Close Reading

I live in Canada as a Kenyan and I have been here for sometime .I work as a HR/Payroll Specialist also certified in the field. The problem is not Canada , Canada is a very good county which I love and I am gland God gave me the Opportunity to Come and settle here with my family.. The problem with some people coming here is lacking of knowledge how Canada works .It’s system is very far from how things work in Dubai or Gulf countries. A lot people are thinking than you can just come and get any job even without proper papers or you can earn a lot of money and then build wealth quickly. Which is A BIG FAT LIE. The tax in Canada keeps you humble. That is how Canada funds it's high end life many admire and want to be part of. The more you work in Canada the more tax you pay and many don't know this, and it is one of the main reasons why a lot of people start to regrets, because they realize there effort of working hard is not paying as they hoped. Another thing in Canada is next to impossible to get jobs or rent a place without proper paper work, like work permit, It is not like USA where you can use someone else papers to work. the The main available jobs , easy to get , don’t pay much. And also the cost of living is very high in some provinces like Ontario and BC. They hardly recognize credentials from outside unless you came through a job offer. Also because a lot of things in Canada are paid by the government through taxes, like health care, education. Unless you are tax paper with (and I repeat) Paper work, you cant access the benefit, including thee free food available for the needy. \nMany people forget Canada is looking for people to work for them. Not to grow rich and leave. The system is meant to keep you working. Unless you understand how a system of a country works, one will continue to blame it. Let people get well informed and well educated first , before they jump in the river. And it’s not Canada a lone , but any country in the world. Also a lot of these media post about Canada are misleading. And there is also another trap called debt, a lot of people once they getting working, rush to but things they cant afford and it becomes a stress instead of a blessings.\nIf you want to live well and enjoy Canada . One of the top thing to do is, go back to school once you enter in it, get a good education and you will get a good job. Also give yourself time to adjust. REMEMBER you are starting from square one. You are not continuing where you left in Kenya or in the country you get from. Also, the general social climate is not as friendly as those in USA for example. Not many people are willing to help for free. The most jobs advertised in Canada are the lower end paying jobs, which a lot of people pay a lot of money to come for, just to realize the job they left behind was far much better than this, but no one told them that, just because it said $18 hrs and you converted it to your country and looked a lot, doesnt mean it carries the same wait once you earn in from here. The living expense are very different. The reality is, it is not where you are , but whom you are and determination knows no barrier. Anyone who will trust God for help, work hard/smart and be patience in life, they will make. It might take longer than they expect, but they will get their eventually.

So one day close to the beginning of a new year, a bunch of people strolled over to the Capitol building. They were very surprisingly escorted inside. In fact one was physically escorted by police around the building as he showed patriotic reverence for past leaders and current leaders. It’s interesting because he and others like him were SET UP as domestic terrorists, hunted down, incarcerated, civil rights denied for over a year., YET , somehow these people who are storming our border will be paid, given a phone and shelter, treated like kings!!! They are coming through Panama and getting their funding from the WEF! When we fall, everyone else will, too! Our armies are off somewhere else while our homeland is being overrun purposely by these people. There is a plan!!

If you ever think of moving to another country to build yourself have a plan...

Wellll letting tooo many immigrants arrive here when there are no places for them is insanity!!! It affects our health care and education facilities!!! Very sad we have so much land here and resources and we don't use it?? Why do we all have to crowd in one place--Southern Ontario??? Why not build up in Northern Ontario??? Our politicians are lazy and they reallyyy don't care about their citizens---if they did their wouldn't be any homeless!!! Again more population does not make for a better country!!!

Hi Lynn, this is a very interesting conversation. I moved to Canada in 2003 went to college and became a nurse. First of all it was not easy paying for college I was lucky that husband was supporting with the bills as I went to school. So I would say that I have skills that are very marketable. Our combined family income was over $100,000 CAN. We mortgaged our first home which was very basic for a LOT of money. We had our kids and we had to struggle with childcare as most young families do. By North American standard, we were doing good. We each had a good car ( loaned), we made trips to Kenya every so often but in 2016 we decided we wanted to move back home and we sold our home and we did. I HAVE NO REGRETS. There were several things that made us reach our decision. First, I truly believe that for the Canadian system to work as it does, it has to entrap its residents. Even after 10 years of work we did not have money in the bank. Everything we owned really belonged to the bank. The light bulb moment for me came when I evaluated my net worth. A primary school teacher in Kenya after 10 years of work with good financial management will own a plot, a simple house and will start to invest for retirement. After 10 years of work, there wasn't much in the account, our house would need 25 years to finish paying mortgage and to be honest there wasn't much to show for those years of work. Quality of life really sucks the amount of stress will definitely send you to the grave sooner. This is the case for most first generation immigrants. You might say you are sacrificing and building a future for your children but, my observation was since our diaspora children have not grown in Kenya to see the need for money and what life really looks like without the comforts they are used to, they do not have the same drive as the parents so they often do not excel they are just ordinary. There is also the struggle of growing up as a minority group. A lot of our children because they are seeking acceptance will struggle with self esteem, will have depression or will join the LGBTQ community where they get sense of belonging regardless of their colour. The morals are also different from their parents and they are shaped by the society they grow up in. When I looked at what my life would look like if we kept living there, lets say we eventually pay off our mortgage, when we are old and requiring care, our children will not be able to support themselves and support us because they have to work to sustain themselves so we would to move to assisted living or nursing homes. The cost of senior care is not covered by the government unless you have no money. so we have to sell out home which would be old and outdated but still very expensive and we would have to pay $5000-$10000 per month depending on the type of care we need. so as you can see if we ended in a nursing home for 5 years we will have depleted all the money we made from the sale of our home. So by the time we die, we would not have money to leave for our children. So we worked really hard, supported the economy, and die leaving not much at all for our children, we sacrificed our quality of life, and ended up with children who don't think much of themselves or have very distorted morals. I still remember in my mind as we drove to the airport on our way back to Kenya, I thought of the story of Lot. He was pretty successful in Sodom but I'm very sure on his death bed he had lots of regrets why he ever went there. I know its tough being in Kenya but if you have a job or any way to make ends meet, be like Abraham. God will bless you regardless of whether you are in the dessert.

kenyans with money should try to invest in manufacturing sector so that we can create jobs for our own. This thing of building apartments na clubs should end. Also, someone who can pay for a ticket and fees to Canada can easily make it at home.

Happy birthday? greetings from the Netherlands. Here Cost of living is really high as well. If it weren 't for the kids we would move to anywhere but a western country. I truly believe the western system is colapsing. I have not a lot off hope. Somethings is going on. They use climate change as excuses to put more controlling systems in place. There is not a good vibe. I belief there is more future in Afrika and the tables are turning. Stay inovate, build in Afrika! It 's your turn to blossom

Everyone's experience is different. I've lived in America for many years, I have masters degree and a good job. I've managed to build several high end apartments in Kenya, buy a house here and invest in the stock market and fund a retirement account. Same applies to my brother and sister. You can make it here and you can make it anywhere in the world. He shouldn't generalize.

Canada is going down.The government build that economy around housing. Most people from China bought so much of those houses.They don't live in those houses,it's a way of most Chinese millionaires hid their cash because the government in China can confiscate your money and property at any time if you get on the wrong side of the government. So there's a high chance that economy will crumble just like it happened in the us in 2008.Proble is that ,Justin the PM is not being checked and there is nothing to save Canadians from this crush.Kenyans can still move to Canada but be informed, it's not a bed of roses,you might get punched in the mouth,make a conscious decision.Know what you're getting into. Do your research.

I guess because Toronto is so huge and because I stayed in the main touristy areas I only noticed a few homeless people during my trip. They were more noticeable to me in Calgary in the spring. But the worst I've seen is Portland, Oregon and Seattle, WA and in 2021 Washington DC was pretty bad off...though the encampments I saw then had been cleared out by DC when I returned in 2023.\n\nI really really enjoyed my stay in Toronto over Labor Day weekend, my first time ever to visit. But just looking around me I got the same sense I did in NYC...it's a beautiful place to visit but living here would be ungodly expensive. The luxury apartments across the street from my hotel seemed to have rather low occupancy, from what I could see from my hotel room window at night. A lot of rental real-estate are speculative investments and any thought of addressing housing needs, keeping occupancy rates high, etc. are purely secondary concerns...zombie buildings with unaffordable rents that remain sparsely occupied while the need(s) are so dire is morally offensive and government should step in with rent controls and occupancy requirements and tax those owners more heavily who have occupancy below a minimum threshold. The increase in crime is a completely expected outcome of economic desperation. The US answer is usually more police & harsher penalties but I hope Canada is more rational and humane in addressing these societal ills.

I am 54 years old and raced in Toronto. Toronto is not a good place anymore but just last week I visited Ottawa for the first time and the capital of Canada was not any better, I was surprised by the amount of homeless sleeping outside not far from the Parliament building. What happens to Canada is beyond my understanding. An apt in my building was around 1300 for two bedroom and that now is around 2800 just past the pandemic. I can only say that corruption is one of the big players why Canada has become like that and the break-down of the social safety net. Pensión plan are very low.

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!

The last time I drove down Young St, I was stopped in traffic waiting for it to move, when a homeless man stepped out from the side of a building and started peeing on the sidewalk, right in front of people who were walking by. Of course they side stepped him, some gave him a dirty look, others just didn't care and continued walking around him. Toronto is fast becoming a dirty, violent city.

We live in Barrie Ontario, but have lived much closer to Toronto before. We are both in our mid to late 50’s and are planning on semi retiring in 3 years to New Brunswick. It’s very affordable and easy to retire there. As Ontario is extremely expensive, I can definitely see people moving out east in Canada as well as companies relocating there for the simple reason of affordable building rents or to build a new building for their business and offer jobs at a place where their employees can afford to live. I am also predicting that the populations in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia will see huge growth in the coming years.

Build. The. Wall.

Due to Trudeau's policies the standard of living for a LOT of people has rocketed downwards...his gas tax has made food and gas unaffordable, his mass printing of Canadian currency plus his massive deficits from year to year have cause rampant inflation, we have a massive housing shortage due to his policies coupled with the lack of proper infrastructure in this country (Canada is the ONLY G7 nation with high speed rail, plus we have no plans to build that)...as a result rents in cities like Toronto and Vancouver are ridiculously unaffordable...there is a massive crime wave happening in the country because of Trudeau's policies to release criminals from jails, coupled with his policies to use taxpayer funds to provide drugs (like cocaine, and meth) to users...stay away from Toronto, it has been ruined by the policies of the government run by Justin Trudeau and backed by Jagmeet Singh. :(

Q Absolutely no respect for us as a country or a people. \nKeep shipping them to sanctuary state and cities the build a wall around those cities watch them implode.\nAnyone hiring an illegal loses their business licenses and goto jail on to of major fines $10,000 1st offense.

Start shooting guns in the air that will stop them. And build the FU*KING WALL!?

all you people that voted joe biden into office are to blame for this mass entry . sad thing is you will vote for joe biden again. when they take your home then you will see why we need to build the wall and put President Trump back into office. wake up sleepy joe biden

I currently pay $734.96 per month for my bachelor apartment in Parkdale, Toronto. All inclusive. I found the place in 2015, and it started at $660.00 per month. It's a smaller building where I know most of my co-tenants. Quiet neighbourhood most of the time. I've been one of the lucky ones for sure. I love this city! I'm from Peterborough and I will never move back. Some of the best memories of my life have been here. But you're right Alina, it has changed. Much like most other major cities in the world. The economic hardships being the #1 issue. Rent going up, wages staying the same, and inflation not slowing down. But with Toronto, the transit system is far behind the progress of cities like New York. Toronto should have multiple subway lines going east and west. Queen St. and Dundas lines for sure. The overall culture of the city is not as vibrant as it was during the 2010s. That could be Covid related. Or things are taking awhile to come back to pre-Covid form. But a lot of great venues and restaurants have been shutting down. And being replaced with the construction of condos. The real estate is insane here. It feels like things have gone downhill since the Raptors won the NBA championship in 2019. Because that really united everyone when there were a million people gathered for the parade. I'm hoping things turn around and there's more affordable housing for newcomers. I know I'm staying here for a while longer. Because of my cheap rent. And career attachments to the city. Great job on the video! ?

Not for nothing but consider this plz..mexicans had a 2000 year head start on america and how was it spent? Mass sacrifices and temple building and now they have nothing but what they created for themselves......savages!

Many Buildings & Land Belongs To CCP (CHINA) Now...Its Their Mercy ..

Imagine someone would have suggested building a wall , years ago …??

And Trump was crazy for building a wall?

For all the IDIOTS that said President Trump is a racist for building the Wall to Protect our Great Nation & said there’s no invasion coming??FU??\nPresident Trump 2024?✝️????????MAGA1776III%??????????

And the worst part about the government is doing nothing to fix the housing crisis, except allow more trailer parks and allowing people to rent a trailer on their property in town instead of building more houses and apartments they are changing policy to allow people to live in a trailer in town. My best goal to live comfortably would be save enough money to buy a trailer and live in a trailer park because rent will probably be cheaper there than any other one bedroom room.

Foreign cheap housing workers cannot come > blame immigrants\n\nForeign farm workers cannot help farmers to reduce food costs > blame immigrants.\n\nForeign healthcare workers cannot help healthcare crisis > blame immigrants.\n\nFinancial crisis because manipulative projects among politicians > blame immigrants.\n\nEducation mafias took 5 times tuition fees and use the profit to monopolize housing sector > blame immigrants\n\nCanadians must build independent anti-corruption organizations to audit education mafias. 99% they bribed immigration policy makers to create difficulties on foreign recruitment.

india has the capabilities to develop 12k+ range missiles...India should build that ignoring the world pressure...because only neuclear weapons can shut down American hypocrasy ...like north korea done previously....i know they have protective systems ..but any system does not fully protect them from a neuclear war...like pakistan strategy

I have been living at that building you did your closing comments from right on the lake since 1997. Everything you said about Toronto is true and it is totally gone downhill. I am watching this video from my condo and Playa Del Carmen and I just never want to come back. Even if you can affotd it life is just easier and better elsewhere.

Too many NIMBYs. They're not building enough homes or infrastructure because it takes too long to build anything. They can't even build enough nice homeless shelters (conditions in existing shelters are pretty bad). NIMBYs are a scourge on society because they fight every improvement, from bike lanes to subway lines to housing developments.

It's only going to get worse,thanks to turdo bringing more into Canada,and before that we didnt look after Canadian citizens who helped build and protect Canada.

poor Osama if only he knew how safe Canada is he would have been alive and well today building his own twin towers in Cana.. sorry I mean in New Khalistan

I just got back from a visit to Toronto. I was visiting a friend who lives in a subsidised housing complex whose management NPO just declared bankruptcy. He was given a notice telling him that he will alright until the end of the month. After that he has no idea what will happen. He expects some sort of political intervention but the end of the month is still less than 10 days away.\n\nFrom my point of view all levels of government must act immediately: restrict rent increases and stop the post-covid price gouging; reduce regulations that limit the amount of infill housing, and density in existing neighbourhoods (allow the construction of missing middle housing and eliminate parking minimum regulations); and start building public housing again. \n\nWe cannot rely on corporations or private interests to fulfil basic human needs. What we are seeing now in the Toronto region, the Vancouver region, and Calgary is a crisis created by government neglect and corporate greed. The situation requires a massive emergency response at all levels of government.

Please don't waste your time here and take all the Nigerians with you too. You have beautiful country with lots of opportunities and build it. Nigerians do you hear this guy Canada is not and already full so stay there and don't come on visit visa and then claim here becaise3tax payer can't afford refugees here.

There was a subway owner near my school that was not paying their workers. Guess who the workers were. Now Im hearing the same thing is happeneing all over the country??\n\nIs the Canadian government (liberals) trying to build some sort of slave class??

Canadians are doomed! Our government is doing everything they can to prevent your wage from rising.. This is why I have left the labour force and am withholding my labour from my occupation. I won’t build houses for Canada anymore..

Trump will good for you all biden need to put a stop to that .get together in you all country work to fix and build it

Add ~2 MILLION people (in 2022) and The rents MUST increase dramatically .. not rocket science Kids...merely Supply and demand . \nToo many people.. Period. and it's Impossible to build that many acomodations.\n Politico Bleats/claims notwithstanding.

WHEN DO THE *C.IT.I.ZENS OF THIS, *CO*UN*\nTRY* WAKE UP TO THE FACT THAT THIS HAS BEEN THE PLAN...AN *ACT.UAL PLAN,\n*CR*EAT*ED BEFORE PRE*S. *BID*EN SAT DOWN BEHIND THE DESK IN THE *O.VA*L* *OFF*ICE AND THREW OPEN THE *DO*ORS FOR *UN*VET*TED *MIG*R*ANTS. WE ARE BEING *DIS*ASS*EMBLED FROM THE *CO*UN.TRY WE HAVE *C*HER*I*SHED. BUT OUR BIGGEST PROBLEM *C*LIMA*TE *CON*TROL. YET THIS *PRE*SIDE*NT DOES NOTHING AT ALL EXCEPT TO GO ON MULTIPLE VACATIONS. IT MAY WELL BE TOO LATE TO PUT AN INSTANT, AUTOMATIC TO THIS *IN*VAS.*ION OF OUR CO.UN.TRY LARGELY BY .C.RI.MIN*ALS, *SUP*PLIERS OF *D*EAD*LY *DR*UGS, *RAP*IS*TS WITHIN THESE VERY *MASS*ES AND YOUNG *WO.MEN AND *CHI*LD.REN BEING *TR.AFF*ICK*ED. THIS *CO*UN*TRY IS FED UP TO OUR *EYE*B*ALL.S WITH THIS *DE.S.TRU.CT\n*ION OF OUR *COUNT.RY. CALL IN THE *MIL*I.TAR.Y AND STOP THOSE IN HIGH OFFICE WHO ARE DOING ALL THEY CAN TO BUILD A *FA*SCI*ST STATE OVER OUR *D.E.AD *BO.DI*ES AS NECESSARY!

A nation who support war will be declining very fast.. stop spending on war and start focusing on building economic infrastructure and citizen prosperity is the only way.

I moved out of Sherbourne and Richmond area to Ohrid Macedonia 2 years ago. \nMy 550 sq ft apartment cost me $86000 and the build quality is by far better than an average condo it TO, the weather is better, the food is better, the people are nicer, we have a thriving expat group, etc etc on and on ????

Lots and lots of apartments, houses and town houses in Alberta and they are still building more and more. People should move to the province of Alberta. Only that, it is very cold here in the winter

People are always complaining about Canada, or USA, or Europe, Australia etc. What did they expect? A land of milk and honey? Immediate success and becoming a millionaire? Cmon. Why not focus on building yourself in your home country and try fixing the problems there?

Because of unnecessary spending on reefuuujiesss & ukraaayy . Canada left with no money to build condos and homes

Ford taking away rent control in 2019 to encourage more investors to build more properties killed the lower and working class. Built nothing but condos that mostly investors bought. Now rent is $2,500 for a 1 bedroom. Even with a modest 50k salary you barely getting buy. You need to make 100k in Toronto just to live a basic life. In Canada, more than half of people's income goes to rent or mortgage. This country has been bought and sold to the real estate. This is what happens when everyone treats real estate as an investment instead of a basic necessity. But enjoy your sky high property values. A house costs 1 million dollars now. Guess Canadians are all millionaires.

Build the wall

I feel that the provincial cuts to Community Health Care really had a detrimental effect on Toronto and the elimination of Rent Control for a lot of buildings and new developments in the city. I think Toronto is experiencing the consequence of these decisions.

Dude it gets me scared living in the US just Becuase I never know who comes through the border, BUILD THE WALL

Why can’t they use abandoned buildings to shelter the homeless? Turn some into long term rehabs.

Why the Fuck did they stop trump from building the wall!you see this is what happens!rebuild that goddam wall!!!!!!