Close Reading

Typical city talk. Canada ugly? Get real. Not everybody is that foolish live in cities where you look at concrete all day, and have to deal with pollution, crime, traffic, etc. There are tons of beautiful smaller places in Canada where it's great living. Stop generalizing.\n\nThe weather? That's so lame, since you knew that beforehand, and to spend 10 minutes on that.... again, lame. \n\nCovid? You gotta be kidding me! There is a reason why Canada performed way better than many other countries. We all saw what happened in the USA where they weren't so strict. Again... ridiculous comment.\n\nThe rules? OMG... go to the USA! ???\n\nIsolation? It's pretty sad when you feel the need to live in a major metropolitan to feel happy... ~sigh~

See friends, all the middle class and low class people in the world are suffering from the same problems. First there are no jobs, even if there are jobs they are misbehaved, mistreated, abused or exploited etc. Then what can be the solution for this problems? This is our common problem wherever we are living in. Just comparatively, some places are better but we don't have easy access to that special place. I think we can't escape this. There are always Big Brother and Subaltern in the world. I think there is no democracy where the voice is heard and justice,security in general,job after education,implementation of law,equitable social life is guaranteed in practice. The powerful dominates everywhere in the Nature. This law is applicable forever because there can be no complete ideal world. But we can just minimize if we involve in politics everywhere.

The right decision! Many families originally from Serbia and the Balkans in general return from America and Canada. The laws that are passed there completely cancel the family and interpersonal values ​​that we have lived until now. Greetings from Belgrade

I've lived in and around Toronto for a lot of my life and unfortunately I agree with you, but more particularly for the cost of living, which has truly become ridiculous.\n\nToronto has seen an uptick in crime in recent years, but it's still safe even by the standards of other Canadian cities, as Toronto generally has been. The crime is not in itself a reason to avoid Toronto.

Canada in general has changed, and not for the better in the last 15 years. The cost of living has gone through the roof, and salaries are not any better. This is from the point of view of someone from Montreal, so I cannot even imagine how expensive Toronto and Vancouver must now be.

Seems Islam is too cerimonialistic/ritualist and require a lot of structure for praticing. Clean, specific places? Headspeakers for scheduled daily prayers? \nI'm glad the Creator I believe is omniscient and I can pray to Him anywhere, anytime, at worst requiring me a quiet place and to close my eyes. A humble temple, inside my mind.\nBut one thing I find odd...if inflation is one of the reasons you consider...muslim countries are far worse than Canada..specially Erdog4y's Turkey, which is also very secular, if that means something aswell. Anyway, best of luck for you and your family, I hope your next home live up to your expectations, just as I hope Canada and the West in general take back the western values the socialists like Castrudeau are degrading.

Sounds like a good decision for you. It seems in general all people are happier in countries where their religion is the majority religion. My sister, an atheist but culturally Western/Christian, lives in a Muslim country temporarily as a Christian so I get it.

This is so BIZARRE. Why on earth are they posting this malarkey, as though it’s of general interest? Ah, I know, to rake in cash $$ for each viewing. Typical YouTube greed. \nThey betray their shallowness & naïveté about the world, and will never be content no matter where they live.

There is just such mobility in general : Europeans deciding whether to live in Canda,USA,Australia or Latin America:Cosat Rica,Argentina...;Canadians deciding to live in the USA,Australia,New Zealand or Latin America.

Who are the idiots controlling immigration into Canada? Not the general Canadian public for sure. The fascist corporations want to lower the standard of living around the world to condition the slaves into living with less. Once this is set in place we'll be even easier to control. F**k the global corporate and the WEF.

I love Canada , sorry to bust your bubble, but life isn’t golden everywhere you go, people come here, generally, because they couldn’t stand where they were living, and were unhappy, and for some reason expected us to be heaven. The world is difficult everywhere today, if you think Canada is the only expensive country in the world you’re fooling yourself. Go live in some country with a far less appealing, political climate, or no natural resources and dictatorship governments if it’s cheap. Have fun.

i have never been to Canada but i do have plenty of friends who are tried of living in Canada. I live in Malaysia and I do love in here and things are very easy going. The best part is the accessibility to halal food everywhere you go you can easily find Halal food and people in general are very friendly and also helpful too. I have been living in Malaysia for the past 20yrs and I enjoy in here. I was born and brought up in the UAE but I love Malaysia as my home. The cost of living in here is on the raise but it is not so bad as in many other countries so far. The Malaysian government is doing the best possible to keep a control of the inflation. We hope and pray to see 2024 as a better year to come

I think your reading of the situation is slight from the wrong end of scope. \n\n1> the job of the Canadian gov is to look after Canadians. (Yes they allow immigrants but that is for the benefit of Canadians and not the other way around. \n\nThe house prices are intentionally kept high. The reason is because it makes existing citizens richer. (Year on year) these people vote and the gov would like their vote) . Creating huge supply of housing is going to crash the market and that will end up people feeling poor. (Values will drop : demand and supply) . Falling values mean people will feel poor and then less likely to vote for the current administration.\n\nI am based in UK which is experiencing record amount of immigration. \n\nTaxes here are high.(I don’t mind high taxes as long as there are good public services to show for them) \n\nGood roads \nHigh speed internet \nGood infrastructure \nHospitals \n\nSo the job of the gov (in western hemisphere) generally is to keep the voting public happy. \n\nThat involves \n\n1>Good public services (most are social states and people accept high taxation as a trade off for good public services) \n\n2> rising house prices. (Voting public wants to feel richer and owning your home is like your retirement and pension pot. Most of the wealth in uk is stored in property. (I guess same in Canada to some extent ) \n\n3> control of immigration. People want immigration but want good immigration l. People who will come and contribute to society. Too much of it can be an issue for existing citizens and also immigrants themselves selves.\n\n\nOn a separate note. People deciding where to settle always remember. Long term the proximity to the world matters . Europe is still the centre of the world. Cross east to Asia and west to Canada and USA etc. living in Canada (west coast specially is like the edge of the world just like living in NZ ) \n\nPopulation matters. \nThe Canadian population and Australian population is less than of Uk (as far as I know ) and the land mass is huge. It is not a big market compared to some of the countries compared to Europe. \n\nMore people = more demand = more big companies want to compete =lower prices for consumers and less inflation .\n\nJust some thoughts on this last day of 2023z happy new years all .

Come to singapore! generally its safe, mixed race and religion, halal food accessible! just that cost of living is high!!! but we all survive! ?

Born and raised in Canada. Like all western places, you need tons of money to have a great life. It's true that everything's gotten worse. It's hard to make friends--it's easier in most other places. The people are very resigned, complacent--in other words, fearful and subservient. People in general have a poor undertanding of geopolitics...lots of naivite. There are some genuinely kind people but most are burnout, struggling to get by, living with their parents.

Subhanallah. I feel lucky to have been born in Indonesia. Even though there are so many people who live as Islam ID, not practicing Islam as a Muslim should do things like pray and so on. But we have an Islamic environment here, with many mosques (except in Bali, where the majority of the people are Hindus).\nIt's cheap to live here, but not with the education. Even international Islamic boarding schools are so expensive here. If you can get a good job in Jakarta with a good company, you better stay here. \nI'm not sure it's cheap or not, but you can pay min 250 to 430 dollar per month for nanny or helper to clean the house. \nAnd for the weather, we only have two. Summer and rain. Sometimes it rains in the summer. And sometimes it's very hot during the rainy season. Hahahaha. Best wishes for your family.\nOr in Malaysia, they also have a good environment for Muslim children. I have some friends in Malaysia. Food is also cheap and similar to the Middle East. I like Malaysian food. In general, I enjoy halal food. ❤\nBismillah, I hope the best for you guys.

Salaam all and hello. I'm born & bred here in England. My parents are indian, my mum from Malawi, southern Africa. Life here in London where I've been living all my life is going downhill fast. Crime & general insecurity, the cost of living, increasing woke degeneracy and lack of morals & ethics all contribute to a worsening environment & society. My younger brother & sister both moved to Dubai & were happy there. He raised his family there and is now in Saudi. Its important to know that the Muslim world although has varying levels of development is still not truly Islamic and that has been the cause of its backwardness and we as an ummaah is now at the worst situation it has ever been. However the call for the resumption of Islam as a system and way of life is rapidly increasing and will ineveitably make a return for the benefit not only for the ummaah but for the the wider world as a beacon of light (in an age of darkness).

I dont know where you will move, but what about Norway. I live herr already 10 years, ofc this country has its own problems but in general its not a bad country to live in

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.

I am Indonesian living in ALberta for almost 15years, planning to move back to Indonesian soon. I would suggest to South East Asia and settle in any of these option Malaysia or Indonesia, or other option would be Turkey. I Especially if you like variety of landscape, nature choose those places. Very safe to live and cheap cost of living. Well I wont pick DUbai to live, especially \nwesternisation there is so obvious (many people from UK, US move there) and UAE are not really pro Palestinians in general. I dont even put Dubai as place to visit too much structures, not offering any natural place to see.

Assalamualaikum, i'm your new subscriber, admire you guys a lot for sacrificing the comfort living in Canada for the sake of humanity. If i may suggest you to go check my country Indonesia or my neighbor Malaysia. You can hear calling for pray 5x a day, mosques are everywhere, halal food also everywhere. A lot of choice of education for your children, generally or Islamic ones. And most important thing is the people and government against genocide. We don't have any diplomatic relationship and never acknowledge the state of IsNotReal. Also 1 more thing, living cost here is relatively low compare to Canada or any other countries. Well good luck guys, will follow your journey from this moment on ????

I have lived in Malaysia (5 yrs), Bahrain (7 yrs), Pakistan (born and raised), and now in Canada (4 yrs). Each have had their own pros and cons. \n\nMalaysia has some of the nicest people in the world. Beautiful country, lots of rain, temperatures usually between 28-30C, all year round. Laid back office culture. Lots of work holidays! In the last one decade Pakistani community has grown steadily esp in Kuala Lumpur. English is widely spiken and understood in major cities.\nAs for the cons, very expensive international schools and daycare centers, that would take a huge chunk out of your income. Pakistani food not that easy or cheap to find, but that may have changed since we left. Relatively high cost of living, if you need to live near city centers.\n\nBahrain sees both winter and summer. Not much of other 2 seasons. A large Pakistani, Indian community, so much so that I rarely ever used English to communicate with cab drivers or shop seles reps!. Regular Arabs struggle a bit with English though. Pakistani/ Indian food very easily available n affordable. Again a laid back work culture. Maids and domestic help easily available. \nAs to the cons, you may encounter racism sometimes. Arabs are generally nice ppl but u may sometimes find them condescending in their dealings with you. Probably bc most of Pakistanis, Indians, Bangladeshi and Nepalis form the labour force (and we all know how worker strata is treated in the Middle East). International schools are again quite expensive (lesser than Malaysia though).

Agreed....we have been looking into moving out of the usa too, we were looking at turkey for cost of living, and culture in general.

Being an Indian living in Canada for over 22 years and working in healthcare system, I would highly recommend to check your vitamin levels (especially vitamin D, B12 if vegetarians) and general health regularly (it applies to those living in US and European countries). A known phenomenon that occurs especially during darker colder months is Seasonal effective disorder (SAD) and needs to be dealt with before it turns in depression. \n \nLife is hard l, no matter where you live but if you decide to move to foreign countries…just be prepared to face difficulties and adjust your expectations accordingly.

I live in Ontario Canada. Generally; I vote Liberal. I voted Trudeau in twice.... now regretting it a little bit. He has done some good for me; but also bad.\nCanada started plummeting after COVID hit; and it has gotten worse. The main errors made by this government are with both the Liberals and Conservatives agreeing to 'grown' big corporates into HUGE monopoly corporates. TO compete with the USA. Due to this; we are now paying food prices through our ears!! Crazy. Also; there seems to be a level of corruption regarding the housing issue. No affordable housing. Not enough homes built. Only the rich can afford homes now. Government gets to tax that; and they love it! The rich class have more clout in voting for a government that aids them in making more and more money that they rob from the POOR house renters. The lower and middle class. As the Middle class in Canada is now becoming poor. The rich get much richer. This government is trying to bring in thousands of immigrants to stimulate the economy. But mostly; the immigrants have taken over all the lower Canadian jobs. We can't get them anymore. Because immigrants work cheap here; and sign onto contract deals with mega-corps that ensure they keep working for 2 years. Job entry level Canadians (are left without). There are also not nearly enough houses for immigrants to live in anyway! This government did not anticipate that we simply do not have enough homes for immigrants, nor Canadians alike!! What a fail. Healthcare is also failing huge... mostly thanks to the Conservatives who love to block almost every good healthcare BIll possible.

Aside from this war Palestinians, lebanese and Syrians are never welcomed in the gulf countries with open arms anyways. For example let's say a palestinian persons family works and live in Kuwait and they want to visit their family whether it is their parents etc, the Kuwaiti authorities will force them to apply for a visa the long and hard way through the Kuwaiti embassy. However on the other hand Canadians, Americans and British who are strong Israeli supporters are allowed to enter these same gulf countries with ease in a visa on arrival basis. This is not even to consider war. This is generally speaking. Can anyone see the hypocrisy of the arab world here in regards to the Palestinian cause as well as the other fellow neighboring countries?

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.

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.

lol...I left Canada 12 years ago...Canada is not moving forward, very little industries to choose, very little roles and positions to offer, the work culture is slow, lazy and dumb in general. Cost of living and tax is high. The government is not open to welcoming more outside investment or allow more companies into Canada. \nAnd having Trudeau as the PM makes everything just worse... \n\nThe only reasons I would go back to Canada, for a vist only, is because of the fresh air and trees and quietness. And maybe some food that I like...and to see my family. But that's all.....I moved back to Hong Kong, and then explored opportunities in mainland China as well. Honestly, after my experience back in Hong Kong it felt like Canada is at least 20 years behind. And after exploring mainland China, it feels like Canada is 40 years behind. \n\nSo yea, no plans to move back to Canada.....because even elderly homes in China now provides really high quality service compare to the ones offered in Canada, you would feel like the Canadian elderly homes are a prison for old people.

I was about to move to Toronto right before covid hit and live with my girlfriend at the time. Moving from Florida. then i tried moving after covid on my own we broke up and man being disabled and trying to get to toronto or ca in general they really make it hard af. im on a waiting list for buffalo ny. It's alot easier to move their and i can easily travel to toronto whenever i want.

Canadian here. Things are just fine here. Yeah, far from perfect, but people are generally pretty happy here. People are safe, happy, healthy, employed and optimistic. It's always good to target your weeknesses to improve, but looking at elsewhere around the world, I couldn't think of a better place to live.

We immigrated to Canada to create a life we would not have been able to have back home. However, not only did we not obtain a better life, we lost the opportunities that we would have had back home if we had stayed there. We came here to be able to buy property, to have secure employment in the fields that we were trained for. We came here to have better medical care. At this point, to see a doctor, we prefer to fly back home and to get diagnosed and treated there because of the long wait times and doctors who are reluctant to prescribe tests and are just passive. They just care about the paperwork they need to complete instead of diagnosing and treating patient. We immigrated to lower our stress levels but they doubled and tripled due to debts, the risk of being laid off or fired so easily . I work 10 hours a day, but I live in conditions that a jobless person is living. The salary I earn does not help me improve my life and to buy a house and to generally improve. The issue is that Canada is being dangerously overrated and is being marketed for what is not true. Hopefully with social media the realities will get out and reach people.

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

If you’ve lived in canada for years and have a citizenship you are legally Canadian and in general

NO, the cost of living in Canada has not *always* been high. For someone as young as this woman that may be true, since people usually say *always* to refer to their own lifespan. When I went to Canada (Toronto) in 1967, it was quite easy to find a one-bedroom apartment for $100-130 . Nothing luxurious of course, but acceptable. Public transport cost 25 cents (!), 5 tickets for $1.00. Working-class salaries were in the range of $100-150 per week. The value of the Canadian dollar was 7% less than that of the US dollar. My wife and I were actors who worked in a children's theatre for $45/week. Slim pickings, but with our approx. $370/month we got along all right, went to the movies, bought records and books,, ate in restaurants from time to time, bought food cheap in the Kensingto Market and got a complete tax refund at the end of the year. There was an air of general prosperity Things have changed drastically over the years, obviously.

My family came to Canada 5 years ago. The main reason was because my dad had been busy setting up a branch of his European company here for two years. He wanted to launch this new branch and then retire early. Canada as he knew it was a good option for him to do this. We even had a house long before we came to Canada. And we now live on the west coast of Canada. \n \nFor us, the transition to feeling at home here wasn't particularly difficult. We also had enough experience of what it was like to live in other countries. Canada actually turned out to be a very easy country to quickly settle in. \n \nI've heard that Canadians can be reserved, but my personal experience is completely different. \n \nNevertheless, I got to know fellow immigrants who didn't find it easy to get started in Canada. In my experience, they were not very or only rudimentarily informed about what to expect in Canada. Their expectations were very high and they failed because of the reality of everyday Canadian life. \n \nOthers had similar experiences, but they persevered and ultimately arrived in Canada. Some of my fellow students are international students who are also considering leaving the country because Canada doesn't offer what they were hoping for as a better life here. \n \nThe reasons are really too individual in nature to really generalize. I think there should be a lot more help given to people who are struggling with their fate in Canada, because there are enough programs that they could take advantage of but that they never hear about. \n \nUltimately, it may help if someone just listens to them and perhaps has some advice, no matter how vague it may be. Those who finally arrive in Canada after years of a long odyssey and find this country something like home are, in my opinion, those who never gave up.

As an Indigenous person (Anishinaabe), it's been a real mixed bag. It's been great that we generally have more visibility in media, and the federal government has listened to more of our requests than in years past, and healthcare costs and education gets covered quite a bit. That being said, a lot of Indigenous folks are poor and will very likely stay that way. If middle-class people are facing financial struggle, then it's even worse for us.\n\nIMO, as things get tight, what'll begin happening is what happens on reserves -- families will cram themselves into houses. Adult children living with their parents, young couples living with parents, and single adults having 2+ roommates well into their 30s, 2 people per bedroom.\n\nPlease though, advocate for more housing to your local government. Don't be a f'kin NIMBY. We need homes, multi-unit and single, rentals and ones to own.

In response to the points raised in your video, I'd like to share some insights on the US-Canada comparison. It's undeniable that the US, as the world's leading economy, offers a wealth of employment opportunities, far surpassing those in Canada, which still holds a commendable position as the world's 10th strongest economy. From my perspective as a Canadian who has relocated to the US, the prospect is tempting, given the potential for a better lifestyle. However, it's crucial to weigh this against the realities of US immigration policies. Unlike Canada's more welcoming approach, the US process is daunting, labeling immigrants as 'Aliens' and imposing strict conditions like finding employment within 60 days of losing a job on a visa, or face restarting the entire immigration process.\n\nFurthermore, education in the US, especially at top universities comparable to York or the University of Toronto, is exorbitantly priced at around $50,000 USD per year, a big contrast to the more affordable Canadian fees.\n\nWhile Canada boasts superior social programs and a generally more welcoming attitude towards immigrants, it's not without its challenges, as highlighted by the cost crisis discussed in your video. This issue is prevalent in many countries with high immigration rates, like England and Australia, where housing costs can consume a significant portion of one's salary. Despite these challenges, Canada often offers a more balanced and affordable living experience compared to its counterparts.

Born and raised in Toronto / GTA. At age 22, after the 1st wave of the COVID-19 crisis I felt the strong desire to leave - ridiculously high living costs, low salaries, general negative sentiment amongst torontonians, drastic lockdowns to combat COVID, insane traffic / poor public transport. I just graduated from university when I made the decision to move to Copenhagen, Denmark. 3 years later and I am confident it was one of the best decisions of my life. As much as I love Canada, I have to admit that the country is lagging FAR behind Scandinavian countries and I prefer my lifestyle here. Great Video btw!

Genuine question for people who leave Canada, where do they go? I'm from Belgium, living in the UK and considering actually moving to Canada because I don't see myself living in Europe anymore... For some reason, I thought the general lifestyle in Canada was better than Belgium and the UK but after watching this video, it seems not to be the case :/

Basically you sound a lazy person, who doesn't like doing household chores, and they can never settle in America. . Anyways 2.5 months is nothing to judge a country , I have lived 22 yrs in America, 10 in ?? and 12 yrs in Canada, and no comparison with India, in terms of corruption, general social behavior discipline and law abiding society., which Canada is. Ur either lying or super lucky saying that you got a teaching job just after landing, getting job is the toughest thing for new immigrants, even for iit graduates which you are hiding from others in this video

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.

What's happened to Toronto is what has happened to the world. It is unreasonable to take in the world. Look at Vancouver-- looks like a dying American city. Cities in general are a hell hole-- no longer cool, no longer safe, no longer affordable, no longer livable, declining opportunity. I lived in Toronto for 58 years and escaped to a quality environment north of the city-- the small towns I used to look down on when I felt so proud of Toronto are laughing at you now. An hour's drive away but, world's apart.

combination of things imo... cost of living in places you want to live are expensive.. you can relocate to places that are cheaper, but they are cheaper for a reason.. usually remote with bad weather... the weather in general in canada is not ideal for most and we don't have the options like the usa has. taxes as well

heck do that survey with canadian resident not migrants now and prepared to be unpleasantly surprised ... why stay in a country that doesn't give a rats ass about you , employers and big business can do pretty much anything now because of covid and the '' worker shortage'' ; so again who wants to stay here when you are treated all around like crap , where gov services are all around going down the toilet , taxes high and for sure going to be even higher , where food prices are sky high while the quality is less than mediocre ; where its now almost impossible to build a family because of the housing crisis and general cost of living crisis. So again why stay in a country where you have NO FUTURE !?

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.

As former Calgarians, my wife and I had lived in that beautiful city for 30 years. We moved to the GTA in 2008. We had observed that the last 15 years, the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) has had seen a gradual decline in both affordability as well as crime and safety. The last 5 years or so had been especially obvious with significantly steep jump in living (dwelling & food) costs as well as crime rates.\nAfter a couple of visits to Alberta in the last year or so, my spouse and I had decided to pull up stakes and relocate back to Calgary where housing is still reasonably affordable. We also feel much safer over there. Oh, did I mention that the ring road around the perimeter of the City is very near completion and it is free. Yes, it's free of charge, i.e.: it is not a toll road.\nIn general, drivers in Calgary, are also way more courteous than their counterparts in the GTA.\nOur relocation will happen in the next two to three months. Bye bye GTA (with no regrets) .......

UPDATE: Halifax (NS in general) is now unaffordable and the salaries have not aligned with the price increases. Food, gas, and the housing market have essentially doubled in price (seemingly overnight) and the population more than doubled so there are new condo buildings built everywhere with rent averaging $2500+ per month for a 2 bedroom. A house that used to cost $300K, is now closer to $700K. For the first time ever, there are homeless people living in their cars or in tents. The only thing that has stayed the same is the beautiful landscape.

This is exactly what this channels needs- View and comments so here goes \n\n It's important not to generalize or assume that all Kenyan immigrants are in dire straits. Canada has a well-established immigration system that selects individuals based on their skills, education, and potential to contribute to the country's economy. Many Kenyan immigrants have successfully integrated into Canadian society, secured gainful employment, and are leading fulfilling lives. I am a prime example. Moved to Canada at 24 ( best life decision ever ) \n \nAs for immigration agents ( who know nothing about anything), their role primarily involves assisting individuals in navigating the complex immigration process. If the agent you work with is in Kenya, you fell for another trick Kenyans keep playing on themselves- Ujanja ndio tunajua tu! Their silence on certain matters may not necessarily reflect the experiences of all immigrants but rather their focus on taking even more advantage on already poor ill minded fools.