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While I identify and agree with the overall sentiment of this video, here is the problem Alina. As a somewhat successful tech person who came from nothing, I refuse to move out of a city to a culturally or globally lacking city due to “budget”. I tried spending time in BC and Nova Scotia in the capital cities. I could not spend more than a week in Saskatchewan. I can assure you that someone with decent skills and lifestyle would not be able to sustain their social and personal life, and mental health anywhere in Canada other than Toronto. If I spoke decent French, I’d say Montreal is a decent option. Vancouver is too lopsided as an international real estate haven, even though beautiful. So the problem is that Toronto is honestly the only city someone like me (and most my friends) would consider living in Canada, and we are all unfortunately being forced to move to the US. We are in our very early 30s so it’s still not too late to have a big move but none of us wanted to try out NYC or SFO much later than now. I hope things improve and we are able to move back to Toronto. But right now, unless you make $300k+, it’s impossible. And we are only able to make that money in the US (most of us). Cheers and keep it up.

A lot of shabby looking neighborhoods popping up all over Toronto. In the near future it will look nearly like a big us city.

Nice video - but every city has had issues since covid. Look at San Francisco - yikes! Toronto in relative terms is definitely a bit down from where it was pre-covid, but being balanced, it's improving - just over the last 2 months, the Go Train into the city is now FULL 5 days a week (not just 75% on Tuesday to Thursday and then empty Monday/Friday). Vibrancy is therefore returning to the core, there are more people, a bit less homeless (many have moved their tents to Hamilton), and while we have a ways to go, it's still the best large city I've been to, very safe, clean, and I still love it. That said, downtown east after dark is a bit sketchy, but it always has been, so just be street smart and you will love it here.

A lot of the problems you highlight are the same around the world: San Francisco, LA, Vancouver, NYC, London, Paris, Sydney, etc. Are you seriously telling me that Tokyo was cheaper than Toronto? The prices for housing in places in Asia like Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore all have extremely high housing costs. As for safety, I can't comment on all the cities I mentioned but Toronto is still safer than most - even with the issues over the last few years

Crime has actually decreased as a proportion of population in Toronto (except for COVID years). And everywhere in the world is facing inflation and a tight housing market. It is true that Toronto has the housing market worse, but the other costs of living are quite cheaper than other countries in the world. Toronto didn't even make it to the 100 most expensive of 2023. You have to realize this is a worldwide issue. Not unique to Toronto. \n\nThe social services issue is definitely more specific to Toronto. They are not dealing with these issues properly.

Things have gone downhill for sure, but Toronto is still a better city than most.

Youre completely fine. toronto is amazing

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

Hi Alina can you tell us where to live in Canada and elsewhere that's better. I've been living in a Bachelor apartment for 12 years now in midtown Toronto I pay 966$ a month, now the same apartment is priced at 1600$ a month this is insane :( the new generation has no chance only those who built there wealth before 2012 are having it good.

Awesome content Diamond?? i also came to Canada ?? similarly in 2002, I'm in Toronto, the struggle will be over soon. The best thing about Canada is that, once you finish your program you'll easily get your papers & a very good job. There's less racism in Canada ?? to get promoted when you're educated.

I found myself asking this question, is this a strategy to push people out of Toronto? Why that! Maybe because the density is so high comparing to what the city can handle. Meaning, the existing services, like restaurants, public transits, hospitals, residential areas, schools, ...etc are still small and not scalable to welcome more people, so instead of telling people to not to come, cheap strategies are being used instead ? Just a question I'm asking I'm not saying it's it ?

Beautiful place of Toronto ok

Toronto has never been on my mind; and Trudeau/Singh allowing in illegal immigrants has increased social/employment problems/costs across Canada.

Toronto is horribly congested and only getting worse by the day. TO public transit has nothing to compare with major cities like London, NYC, Paris, Tokyo... just packing in more condos to make billionaires richer and the people left to struggle with 1960s infrastructure. Quality of life going downhill. Know many Toronto born children among our friends now reaching adulthood are leaving.

Thank you for bringing Toronto’s issues to light. If my Mother wasn’t living in Little Italy and loved the area so much, I would have moved to a different province by now.

I was born and raised in Toronto in 1971 and moved north in 1988. I DESPISE setting foot in that city nowadays. My advice, RUN.....RUN WHILE YOU STILL HAVE LEGS TO STAND ON!!

Toronto is not escaping what I see in the cities you mentioned NY, SF, Baltimore etc. As to moving here it's not the right time atm but lets see how bad it gets and policy responses from all lvls. of gov. ?

Thanks for sharing your observations Alina. p.s. I lived in T.O. for a year and enjoyed it. Now it surely will be a place I only visit. I, too, once thought of moving to Toronto. And having read some comments from viewers... consolidated my future plans. ?

Toronto is suffering what all big cities do. Time to reduce the size and density of cities.

Attraction for Toronto was safety and cleanliness. Am from US and entertained a visit to Toronto but not now.

The last time I've been in Toronto was in 2018, and I had a very bad experience , involved in a brawl, with some crazy people. I will never go back never.

I used to love living in Toronto. Now I don't even like visiting.

I agree with your opinion about Toronto. With respect to your personal life: go back to Tokyo.

I dont think Toronto is any different than any major city to be honest. All of them are unaffordable for the local people

Yep, I emigrated to Canada (Toronto) in 1994 and lived there for seven years. The property prices were out of reach even then, so we moved east and bought a house in Pickering. We then moved to Calgary in 2002 and started a business. Now retired, own properties, and grateful to help others find reasonably priced accommodation. I speak often with my fellow immigrants, and many are returning home. Canada has become too expensive for them - and increasingly unsafe.

Toronto is a great city to live. If you enjoy the quality of life Toronto provides. The nature, the parks, the diverse population and culture, and the beautiful people. Toronto is place for you. If you come to Toronto looking for social welfare, free benefit, free food and government handouts, then Toronto is not a place for you.

I really don't understand why the federal and provincial governments don't really plan immigration better. There is a lot of potential in the smaller cities of Canada and the smaller provinces that need to grow. Why is there a push to expand the bigger cities like Vancouver and Toronto, where services are not meeting the need? Besides, why is it that there is now vetting around immigration the way it used to be? It is both the federal and provincial governments' duty to ensure the availability of housing, health care (including mental health), good jobs BEFORE new immigrants are brought in?

I'm a cosmetic surgeon living in Sydney Australia. I'll be totally honest. You can delete my post or you can except the truth.\nI've been too & have friend & colleagues who have migrated to Toronto from Sydney. Toronto is very similar to Sydney. It has some of the most exspensive housing in the world. Canada & Australia's economy is based on economic growth through mass immigration. The cost of this policy, means you also need to restrict development & zoning regulations to artificially keep properties high. Governments need make your population continually, working as slaves, to pay for basic costs, of a largely welfare dependent society. While your a debt slave, you don't spend your money on foreign products, as you have very little in the way of exsports, to pay for imports. The upside to this, you have many slaves to pay for the never ending welfare, as you have a policy of supporting refugees, single parents & the disabled, over self reliance & responsibility. Mental health issues are largly created by society, they are very rarely genetic. The high cost of living, means, you cant afford families. No strong family ties means, poor mental health issues. When you outsource, what familes once did, like help the the elderly, support your unemployed brother & have children. Replace all what families did with government welfare, instead of families helping each other, replace reproduction with mass immigration. You end up creating enormous problems in society. Problems with mental health & crime.\nNow for your modelling career. In Japan, your a novelty, as you have a different look to the Japanese. However in Canada, for your age what are your best features. You only have one. You have very good skin. However your face shape, is slightly disproportionate, basically, meaning your just an average shape face. You could also work on going to the gym, as your not toned. So basically as a whole, for your age group, your slightly above average, say a 6 out of 10, which is not all that good as 60% of Canada's population are overweight. Now as a model, you need to compete with people who are younger & better proportioned 7,8 & 9's. No such thing as a 10.

Haven’t seen anything like this in Toronto. Wonder if filmed\nin Maryland, US.

i was born in Montreal and i moved here 8yrs ago. Everything people hear or say about Toronto is a lie. Toronto is going downhill fast and the powers that be dont seem to care. The TtC is in shambles and prices are sky high and no relief in sight as the blame is put on non sensical reasons. Blaming the poor and international students for Torontos problems is absurd but that is what we have. I know many who are playing the system to get what they need. This is not a country but 10 fiefdoms reporting to the queens jester in Ottawa.

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.

Mental health is just a Toronto issue? Homelessness just a Toronto issue? I find this a little weighted on the drama queen side of the analysis.\n\nThere are problems. And there are issues of affordability. That's happening in many other jurisdictions as well.

Even Torontonians can't afford Toronto anymore.

You're absolutely correct about Toronto.

never found toronto that exciting anyways compared to other north american cities...heavily overrated city.... if you can move to another city... go for it... your pocket and sanity will thank you.

I’ve never been to Toronto, but I’m fairly familiar with Vancouver and surroundings. Any place with expensive housing has homeless issues whether in Canada, or the US. \nI think a lot of crime is related to drugs and that is everywhere as well.

All of those condos springing up in Toronto are IMMEDIATELY scooped up by investors for rental or just sit empty for investment. Maybe only 10% are purchased by owners who actually live in them. This is just ONE of the problems going on. Furthermore, many condos are scooped by foreign or corporate investment or their extended family to get around rules.

If you feel viscerally that something is wrong, then it must be wrong. Toronto had potential but now that potential is only limited to the elite. I have to pass through Toronto to get to my hometown. Pass through and keep on going, don't stop.

I could never move back to Toronto, sad to say. Homelessness here in Montreal has gone up 44% since 2018. Something is definitely wrong. Our quality of life is diminishing. Canada is unaffordable. Mental health issues and crime on are the rise. I notice gun violence has increased here. The pitfalls of capitalism and a market economy where money and profits come before people.

I used to love visiting toronto. but the last several times i went i found it too busy. traffic was terrible. i have no interest in returning

Ps. North Hollywood is exactly that north!\n\nVancouver Canada is the north Hollywood!\n\nEven though most of the companies are owned through Toronto Vancouver is still Hollywood North!\n\nSomeone who is in the movie industry…

This is every major city across Canada!\n\nIt is not specific to Toronto in fact Toronto is probably ahead of the game compared to places like Edmonton and Vancouver…\n\nWith this snowflake culture we’ve created for ourselves tent cities and looking the other way has just become customary?\n\nThis was pre-Covid!\n\nSince Covid you can see small towns like Duncan high River or all across Canada and the same thing is happening!\n\nThe cost of living in Canada is out of control whether it’s the gas the food or just the price of rent…

I like the city of Toronto just by seeing this video, but not the living cost. Where are you from? I thought you were Canadian.

It's not just Toronto, almost all large cities in North America are in the same, or worse, shape. When I drive down to Seattle now, I carry a pistol. It's gotten so damn dangerous. You know, when I look at your face in this video, I see you as beautiful. For what it's worth from an old guy like me. And do be careful! Maybe take some martial arts, even just a little.

I have had a home base in Toronto for the last 20 years, traveling almost consistently for work until covid hit. While I am not a fan of the city tbh, I have stuck it out there this whole time as I have not been able to figure out where else in Canada I'd rather live. The way things have gone in the last little while however, I'm now making plans to leave Canada altogether. Even though I am unaffected by high housing costs as I've owned a home in the city, the general cost of living across Canada is now extortionate for what you get. Toronto was fine for me to use as a base for my traveling lifestyle in the past, but with crappy weather much of the year, a left leaning electorate that keeps voting ultra woke politicians at all levels of government, the now increased cost of living there is no longer worth it to me. I'm headed for the exit. All this said, I don't feel that your coverage about crime in the city was balanced. Yes the news stories you used actually did happen, but I do not feel unsafe in the city. A handful of incidents in a city with the population of Toronto - this is a blip.

Visited Toronto a month ago, and it made me really sad.

Respect for your courage and candour. All the best out there. I was born and raised in Toronto, and have loved this city. The ravines and valleys and lakefront are gorgeous. It certainly has lost a bunch of its shine. No thanks to the government for that. Oh Canada! ?

You keep voting for the same governments and complain that Toronto has changed.

Downtown Toronto is in a serious decline. However, Yorkville is still doing great, and I like how the two districts are connected. Yorkville: Downtown: meh. Waterfront: great. Great downtowns!! German cities like Munich and Wuppertal.

I did my Masters from the University of Windsor. And the only reason I moved from Windsor is because job market is really small over there. \n\nI am living in the Scarborough region now, and I gotta say, one peek into the Line 2 Kennedy Subway station, and you feel depressed. \n\nI genuinely believe Malaysia, with their LRT/MRT systems, have better public transport service than what Toronto provides.