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Toronto real estate is like a tube of toothpaste that only has a little bit of paste up around the cap. It is now one of the worst investment products in the world because someone else already took all of the profit out of the system. In other words, they have brushed their teeth a lot and the tube is basically spent. Deploying money into the market in 2008 was brilliant. Doing that in 2024 is financial suicide as their nothing left in the tube for profit. Will an interest rate fix that fundamental problem? Would you buy a nearly empty tube of toothpaste for the same prices as a full one? Why would you waste your money on such a profoundly over-valued asset class? The emperor is not wearing any clothes... its not a new see-through type of clothing! No matter how expensive rent is, at least you can keep your savings for something more profitable.

In the 90s my family were making like $5/hr and were stilll able to buy their houses at around $100,000 in toronto city.

Based off this guys accent he sounds like a Portuguese/greek/or Italian-Canadian guy from the Toronto area. This doesn’t sound like your typical Canadian white guy accent. Vast majority of people do not act like this

Walked the amazing city of Toronto across Bloor, down Yonge to King Street across to Bathurst yesterday afternoon. No issues at all. Seems like the Toronto i was born and raised in. Saw a concert then walked from Ontario Place up to King and across to University between 11:00pm to around 12:30. Smiled as I saw countless couples sitting on benches enjoying the cities energy. Bars were busy. Women waiting for buses, going to walks, grocery runs. Subway was busy for 1am with every walk of life, including four 4 20 something young women heading back home after a night out.\n\nLove my city.\n\nSad some people don't get to know her and just bag on her for political reasoning.

Brampton and places like them are bad they influence their culture hate Indians and Americans shootings rough car driving is so common here ?.\nPeople hate their culture diminishing especially now even Muslims beating lesbian chicks in Toronto this that is so wrong this is a Christian country and respect them pls they love us.

Squatting… just like in India…. I wonder why it’s tolerated in modern day diverse Toronto ?

I'm Brazilian, I love Canada and I lived there for 4 years, 2 in Montreal and 2 in Toronto. I'm very sad to hear about the situation Canada is in now, it's unbelievable! \nToday I live in Germany, but I hate living here, despite the quality of life and security that this country still has, there are other factors with which I have not adapted. \nWhat I can say is that it's getting harder every day to choose a country to live in, because they all seem to be decaying. Today, when I think of a new country to live in, I have a lot of doubts, there aren't many options. If a country like Canada is like this, everything else must be much worse.\nCoincidence or not, Canada, among others, began to decline after the country embraced the Woke “culture” and opened its doors to certain types of immigrants who are incompatible with the country's culture. It seems that there is an agenda to destroy the West, for who knows what reasons.

Hey @Alina McLeod on future video, could you do a video on #Saskatchewan, as whole? I've always wanted to visit cities in Canada. Like, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa and Alberta.

Thanks so much Ma. I would like to know what I should do , I started the journey after receiving the visiting Visa from The Gambia to Canada. On getting to Turkey when I was about to join another plane to Toronto, I stopped by the airport attendant. Then I returned to The Gambia. After three days I received a letter from the Embassy to explain what had happened and I did. More than four months ago. What should I do?

My family immigrated here in the 1950s out of war torn Europe for a better life. Things have changed so much since I was a kid in the 80s and 90s. Toronto was a safe city with a good vibe. Things were reasonably affordable. Trudeau didn't start a lot of the problems, but he massively accelerated them. Government is openly hostile to basically anyone who was born here. They sold out the country to wealthy foreigners. I make a decent income but I still can't afford a house. Taxes are killing me. My doctor is horrible, but I can't find a new one. Civil liberties went right out the window. The people are cold and sullen. Crime is getting bad. Life just feels like it gets a little worse every year. I've been mulling it over for a long time, but might finally be time to head south. There's got to be something better than this, because I'm getting older and life now just feels like going through the motions.

I love it how the video conveniently omits the reason why the housing supply is so inadequately low in Canada - real-estate developers and rental agencies lobbying all levels of government to keep zoning laws draconian and to make new construction increadibly difficult. For example, an enormous proportion of Toronto's urban area is still zoned exclusively for single-family housing. The landlords, who are currently extracting record profits from regular people with no sign of decline, are more than happy to shift the blame towards immigrants, and it saddens me to see that respectable media outlets like the Guardian are becoming a part of it.

I'm going to buy a condo soon right here in Toronto. You can moved in with me and still remain permanently in Canada. If you like lots of water Canada is the place to remain for the rest of your life.\nCanada is one of the country in the world with the most water. Most country will have a shortage of water in the future.

FEEDBACK: It boggles my mind that so few people ever put 2 and 2 together... The reason that the cost of living in greater Vancouver & Toronto is outrageous is simple: a Liberal government long ago enshrined the 'right' of new immigrants to go where they felt like, rather than where the country needed them. Simple supply & demand economics did the rest. They did this to sew up the immigrant vote. I'm bitter about it because I lost my life savings investing in a 27-suite apartment building in Winnipeg and, while Vancouver & Toronto were booming too much, there was actual out-migration from Manitoba, property values fell and I lost my apartment building. (It's very disheartening to pump more money into something when you have negative equity!) Thanks for nothing, Liberals, NDP & Conservatives too (the latter being too chicken to ever mention the issue.. they're all courting the immigrants more than the good of the country).

I can understand you so much. Though I live in Quebec and don't feel that economic pressure so much as someone living in Toronto or Vancouver, I plan to go back to Vietnam or at least in Asia. Because I don't like how Canada has become in term of geopolitical positions.\nI'm forever grateful to Canada and Quebec for welcoming my family and giving us the opportunity to grow up in a peaceful environment and having a career.

My wife and I are retired living in San Francisco... It looks a lot like Toronto. We have traveled a bit to over 40 countries, but we find ourselves going back more often to Malaysia. Each visit we stay longer and longer. Malaysia is affordable, has great food, and everyone speaks English. \nLove the US, but there are crazy people running it. ?

It is interesting how much I've heard this from Canadians in recent years. Growing up in America's dull, dingy, squalid Rust Belt it was always a thrill to visit cities like Toronto and Montreal. The strip of water separating Windsor (itself not exactly Paris) from Detroit might be starkest line between two countries this side of the Korean Demilitarized Zone. But I was only ever a tourist in Canada and perhaps it's true about the grass always being greener. Best of luck in your new home.

Alina, if you were born in Sovet Uninion (dismantled in 1991), you are at least 33 years old at the moment. You said that you begun travelling 15 years ago, so you were at least 18. With that, I can guess that you likely haven't got a college degree in a profession in demand. If you've got a proper education at McGill or UoT, your income would be in sx digits. You would likely have bought a house somewhere (not in Toronto or Van, let's say in Montreal) before covid, paying 2% interest rate, got married and have kids and a husband making six digits. So, you would be totally fine in Canada even considering increased living costs. Juat my 2 cents

10,000 homeless in Toronto and almost the same in Vancouver city and many in Montreal and Kingston. And the governments leave them in the street and judge them and thats why they have difficulty to find a job for some of them. i am convicne the government let it be like that. because they have they own political agenda and they want to bankcrupt the country

Same story, also moved to Canada(French Canada!!! :D) when I was 4, I'm 32, been in Canada like 24 years. Easy fit, my Dad was Canadian, so got Naturalized easily. I left Canada at the end of 2020. Mostly because of Covid/Work Opportunities in engineering. Now living in the USA with my Canadian Wife and visiting Canada 2 months every year, also happen to be born American, so again, easy(easier**, still hard) move for me. Currently working in engineering, less travel experience, but I did get to visit or work for long period of time in 5 countries. Anyway, I do have similar opinion, I think the solution is a federal housing initiative. We NEED to build north and have more cities than Toronto,Montreal & Vancouver. It would reduce rent & mortgage by a lot. Essentially solving the ''where are we going to put all those immigrants issue'', then secondly, we need to encourage entrepreneurship and business a lot more. We need more jobs and be less reliant on our USA neighbors or EU neighbors 3. Better transport, surprisingly a lot of Canadian don't visit all other Canadian province and prefer traveling out , hell, I want nothern Canada & Nothern Quebec to be more like Alaska, or make it easier from someone from Quebec to move to Alberta, but still easy enough to visit family and friends in their home state in under 3 hours. ;)

Grew up in Toronto, worked in HK for a couple decades and now back in Toronto. I've never felt this unsafe especially downtown, ever. I feel more unsafe downtown now than when I was growing up in Rexdale. And it's not just the pot smell blowing into restaurants when you just wanna have a nice meal with family, it's the damn noise. The straight pipes. Like wtf guys. This is coming from a dude from Hong Kong complaining about the noise you get it? Just fucked.

It was interesting hearing Alina's comments and reading the comments, because I recently visited with a Canadian family at a neighborhood function who moved here from the Toronto area, and they feel more at home here (Bentonville, Arkansas, home of Walmart) than they did in their actual home in Canada. They essentially said that Canada was awesome growing up but has changed so much that they felt they had to leave. I know we are seeing some of the same changes in parts of the US, particularly the areas that mirror Canada politically, but hopefully we will avoid those changes here. We cannot take all 30+ million Canadians, but based on my interactions with this family, if most other Canadians are like them, they would be more than welcome here.

I am Chinese from Malaysia. I lived in Toronto Canada for 2 years as a Student. I really like the people in Canada. It is very diverse and friendly as well. But I left to come to San Francisco because the Winter is just too Cold and I was Sick all the time. Here Homelessness in San Francisco and Drug use is out of control. People blame both sides of the government and even threaten Civil War if one party loses in the next election. You are still young and be able to make mistakes and still start all over again. Make sure you have a contingency plan to fall back on. May the odds of life be in your favor.

I worked for a Canadian company for 25 years living in the USA, California / Silicon Valley specifically and spent days in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver - great place but probably has been run-down by wrong Government policies just like the USA - first blame is always on immigrants even though majority of them (especially in the USA) do jobs that Americans or Canadians do not want to do - farm work, construction work and services while 50% do get proper education and find good jobs and build up the community\nPolitics in the USA and Canada has gone so bad in recent years almost everyone is thinking of moving back to native country or find other affordable places - easier decision at the age of 33 but not 66\nWherever you go, I am guessing it will be around Bali, good luck and may you have all the success you strive for and deserve!

Try London England, you’ll find it’s 3-4 times more expensive than Toronto. Or try living in Congo or Palestine, it’s a lot safer than Canada. \n\nSeeing fellow Canadians complain like babies when we have it so good compared to other places makes me EMBARRASSED. Life in Canada isn’t that bad! The cost of food is the same as England £4.50 for strawberries ($8.00), £3.00 ($6) for milk, and £5.50 ($9) for cheese but gas £2.90/L ($4.10/Litr) way more costly in England. It seems like it’s mostly Canadians who ONLY know Canada and immigrants who expected life to be magically easy and handed to them… ? ?‍♂️ I had to learn to be grateful living outside of Canada, the whole world is facing inflation right now! Europe and North America. But Canada isn’t as bad as many places. But then again, I’m not a quitter. The best way to survive is getting a good education and a stable and high in demand career. Nurse, doctor, teacher, lawyer, dentist, psychiatrist, etc etc. Then you will find you might complain a bit less ?

I think it's good that we run this kind of story. Most landlords especially for condos like this one in Toronto, are owned by regular folks who still work a job and have budgets and families. They aren't greedy, they aren't big corporations; they're just people who bought investment properties and want to rent them out for a price. Canada needs landlords because not every can or even wants to buy real estate.\n\nWhen you see stories like this, which I think are outliers, they're good reminders that being a landlord is risky and income properties don't print money. It's also a reminder to good tenants (which are most tenants) that your landlord isn't being paranoid when they ask for references, proof of income, etc. They would rather scare you off then be saddled with a non-paying, non-leaving tenant (rare as they may be) and they don't know you (and you don't know them).

As a Canadian I have to agree with much of what you said but it mostly applies to the big cities like Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal where most immigrants like to move. One is more likely to find sociable people and loser housing prices in smaller communities on the Prairies, East Coast and Northern Territories but of course the weather might be more severe and the employment opportunities not as numerous although there may not be as much competition for them either.

Hello Alina, I have been to Toronto in 2007, and I can honestly say, I did not like it. I have my cousin in Vancouver, and after staying there for so long. Has decided to come back to Perth. If I was a young guy, Thailand would be my choice to live. I have just come back from Koh Samui, After spending 8 nights on that beautiful Island. I have met a lot of people from all walks of life. There are lots of people setling in Thailand today. Americans, English, Swedish, people from Switzerland, Holland, Austria, Norway and so on. I had the pleasure of seeing Lilly, her husband Wat, and her gorgeous 3 kids, her nanny, and her son. The food is so cheap, everybody smiles. Not like here in Perth. The weather was exceptionally beautiful. It rained mainly at night, and once during the day. Alina, whatever you decide to do. Do it wisely. I wish you all the best. Your main aim is to be happy. God Bless.

We can't keep taking in immigrants when there's no housing available. The immigrants aren't moving to sparsely populated regions they all move to major centres like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Housing builds haven't kept pace. I'm sure the landlords are dancing in the streets with the inflated prices they can now charge.

It's really sad to see this ..these kids don't come from great financial backgrounds ..and looting them for 20 to 25 lakhs is like a crime. It's like more educated way to loot someone. I went on an Office visit to Toronto back in 2013 when basement costed around 700 to 800 CAD, the student's situation wasn't that grave. One could see students, but not many. Mostly were working people back then. This govt Official you interviewed needs to take his job more seriously. 20-30 lakhs could be more than life savings for some families here in India. It's so very tragic. Thanks for doing this, The Fifth Estate channel. I just hope new aspirants see this. Although I've a suggestion, if you could do this Translated in Punjabi. So that it's reached the actual beneficiaries of this whole exercise. Please let me know, if you need any help with this. I can help in Spanish translation as well, if you need to send this to LATAM. I see many Mexicans, Guatemalans, Colombians, Venezuelans find Canada as their prime destination. I knw many of them. Subscribed your Channel for the good work ? -- Thanks!

INDIANS NEVER INTEGRATE. THEY STAY WITH INDIAN CULTURE - NEVER STOP FEEDING BIRDS & RATS, NON-ABIDING RULE SOCIETY, IT'S ALWAYS LIKE LIVING IN INDIA.\nI WAS SCAMMED TWICE BY INDIANS AND I RUN WHEN I SEE AN INDIAN. I LOST CASH MONEY & I DO NOT WANT TO LOOSE AGAIN.\nWATCH OUT THEIR MAGIC STAFF IN THE WEST SIDE OF TORONTO.

Just wondering what is the homeless population like in Toronto or Vancouver? I wonder is your homeless population growing? 41k for rent wow ??

No wonder places like Vancouver or any of the bigger cities have a lot of homeless. When people can't afford to live in Vancouver or Toronto they bring their problems ? other cities like in places like Calgary.

why leave your shethole country to make canada a shethole? if you want to leave your shethole country to become canadian i welcome you. but if you want to move here to turn toronto into a shethole, like what it has become... then leave.

The homeless in Toronto near Jarvis and Eaton are pretty dangerous like they attack in groups

Why politicians say we need more immigrants. When there are far more people already in big cities like Toronto and Vancouver. I would say enough is enough just limit any new immigrants to big cities and send to other parts of Canada.

I could be wrong but perhaps making arrivals spread out in other cities like calgary edmonton and the likes could ease up pressure on Toronto & Vancouver.

It works both ways. A lot of illegals from Latin America are also passing thru the U.S. enroute to Canada. Thousands are seeking refugee status upon arrival into Quebec or Ontario. Toronto is already bursting at the seams with tens of thousands of refugees plus new immigrants arriving every year. Add in a lack of affordable housing and jobs, and you have the makings of a disaster just like NYC.

Immigration is a HUGE issue , surtout from India. I moved to Quéebec, who at one point wanted their identity to remain francophone, we have Indian immigrants on Québec like I was In Toronto, or Bramladesh, Québec used to immigrate people spoke the language, or had the likelyhood to adopt the culture. Haiti, Africa, France, etc.. however, Inia immigrants have ( majority ) no intention to speak french.... and yes housing crisis , needs for doctors and more..

Now they only rent on 28 day basis it’s like a quasi airbnb system. you can do it outside of Toronto. make the tenant sign every month. and also furnish the apartment with really basic stuff. the tenants are poor they have no choice.

Renting is the worst business in Canada. And the Toronto, Ontario and Canada Governements wonder why there is shortage of rental accommodations. I can easily accommodate one family in my home. But I know if there is an epidemic like Covid and the tenant does not pay the rent, I will be screwed. And rather than have a plan that can enable a tenant own a home, the Governments mentioned have plans that will make the landlord bankrupt and become a tenant! The tenancy laws are bad, bad, bad!

The tenant has not paid rent or utilities for 4 years! The Landlord /Tennent Board is a joke in Ontario. The tenant is playing the system, she knows the Landlord /Tennant Board is an ineffective government organization. Why would anyone invest in a rental property in Toronto? You could wind up like these people.

Usual suspect…but that poor landlord was greedy though. Just owning one property is more than a trouble….taking care of it and stewarding it. Wonder Toronto looks like garbage with people ignoring to take of their property. Many not even cutting their grass.

I think it would be better if someone cannot afford to live in Toronto then to relocate. Living in Ontario is expensive especially in Toronto. I also think that is a lot of money she owes.\n\nRegarding myself I have an idea of how expensive Ontario is, but I have not visited all of the Canadian provinces, so I am wondering what life is like in different parts of Canada.

I used to like Toronto! Now it's too crowded and over priced! Probably the worst city in Canada!

There’s lots of affordable homes in areas like Niagara. \nPeople need to stop trying to find housing in Toronto. It’s just not affordable.

********Important**********************Since I've been living in Canada for more than two years, the immigration protests you mentioned have occurred. To put it briefly, everyone moves to different provinces for PR, just like I did when I studied in Toronto for two years. The CRS score for PR is significantly higher there, and there aren't as many easy possibilities, therefore students there relocate. The protest is taking place in Prince Edward Island, where I moved a few months ago. They are protesting for the extension of their work permit and the opening of those easy PR draws, which are currently paused. I moved here in order to obtain PR, but I worry that this protest is inappropriate. Because everyone must submit a statement of purpose (SOP) when applying for a visa to Canada, and in that statement you clearly indicate that you will return to your home country after completing your studies and working there. However, if this statement is not clear, the visa officer may reject your application, stating that they believe you will not return home after completing your studies and working there. In order to avoid having our visa applications denied, we always attempt to assure the officer that we will return home. You have no right to request a PR, an extension of your work visa, or anything else if you have made this statement of purpose plain on your own. If you're thinking about moving to Canada, always make sure that the government is in charge. When I planned, getting our PR was simple, and now that they've changed the laws and regulations, they have rights as immigrants, so nobody should fight against getting PR and a work visa, etc.

I'm an immigrant to Canada. I've been here for 35 years (came here when I was 6). The current immigration/migration/ayslum seeker rates have gone completely insane. It isn't racist to think it's gone overboard. I went to very very multicultural schools. I grew up in Toronto and have lived downtown for 20 years now. I love our multiculturalism but there are limits to immigration if there simply isn't an infrastructure to support countless hundreds of thousands of people trying to move into the city each year. It's not sustainable at all. The roads aren't getting bigger, the housing zoning isn't getting easier, new hospitals aren't being built. You cannot try and cram 4 million people in a city built for like 2 million people. People moving to Canada simply do not realize just how absurdly expensive this place has become. What's the better alternative being poor in India or being poor in Canada? Because unless you are making 100k a year you are going to basically be poor in Toronto.\n\nThe big big difference as someone who has lived downtown Toronto for 20 years is now the homeless are very multicultural. 10 years ago it wasn't like that as much. Now people from every race and every background are at risk of homelessness. It's a rate race, it's a very competitive city for housing and jobs and as soon as you aren't in making $$$$$ you will fall behind.

I escaped Commie-da 17 years ago and moved to Asia. I saw this coming a MILE AWAY.... now is just a joke. If you're wife isn't getting groped on the bus by ...then ur avoiding shit on the streets. I stay in the house when I go an visit. Have no urge to even go to downtown Toronto or anywhere else. Also, $25 for a CHICKEN.. a bloody CHICKEN.. I pay $3 in Indonesia, and you can buy a beautiful new house here in a guarded private estate for $200k and live like a KING on 40k a year. You can rent a house with a pool here for $6k a YEAR in same private estate.. I dont even lock my door or close my garage when I leave., like it USED T OBE in Canada 25 years ago..... Get out before they close the borders again for the next psyop.

I have been (mostly) a life long Liberal living in Toronto. I can honestly say, the Trudeau Liberal government has been the worst government at any level I have lived under - including Mike Harris and Bob Rae. Justin Trudeau likes to cut ribbons and make big announcements and spend time on the completely wrong priorities for Canadians. We need a government focused on the economy and the things it takes to build a thriving 21st century economy. Yes, it takes immigrants and those people will need the basics: a job, food, shelter and services. Instead we get dental care, pharm care, daycare - all these things we can't afford and that do very little to build out a thriving economy we need. We have lost decades due to poor planning of our governments and now we all must suffer. It will take generation to fix this, meanwhile our competing countries will all pass us. I will rue Justin Trudeau and his incompetent Ministers and enablers for the rest of my life.

It's easy to blame immigrants and PM Trudeau for infrastructure and housing issues, but these are long-standing problems. Canada, especially Toronto, hasn't built enough housing for decades under multiple prime ministers. Inflation and interest rates have worsened the situation, and it's not just about building more affordable homes.\n\nThese are complex problems. Canada, like all developed nations, needs immigration. We can debate the numbers but not the need. Even if we stopped immigration tomorrow, the need for more affordable housing wouldn't change.