Close Reading

I’m not sure about the rest of the country but in Quebec you can’t just go from School to permanent residency. You need to apply for a work visa first and only then can you apply for permanent resident, acceptances take upwards of a year and that’s if it’s a single person. If you have a family or even a spouse more paperwork so it takes longer, I know a few people some who are single and got accepted and families. I know someone who’s been here for years and has extended his work visa because the permanent residency is taking so long because he has a wife and child. Afterwards you need to remain in Canada for like 3yrs before you can apply for citizenship.

If your reading this and your from India, Choose another course than Business Management, We dont need a thousand indians who only know Business Management it seems every east Indian I know only takes this course.

Thank you Peter. You are doing a great job. Please i need your advise. My daughter got admission in Lethbridge college Alberta. We have even pay 1year tuition fee. But since march 28th 2023 we have not heard from IRCC whether approved or rejected. And school has even withdrawn the admission on 1st of August. We filled one form we found in their page to know the application status. They replied is in the queue. Is there anything we can do.

The arbitrary aspect of the immigration system is the most depressing aspect of living here in the US. I guess when the system was implemented it may have had some use (such as being impartial to everyone by employing a lottery system) but these systems are pretty outdated at this point and only a leverage for political parties to throw gang signs at each other talking about how bad immigration is. I also don’t think anyone wants to solve immigration problems really, I mean even some of the nicest local people I know throw their hands up like “I don’t know” and I think it’s because immigration suffers from the same thing that many other problems suffer from and that is a lack of focus. Illegal immigration takes up so much time and space that fixing legal immigration seems like a daunting challenge and not at all worth trying. If I were a betting person I would never hedge my bets on immigration, I just need to have the time to digest and understand a lot of knowledge about how immigration helps me and my country. It’s honestly up to the Government imo to give it the proper fix it deserves but, again, why bother if it doesn’t help?

US immigration system is broken but it's still the best in western world if you are in engineering, mathematics and tech. I studied and worked in US, moved to India for personal reasons. I realized its difficult to adjust back in India, and US will never let me naturalize, so I moved to Canada. But Canada has hardly any jobs of its own, most of people in tech here work for American companies. In US, even an aerospace, biomedical, virology or genetic engineering person can find job in his/her field despite being on job visa, but in Canada its very tough. \nFew weeks back, I met an Uber driver who came to Canada 4+ years back, mechanical/automative engineer and was not able to find a job in his field despite no need for license with advance education and many years of relevant experience. He became Canadian citizen few weeks back, and guess what, he received 2 job offers in US and was moving to US on TN visa. \nI am myself working on something in Canada that is not my specialization. In US, I can get multiple messages from top government contractors for scientist/researcher positions, but I could not work for them as I don't have citizenship. In canada, despite being a PR, I know many experienced people who are forced to drive uber or do survival jobs.

Only the uneducated would think Sikhs are Muslim terrorists. \nThey've been here for 8 yrs and it doesn't seem like they know a lick of English or care to even learn. I'm sure when they came they knew the risks of being illegal immigrants. There's a reason why these ppl come here either for medical benefits or working under the table. \nIf they're not paying into the Canadian economy and leeching off the taxpayers they need to be deported back to their country. Sorry if this may sound harsh, but i'm tired of working day and night to pay taxes to support these refugees and lazy welfare Canadians.

They know Biden has weakened the southern border to the point that they can just walk in and boom, you need EBT? section 8? \nNah nah, fuck those homeless Americans, we will help you first. We wouldn't want to look insensitive.

Hi want to know abt cabinet making and contraction and maintenance and special needs honors degree teacher and bachelor degree

Not only children. Elders should also needs to know how to control their anger. ??

The Student, immigration, or Government? Well someone needs to let her know the Government and immigration are two faces of the same coin. But rather the government turning a blind eye to the benefits of immigration agencies to carry out its bidding.

Yeah, go on just rename Canada as new India now. Talk with an average Canadian and you’ll know how shitty the country has become. We don’t need more immigrants.

I would 100% go to the us for vacation even for a whole month, but it’s a big NO to move over the border. \n\nReasons why: \n\n1. Guns at legal, and to buy at Walmart (like what the heck you can buy a gun at Walmart?). You can get shot for ringing the wrong doorbell or for parking at the wrong house.?\n\n2. The criminality is crazy (I’ve watched a lot of true crime over the 6-7 years and one of the conclusions I’ve made is that it’s mostly in the US. And the number of murders is insane.)\n\n3. Health care fees… do I need to say more?\n\n4. Racism (I know it’s everywhere, but it’s crazier in the US, nobody can tell me otherwise).\n\n5. Women rights. (I think this should’ve been already worked out for a long time now)\n\n6. The home of 99% of Karens (US Karens are a harmful specie that ceases to increase. I needed to add this one)

I'm a Chinese Born Canadian trying for a green card and this hits close to home. \n\nI have a coworker grew up in the Midwest, who doesn't know how to read or write Chinese but faced the risk of being deported back to China because his father never managed to get a green card. This guy had a PhD in Machine Learning and was one of the smartest people i knew. \n\nI would've felt supremely guilty if i'd won the lottery but he was stuck on his student visa, given that I can work in the US on a TN but he needs an H1B to stay.

If you're thinking of coming to Canada. Think again.\n\nCanada is experiencing a housing and services crisis brought on by its open immigration policy. We didn't build out housing and services to meet the increased demand. This problem started in our three largest cities, but has since cascaded across the entire country.\n\nStudent? Expect to pay $400 USD a month to live in a basement room, shared in a 150 year old house in the worst part of the city with 8-14 other students. I help renovate these rooms and I've yet to see one that wasn't covered in mouse droppings.\n\nIf you're a professional, expect to room up. Canadian salaries lag well behind their US counterparts so prepare to pay out 60% of your monthly earnings on rent.\n\nNeed to go to the hospital? Wait times range from 5 hours to 48 hours. If you leave the waiting room because you need to.. I don't know... eat, then you forfit your spot.\n\nWant to buy a house? Good luck with that. You'll need either rich parents, two unusally high powered incomes, or preferably both.\n\nMany Canadians are starting to leave for the US or places like Columbia or Cambodia as they feel their quality of life is much better. You also don't experience four months of winter in these places.

I work in tech and need to mention the negatives of H1B even though having tons of highly skilled workers would be nice for country.\n\nThe first issue is that H1B workers are happy with accepting lower pay for relevant position so long as they get opportunity to get a company sponsor. This causes a downward pressure on wages obviously.\n\nSecond is they are also VERY obedient Caste like stuff going on between Indians or absolute silence from East Asians on anything that needs to change. This causes management expectations from workers to be skewed against citizen workers.\n\nThird, they are only here short time to earn as much as possible, even some I know shared a 1 bedroom between 2 people just to hoard as much as they make cause when they go back to their country it means they are rich. So they work 24/7 and causing company expectations to be unrealistic for citizen workers.

You are exceptionally fair Tyler. I commend your non toxic efforts In fact you might even be too humble, so feel free to throw in some pro U.S counterpoints. I'm British, and I would choose Canada over the U.S.A. But? There are good reasons many Brits I know, would pack to go to the U.S.A today if they could.(The flight cost is immense though.)\nWhy would they want to? Kinda the american dream. Bright lights, believed untapped opportunities, and most of all to gain some of that American infectious enthusiasm & non jaded openness. I consider Canadians as generally having the best traits of U.K & U.S people. Wanting to live there, shouldn't be a loaded invite to dump generally on the U.S.\nI'm a hypocrite here, as I love tease mocking Americans. And yes some serious issues like health care & gun control need highlighted & re-highlighted, to not allow numbness to what shames a nation. But? Vastly more often than not actually detailed not generic solutions, are almost never offered. Just pointing fingers instead,\nIts Americans like you Tyler, that help remind us that the rooting tooting stereotypes, are dumb..\nFor what its worth? I do have ideas on ways on how to have the U.S.A to help herself.\nThat's my rant done with. Lol. ?Brits in Spain on holiday? Generally not a good advertisement, for moving to the UK. (With the exception of recent weather heroes. Like the Brit who drove for 8 hours, transferring people.)

That is so frustrating. I know it's tough down there but they need to stop giving Fox News something to talk about.

hahaha, how can i know if you need a vusa first, gay money!

My brother i like you video ooo\nThis is the first time i m watching you, in fsct i don't like to subscribe anyhow but i did it for you bcz u speak some truth.\nNevertheless, i am not still agree with u 100% do u know why ?\nBecause, for Canada Government to now publicly changed the rule of the game et declared that u don't need to go back if u find a job, u can change u visitor visa to work permit visa and aply for ur PR, it clearly means that the demand are more than the supply.\nMeaning, jobs are plenty and all the rightful people can't filll them up.\nThat is why they need more people and that is why they are creating more stream pathway programs for more people to come in.\nSo, i don't know what are you really insinuating?\nIs Canada Government with all its provincial Nomination stream pathway programs to bring more people in, is lying or the government is trying to deceive people?????

I lived in Canada from 1983 to 2016 after I left the US Air Force in '83. I was born in the SF Bay area, and grew up there in the Hippie peace love/Viet Nam era in the 60's and 70's. I now live in Seattle. As we have travelled to San Fran, New Orleans, Nashville, Miami, Vancouver (Canada) and New York in the last 6 months, I kinda have a pretty good idea how it was on both sides of the border way back then, as well as right now. We have 2 rental homes, and I STILL have to work until I'm 70 to retire without worrying about losing it all because of the the high cost of health care. Your observation of race/political/religion relations are naive at best, you need to travel the country first hand to see it. Canada has it's far share of right wing crazies as well. They're mostly not armed, and most fights are 5 minute shouting matches. I know this because I work on construction sites. Canada doesn't have commercials for pharma or ambulance chasers. Because big pharma is kept in check, and with a population slightly smaller than California, frivolous lawsuits would clog the courts. If the PM killed some one on the corner of Yonge and Bloor in Toronto, he'd go to jail. You can get an abortion in Canada. There's a fraction of the Fentanyl crisis happening in Canada, and they have waaayy less homeless in the street. Canada has 2 weeks paid vacation AND paid holidays. The tax rate is higher in Canada, but many of the benefits make up the difference. It's cheaper to buy a house in Seattle than Vancouver. You can get a 30 year mortgage in Washington as well, instead of 5 or 10 years. Good and services tend to be cheaper and more plentiful Stateside. Mail service runs on weekends, it hasn't done that in Canada since the 80's. As it stands, I'm in Seattle right now because it isn't the typical US city by far. But I'm thinking when it comes to retiring, I'm putting Canada on the list. Being a dual citizen also makes me eligible for the other Commonwealth (universal health care) countries like Australia.

The United States should be ashamed, we in the US shouldn't have to put up with illegals. The pregnant woman knew that the US would not let her suffer, she is about to have that baby out of an illegal body and she knows the soft a** US will let her stay. The ask the US to turn a blind eye to breaking the Law. Biden is worse that I've seen in my time. Gave all of our money away, and he's trying to go to war to keep from being impeached. We have no jobs already. Their not made to speak our language, they also don't hire anyone but their people and no one says a thing. Immigration need to do their jobs. They know the wire is in the water to keep them out\n Keep up the barriers don't give in. Let's fight back. Biden that joke.

The country needs to round up these people and put them in consentration camps don’t give them free everything. Because they will turn on you .. are they suffering I don’t know but we the original america got sold out one state needs to be dedicated to handle this and newsome isn’t strong enough and smart enough to handle criminals coming in America

They need to do something about this. We don’t know who we letting in.

Swedish man here. I need to say many people I know in my country are quite worried by the number of school shootings you have each year. But I should not be surprised with your 350 mil+ population and gun laws. And we are also seeing these problems increase in Sweden these recent years, and all of Europe.

Hi there, loved your explanation. I am about to apply for a super visa for my mother. We tried visitor visa initially, but was rejected before. Can you please let me know what all changes do i need in my application when applying this time. Coz she already did her biometrics last year. And do we require any additional documents this time. Your reply is much appreciated

Oh, hell no! And further to that, if I was visiting the US and got sick enough that I might need a hospital, I would do my damnedest to get back to Canada. I have heard Americans say that the healthcare is very good, as long as you have money. But I don’t trust it because Americans have been brainwashed to believe that the US is exceptional in every way (sorry guys, but it’s extremely obvious to the rest of the world), yet I have heard too many stories about things like people picking up C. Diff or other drug-resistant infections in hospitals there.\n\nI spent about two weeks in the hospital in February. You know what it cost me? Absolutely nothing. Well, I did have to pay for taking an ambulance later. But the hospital stay itself cost me nothing. Neither did the food they fed me in there, or the medication they gave me.\n\nMayyyybe if you guys got universal health care (it shouldn’t be tied to your job), and stopped shooting each other so much. You definitely have some better weather. Oh, and if you all toned down the religion a bit. Annnd stopped trying to play world police while simultaneously bombing other countries into oblivion to steal their resources. That’s been going on for far too long, and I don’t think the average American citizen even realizes it.

Americans are in the crapper. Many of us live on the streets. We need to be more like Japan as to border policy, and treat us first. I don’t know why it’s a big deal, many other countries have the same border policy. America isn’t inconsiderate for having them, it’s just the government already doesn’t help us live. They already take our money and force us on streets. If more immigrants came in, none of us would have a home. Economy would skyrocket greatly but in the wrong ways. More crime because I’m sure there are immigrants who really need help, but among them are also the ones who don’t follow laws. Which is why we have legal immigration, to weed out the criminals from people who need salvation.

Highly biased is all I can say, anybody believing Australia isnt immigration friendly needs to know 53% of Australians are either Immigrants or have a parent that was born Outside Australia\n\nUnfortunately for this couple nothing fell in place but it's inappropriate and wrong to generalise it..

6:25 I don't think that what he is saying (the rant of criticism) is right on. No child should ever die in a school -ever - guards should not be needed. Do you know that there are more mass shootings in the USA than any other country? That makes no sense. Abortion rights are in danger. What might come next?

Seppoes have school shooting drills, in Canada we have fire drills. That tells you everything you need to know.\n\nAbout mass shootings, I looked up the stats a couple of years ago. In 2019, there was almost 400 mass shootings, 19 of which were in schools. In other words, there is a school shooting every six weeks and a mass shooting more than once a day in the USA.

Absolutely I would move to the US. Canada is a communist socialist shithole now.\nJust so you know:\nCanadian healthcare is free at its most basic. As such, wait times are exorbitant.\nThere is a two tier system. Insurance is needed and most of us do pay more for better.\nPersonal freedoms are being eroded as I write this.\nNot rights to self defence.\nI can go on. My family is already looking into moving south. Canada is a failed experiment.

As sad as this is, in America the stats actually proove you wrong , as every single day in America there are now 2 MASS SHOOTINGS ..many times more then 2 a day…it used to be 1 every single day….but now it’s at LEAST 2 MASS SHOOTINGS EVERY DAY IN AMERICA…..many of which as you know are SCHOOL SHOOTINGS.\n\nI was disgusted when it reached 1 Mass shooting everyday a couple of years back….the fact that the stat has only risen and one entire Political party is BEHIND IT…IS REVOLTING…THE AMERICAN PEOPLE NEED TO VOTE THE MAGGAT REPULSIVE PARTY OUT OF POWER FOR GOOD. America could be like Canada if they actually gave the Democrats actual majority power in America and if they stopped the VAST GERRYMANDERING, VOTER SUPPRESSION and FEAR MONGERING of the Repulsive party.

When I was young, late 50's early 60's, I was jealous of people living in the US. We'd go to my Dad's professional conferences in various areas and everyone seemed to drive such expensive cars and live in such big houses. Now I know that's just window dressing. You have to look at what's underneath. I didnt see the poverty and the racism. Canada unfortunately has people who would like to take Canada down the same road as the US. We have good medical care, a social net, respect human and reproductive rights, attempt to keep religion out of politics, gun control (a pro hunter here!) , fair school funding (the whole province, not just district), and the list could go on. Is it perfect? No but its a whole lot better than the US. We Canucks just need to keep fighting for improvements and it isnt an American model for most of them. \nWe had always planned to take holidays and see various parts of the US. No more. The lack of gun laws is really scary, especially when combined with hate. We're not timid travellers. \n\nMove there... maybe California .

Shut the border PLEASE!!! Our own people need help i.e OUR VETERANS!!!!!! These people want to get in for the wrong reasons - they know they'll get everything free unlike immigrants that have come in the past and not expected anything from here except the opportunity to work. Here in NYC they get money, cell phones, free housing, free food, free food - we the citizens are paying for this and many of us get nothing free.

Only a fool would move from Canada to America - or a billionaire, or a lawyer or doctor. And basically that tells you everything you need to know. Normal people can't afford to be ill, can't afford to need recourse to the law and most of all are going to get shot by either an out-of-control terrified policeman or the next person they cut off at a junction.\nAlso, who wants to live in a country where everyone thinks they are superior to the entire rest of the world because their average calorie intake is enough to feed three normal humans? - AND I speak as someone who is really quite fat in the UK. ( but I'm only a 'medium' in America. :) )

I've always wanted to live in the US, so many happy vacations there as a child and teen. Sadly now due to the health care situation, there's no way I could. If someone makes a lot of money and can afford private insurance and the drugs they need, lucky for them. Especially as a diabetic, the price of insulin is around 5 x in the US what it is here. I don't earn enough to afford the drugs I need if I lived in the US, add in every three month blood work, dr visits, for a self employed person, it's just not doable on what I earn. \n\nAn American I talk to said one of his co workers was being laid off and the co worker was a diabetic and he didn't know what he was going to do without the health insurance the company provided him. It's insane health insurance is tied to employment in the US. people that are self employed would have huge private insurance bills, and people that get laid off or are fired, they could be taking thousands of dollars of drugs a month and all of a sudden it's gone with the job. My mom wouldn't even let us go to the US for a weekend without getting out of the country medical insurance coverage.

I get better pay in US, more opportunities. I know there are places that are dangerous, but I am smart. But because I am a Canadian, I need not apply for a permit or green card.

As a Canadian. Not a snowball's chance in hell. There is nowhere in the USA that Canada doesn't already have. Oh wait, we have FREE healthcare for starters. I don't need to worried about being shot walking down the street in a major city or having my 1st of 4th amendment rights violated by organizations like the ATF or screwball cops who have no clue what the Constitutionally protected rights of your own citizens are (and coming from a Canadian, that alone speaks volumes).\n\nAlso, if your schools need metal detector checkpoints to enter the school, then why would any sane person send their kids to a place where they have to be searched to obtain their education safely?\n\nThe US gun culture makes what should be safe places, completely unsafe to begin with because you never know when that shy easy going person will snap and start shooting people. \n\n\nNope.

This make me sad because I know some of these people are doing anything for a better life. They need better opportunities.

For all the amazing things the US has to offer, right now we don't even want to visit there, let alone move there. We've talked about it a lot, but nope. In Canada, generally speaking (although there are exceptions to every rule) we have no idea what political leaning our neighbors favor. Political campaigns last no more than 51 days; they do not start the day after the last election and go on for years. This way, elected officials actually do some work instead of campaigning. Right now, the politics in the US, as well as the judiciary, are literally insane. Gun violence in the US is insane, as is the attitude towards guns. It shouldn't take a shooting that affects you personally to make you care about it, and it's not just at schools. The US has had 28 mass killings, with 140 victims, in 6 months... but the problem is that no one down there cares about that enough to stop it, or even discuss ways to stop it. The politics is so sold out to corporations that what is good for the people just doesn't matter. It is capitalism run amok. Environmental protections? They are an inconvenience, and most of them were rolled back a few years ago under the presidency of He Who Must Not Be Named. So politics, elections, shootings... but wait. There's more. I have a wonderful friend in the US who has amazing health care, and yet when he got cancer, he was screwed. We do pay a health care premium up here, but it is a drop in the bucket compared to what people in the US pay for private insurance. Yes, you have the best hospitals in the world, but it doesn't matter if you can't afford to walk in the door. Now dump the intolerance -- racism, homophobia, religious zealots, misogyny (yes, I am talking women's rights, equal pay, access to health care, etc) -- throw in the crazies with guns, and now ask the question again. I absolutely know that Canada is not perfect, and that the tolerances and attitudes towards all these subjects differs from region to region, but overall we are a country that tries to respect the rights and needs of others, that has empathy for others, that wants to help others, and that is a pretty firm foundation to make us want to stay here. (please don't interpret this as all Americans and all areas of the US have no respect etc... but the predominant issues of health care, politics, religion, corporate greed, and violence, now all supported by a bat-crap crazy SCOTUS, sadly spills and taints it all. I know there are amazing, generous, kind people all over the US, but I don't know where the crazies are or where they might pop up).

Tyler, I can see you are sadden by these reactions and I feel for you. Honestly, I love the USA and I would actually live there in a heartbeat for all the positive reasons I know and love about the US. However, as Mom and a soon to be school age child, I would hesitate because of that. Canada has its own issues and don’t let everyone fool you. It’s not some social utopia. We have problems too just different. It’s like you said you need to pick a good, safe safe to live in. The same advise applies to Canada. Also, Reddit is full of your not so typical Canadians so take with a grain of salt ?

I turned down offers to work in the US, but have moved to the UK for a 3 year period, and a part of a year in the Netherlands. Also turned down South America and Taiwan mainly due to language. I used to travel to the US but only NY NY in the last decade. No real issues just little reason. There are many nice places in the US, but like in Mexico, needing to know where not to go seems like too much work.

Every time I go I feel insecure just knowing some people may carry a gun. That alone tells how those people feel in their own town. The need to be armed to feel being ready and able to protect yourself is in itself scary. \nI do not like being surrounded by scared people ready to shoot.

I’ve lived in both countries in small towns and big cities Hell No Thanks and I would have great insurance. I remember in preschool having to do active shooter drills in the US nope. If you look at stats on gun violence and mass shootings it’s crazy. The US leads by an astronomical amount. Tyler says the US has more access to guns and although I have no idea where to get a gun I think people could get one pretty easily but we don’t need them. I can walk in the dark and not fear for my safety and Canada has only had 3 mass shootings in its whole history. Of course medical, dental, education, women’s rights, maternity and paternity leave, unemployment, help when Covid lockdown happened, clean free water in homes, housing, … on and on. America the “free” is antiquated and no longer true. Education has slid to 30 something in world rankings and Canada is in the top 3. Cost of education, daycare, child benefits ect. I could write paragraphs. Also it’s hilarious when you hear American say oh we’ll just moved to Canada like they can just drive here and settle down?!?there’s a border and you can’t illegally just move here and get a job. If you’ve lived in both countries you’d know the difference. I don’t even want to vacation there anymore since about 10 years or so ago.

I have a lot of American friends and some friends live close to the shootings, I feel that Americans are desensitized to the violence. The USA has some pretty sceneries but health care, politics, social welfare, and racism/discrimination are very much more pronounced. I remember visiting Texas and many people carry guns, that scares me because I don't know what their mental health state would be, and if I make a slight mistake and said sorry, would that person shoot me if their mental health state is not that stable? Yes, American gun laws need to be revamped big time for sure.

My opinion as a Canadian with no first hand life experience in the states but personally know plenty of people who do and follow many Americans on social media.\n\nI like to look at both sides of the story when I don’t personally know any better. First thing is when it comes to health care, Canadians use only the cost as an argument but never the quality. The only time I will ever use the government funded healthcare is for a broken bone. Any other issues my knowledge and experience makes me stay far and clear away from the hospitals. However I was talking with a retired business man who spends winter in Florida and he said he had a health issue while there, was referred to a certain doctor by a friend, made an appointment within a few days, not a yearlong waitlist, and with one visit had his issues fixed. Paid the bill and was done with it. Not a story of take this for a while then come back, come back to get referred to a specialist, wait a few months for the specialist, get an appointment 6 months later, and after surgery you feel only slightly better because in your mind you should be better. I do believe Canadian healthcare is low quality and sadly designed for the government to make money. American healthcare is private and needs to offer good quality services in order to succeed.\n\n\nNext subject is violence. Everyone I know and follow in the states have never had any major acts of violence towards them. I believe just like Canada, some areas are more prone to violence but since the states have 10x more people, they have 10x more violent spots which makes it seem worse. Rural Canada and rural United States seems to me very similar in the way people treat each other. \n\n\nI wouldn’t be scared to move there if that’s what would be best. Doubt it’ll happen because I enjoy having the amount of unpopulated area to go riding atvs, snowmobiles, and whatever else. Seems like the states have less area that everyone can freely enjoy but I could be wrong

Tyler? I suggest google’n “ school shootings, small town America”…. article after article, when you do, says why most mass school shootings tend to happen in small towns….where nobody expects that they would have happened & how all the residents in those towns are always surprised that they happened in their town. \nI say this as somebody who once loved the idea of moving to the USA. \nMy mom was a single parent and as a result I spent a ton of time as a very young kid in the late 80s throughout the mid 90s in a small town in Oregon on my aunt and uncles dairy farm with my cousins and I absolutely loved it. Truthfully, I still love small-town America and I love the vast majority of the people I have met from small-town America. There is the friendliness and community that I find very similar to prairie farming towns in Canada. \n And as a kid, I loved the focus on high school sports in the small USA town I spent time in and how it brought the community together. It was very exciting to go to my cousins football games—stuff like that was super fun as a kid.\nAs an adult, with 2 young kids of my own now? \nYes, I would be terrified to send my children to any school in the United States, especially knowing that the vast majority of my school shootings do happen in small towns, which is a type of place in the states I would personally like to go to, if I did move. \n\nAdditionally, I will be completely bankrupt at this point given my own health issues as well as my two kids health issues and I’m just in my late 30s. \nAnd I’m not talking to super crazy health issues, but health issues nonetheless. I have asthma that has gone through patches where I’ve had to be hospitalized & I was diagnosed with stage 3 malignant melanoma when I was in my late 20s and pregnant with my 2nd. My first child was born with a congenital heart disorder that was missed through the pregnancy and until she was two, and that involved many many trips to the hospital & various specialists until they figured out what was going on (one of the symptoms was her randomly stopping breathing and going blue, which was terrifying, and could’ve been for many different reasons & it took many specialists & many hospital visits to figure it all out)\nMy son was born with a multiple protein intolerance and later received an autism diagnosis. There a decent number of hospital visits and specialists for his first couple of years of life too. \n\n I have no idea if I was in the United States how I would’ve paid for any of our health issues (let alone all three of ours) for that 5 or 6 year period where we all needed various types of regular-ish medical care. \n(because we got good medical care, thankfully, none of us have really had to see doctors any more than the average person in the last few years?)\n\nMy kids are now in elementary school, and, as a Canadian, the issue of school shootings happening anywhere….., including in small towns that seem perfectly safe……as well as the cost of healthcare for stuff that is covered by our taxes here in Canada….. are the two biggest reasons that I will think fondly of my time in small-town America, but would never consider moving there

I went to a conference in the US for training in body language, influence, and persuasion. We were able to meet with the presenters in small groups to ask questions. One of the attendees asked for body language indications that someone had a concealed weapon. After the answer, I said to the person who asked the question that I was glad I didn’t need to know how to look for concealed weapons because I’m from Canada. She looked at me in shock and said I really needed to know that. I emphatically responded, “No, I don’t need to know that because I’m from Canada.” She looked at me like I was the most naive and clueless person she’d ever met and walked away. I felt sad that Americans have to be so worried about guns that she thought that was absolutely essential knowledge. Quite frankly, I don’t even know what the answer was to her question since I totally tuned out because I knew I’d never need that information!

Your suggestion that potential permanent Snow Birds just need to do their homework to select a community suited to their personal philosophy is a good one, as long as the Cdn heading south has the most marketable skills on the planet. In the current economic climate, you look for work, then relocate when you find a job that ticks enough boxes. If you are the breadwinners for a young family there are a LOT of boxes to consider. Even if you are an actual Snow Bird (retiree) you often come home when you health starts to decline. The US has lots of touristy things I might enjoy visiting, but I watch enough US news to know that most of what I do know comes from movies & TV, which has nothing to do with real life.

Know what I'd do, gonna need lots of bags