Close Reading

Come to Australia we live in western Victoria side.islamic culture and community two mosques near us and three islamic schools.\nTrying to make my son Alim along with other secular degrees \n\nBut yes inflation is here too but two people working can have good life if you are not greedy of becoming a home owner and have big cars. We live on rent my husband is working only.we have three teens all going good \nLife is not luxury but very happy with good muslim friends.

You should do what is best for your family. But I don't really understand your first reason. As much as Western countries are complicit in what is happening, so are many Muslim countries like UAE, Saudi, Bahrain. And I assume you are definitely planning to move to one of the countries in the Gulf. Leaving aside the government, I have seen more support for the Palestinian cause among the general population in the West that in my whole life in a Middle East country. I was born and brought up in the Middle East. I learnt more about the Palestinian cause infact living in a Western country now. Living in a gulf country, I have infact seen less regards for the underprivileged amongst my Arab friends that I see amongst western people. It is true I am a good Muslim living in a Middle East country, but I realise I am a better human being because I live now in a Western country.

Hai..i think all of your worries will easily disappear if u come n move to Malaysia??.. first of all we don't have winter season as u wanted.. secondly we are multi culture country with many races n ethnique people lives together like malay+Chinese+indian etc lives in harmony n respect of each other beliefs n background..Malaysian are friendly people n humble..also the easiest country to access halal food everywhere because 60% or more of the population is Muslim..so u can also practice Islamic education here .. n importantly even though we are multi cultures we still can practice our religion peacefully n respectfully..in fact we had our mosques, temple n churches besides each other..n when comes to celebrate holidays, we celebrate Ramadan, Eid, Christmas,thaipusam, deepavali or other celebration together respectfully regardless of our races.. Malaysia also a tropical country so u can enjoy modern city n nature together just in one country.. n lastly I think economically u guys can afford to living or retired here considering dollar are more higher than ringgit Malaysia..so financially I think its everything affordable here ..

I have so much respect for you and I think many of us young adults are planning to follow suit with plans for Hijra for the exact same reasons. Its a rising sentiment. I have never lived in Qatar and Oman but have friends who recommend thinking of them for people with our backgrounds coming from abroad. Do you think you are going to continue homeschooling the kids??

Hello there i am Muslim it doesn't matter if u r a Muslim or not theres a lot of people wants to move away from Europe countries like USA UK Canada Australia because everything has gone up buy like Double prices to plus thinking about our kids grandkids and nephews and nieces Future because the way Europe has become we remember when we were kids and now look at the big difference i got friends move to another country because they couldn't afford it its becoming a joke and the politics doesn't care

I suggest you go to turkey it is a good transition as they are a hybrid culture between Islamic and Western. If you go to a fully Islamic country, you might have some issues with the locals, as an American friend of mine struggled when he experienced living in North Africa, he noticed that people had terrible manners and were dishonest. Maybe Dubai as a second choice, because they enforce rules and regulations... I don't know what else to suggest ?

Non Muslim here but I would love to live in Turkey. I could do it for a year but can’t really imagine leaving Australia for good .. the Turkish people are so friendly and helpful .

The definition of a canadain is an american without a gun and public health care... otherwise it is hard to tell the difference.... Canada has almost 9 months of winter and 3 months of bad skating... The province of Quebec which is still part of canada (don't tell them that) has the language police to be as anti-american and any democratic as possible, they only tolerate english if it is in US$ and tax other taxes with the most expensive bloated government of any state north of Mexico. The cartels are envious... all things purchased are imported (except animals and greenhouse tomatoes)are american with the exchange rate of almost 33%... If you are a doctor or nurse or medical specialist trained in western medicine like Europe, Australia, etc. You almost have to start over.... SAD. Like América, big cars/trucks are king, public transit is not a thing... yeh there are some buses in a few major cities, more of an after thought... The only positive thing about coming from another country climate is you have something to compare with.... Personally i was born here so where do i go... A few friends have travelled to the US but have not returned... its warmer in Texas i guess... Canadians are suspicious of Asians because they come with money and buy up property esp in Vancouver/Toronto hence the concern... As for you making friends, you seem to be very Americanized, speak English well and not so traditional except for being married... you would make a lot of people comfortable among traditional Canadians... just my after thoughts...

Your LGBTQ&A voted for this government and their friends and families were right behind them at the poles. Your overly sensitive people voted for this. So don’t blame the military or anyone else, enclosing, welcome to America mi amigos where you are about to receive more and better treatment from my taxes than me.

We all know the pallistian does not want to leave there land this is obvious but what the Arab wourld is doing to help them except for making friends with the zionest and leaving the people of palistine to fend for themselves so much killing and yet the Arab world is not doing anything to help ?????

I took Canada off my list when I started looking into the social problems there and made a few Canadian friends online. We all want to leave Turtle Island (and we're all Indigenous so...says a lot). \n\nSeeing how Canada and other commonwealth nations treat immigrants with disabilities, calculate human value as a transactional contribution or deduction and the negative behavior towards trans people recently? They're ALL off my list and I have family in most of them.\n\nAmerica is worse tho and I was born here.

The Palestinian people have been screwed over by corrupt leadership from the PLO and Hamas. Enriching themselves to billionaire status and taxing every citizen on goods purchased. And their Syrian “ friends” have been brutal towards them. The massive failure of UNWRA which is UN department that has 30000 employees solely for Palestinians also needs to be addressed. If peace is achieved a lot of people would be out of work.

I came here 20 years ago from south asia. got my master's degree from Mcgill, started a business with my husband. We are doing well, working hard and having a good life in general. We did tighten our budget, planned our finances to a T. We live in Toronto, contrary to most, people are super friendly and social. Agreed, immigration needs to slow down to a bare minimum and prices needs to be adjusted, but please step out and touch grass. There is no war going on, canadian cities are still one of the best to live in the world. We frequently host get togethers with our neighbours, who are old stock canadians and new canadians alike. We support each other. We have a great community. Step outside talk to your neighbour.

I never had problems to make friends to Canadian but to other immigrants. The friendliest immigrants are Philippine people.

While we may feel hopeless in the face of such horror and loss of loved ones in Palestine ??, this is the time to remain optimistic in Allah SWT, as Allah SWT reminds us that when we have exhausted all resources, we should only rely on him and him alone to strengthen our imaan and continue to be a righteous Muslim. I implore everyone to please share these Duaas with their friends and family so that we can all gain the reward and on the day of judgement Allah SWT will be aware of our efforts and won't held us accountable of what did you do watching on the sidelines when innocent children and their families were being martyred. Here is a Du'a you can read as you pray for Palestine: O Allah, help and protect the people of Palestine. O Allah, ease their pain and suffering. O Allah, bestower of Mercy, bestow your mercy on them. O Allah, open people's hearts to give in this time of crisis.\n❤??❤

All of those issues are the same in any OCDE country. \n\nHousing market is shit in Europe too, even worse I would say, but at least they have decent public transports, so you can live outside a city and still go to your work fast. That’s the only real advantage. (Okay maybe construction quality and norms also)\n\nFrom experience, aka a French software engineer now living in Quebec, cost of life is waaaaaaay cheaper here than in Europe. I just don’t buy shitty stuff I don’t need, and eat responsibly. \n\nSure Canada have a lot of issue. Probably due to the current liberal government and the usamerican capitalism, healthcare is in shambles (as any other healthcare system in OCDE), public transport is non existant, etc. \nWherever you go, at some different levels, theses are issues you find in any developed countries because this is just how we made our society and how it’s deteriorating because our model is just bad overall. \n\nI do have gripes with Quebec stuff, which I think it’s one of the worst province in the country, but as far as I’m concerned, as well as most of my immigrant friends, this is still a prime country to immigrate to. \n\nAlso, the Canadians are really welcoming, progressive, kind. (In general, not all of them, don’t get me wrong)\nOne of the best people I’ve encountered and this is very important when you immigrate somewhere.

US still better for me than UK and yet they probably like same system like Canada has..I’ve heard this with my friends and cousins living in Canada also. Sadly here in US people are started to get some down turn cost of living as inflation started to bite but I think still better still than any country I had resided before the US. If you were in Canada and had degrees you better off going to America where they will credit your studies and appreciate your contribution unlike the system you have in Canada.

Who has told them that there is abundance here. I’m almost 80 years old and I only received $240 a month in Social Security. I have asked for more money because I’m sickly and can’t work but they won’t increase it because they say, basically, you have to be like crawling on your hands and knees, or in a wheelchair. Many of my friends cannot get disability insurance. They have to wait almost 2 years and have to get a lawyer. I don’t wanna wait till I get that bath then what I’ll be in the street. people in our government, and on the far left are lying to them they might give them a little bit of money when they first arrive, \nBut it won’t last then they’re gonna be homeless like everybody else we see on the streets of Los Angeles in every town. I worked all my life here in California and that’s all I get is $240 a month.

As a Canadian who has lived in the U.S. and has numerous friends from foreign countries (mostly Algeria), there’s a large group of people wanting to move here still.\n\nBut for us Canadians, yeah Trudeau has screwed us over. Get him out of here.\n\nTo be clear: I’m also from Quebec, and so our economic place, is a bit better than everyone else. (Also from Rural quebec originally).

Canada has been turned into a woke hellhole now. The price of living is insane I dont understand how anyone can afford to live after paying the crazy rents and expensive food and bills. The communist gov is out of control as well. I can not wait to retire and got out of this place. Voters are braindead is all I can come up with... I just dont get it. The biggest lie canadians eat up is that they live in a free country... they have no clue just how controlled they are. Also, I have lost so many friends because of their willingness to fall for the brainwashing. I was attacked a number of times by work friends and friends outside of work because I refused to sit their and keep my mouth shut as they all partook in the relentless bashing of conservatives and white people in general. Im actually openly gay and let me tell you.. gay people are some of the most gullible little minions the left has. The fact that I was not braindead leftist and gay made me even more of a target and it still happens to this day. Im retiring in 4 years and moving to Dallas where I have a brother. He LOVEs it there and says its the least woke place he has ever been in the US so wish me luck

Much love to the Arab world from Canada my friends. Praying gods light shine down across all our world and peoples.

About #8: As a Finn I gotta say making friends is just as hard in Finland, people are reserved, however the politeness is something that Finnish culture just doesn't have.

I've been in Canada over 40 years. I was a boat people refugee. In the last 15 years I've been able to travel and see other parts of the world. If it weren't for my mom being here and if I could fine a sustainable income. I'd move back to Vietnam. Canadians friendly? Some. Some are fake friendly. It's getting worse and worse with snowflakes and karen. Too much racisms. Freedom is an illusion.

Well said my friend \nIsrael wants them to leave \nAnd never come back \nNever .never do that Palestinian people \nStay for your kids grandkids \nGod is with you Palestinian people ❤❤❤

My late grandad lived in Canada and was in the Canadian army in ww2 .\nI also have a good friend who lives there as well there dictator or so called leaders destroyed there's economy due to his insane ideas may be its time to show him the door ASAP but he will cling on for as long as he can its a shame as it looks lovely God bless the Canadian people

Regarding making friends... it is hard making friends in Canada. Even if you are an introvert and you come to Canada alone eventually you will want to make friends to find an spouse. People in Canada are too politically correct that will barely talk to you... so the advise is trying to find your own group of people: church/religion, hobbies, etc. and take initiative to invite people to hang out , etc.

I am talking to my friends and family back home and they all say, you are in better condition than us, at least you are earning with dollars. Lol what? I spent with dollars too. It’s not like I earn with dollars and go back and spent with 1:20 ratio. And you are spending 2000$ flight ticket to get there which used to get it for 800$ with promotion. They are like everything is 10x more expensive. Everything is 2x more expensive but when you have high quality lifestyle the feels like is actually a lot more. Mortgage rates went up 5 times more compared to the one in covid times. That impacts who has variable mortgage or the one has fixed concerned about their renewal. That impacts on rentals because most of the owners are paying their mortgages thru these rents. You did a Good comparison on salary vs rent that will help people understand.

I like how North Korea stands up to the west ?perhaps people are friendly there too,at last they have a culture unlike Canada

New Sub — I agree with you 100% on your take on Canada’s politics ( and I hope that you will soon rid yourselves of the perpetual teenager who has been “leading” Canada into a very dark place)…\n\n** Also, it’s nice to hear someone else who shares my opinion about how friendly Germans are! I spent two years in Germany ( attending Gymnasium ), and found the German people to be so very warm-hearted and welcoming….I don’t know how they got the reputation for being “cold” & unfriendly— as it’s simply untrue ❤

Im Canadian and I think the US is awesome. I have a handful of friends that moved south and they all love it there. Long ago my grandparents wintered in Florida and they LOVED it. Sure you have more crime but you have a hell of a lot more people so that's a wash in my book. We've visited and always enjoyed your country and people. Canada has changed drastically over the last decade, and not for the better. I really don't see a big difference. My 2 cents

I came to Canada over 20 years ago. My own thoughts are that Vancouver is a place where people tend to immigrate and often stay in their own ethnic groups. Particularly Chinese and HK people. I live in a part of Vancouver that is now almost all Chinese and HK people and they mostly don't speak English, and I don't speak Cantonese or Mandarin except for a few words, so we'll never know anything about each other. So, you write off ever knowing your neighbors'. Also the people born in Canada or who came here as small children and went through school together, particularly high school tend to have friend groups that are exclusive to them and it's hard to get past that you aren't one of the 'original' group members. Also, it's dark and rainy here for a good 5 months of the year and there is absolutely nothing going on outside that you can just casually go and do. There's skiing and things, but if you are from a country that has busy street life and street food and night markets, here is the opposite.. go outside in December in the dark and rain and see almost nobody and if you do they probably will just look at the floor. My friends are mostly other immigrants, and that's cool! But for me Canada has been a success financially and a bust socially. I'm fortunate that I bought my house 15 years ago, but if I had to pay the ridiculous rent that people have to pay, on top of the boring social life here I'd be gone from here !

My friend sold everything and migrate to Canada. But now he's bankrupt and jobless. Thought in Canada can have a better life. But he is wrong. Canadian are so hate Asian people and did a lot of discriminate stuff. Now my friend got mental health issue and divorce. In short, he's became crazy. So before migrate, think carefully. Especially in Western country. There is no democracy and justice in this countries.

good analysis. After living in Canada for 18 years, I want to move out of Canada and retire somewhere else . I don't like the weather, high taxes, and woke/liberal culture. People are also more down to earth and friendly in Asia/Mexico

I’m in Alberta. Half the cost of Ontario and BC. May as well say I’m Métis too. I’ll never leave Canada. Shocked people like the USA. Losing two friends to murder and lost a few acquaintances… One from Edmonton was killed in Los Vegas during that shooting. Healthcare is too much money as well. I had racist remarks for being Métis.

hey young woman is not strange what it's happening in CANADA. is not the lonely land which it occurs that? even here in FRANCE !! life become hard and increase outlaws too .life become expensive in all fields such work and get a job or making shopping and there are a lot of homeless on the street .another problem in FRANCE a wave of immigrant coming and it increases problem to find solution .bible book say we're living in hard time which people become selfish and wicked friend of themselve doing what is wrong don't have self control all this features lead to conclusion bible book say what is really true about our time you can read that information in Timothy chapter 3 one to five and look around you and awake open your eyes and your heart .

Nice content, loved your English. As an immigrant myself and being Asian living in Canada, I literally didn’t have any big dreams when I decided to move to Canada. But only expectation I had was people would be more friendly, educated and so on, and I didn’t noticed that much about(i won’t like to call it racism) but the way local see and behave the other different countries people but now after living here for couple of years I can so easily see how the local treat you, behave you. That’s my biggest disappointment. It might be just my prospective or the phase that im going through and so on. But just wanted to share. Again i know I’m not the first or only person who felt it. And yes I know the local very closely too and how and why they feel that. Some of the immigrants aren’t respecting the rules, tradition or so on here. Well i guess it is what it is. \nJust wanted to share my experience. \nAnd I myself been thinking about leaving Canada for good too and I totally agree with your points. \nHopefully at least housing and rent goes down.

You forgot to mention the extremely toxic work environment at least in healthcare where I was employed although I did work in retail for awhile which was just as bad. The backstabbing is unbelievable especially if you're new to the area. Smaller towns are not friendly and even if you're only from the next town over, you are looked as an intruder. I'm happily retired now and avoid people as much as possible, this from a person who was born right here in Ontario. But you are spot on, Canada is not a place I would choose to live and my parents regretted ever coming here from Europe sucked in by the preception that Canada was the Land of Milk and Honey.

In 2004 I wrote a somewhat famous article called 'Top 8 reasons not to immigrate to Canada'. In short, the Canadian authorities tried to destroy my life. They made it so that I could not be employable in Canada. So I moved to the U.S. in 2005 and then some years later I moved permanently to the Philippines. I am happy that so many years later videos like yours are saying essentially the same things that I did. I was ahead of my time. I will never go back to Canada. Not to live, not to visit, not even a connecting flight. Too cold, too expensive, taxes are astronomical, no freedom, no jobs, no opportunities, xenophobic people, too depressing. It has become the North Korea of the western world.\n\nTheir are many reasons why Canada has fallen apart. But the number one reason is ‘multiculturalism’. My friends, multiculturalism simply does not work. Different cultures do not come together and mix, different cultures come together and clash. The world is divided into different countries for a reason: because people hate each other and only want to be with their own kind. The number two reason for Canada’s demise is ‘socialism’. In this modern era of aging populations, it is mathematically impossible for socialism to continue. The government does not have the money to take care of old people and provide healthcare, pensions and the various other benefits, even with the astronomical taxation that burdens hard working Canucks. Well Canada, you had a good run. Time for Canucks to move to an emerging country. We welcome you here in Southeast Asia.

most countries after the pandemic experience poverty. We are allowed to say pretty much what we want. We don't have to sell our house if somebody has cancer or get in financial crisis. Most countries has had their house value up the past years. People are friendly they just don't want to bother. Our Politics are not perfect but hate speech and fake news needs to be sorted out. We need to stay focussed on what we represent. There is SO many job opportunities right now it's insane. I guess it's a question of perspective.

What do you expect when you increase people’s mortgages to double figures like literally 220%? Even a lot of my sensible family friends who are recent immigrants, who are well-educated and well paid are looking to move because even with family income of 300000 one can’t afford a detached home and crazy expenses like groceries, utilities, scammed insurances, dubious healthcare, unnecessary taxes. Rather move back home, have a house maid for cleaning, cooking, ad driver for your car and can expect better social lives with families and friends, get decent increments every year just have to put up with the crazy traffic, pollution.. At least you will live a decent life and not make Canada Govt and its banks richer!!!

As a born and raised Canadian I can tell you I agree things have changed \nMy pros and cons\nPros - clean, low crime, multi cultural, subsidized but declining healthcare, lower cost tuition for Canadian citizens compared to USA, polite but not friendly people \n-\nCons \n- bad weather for many months of the year. Lots of gloomy rainy and snowy days \n- high cost of living. Rent, housing taxes , heat are all high and rising \n- competitive job market especially for immigrants \n- \n- we are polite but not friendly or personable \n- most incompetent government in G7 \n- government trying to add censorship bills

is it really hard to meet new people and make friends in Canada? I don't get it? why?

Canada has too many braindead sheeple who have no desire to socialize and make new friends. They are such miserable and usually rude people. The diversity did little good...just a bunch of ethnic groups who prefer to stay within their own groups and not socialize with other ethnic groups.

Can confirm, we Canadians like to form small social circles and otherwise keep to ourselves. We're also much more cautious about offending people and therefore ask very non specific, open ended, questions about people.\nTip: if you want Canadian friends you need to be fairly proactive, ask them out to trivia night at a local pub. Don't forget to ask for their contact info before you leave, otherwise you might never see them again regardless of whether you (and they) had a good time or not.

Canadian here.\n1) I love gloomy days too! Winter is the best! \n2) All your criticisms (job-searching, health care, housing costs) apply to average Canadians too -- it has got much worse here in the past fifteen years, especially the past five years.\n3) I am sorry to hear your view on freedom-loving Canada. I think there is a culture war playing out and the core issues have not been solved yet. I think average Canadians love their freedom!\n4) Now that you say it, yes it is hard to make friends here. We are introverted and reserved people with those we don't know. But behind closed doors, I think we are quite loud and rowdy. We simply do not want to hurt anyone's feelings :)

15:50 just like to point out that this graph is not an accurate representation of the current views on immigration in Canada. Due to the opening of our borders to a country of over 1B people, sometimes you will look around and be surrounded by 80% Indians. And the people here do not like it. More than I've ever seen before, from talking between friends and posts on social media, there is dislike of immigrants in Canada.

Like you, I know someone happy with their job, location, medical care and opportunities, but they are also very uncomfortable with the political situation - I'll just say it - Republicans. You need only look at Trump and its followers. Guns over lives (including kids), billionaires over poor, religion over others' freedoms (gay/trans/abortion, etc), mass spread of misinformation (Fox news, OAN, etc) and a personal selfishness and anger which was made very clear during COVID times. It makes them feel like they are walking on eggshells, at least compared to Canada where they lived before and people would look out for each other more (even if they didn't know them). They like the weather, job, opportunities, the USD buying power, and their friends, among many other things, but it just feels excessively risky to them dealing with the combinations of these things. I can completely understand why they and others might want to leave the US.

1) Toronto is poor value. Getting housing of any kind (buying or renting) is stupidly expensive. And the quality you get for the price is lousy. Especially the newer builds, which are just thrown up as quickly as possible and sold to investors. Policy measures generally all seem to serve to just inflate the price of housing further. The occasional lip service given to affordability is amusing, but ultimately sad. There are lots of people who really do not want the housing bubble to pop. They will fight against it with all they have.\n\n2) It has become kind of boring. There is lots to do if you have money, but it’s harder to find entertainment on a budget. Even the free stuff like parks are filling up. Stuff like sporting events, eating out, going out is very costly across the board. Even the “cheaper” stuff is expensive. It seems like a lot of local culture is disappearing. Even the cool neighbourhoods are filling up with the same chains. I think the high commercial rent and bureaucracy is deflating a lot of would-be entrepreneurs. Most landowners seem to just be banking on cashing out their land for condos.\n\n3) Canada overall has a high cost of living compared to salaries. In the US you can find lower cost of living areas that still give you a real city experience. And in Europe you can be poor but still live a decent, if no frills, life. In Canada the basic necessities are all expensive. Phone bills, grocery bills, rent, insurance are through the roof. Domestic travel is expensive. And the dollar sucks if you want to travel abroad. Health care is free but good luck finding a family doctor or waiting 8 hours in the ER these days. It’s expensive to be poor, or even middle class.\n\n4) Most of the Greater Toronto Area, outside the core, is soulless suburbs with awful transit - very “American” except with worse traffic congestion. You will need a car, which is another huge cost. Row upon row of old cookie cutter suburbs with the same crappy houses. Good luck walking anywhere, and if you do you will need to walk down boring, treeless arterial roads with cars zooming past right beside you, and cross giant eight lane intersections that were never built for humans on foot. In a rainstorm or on a fall evening you have to be really careful not to be run over by aggressive drivers.\n\n5) It is hard to raise a family in an apartment here. You can do it but it’s not very easy, and also you are still kind of judged for it. Lots of young people are feeling stuck and are deferring or avoiding starting a family. Buying any type of house, even a basic townhouse, requires pledging your soul to a bank by taking a massive mortgage with eye watering debt in a volatile market. But few apartment buildings have the kind of sensible gentle density, the family unit sizes and the common amenities, like little courtyards with jungle gyms, that you might find in Europe. No one ever contemplated that anyone would ever desire to raise kids in an apartment. It’s just a cultural thing that has worked its way into how things are planned and designed.\n\n6) The transit system is ok by North American standards but awful by international standards. There are only two real subway lines, one stub line, one line that is permanently out of service after a derailment, and another line that was supposed to open a couple years ago but still has no date for opening. The subways go out of service frequently, sometimes for the dumbest reasons, and then it is a zoo of shuttle buses. The streetcars are nice but so slow. The buses are fine if you find yourself dreaming about riding a daily herky jerky rolling tin of sardines. They are building a lot of transit but it will take decades to get done.\n\n7) There is still a lot of cool multiculturalism and opportunities to experience different foods and cultures - one of the best things about Toronto. Increasingly though it seems to be losing the fun vibe of the 90s, when everyone celebrated each other’s backgrounds and was chill. It seems the immigration is not as broad based anymore and also people are importing a lot of their “old country” grievances here. The immigration system also kind of preys on people abroad by selling them a false fairy tale, so they end up dejected when they arrive and see how things really are.\n\n8) This one might be controversial but it’s kind of an ugly city. There’s nothing particularly of historical meaning or value. Some of the older neighbourhoods are kind of nice, but the last 25 years they have only built giant glass skyboxes, one after another. There aren’t the cool “missing middle” walkups like in NY, Chicago or Montreal (or even LA). There are very few buildings with much architectural character. Some of the buildings they deem “heritage” here are an embarrassment.\n\n9) For safety, honestly on this score I think Toronto is not bad. There are not too many real “ghettos” and it’s night and day compared to much of the US. With that said, there is more vagrancy and social issues these days, with tents and such. It’s very sad but the shelters are full, lots of homeless go into the libraries, parks and transit system. It does make it harder to enjoy these public amenities safely. It is nowhere close to Europe where you might let your kids run free around town. Canadian parents still helicopter their kids and the place again is not designed to really be safe for kids, in the same way as Europe.\n\n10) Finally, a bit of a double edged sword. Toronto had a lot of youthful energy - people coming here from all over. It is definitely not as sleepy as many parts of the world. With that said, it is becoming a bit of a transient place (minus the world class experiences like London or NY). If you are from elsewhere you might find it hard making and keeping friends. I’ve seen lots of people struggle because it’s is hard to build a strong social network. We have a very “shallow” culture here - people are extremely polite but not overly warm and hospitable. We treat one another kind of like neighbours - meaning we’d like to have a cordial, drama-free coexistence and otherwise kind of stick to ourselves.

I'm from Asia and recently moved to Canada with my family to live a slower-paced and safer life. I've seen firsthand that the drug problem here is worse than it was back home, and they're being coddled with no plans to discipline or rehabilitate them. I asked my friends how I could defend myself and my family if a random drug addict broke into our house and stole our belongings; could I at least beat that person up until the police arrived? They said you couldn't because you'd be charged with assault. It's funny. \n\nApart from the crimes and exorbitant living costs despite living in a rural area, even Canadians who have lived in the country since birth are struggling to make ends meet. \n\nSome positive comments, Canada provided me with a work-life balance that was not possible in Asia due to the competitive nature of the corporate world. So I had time to spend with my family, and you don't have to travel abroad to see beautiful scenery. Canadians are also very accommodating and friendly, in contrast to where I came from, where people will not help unless it benefits them as well. The Canadians here are extremely friendly. So Canada is great because of its people, but I can tell you that the government consistently makes bad decisions about how to solve certain problems, such as drugs and harm reduction strategies. Another issue is that they do not recognize internationally trained professionals, which could have helped alleviate healthcare issues in our area, where we have many internationally trained nurses from the Philippines working as restaurant servers and janitors. We have doctors from Kenya who have to work as general laborers and in other odd jobs where they can use their profession and experience to help people. I am also an immigrant, but the government should strategically distribute us based on our qualifications. I chose a rural area because I don't want to add to the number of immigrants in big cities and instead want to contribute to the local economy by bringing my skills and experience to the pool. \n\nCanada is a wonderful country, and I continue to believe so, but the government must reward and do more for its people who are trying their best to make this country great.

An immigrant friend of mine told me how high the cost of living is and how little people tend to earn. You can't do that with the US next door. People will surely leave.\n\nAs a South African, I'd only be interested in staying in Canada until I get citizenship, so that it is easier to get citizenship or work permits elsewhere.