Close Reading

I am glad someone is honest about the problem.\n\nI'm surprised by how much everyone promotes moving to Nova Scotia, given the housing shortage that has led to exorbitantly high rents, a one-bedroom apartment in an old building costs 1,600, and in new building costs 3,500 per month. And for three people I pay 85 dollars of electricity every two months. Internet is 105 dollars per month. Professional salaries barely cover rent, food, and car expenses, as they are quite low, often ranging between $50,000 and $60,000 for positions requiring 5 to 10 years of experience, and sometimes even lower. Before you even see your paycheck, expect at least 30% to be deducted for taxes, as calculated by a Nova Scotia tax calculator. The healthcare system is struggling; last year, joining a list to be assigned a family doctor was estimated to take up to three years. For those seeking care at walk-in clinics, you must arrive before 7 am and wait in line; they only see the first 15 people, typically just on Mondays. If you're last, you might wait until noon or later to be seen. After working for 40 years, the pension is approximately $1,200, or less if you haven't worked the full duration with salaries over 60,000. \n \nI forgot to mention that prices in stores are without an additional 15% tax, you should add that to every product or service you purchase. If you want to go to a restaurant, an economical one, and buy a lasagna and something to drink, it will cost you at least 70 dollars. McDonalds and Tim Hortons, for three people, may cost 40 dollars, but it is your health. \n \nThe government is investing millions to attract students and new immigrants, making labor significantly cheaper for large companies. Individuals with low wages can't even afford the cheapest rent, resulting in some living in tents across cities and towns in Nova Scotia. With an annual inflation rate of 15% to 25%—and the official rate reflecting only a detailed list of products deemed as basic food items by the government—only the minimum wage is legally required to increase when deemed appropriate by the government. Other wages increase only if the employer decides to do so. How often do they do this out of kindness to their employees? That's a good question. \n \nYour work experience in other countries does not count. They want people with Canadian experience, so it is better to think you will start with a 35,000 salary per year. A house cost between 450,000 to 2,500,000. When are you going to save to pay for a house? The cheapest ones can be 200 years old. A 100 m2 apartment, new, not very elegant but nice, can cost more than 2 million dollars in downtown Halifax. People say it is due to money laundry, and for sure is not because the medium class is buying them. \n \nI have many friends, who graduated from Canadian colleges and universities that haven't gotten a job in their career even after four years of graduation... and the list is longer. Please, be honest with people like these girls.

I’m Canadian I don’t like my country anymore at all governments all politics are nuts to much immigration Canadians can’t find work now government are subsidizing companies to hire immigrants I’m beyond discusted as a Canadian this once awesome country is no longer a great place to live at all

So leave!!! Why bother to make a 20--minute video to explain why?? To make one last-ditch effort to get some money in Canada before you leave?? Immigrants with cash that scoop up entire rows of properties are the reason why real estate properties are no longer affordable to even ordinary citizens. And you are the one complaining?? Canada bends over backwards catering to new immigrants, giving away free welcome packages of essential items, providing free language lessons (when you are supposed to be fluent in at least one official language of Canada when immigrating), giving you instant permanent residency upon arrival allowing you to enjoy free universal healthcare and free primary and secondary school education for the children, allowing you to be eligible for Canadian citizenship after just 5 years of residing in Canada only requiring you to stay 6 months of a year in Canada. After all that Canada has done to help you, you still don't want to stay?? Then leave!! On your way out, try to ask people who try to immigrate to China how their experience is like. Ask them how long they need to stay in China to even get permanent residency and how much they have to pay to send their children to school in China. Jesus! Goodbye!!

As a born and raised Canadian millennial, I'm grateful to have escaped Canada almost a decade ago when even back then I could no longer tolerate the conditions of Greater Toronto. It's exponentially worse in Toronto today. I wish the best for Canada but I just can't see it improving over the coming decades. I love my life in the US too much to ever move back, but fortunately close enough to make the drive to visit friends and family.

My immigration process took 14 years in total until I could get here, it was a blessing and I had a lot of gratitude to be here after living in a warzone. Ive lived in Winnipeg for 10 years, a part of me was always happy and okay to deal with the cold because at least nobody would be killing you or attempting to on a daily basis, with rockets and bombs. 10 years later, I was wondering that the only reason we came here was to escape war, and not find a better quality of life. You can tell me “you don’t like it then leave” but i find it disturbing that many Canadians here don’t recognize how bad the situation gets, when governments don’t do anything to enhance quality of life and corporates take control everywhere and raise the costs to unbelievable numbers. Housing crisis, most can’t afford houses or even rent a nice apartment. Healthcare system is a complete dogshit mess, people here don’t recognize the importance of how much this industry needs to be supported by governments and citizens because EVERYONE benefits from it and stay alive longer. I don’t know man, I only see it collapsing going forward, especially when everyone is divided and the aboriginal issues are a constant trend.

It's a misconception to assume that the US medical care is always better, or that the wait times in Canada are a lot longer.\nWhile there's no question the quality of care depends on where you live, rural areas in both countries don't typically have specialists or all the latest equipment. Major urban areas are much better served.\nAlso, the measured outcomes for many types of surgical procedures are often statistically better in Canada, with higher success rates and better recoveries for many types of procedures. The big difference is because more Canadians have regular check-ups, problems are typically caught sooner, before they become serious. That's a big reason why our life-span is several years higher, and our infant mortality is much lower than the US. Because of the extra co-pay costs or because they don't have insurance and cannot afford basic medical care, many Americans put off doctors visits until they're really sick. \nDuring a routine check-up I was diagnosed with a minor heart condition last September. Was able to see a specialist within 5 weeks. That specialist sent me to a heart surgeon a few weeks later who scheduled an Arterial Ablation day surgery in December. (I walked out 6 hours later...) Lots of pre-surgical and post surgical testing and follow-up. As it turned out, the other side of my heart also required the same surgery, and by March that was completed successfully too. Again, multiple follow-ups and tests, and I've got a totally symptom-free outcome.\nI had a hip replacement a few years ago that went well and resulted in a totally pain free hip that allowed me to return to normal activities I could no longer enjoy before surgery.\nTotal cost in the US for both these types of surgeries would have likely been well over $100,000. The most I paid was for the hospital parking...\nIs it better in Canada? - Absolutely...!!!

While the Canadian health care system isn’t perfect I’d much rather have it then to not be able to afford to have any healthcare. I also think once you monetize health care it’s not longer about health but about profit

To be fair most Canadian police have much longer training periods then US police.

Born in the USA to one American parent and one Canadian parent, so I am (was) a dual citizen.\nMoved to Canada in the early 80's with my Canadian parent when they split up and while I missed the USA at first, Canada quickly became my new home and earlier this year, I renounced my US citizenship to become 100% Canadian.\nThe USA is (was) a great country, but no longer aligns with my values, especially over the last 6-7 years. It has become a very mean spirited nation that I no longer wanted to be associated with.\nTo me the choice is clear. Canada isn't perfect, but it's a much better place to live than the USA and in most categories the data backs that up.\n-Canada ranks higher on the Freedom Index than the USA does, so according to the Cato and Fraser Institutes, we're more free in Canada\n-Lower violent crime rates\n-Lower murder rates\n-MUCH lower gun crime rates\n-Better access to health care\n-Longer life expectancy\n-Higher quality of life\n-Lower infant mortality\n-Lower maternal mortality\n-Greater reproductive rights and healthcare for women\n-No crazy far right wingers\n\nBut the pizza is better in the USA, I'll give you that.

Thanks to ISI for doing these encounters cuz canadian khalistani terorrists started doing things on their own ..they were no longer under cintrol of ISI cuz they earned so much fir drugs and women trafficking.. trying to blame india ? NIA has its own power to counter u .. god bless canada from khalistan terorrists.. for gods sakes how many Canadians died by these terorrists on broad day light and even candian police never charged anything against them .. its our canadian blood which being targeted..

Comments from a Canadian. Homeless people are generally concentrated in the larger cities but in the past few years it has become a real problem. It is a real problem for the people when the temperature drops to -30C. Mental wellness is a huge issue. The racism issue is mainly against the indigenous. The doctor migration to the US is a money thing, not better conditions. Getting a family doctor is easy in some places and difficult in others, generally in rural communities. Getting a reference to a specialist is not an issue and I believe this may be a doctor specific issue. If your GP does not refer you, ER will take care of you. The issue with referrals is the triage system that may result in a longer wait to see the specialist. This is in contrast to the US where one can see a specialist very quickly, if one has insurance. In Canada, every citizen and legal resident has the ability to receive medical care as covered by the provincial medical systems which differs from province to province. Many doctors are now offering online communication with your GP and specialist. Your finance comments are inaccurate. There are 5 nation wide banks but there are also nation wide credit unions and provincial banks which in my opinion these tend to offer better service than the big 5 (exclude National Bank, which is big bank but more investment focused). Cell carrier monopolies is a real issue. Cell carriers are recently offering unlimited data, no long distance to the US, etc. Other countries have a definite advantage here. The government has enabled conditions for a new carrier a few times but eventually, these smaller carriers get swallowed up by the big national carriers. More recently Rogers bought out Shaw which limits our choices further. Sales tax is not always 10-15%. In Alberta the sales tax is 5%. Passing courses and evaluations ensures there are standards which is a good thing. Would you want a Civil Engineer designing a road or bridge that is not suitable for the climate? How about a doctor with questionable credentials? Agree with your recommendations for hiring. It is expensive to hire and train a new employee but can be much more expensive to fire an employee. Agree with the housing crisis comments and the reasons. Getting an absent owner to fix a property? This is crazy inaccurate. Multi-dwelling properties have property managers paid to look after the properties regardless of who owns it. While on the average, foreign investment may not seem to contribute to property prices, this is not the case when looking a the local sectors of the big two - Toronto and Vancouver. There was a case in Vancouver where a property with a shack sold for over $1MM. This is not because the house price was unrealistic, but because of the property location and perceived property value. This is a direct result of foreign investment in houses in the Vancouver area resulting in a lack of properties. Many of these foreign owned single family investment properties remain empty most of the year. Another big issue in many Canadian municipalities is the lack of building code enforcement. The laws are in place but not always enforced.

The numbers in this presentation is slanted. Yes average incomes in the US are higher than Canada’s. But average incomes are slanted due to the wealth inequality of the number of multi billionaires in the US. If you take into consideration median income, which is a much more effective calculation of wealth distribution Canadians actually make more than Americans. Even accounting for PPP. We are also more educated, have a much greater literacy rate, live longer and healthier, and have a higher quality of life rating.

Health care from your job? How did that work out for everyone during the pandemic? Ppl who lost their jobs in the states? All Canadians, even if they lost their jobs kept all their healthcare for free. Having a baby? Just pay the cost to park at the hospital, have cancer/heart attack - same, just what it cost you at the lot, $3.50. Health care is huge. Need to go to your doctor, no second thoughts bc u don’t have money. We do have a little longer waits for non serious surgeries, but all serious and emergency stuff is done asap. We all appreciate our health care so much when compared to the US.

There is a Canadian travel advisory for the USA - due to Mass Shootings (250+ with 3+ Victims). The year isnt done yet.\n\nMy sister moved and lived 6yrs in Texas. 1st wk into her new life there... shootout/lockdown in a Walmart. That was the first/closest time our familly was as close to a handgun (except my father - RCAF veteran).\n\nShe moved back during C-19 in 2021. Lamenting the lack of choices of cracker flavours in Canada. But no longer worried about her HC Insurance. Still complains we only havr 4 flavours of Poptarts.\n\nMy father lived in the US for work and moved for a while. I was glad we moved back to Canada. (I was 10)\n\n Even as a kid, I felt unsafe there. When we came back. There was a wierd relief, that I didnt know how to explain to my Mom & Dad.\n\n Today as an adult. I know my subconscious was always telling me somesort of truth.\n\nIn Canada, its much safer. Definitely.

Forget parents, even many immigrants are unhappy in Canada. Every time I run into an Indian who has studied or lived in US he is frustrated. 2 people in my team received their Canadian citizenship and have started trying for positions in US. 3 white Canadians in our company moved to US in last 2 year itself.\nCanada is not a great country from parents. It's cold, white and depressing throughout. Many parents can stay for relatively longer in California or Texas where there is vibrant community and weather is very much like India. I lived for 10 years of life in snow before moving to Canada - Massachusetts, North Carolina and Virginia. I just 2 winters, I feel depressed in Canada as it's white for 4 to 5 months.

We must kick you all out of our country. You all are criminals. Our governments for Indians (from India) and French Canadians have been rotten to the core, so it is just a matter of time that this country will start tio disintegrate as Indians (from India) and French Canadians infiltrated into our governments. We don't know how much longer we have to put up with this absolute imbecile Canadian government. We are just waiting around for the day to come when we will take them all to court.

Only God knows how much i missed these Canadian vlogs ???\nAlso, please make them longer, 10 minutes literally fly by ?

I agree with some of your views on Canadian immigration. You mentioned a PR timeline of up to 1 year. That’s what it says in the application process but in reality isn’t always the case. It usually takes much longer esp. if your case file is unique or complex. In order to manage people’s expectations. There’ve been cases where applicants in the express entry process had been in it for over 3 year before receiving their confirmation of permanent residency. It can be a roller coaster journey that you need to be prepared for mentally.

You guys were spot on with this video. I am Canadian born from Caribbean immigrants and all we've done from jump is work multiple jobs. If you live in Toronto you can't just have one job; even lawyers and engineers have side hustles. My uber drivers are usually tech engineers! Most people usually immigrate to the US after getting their visa because the pay is so much more and the cost of living is lower. An example some jobs I'm looking at in Canada pay $50-$60k base demanding 5 yrs experience with 2-3 wks vacation. In the US the same job pays $75-100k base, unlimited vacation, work from home 2-3 yrs experience! I now live here part time and most of my wealthy friends have moved to the US, Costa Rica or Mexico because the cost of living is too high and it's no longer worth it. No life balance, even working remote you're a slave, the cost of living is outrageous

Canada is what you make of it. You can arrive rich and end up poor and you can arrive poor and end up rich. In between that, you can have a great life that balances your needs. I’ve seen immigrants succeed simply because they see the opportunity in front of them . They worked hard in their own counties to stay just above the poverty line ,but when they apply that same effort here it pays off ten times greater. I feel that compared to a lot of immigrants, natural born Canadians come across as spoiled and a little lazy…we are. We haven’t had to struggle the same way someone from a poorer country might have. I’ve talked to people who’ve worked ten to twelve hours a day just to stay afloat. If you did that here you could make plenty of money to live and have some left over. As far as owning a house goes,yes it’s expensive . I feel that homeownership in any country is relatively expensive. Here is a tip; use that soaring home prices to your advantage. Houses are expensive but you can make a lot of money buying and selling. I recommend putting together a buyers group and share the house for a few years, then sell at a profit, buy a bigger house or two smaller houses.try to buy the worst house in the best neighbourhood and fix it up slowly . That house could double in value in five or six years in the Toronto market. This is nothing new of course ,the people from India and China seem to do this a lot here ,it drives up prices and profits. On the downside to this ,you are now part of the problem. As the housing prices are driven up the non wealthy can no longer afford to own a house . They are at the mercy of high rents with no rewards of ownership. They are caught in a cycle of hard work and (relative)poverty. This could also be you if you can’t keep up the house payments and are forced to rent.\nHow well you speak English is important but your native language is also useful here because Canada is half immigrants . As a Canadian that speaks only english (Irish descent)I have to say to all newcomers that I’m very impressed that you have learned a new language and that you may even speak more than two! Don’t be embarrassed about your abilities . I find that in my experience , Canadians do not look down on people just because they don’t know English. In fact ,I’ve known people that have lived here for decades and still know very little English. They are comfortable in their communities and they function just fine. Learn as much English as suits your needs and be proud of any gains you make.\nOutside of Toronto are other cities that you might consider when looking at southern Ontario.From my experience,most are generally the same, just not as big . There are large immigrant communities in London Ontario, Hamilton and just outside of Toronto where housing is just a little bit less expensive but the commute to work is probably longer. This is just my opinion but in the small towns there are less people of colour , (which is what people of no colour call everyone else . I wonder if I’m called a person of no colour in some other culture ? LoL ). That might make it harder for you to feel integrated ,if that’s what you want. I’m not saying that people from other cultures can’t make it in a small town , I’m just saying that it’s definitely not Toronto . Here, people of any nationality can feel like they have a place where they can belong . It seems that no matter where you are from ,there is a community already here that’s set up restaurants and stores and clothing shops and newcomer support systems. And if your from Portugal or China or India or Africa or the Middle East, there are large groups of your kin here that have established roots for generations and you probably know this already.\nToronto means meeting place and that becomes evident quickly. I was born here and it’s one of the things I love the most about my city. I’m not going to say that there isn’t systemic racism here ,the people of no colour still kind of keep the top position , but as we become a minority in a decade or so ,I hope that will shift to a broader spectrum. It’s certainly happening already. One good thing is that the police department tries to hire people of colour so that racialism may play a smaller role. We’re getting used to seeing our politicians more and more reflect their constituents.\nI have to talk about the weather. Because I’m from here I’m used to the extremes of minus thirty and plus thirty . Eventually you get used to it (somewhat). Dressing in the right clothes is important. Summer is easy , but winter is different. It’s trying to kill you. Spend the most that you can afford on winter cloths . If you can afford a quality parka you should get one. The hood can be drawn around the face and stay out of the wind.\nIf not ,think of layers with a outer layer that blocks the wind. We have things called long Johns that are basically full length thick cotton or nylon pants that go on under your pants and a pair of extra thick socks. Buy your boots to fit your thick socks. Try to get the best boots you can afford ,it’s something that you might spend a little extra for but never regret.\nAll in all we are a fairly organized and peaceful society. Most people are friendly and will give you a chance . We have a good social safety net here and you don’t have to be homeless or starving if you don’t want to. There are people and organizations set up to help ,that truly try to get people back on their feet. It’s a good investment that pays off in ways that matter for the quality of life in a big city. I’m not putting my American neighbours down when I say they do things differently. They have their ways ,we have ours. This is just something that we do because we’re trying to learn how to help those that society has discarded or can’t find their place. Sure we have one or two areas where the homeless have pitched tents and we have some resources for them if they want. Unfortunately The mayor recently forced a small camp to move from a very visible place to more scattered locations. There were social workers involved as well as protesters trying to protect them. I didn’t like that happening and I want to see even more resources dedicated to them ,but on the other hand ,we are trying to avoid something like what happens on the streets when it’s just ignored. When I see YouTube videos of the streets of Philadelphia I’m extremely saddened. I thank the lucky stars that I was born in Toronto Canada.\nFor all it’s pollution and expense and crowds ,I think it’s a great place to do almost anything your heart desires . For every ugly building there is a beautiful park ,for every honked horn there is a birds call , for every cold and dark day there is beautiful sunny one around the corner.

They did the same thing to my husband. He married a Canadian woman and had Canadian children... But that wasn't enough... Then he was robbed and assaulted in a bad part of town which gave him extra time only because the supreme court wanted to prosecute the assailants who had attacked my husband... If it werent for the attack he would have been deported at least a year earlier... My husband had legitimate reasons to not want to return to his home country (also Honduras) and aside from that he has children and a wife....\n\nThey say there are laws and this and that... That a refugee cannot enter illegally into Canada and become a successful Canadian....that they have to enter legally.... But how can they enter legally when they cannot get a visa in their own country.... Now we are pushing for humanitarian and compassionate grounds... But life is hard in Honduras and we dont know how much longer he can suffer there before he makes the decision to take the long illegal trek to the north once again...