanada is a life of financial stress and rat-race corp work. The amount of legit fun and pleasure people really get out of hustling in a city like Toronto.. is abysmal

as a Canadian I thank you for helping to bring light to this crises i do not live in Toronto but this crises has made my city from a normal city to the 10th highest to live in Canada and we have less than 90,000 people

I used to live downtown Toronto it’s bad corruption

I live in Kitchener, just one hour from Toronto. Tent cities are here big time too. No immigrants in them. Like the guest said immigrants FIRST! They are taking our available housing and jobs. The rest is TOO much for YouTube. Telling too much truth is offensive to them.? Justinflation , remember that next election.

Lived and worked in Canada from 2002-2007, in Toronto from 2004-2007 as an immigrant. I have Canadian citizenship, passport... Returned from Canada to my country of birth in late 2007. Those 5 years in Canada were the worst 5 years of my life, even then, when I was there in Canada - it wasn't as bad as today - today it is much worse (there is now a homeless camp five hundred meters from the block where I lived, it wasn't there then). Here, where I am now, I do not have a permanent job and a stable income, however, I live much better, much easier, with less effort, and most importantly, much healthier and peacefully than in Canada. I never even thought about going back there. Despite the false propaganda (because the Canadian state makes a lot of money from immigration - in order to legally immigrate to Canada, I had to spend 2000-3000 for administrative costs and show $10,000 in cash when entering Canada, plus a $1200 plane ticket) that Canada is one of the best places to live, my experience is that it is one of the worst places to live (and I have lived in both Germany and Cyprus and in my native country which has been devastated by Western sanctions and NATO bombing. Never in the 16 years since I left Canada have I thinking of going back there. I'm sorry, my experience was extremely negative.

Lived and worked in Canada from 2002-2007, in Toronto from 2004-2007 as an immigrant. I have Canadian citizenship, passport... Returned from Canada to my country of birth in late 2007. Those 5 years in Canada were the worst 5 years of my life, even then, when I was there in Canada - it wasn't as bad as today - today it is much worse (there is now a homeless camp five hundred meters from the block where I lived, it wasn't there then). Here, where I am now, I do not have a permanent job and a stable income, however, I live much better, much easier, with less effort, and most importantly, much healthier and peacefully than in Canada. I never even thought about going back there. Despite the false propaganda (because the Canadian state makes a lot of money from immigration - in order to legally immigrate to Canada, I had to spend 2000-3000 for administrative costs and show $10,000 in cash when entering Canada, plus a $1200 plane ticket) that Canada is one of the best places to live, my experience is that it is one of the worst places to live (and I have lived in both Germany and Cyprus and in my native country which has been devastated by Western sanctions and NATO bombing. Never in the 16 years since I left Canada have I thinking of going back there. I'm sorry, my experience was extremely negative.

Welcome to Trudeau's Canada. I live in London, Ontario about 2 hours from Toronto and the addiction and homelessness problem here is just as bad. Its all over Canada. Its sad and things seriously need to change.

You know, you just uploaded this video two days ago, and two nights ago, I took a walk from Yonge and Bloor to Yonge and Dundas. I could not believe how bad the city has gotten... just like your video demonstrates. There were homeless people and drug addicts all the the way down Yonge...dozens at every corner. Tons on the subway, too. I even made a FB post about it, because I was so dismayed. Your video really demonstrates what's going on in the pulse of the city. It's so disturbing... it actually makes me really sad to see Toronto's relatively sudden severe decline. (I've been living in Toronto since 1998). And believe me - I know the rest of Canada is not far behind.

Living in Toronto, I used to feel sorry for the homeless. Now, with the current living cost, I am almost homeless myself.

even canadian medical system is getting worse and worse. \nwalk in clinic doctors dont wanna see patients \nI visited 3 different walk in clinics and they all said no\nWhen i visited Toronto one homeless guy tried to hit me, boyfriend and our friend. \nthe homelss guy told us to leave his park so we did and 5 mins later the same homeless guy was hitting one of the bikers in the driving lane. All the other bikers started to punching the homeless guy and started kicking him brought him to the opposite side walk and kept hitting him. seriously, canada's becoming very dangerous even in Vancouver being very much ghetto place.\n\nI think the PM should be focusing fixing Canada instead of getting more people in. When most of the middle class citizens are becoming more of a poor class. There's no balance in the country. Middle class is now poor class and I dont know what poor class is anymore. The rent is fucking crazy cant buy anything seriously organic lemon is over 5 dollars i mean i dont eat anything organic but this is crazy. especially when you try to buy something like a coffee the workers want you to pay at least 20% tip and if you dont they fucking glare at you. I really wanna leave Canada i dont wanna live here anymore. Its getting dangerous every day. More killing, theft, scams its so disgusting. 20 years ago was so nice. even though it was still expensive at least everyone wasnt mad at each other.\n\nYou should do Vancouver theres so much tents in the parks police officers dont do anything. Those people who needs to stay in the mental hospital doesnt get those help they're out in the streets.

I lived and worked in downtown Toronto in the 90's and into early 2000. DBFB back in the days of Gerard Kennedy, then Shelter management 60 Richmond and Met United. I can not believe how much worse it's gotten !! I remember skating at the ice rink at the 9:32 mark.

The last few calls I made to Rogers they were Indians here on a student visa. The last women I spoke with is from Brampton . I feel for this man.\n\nThis is what is going on Now in Ottawa and I lived in old Downtown Toronto and Now Downtown Ottawa\n\nThis is what Reporters do ! Not the cbc cushy jobs !

I remember living in Toronto in 1994 when homeless people were being found frozen under bridge's...The many in Toronto at that time were going out to provide blankets, food, clothing and toiletries. This has been coming for a long time Canada - and of course my comment will be deleted in under 5 second's.

I migrated from the UK and really, things aren't much better at home. That's why i'm sticking it out. London rents are equivalent to Toronto, with a similar average salary. UK taxes also look ok on paper, but wheny you include the hidden stuff it's just as bad as canada. Healthcare also going down the gutter. The only positive the UK has over canada is food is much cheaper and if you are able to work from home, you can live away from big cities and pay much less rent. This huge difference between big cities and towns in the UK doesn't seem to be as noticeable in Canada. For an entire 3 bed house with a garden in the north of england, you could get one for $1000/month easy. But there are no job opportunities there at all, so it really is only for WFHers. But I think these issues are sweeping most of the western world... our economic models are built on infinite growth and can't deal with aging populations with an increasing tax burden.

I live in a small town in Ontario Canada about an hour North of Toronto in the last 5 years I can't even recognize the place with all the foreigners And these people are so rude throw their garbage all over the place the crime is up tenfold. I fear english will become the second language in this town soon

Really BBC? I didn’t expect such a bias and poorly reported piece from you guys. What editor for the reputable BBC would even sign off on such a direction? \n\nYES it’s normal to see a drop in citizen application when the government made it much more difficult for permanent residents to do so. There was an intent there to naturally filter out what had become a burden on government funds and resources. I’m sorry but if you are living in Canada’s largest city [Toronto], don’t be shocked that cost of living is ridiculously expensive. The same will apply to every other western nations largest city. And yes Canada’s second largest city [Montreal] is ridiculously cheap, but good luck trying to get in when you not only need the Canadian federal governments approval for citizenship but the Quebec provincial governments as well where fluency in the French language is now a requirement. \n\nAt the end of the day, your education abroad provided you with tools and resources that helped implement your vision. It allowed you recognize the changing dynamic of the global economy, the bygone era of easy opportunity and progress in the western world and the significant leaps and growth that your own “developing” nation has made, allowing you to easily break into your own market with much success than struggle surrounded by red tape, by laws, bureaucracy, expenses and competition while balancing yourself in a culture with societal norms and customs that are unfamiliar and new to you.

Leaving Canada??? Are you kidding me? If all these disillusioned immigrants are leaving, then why do us born and raised Canadians see every major city of ours being overtaken over by these immigrants, specifically the South and east Asian variety, in every single one of them? Here is statistic for you on one of them.....more than 75% of the people who live in Toronto, are from another country!! 75%, and Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, and every other big city we have are catching up to that percentage as we speak. I laugh my ass off when I when I see a tiny minority group like yours claiming that immigrants are leaving at a rapid pace. I suppose though it might appear that way to you if you were not born here to begin with and witnessed the massive change in our immigrant population over the past 30 years like us born and raised Canadians have. Dont get me wrong either. I am all for immigration and know how necessary they are to our successful economy and I do feel for the ones that try to make a decent living here but get pushed out for whatever reason, but to say that there is alot of immigrants leaving is simply not true by any measureable standard or why are there so many of you everywhere? Something isnt making any sense here and I know its not coming from us born and raised Canadians either!

Wouldn't live in ottawa or toronto if someone paid me

As a Chinese, I see you westerns keep complaining and thought to myself you guys have lived a descent life for so long that you don't ever feel the real pain . Toronto, I'm coming soon~?

You can be a homeless man in Canada by joining others already living on the street in Toronto.

Yes there is an housing crisis but you make it sound like the issues and high prices in Toronto and Vancouver are country wide, while it is far from the case. Ynless you are deadset on living in the big cities you can still find affordable housing with a salary under 100K$.

That’s a good thing more people leaving Canada ,more people will find accommodation and getting back to a reasonable immigration\nWe have way too many immigrant without skill living on minimum wages,hardly enough to live on , Toronto Vancouver Montreal are place’s impossible to make a living when the pay is so low en compared to the cost of living

If you look at most walkable, well serviced cities in the world, it is clear that nothing that is good, is particularly affordable. It can be affordable *today* if you move there, but it is likely not affordable if you live there and make their wages.\n\nToronto has become more expensive as time passes. It was great value in the 1990s when things were cheaper, when Toronto's future was less solidified, and there were less immigrants. Now, it is keeping up in cost with other walkable, dense cities in North America.

There is a whole other Canada outside Toronto, Brampton or Vancouver. Disgruntled, leave. No one is stopping you from leaving. Should have done more investigation on Canada instead of taking some hired foreign immigration official advice, whose job is to make money off your back, telling you mistruths and all you had to do was do your own investigation. This is on you. Complaining about shovelling snow in a country where it snows! Really! What a stupid comment. Unhappy? There is a plane leaving with your name on it. And no one owes you a living.

What is the benefit of coming to Canada now? \nWhen Canada opened up in the seventies, there were many advantages to coming to Canada. Back then there was a lot of work in the lumber industry in western Canada and big factories in eastern Canada. In those days, if you were willing to do any work, you would get a job within 8-10 days. \nIn 1990, a bachelor apartment went for $500 a month and a one-bedroom was $600 a month. \nAlmost all would get their 3-4 bedroom house within 10 years. \nGroceries used to be so cheap that $200 a month could support the entire family. The telephone bill was $10 per month. A Vancouver-Toronto bus ticket was only $100. \nSchool education was good, children had to give exams. It used to be very easy to see a doctor. Buses were less crowded. \nNow the standard of education has gone down so much that children become like robots after finishing school. If you have to go to the hospital, you have to wait for 8-10 hours to see the doctor. \nNew immigrants find basements for shelter. Getting your own house has become a dream now. Those who have bought houses will have to pay the mortgage for a long time. Many homeowners are paying interest only, there is no reduction in the principal. \nBus service is so sparse that sometimes more than 100 passengers wait for a 38-seater bus. \nInternational students are in a very bad situation. Spend 25-30 lakhs, live 4-5 together in basements and do hard labor jobs (warehousing, retail cashier, security). Even if they do 2 years diploma they do not get any good job, only minimum wage jobs. \nThose with good jobs or jobs (income of eighty thousands or more) should come to Canada with a lot of thought, because when they come here, they are all considered workers and they have to find low-paying jobs and have to live in often in basements. \nProf. Kuldip Pelia \nSurrey, Canada

Toronto has a weird hold on Canadians. I think Toronto is one of the ugliest, most soul destroying cities in the world. It’s freezing in winter and boiling in summer. There is no center and the people are unfriendly. Now add the the cost of living, crime, and you’re looking at a sh/hole.

Canada is great! Just move out Toronto and expensive cities. I leave in a boring city so I can afford to live well, although I love city life. You complain about healthcare? Move, eat well, and go to the emergency room only in case if you have an accident. Relationships are not great though.

Canada by itself is very WELCOMING, the problem is that you dive into the trap, there only ONE way to do this right, GIVE TO ALL IMMIGRANTS TIME BUFFER, like 1-2 year, don't destroy them from the start, it`s like I call friends to my home, I will say hey please feel free like in your house, but then ill throw them dirt to a face and ask them hey please be clean in my house go find place where to wash up and don't use my towel. Time that migrants spend to find JOB and HOME are exceed TIME they can afford living, it means LOW CREDIT SCORE, DEBT Problems, bad mood, anxiety, no hope, and boom you have more homeless guys. Politics should be supporting migrants very well not just throwing them to the streets, put some regulatory, cut some paperwork for applying a job, make RULE that every IMMIGRANT should go to government job like cleaning streets or IDK make it MUST, so there will be no situation where they don't have jobs. Tell me TORONTO are to clean ? there is no way to give incoming people what to do without DOZENS OF STUPID PAPERS? WORK PERMIT >> READY TO START WORKING FROM TOMORROW >>> DAY / NOON / EVENING >>> Min Wage >>> Social small houses with low rend for city workers. And believe me 1-2 month your city will be the cleanest city in the world with beautiful gardens. It just INNITIATIAVE . you as a GOVERMENT, have millions way to do this. I`ll give you millions of idea, DM me ill prove that city of Toronto can do better and show example to whole CANADA and even US.

I'm a Canadian citizen living abroad. I had no option but to leave. It will always be impossible for me to afford a home in Toronto.

I love Canada, but Toronto is definitely my least favourite city. I have friends there and always have fun staying there, but there is no way I could live there. I had my eyes on the west coast, but I really love life in Montreal and I cannot imagine ever leaving.

Right now is probably the worst time to come here. With global recession and post-pandemic hardship, everyone is feeling the pinch. Small businesses are closing down as they could not repay back the relief loans given by the government during the pandemic. Trudeau’s policy of immigration through the educational stream and admitting so many refugees from Syria and Ukraine have caused massive rent increase - too many people chasing after lower real estate supply. Because people are feeling the pinch, crimes are up and homelessness has become a serious issue. But, here are the (long-term) advantages of living here, vs. The Philippines:\n- free healthcare - no matter how rich you are back home, wealth can be depleted if a major illness strikes;\n- free education for your kids up to highschool and opportunity for your kids to enter worldclass universities after highschool;\n- government programs that actually work - Worker rights are upheld, doleouts when you lose your job, 12-month mat/paternity leave, doleout/govt match when you save for yr kid’s university educ, tax rebates for whatever you save for retirement, retirement income even if you never held a job, infrastructures are maintained, transparency and stability of political system; \n- safer environment - yes, greater crimes lately, but still one of the safest places to live. I live in greater Toronto, and sometimes we forget to lock our door at night or leave a bicycle outside and nothing happens;\n- commitment to the environment - the country adheres to protecting the envt. You can drink water from the faucet. Strict laws on recycling and waste disposal. Greenbelt protection on forest and conservation park areas, even in the cities. Canada also has the world’s biggest water supply...in today’s global climate change, were decades away from water wars;\n- a beautiful country with friendly, humble and relaxed people who observe work-life balance

I also returned back to Europe in 2022. I am happy in Netherlands. Plenty jobs and cheaper living. In Toronto before I left, I was paying rent 2400 CAD/month including utilities, for a basement, ridiculous. After almost 15 years living in Canada, I was forced by poor living standards to come back to Europe. I had no more dreams, nothing, just to pay rent, food and car.

Hallelujah! It's been insane! Many cities don't even look like a Canadian city from even 5 years ago. Places like Toronto etc now all look like New New Delhi. It's sad to see Canadian culture being wiped out. And there is no place to live. The immigration policy in Canada is the most aggressive in world history (about 5x more immigrants per capita than places like US or Britain which also have way too aggressive immigration policies). \n\nIt's odd how we are always told here that people shouldn't marry or have kids for environmental/climate reasons (ugh) and yet Canada is bringing in so many people trying to QUADRUPLE our population by 2100. How insane is that?

Wrong information. Students and new immigrants including work permits just pay 1000 dollars for 1 bedroom basement apartment in Toronto. Many Indian home owners give them rents at much lower price than the market rate which goes up to 1400 dollars a month but since they are Indians and new to Canada they give them for 1000 dollars a month. If students 3 people live in that, if families 2 people. Indian home owners do that for food cooking smells and other reasons. I see some new immigrants both working couple make up to 90k per year but still live in basement apartments for more than 3 years to save money. Indians are money saving people, do not want to spend money.

I live in the State now and I'am a Republican, Back in the early 90's Toronto started to import the problem, multiculturalism will never work , that's why there's wars , too bad ,Toronto was nice .

A post recently by a university graduate living in Toronto said her rent for a small flat in the city was $2400 pcm. Her take-home pay $3,000. She couldn't afford to live.

Canada is a great country\n Most persons want to live in Toronto which is expensive.\n\nIf you live in other places amd yake a 2 year trade degree you sre set in Canada. Hvac,Mechanic plumbing etc