Close Reading

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...

In my teens, early 20s (early 00's) i dreamed of emigrating to Canada and Toronto. It had beautiful nature, was clean, safe, nice people and a great standard of living. But seeing it now especially the big cities is really sad. Many countries have had major turn arounds (Colombia for instance) and hopefully Canada can get back to being a great place again. Love from the UK .

What’s sad is this female host actually said North Korea was the worst but sadly, it’s China which tops of the charts these days. The lockdown were a nightmare but the Corona virus is making a comeback and the CPC is trying very hard to keep panic from spreading again.\n\n International Companies are fleeing in droves, the unemployment rate is skyrocketing, there are so many ghost cities the size of Vancouver that sit empty and just stay empty, then there are the millions of Chinese trying to flee to Australia, New Zealand, and Canada via getting a citizenship from South Korea or even Japan these days. Most of the western countries have discovered the routes these expatriate Chinese have used from 2000 to 2020, CoVid put brakes on this.\n\nSome desperate poor Chinese are fleeing to South America aboard Fentyl laden container ships and then migrating towards the Mexican border.\n\nThe current Democratic President is doing this to keep his party and himself in power but sadly it’s having negative affects.\n\nThe other route being used is via South Africa or the continent of Africa to flee towards Europe or the Americas. \n\nSadly some Chinese just resort to marrying a Mongolian or Russian in order to migrate out of China.

I’m a born and raised Canadian now living in Germany for 3 years, and although I agree Canadians can sometimes be difficult to befriend and get to know, I don’t agree that it’s easier to strike conversation in Germany at all ? My first months here up until a year were extremely intimidating, of course due to language barrier but also due to the fact that some Germans can come off quite harsh and the air gets heavy here. I’m from Montreal (a bit sad this city wasn’t mentioned), but I’ve never felt that way there or anywhere else in Canada tbh

I'm an immigrant from Latin America myself and i have to agree but it's deeper than that.\nI try my best to assimilate the culture but clearly not every immigrant does the same. \nOne of the reasons i left Toronto a couple years ago was precisely because of the housing crisis. Rent prices was on the roof.\nBesides that there's too many foreigners, half the city is trying to learn English and consequently the city's identity is lost. \nBut i guess this lost of identity is happening everywhere in Canada. It's sad to see.

Alot of workers are minimum wage so that means in Ontario you will make about $667 a week @ 40 hrs before taxes. Just based on that you can't live in any major city without $100 000 job or roommates. Sad but True

Lived in Toronto before and left in 2019 right before COVID. I was considering going back to Toronto after working overseas these few years but everyone I knew living in the city are warning me not to… it’s sad how the city has changed for the worse

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.

Brilliant video Nitish...\nIm a proud Indian Sikh from Jammu, settled in Bangalore for almost 10 years as a Senior Software Professional. Quite happy with my life (apart from crazy traffic). Have visited many countries for on-site business work, including Canada but India is good despite all the chaos, espcially South India. Started my career in infosys Chandigarh, then Gurgaon then Bangalore. My parents also might move in with me next year and Im also planning to start my own Food eatery. Over 95% Sikhs are just like me and patriotic and Love India, but yes there are issues in Punjab which need to be addressed...\nBut a large portion of the blame sadly goes to Sikh politicians. I want to tell the youth that Khalistan is a waste of time and politicians in Punjab, especially sikh politicians are completely bullshit. They are corrupt and have no vision and rely on rural votes which is sikh majority and Jazbaati over every issue and largely into farming. The Punjabi Hindus, baniyas, aggarwals and Jains own the urban economy and are comparatively more practical and forward looking in life. Many of these sikh politicians sadly themselves are involved in drug, own illegal abortion centres and labs, and even coaching centres to send students to canada on fake letters in exchange for a lot of money...\nI want to tell the youth, There is a lot of good opportunity in India. I know Punjab doesnt have much as of now (hope someday one of us can take our experience and setup a startup hub there), but other cities like Pune, Hyd, Bangalore, Mum, Chennai etc are good and once you have a stable job, its quite satisfying. Punjabis especially Sikhs are also loved everywhere by common people. Please dont spend your money on fake asylum letters and Canadian Dreams without thinking and planning.

... And here is why:\n1. Insanely expensive housing with next to none disposable income left in the pocket. \n2. Inability to get into the real estate market unless $$$ was brought in as an investment. This will leave locals and people who were born in Canada left out for good even further. \n3. Extremely competitive job market. Newcomers will have to suffer for a long time to break-in. \n4. Depression and drug addiction is everywhere. It's more deadly than covid but the government can't address the problem because they lose control for good. \n5. Canada is far away from many other places, which makes things worse as you feel trapped in a workcamp with no place to escape. \n6. The cost of living is getting much faster with the salaries significantly behind year after year. \n7. Canada became the country of failed government, failed multiculturalism, too tolerant as a result. \n8. Retirement in Canada will be impossible for 95% unless you agree to live in the middle of the nowhere until depression kills you. \n9. Many who came to Canada 25+ years ago and still around felt trapped. Canada's source of immigration will likely be the poorest communities who will agree to put up with everything listed above just to get out of where they live right now. \n10. Sad, but true. I have seen a steady decline in Canada since 1998. Things get worse every year.\nAmen to that. I'll be visiting Lviv in 2025 for the first time since 2000 to check on my apartment in the city centre, not far from my Alma Mater LPI. I THANK GOD every day I didn't sell it and so I have a place for retirement!

Multicultural = Failed. Here is why (in my opinion) there is no reason to move in any big cities in Canada, and in Canada in general. \n1. Insanely expensive housing with next to none disposable income left in the pocket. \n2. Inability to get into the real estate market unless $$$ was brought in as an investment. This will leave locals and people who were born in Canada left out for good even further. \n3. Extremely competitive job market. Newcomers will have to suffer for a long time to break-in. \n4. Depression and drug addiction is everywhere. It's more deadly than covid but the government can't address the problem because they lose control for good. \n5. Canada is far away from many other places, which makes things worse as you feel trapped in a workcamp with no place to escape. \n6. The cost of living is getting much faster with the salaries significantly behind year after year. \n7. Canada became the country of failed government, failed multiculturalism, too tolerant as a result. \n8. Retirement in Canada will be impossible for 95% unless you agree to live in the middle of the nowhere until depression kills you. \n9. Many who came to Canada 25+ years ago and still around felt trapped. Canada's source of immigration will likely be the poorest communities who will agree to put up with everything listed above just to get out of where they live right now. \n10. Sad, but true. I have seen a steady decline in Canada since 1998. Things get worse every year.

I wasn't born here but I've lived here now for 45 years and my god! This place is sadly going into a nose dive. Our Politicians don't realize how good this city and country is and they have ruined it over the years by having an obtuse outlook on the future of Toronto and this country. Crime rate is so high, cost of living is insane. No housing.Housing is suppose to be a fundamental human right and our politicians have made it into a pure luxury now. The other thing is wages have not reflected the cost of living in this country since 2000. Most do not earn a living wage here and its so disappointing to see. The Federal Gov wants to bring about a 1million more immigrants into Canada within a few years...Where would they live? Most are already living in tents in the streets. Its fine now but what happens when winter makes its entrance? From the Provincial Gov to Federal Gov this country is sadly run by idiots!

I’ve lived near Toronto for the vast majority of my adult life. Around 2016 I was working there and started to explore the city a little bit more, living there for a short time. I think the draw and attraction was that it always was a little hectic. Always something to look at, so many different cultures. Also such contrasts, walking through the downtown core and then out to a neighborhood like Greek town. With parks and even forests to be found. It went from tense to a feeling of refuge and a sense of a natural oasis within a chaotic machine. I think the sense of calm which could be found has become a little more rare. Also a certain openness that people and cultures had towards each other has been fading. Discourse with other opinions morphed into the near impossible. It’s all by design and sad to see. It’s a tangible and significant change. When you zoom out at the infrastructure, social and economic level. It’s very hard to see a healthy recovery happening anytime soon. Mostly due to those being in charge not caring. Still lots of beauty there. I would never choose to live there again, but if anyone is still living there and reading this. My advice would be to explore the greenways, parks and forests to be found. The juxtaposition of city and nature gives a heightened appreciation to both realities, and really gives a more balanced/peaceful mindset to explore the good which can be found

So sad. Such a beautiful city.

Toronto has changed drastically. Crime and homelessness is out of control. Traffic is only getting worse. Good luck trying to get around the city during the summer with road construction literally everywhere. Our transit system is out of date and unreliable. The cost of living is stupid. Yet somehow everywhere you look they continue to build condos as cheap and as fast as they can. It really makes you wonder who is buying them. Sadly there’s no real culture or quality of life. Basically work to survive. \n\nLove the videos Alina ??

Condos have taken over downtown Toronto, the small shoes and stores are no longer there. The city charm … and history now gone forever. I was at Dundas square recently, now so crowded and dirty. People hanging out on the streets with no purpose. It’s sad. Years ago it was a vibrant clean and safe city.

Having lived there before. Have not been back for four years. It has not changed for the better. If not for family and some friends I feel no reason to go back. Sad, because it was a much better city before.

This is really sad to hear and, unfortunately, is happening in many cities all over (DC, NY, SF, LDN, SYD, etc.). The pandemic, inflation, and the cost of living crisis are all significant contributors to the rise in homelessness and even violence that we're seeing.

YEP. DO NOT MOVE TO TORONTO. I think you're beings very kind. It's a mess. No planning has led to a city that is out of control and ugly. The worst part is the water front.... which simply has disappeared. \nYeah, anyone living in Toronto needs to be seeing a therapist...unfortunately you won't be able to afford one!\nI live outside Toronto in an apartment, (I never, ever thought I'd live in an apartment) and I pay $3000. And there is plenty of random violence where I am as well. I had a first hand experience. It's really, really sad \nI would leave this country no problem, but living here through lockdown and stuff has me rather down?

Sadly everything you shared is pretty accurate. I got got followed to my work place by a stranger I met in the TTC streetcar. He proceeded with attempted to assault me in the building of my workplace. This left me traumatized for months, thank goodness I overcame my fear of riding the TTC. On the question of rent, it’s insane it actually may force some people to stay in bad situations just so they can maintain the living conditions they are accustomed to like staying in toxic relationships or terrible roommate situations…etc. I did get very lucky, moving in 2022 from living with a roommate to living on my own in a bachelor same area and really nice area in Mimico by the Lake for a rent of only $1400. Simply because my landlords are an old couple not greedy at all who prioritize having a good tenant over making extra cash but having to deal with different tenants every few months just because people cannot sustain the increase of living in Toronto plus paying their bills and rent. So there is hope, if you can find a landlord that has these values you won the lottery. I’m hoping things change for the better in Toronto, there’s no reason why the city cannot tackle all these issues in a more efficient way. But like sometimes I think of moving to a smaller city and if it weren’t for my current rent which is very low for the time we’re in, I would have moved to a cheaper province a long time ago. Thanks for posting your experience, wishing you all the best with where you decide to move to!

I’ve lived here for 11 years now and over the past 3 years, my perspective has changed. I am REALLLLLY looking at how I can leave, what other cities are out there for my industry/ if there are career opportunities else where. It’s sad because I love this city. I wouldn’t be who I am, if I never moved here. But things change and maybe it’s time to move forward

I think the same issue and complaints are stated by New York, London, San Francisco, Los Angeles… big cities in countries that used to be doing really well but have slowly lost money. Sadly rich Arab countries like Qatar and Saudi Arabia don’t take refugees neither do rich Asian countries…

The city has lost its empathy and is a zombie filled concrete jungle. I left for Thailand Toronto was once a vibrant fun city now it's a nightmare. Truly sad.

It's all quite sad. Cannot afford to have family downtown. Lack of social services. I'm afraid in Canada, there aren't many cities to choose from, unlike U.S, for professional careers. A flee to suburbs could be feasible but generally it's a steep learning curve on managing a house (which is $1.5 million CAD these days). Perhaps it's time to look at other countries.

This is very sad. I fell in love with that city in 1996-1998. It has so much degraded since. However the germs of this situation were already there then. I now think that it was a totally dystopian city.

This makes me sad. I'm American and visited here as a kid and loved it. Loved Toronto more than New York City. I loved how multicultural it was and how you could hear so many languages in Younge Square. It was super clean and safe. I hope things can change.

Delhi ki air quality itni buri nahi hai ab...it has improved alot after AAP govt took over ....kisi bhi badi city main ye problems hoti hai.... lekin Canada ke depressing atmosphere se tou delhi ka pollution bhala ... Canada is the loneliest country with a very sad mindset

Destruction by the woke lefty ideology took over another big city. Very sad Canada actual situation!!?

When I was young I used to fantasise about going to Toronto Canada as I have some cousins who lived there. Today this makes me quite sad but it is a similar situation here in Sydney Australia but a few years behind you guys but affordable housing is a big issue and a small but growing homeless issue Rising. We don't have the extreme random violence like in Canada but stuff like that does happen in all major industrialised cities around the world. Growing population without good healthcare and infrastructure is a major issue in a lot of big cities around the world.\nWe have a government that wants to increase the population and at the same time acknowledge the fact that we don't have the infrastructure to cope for that and also squeezing that big population in a smaller and smaller space of course causing greater mental issues as a result

So sad. My Mom’s family all lived in Toronto and my earliest memory of it goes back to 1964. It was always my favourite city and I’ve seen many. It changed so much over the years. For me the best period was 1967-81. Despite these problems I still love it in my heart.

It's very sad to see how the city of Toronto has changed. thanks for sharing

Winnipegger here who lived in Toronto 2014-2020, moved back to Wpg 2020-2021 and is now back in Toronto. \n\nFirst and foremost, your comments on crime are inconsistent with the data and blown out of proportion. I suggest viewers take a look at StatsCan’s crime severity index which confirms that Ontario is the safest province or territory in Canada (safer than PEI lol). There are also scores for cities and Toronto is safer than almost every other Canadian city, safer than even Ottawa or Calgary, twice as safe as Vancouver, nearly three times safer than Winnipeg. If we start comparing to US cities, it would be even more shocking. Suffice to say, Toronto is not only safe, but it’s the safest major city in Canada and one of the safest major cities on earth. \n\nThe homelessness crisis has certainly gotten a lot worse, sadly. As has the cost of living, but you get what you pay for.\n\nHaving travelled to 35 countries (doesn’t mean I’m an expert, but I have some experiences in other places), I respectfully disagree and think Toronto is one of the greatest cities. It’s one of the greenest cities in this continent, safe, on the lake, super close to other major cities, great infrastructure (relative to Canadian cities anyway), it’s beautiful and there’s a ton to do, not to mention the diversity. \n\nDon’t be turned off by this, if you can afford it, it’s one of the best places you could live on this planet.

I also hate the architecture of the new condos going up. They're all the same, sterile, glass towers. They make the city feel so cold. It is such a shame. They're also replacing blocks of independent small business which is sad because those businesses have always been what I love about the city.

I'd love to see a compilation of all your old commercials! They looked very entertaining. Something about Japanese commercials make me laugh. Think about it. As for Toronto, it's sad to see and it seems most big cities are following a similar path.

I am a resident of Toronto for the past 11 years now. I moved here from Calgary because back then I had a better opportunity. I was an aspiring pastry chef. I landed in pretty stable and well paid job. I've already noticed the changes in city a few years before the pandemic. The drug addiction and mental health problem were already quite evident as injection sites were popping up around the cities including public parks. Then the pademic happened, it exposes the cracks in our society, some people are becoming selfish and intolerant. I lost my job due to the pandemic, it was very traumatic, I developed severe anxiety/depression. Luckily, i had some savings when it all happened. Fastforward, I've been working in the last 2 years now but I can no longer find the same job and pay I used to have. Most companies are now more ruthless. They let go employees any minute as soon as they felt the business is slow. There's no more job security. The only reason why I am surviving is because I am living in the same apartment since i moved here. However, my new neighbours who just moved in are paying twice as much. I've been attempting to leave the city but that would mean that i would be paying at least twice of my current rent and there aren't much opportunities elesewhere. I honestly felt trapped in my current situation but I am still grateful that I am still better off than many people who are already living on the edge. Sadly, the situation is only getting worst according to many analysts. I think the country is at a breaking point in many aspects.

A somewhat depressing video, because it's an actually accurate portrait of the city, as it is. Toronto and Canada as a whole is governed by politicians and bureaucrats, who rely on experts opinion of what could be, if x,y,z all come together as envisioned. These pixie dust ideas are often aspirational, but sadly lack a base in reality. Slogans and cheerleading don't make things happen. Rarely is there enough funding to support implementation of these grandiose ideas, and somehow these same leaders ensure they get a chunk before anyone else, cause they have a standard of living to maintain. They just really feel for the pain and suffering of those who are not them. Toronto and Vancouver used to be Canadian examples, that those of us didn't live or want to live there could still be proud of. These cities also were viewed as examples to follow by other Canadian population centres. So the same issues keep reoccurring, because in abstract theory they could work. By the time reality shows that they are not working, it is too late, and too hard, and too embarrassing to change course. \nA very interesting video by a creator who took her rose coloured glasses ( we all have a pair just admit it), and sees what is and then says it out loud.

Sadly , so many small businesses closed during covid & many people lost housing & once on the street desperation takes over & crime increases. All major cities in the world are enduring this wave of homelessness & it's negative results. Very sad.

Sad to see the city of Toronto changed. After watching it, the people live in that city is almost in the state of poverty. ?

I am originally from Toronto but have lived for 35 years in Los Angeles. It is sad to see the same problems that my 2 favorite cities both have. Two big advantages that LA has is the weather, and higher incomes. In Toronto there is a drastic gap between income, and cost of living. There is that in LA too, but the gap isn't as big. People still make a lot of money here, but with more money, that increases inflation.

That is sad for Toronto. However, it's the reality around north America. In the US is even worse. Even in small cities housing is starting to become unfordable. Really informative and great video.

Diversity and minorities acceptance is relatively better in Canada. As an immigrant, the US would have been a big yes had it been thr 1990s but sadly, the perception to US changed drastically after then and would not want to live in the US even if given a job offer in Boston ( a beautiful city i fell in love with). Just because of what is happening on the political scene. If I need to leave Canada, it would be for Europe where work/life balance, public transit and culture of enjoying life prevails. American corporate culture is depressing.

I used to visit the U.S. every year or two - stuck to the major cities where I felt I wasn't surrounded by Christian fascists.... haven't been there since Covid. Did make a trip to NYC once, under the orange cheeto's rule and the oppression, sadness and depression you felt crossing the border was palpable

No, I wouldn’t. I just moved from Vancouver to London, uk. Lots of people asked why I didn’t move to New York. Main reason is health care. I’m a self employed hairstylist and no one is providing health care for me. Second is gun violence in general, mass shootings are a big issue, just because it hasn’t happened in your small city, doesn’t mean it won’t. Mass shootings are just the most extreme version of gun violence. I don’t want the people walking down the street next to me to possibly be carrying a gun on them. That is truly terrifying to me. Third is that politics are so extreme and so prevalent. Lastly the fact that women’s rights are being taken away. I absolutely cannot support a country with very little benefits and aid for those who cannot afford to have a child, that then makes them have a child. That’s the briefest way I can explain my feelings, I could go on and on, but I’ll leave it at that. \n\nThe only benefit I see in moving to the us from Canada is for certain opportunities, and those come in big cities, so there’s absolutely no point in moving to then live in a small city. \n\nI appreciate that you’re being introspective as you go through the video. Unfortunately gun violence is a massive one for many Canadians, even when they travel to the us. Now that I’m in London, I hear a lot of the same sentiments being mirrored by the Brits. No one wants to lose their health and safety just to move to the us. It’s sad that, even as you represented, most Americans have settled into just accepting these problems, when they don’t need to be there.

I live just outside of Montreal, pretty near the border. One of my good friends used to live in Vermont, right near the border and we would visit each other several times a year. She moved to Tennessee, and I flew down to visit her a few years ago (haven't been down since COVID) while Trump was still president and I'm not even joking when I say that as soon as I left Nashville I was highly anxious 100% of my time there. And I'm white, I'm not a visible minority, I suppose if I kept my mouth shut nobody could tell I'm not from there, it really hit me how sad it is that I even felt that. All these patriotic gun toting Americans I feared would shoot me for whatever reason they could come up with. I understand that that's not ACTUALLY likely, I was glad I left my husband and children at home, and while I enjoyed my weekend there I couldn't WAIT to get back home. New England was easier to handle, but I'm not cut out for the openly racist, homophobic, anti women's rights, you name it kind of discussions. I was horrified that not only do people ACTUALLY think like this, but those who are being oppressed, or those who simply support those being oppressed are having to keep quiet for fear of being murdered because of this. Nashville was really cool, I loved it, but I truly feared for my safety outside of the city, despite being a straight white woman. I can't imagine what it's like for the minorities, it's so sad. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that you're just numb to it, because being on the outside looking in, it's hard to believe what's actually going on, it looks as though the country is regressing,

So I just want to say just the fact that you have to think about where you want to live for religious, race or safety reasons that is a problem. As a Canadian that travels/moves for work when I look for a town or a city to live it’s how hard is it to visit family/friends is there hiking/fishing/hunting how long do I have to drive to the kids school. I never look at the crime rates in a city, or the number of school shootings, can I get insurance at the new jobs if needed…. And it’s really sad that most of you do.

I will say in one part: you are very very right. \n\nIn another part, you’re looking for a lifestyle that’s more catered to how you view the world and your wants/needs. \n\nVancouver is gorgeous. And, many cities in Europe (even though they’re historically beautiful) do not compare to Vancouver. It’s different. East Van has a lot of character.\n\nBut you’re a pioneer of pointing out many truths and you won’t be the last guy that talks about it. This hustle, restless culture and sans community in Canada is both sad and also good and motivating to develop into something worthwhile. While in Europe I feel this distaste and misery for anything that has ambition to gather wealth.

People sad they can't come in but we have Americans literally destroying whole city blocks in Chicago and Florida. Send the lazy drug induced homeless Americans to those states or send them somewhere else and let these people come in and actually help rebuild this country that anti America rallying Americans are destroying...

As a Native kid who grew up on the reservation in Canada, I used to be afraid to go into the city because of the tings people would say to us. It wasn't just white people either. I have lived in Utah the past 20 years, and I'm sad to hear it still hasn't changed.

Sadly, on every corner in my city is a homeless person and meanwhile if any or some of these people make it over here in this order they’ll live better than most Americans.

Sad reality is these people are better dressed and look more healthy than 90% of Us citizens. These are definitely not all people that are in fear for their lives. They clearly have had food and water and some kind of life. What about our citizens in violent cities? Especially the ones who have no food, shelter, family, nothing to keep them away from violent people... Where can an American go for asylum? Where can we find refuge from our corrupt politicians? From the mentally illand violent? Its even worse thinking that these people will get treated better than those who have fought for this country. Risking life and limb to protect freedom. I think freedom in America was always an illusion. We were always being manipulated and controlled. Its just before it was less in our face. They don't care to hide what they are doing anymore. They have been successful in making people zombies and slaves. They think nothing can stop them now. They see the finish line and they are running harder at it. Lest everyone wakes up and holds them accountable.