Close Reading

How can someone go to South Africa to seek for asylum, I mean for what? Is the person crazy what do they have to offer

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.

What is going on in the world? The U S and Canada seeing tents pitched up on the streets of what were some of the finest cities in the world. Something is very wrong. I grew up on blue-collar modest means. We were happy to celebrate life. My family members weren't educated, and we had real domestic family problems as so many do. We may have been poor, but we had what we needed and were never facing homelessness. Is this the result of globalization, overpopulation, global warming, and greed? God help us all. Vote blue and pray. ❤

I can’t wait until the Democrats understand that just because you let them in doesn’t mean they’re going to be Democratic voters

Same thing in Sweden. A much more violent and insecure country in less than10 years due to migration. Liberalism. Freedom for everyone means less freedom in general in the end.

I mean ... lets be real.... u cant move around a knife just beacuse of religious belief ...

What do you mean we have to be open that immigrants can contribute? Immigrants built Canada.

I have a different perspective as a Canadian who has lived abroad since 2017. Digital Nomads are a growing force around the world and more and more people are retiring in countries other than where they were born. So this is a global phenomena, not just something happening in isolation in Canada. The world is on the move. In the future I predict this will greatly increase. Nothing will stop the globalization of the world, and I mean that in the truest sense - not restricted just to the economic realm.

Who supping them with mean to get here? After they got here you think they would become desperate, maybe even violent. I blame the governments in America for this. My plan would be bring are troops home to protect are borders not some other countries

Why do we need a 45 yr old mother of 5 from the Philippines to come and make sandwiches at Subway. I mean if free market means a Canadian can open a franchise however their staff is hired by foreign workers. Then this is not capitalism working for Canadians.

Absolutely DUMB yo allow other countries qualifications to equal ours and just let them have a high standing professional job without verifying their skills. Yes I understand some countries are highly educated but not all immigrants are from those 1st world countries. By all means? Let them come over, but take a step to ensure integrity ffs.

My birth place here in Toronto let alone North York isn't what it used to be. 40 years of life in this area and I have seen different waves of immigrants, but their treatment and upbringing of their children are not as disciplined. Being a parent today and for the last 15 years or so, means having children and getting easy money from the Government. Almost like an incentive.

Unless, your country is in the verge of collapse despite you are doing well in life then it's worth leaving that place. But if it's not the case, you're doing well, your country is fine it's common sense to stay.\nThe reason why immigration is offered is because of the looming collapse of that country, they basically can't sustain their economy without workers, more people means more workers. Simple.

Canada is just a tool for other countries to benefit from, and I don't mean that in the context of immigration, I meant that in the context of everything that matters being owned by non Canadian entities. Politicians don't decide anything, their sponsors do. Their sponsors aren't Canadian nor do they have any Canadian interest past the exploitation of our people and resources. This country is the poster child for wasted potential.

2 years in Canada and am leaving after my wife graduates in the university.\nIn 2 years I paid 90k in taxes and rent.\nNo health, No housing, No quality of life means work 40h and enjoy life, I work 80h a week,No freedom of speech, No friends, Racism, No multi cultural country except for Walmart.\n\n\nJust the latest Cellphone.

I think if you are moving to another country it means your country is not giving you enough ,Why are you complaining ? .Make your mind clear for the change ..You are living in multiple cultural country so don't consider it to be like your own country .. Accept the change else you will never be happy,

In Canada ?? at the shopping mall I tried to look at the new cell phone , I asked for help, a men didn’t pay attention to me because he thought I can’t speak English mean no help

After the years of seeing what this place is becoming i dont plan on having kids in a country where they tell you its okay to be confused . Certain % of people will know what i mean by that . Our government is garbage and dont think things are going to get better anytime soon .

Good. Look as a product of an immigrant father myself, we simply can't afford to take care of the Canadians we have, never mind all these people who come to Canada with no jobs, no housing, no money, possibly no ability to speak English or French. Like it or not, our taxes are going up and our services are going down. The government is focused on GDP numbers as opposed to GDP per capita, which essentially means while our production numbers are artificially enhanced the quality of life per person is rapidly declining. We're talking about flooding Ontario with 500,000 new immigrants, God knows how many Indian paypigs... I mean students for colleges and universities, as our government is giving tax breaks to Atlantic Canadians and torturing everyone else for going greener with natural gas. We're living in a country where it is very possible to hold down multiple jobs and still be homeless in 2024 and we're talking about more immigrants? We can't afford the people we have now and we're talking about bringing in more? Who's building the homes for these people? The last couple million of immigrants who were supposed to build homes didn't build anything so now we're bring in more to build homes for the last couple million who were supposed to build homes plus Canadians who has been here for more than a July on a sidewalk.

Good. That means i could get decent housing.

I came to Canada when I was 4 and was immensely proud of this nation and it's history. It's sad that Cultural Marxism and all the woke forces of modern society have made Canada a socio-cultural and political wasteland. It feels like a country for sale now. It feels like a means to an end.

The Canadian economy is in stagnation (at best). The real estate in the mean time stays in a bubble (partly due to inflation and partly to that very unsustainable immigration policy). Labor market is as good as dead (at least for qualified skilled workers) - with too many businesses (including oil and gas) in decline or leaving. And the overall quality of life as well as the future outlook for young and new Canadians are in decline. Try to fix all that first!

With no ill meaning let me say good, this is best for everyone. They were lied to when they were told we could afford to take them and had the means to support their transition into our work force. We were lied to when we were told they'd fully integrate and are doctors and lawyers and yadda yadda. The reality is we had no real system in place to verify and transfer their qualifications and credentials. Doctors couldn't be doctors. They needed the work, we needed the doctors. It was a lose lose.

Living in Canada means work hard pay your rent groceries bills high taxes that's it no savings no life better move out to USA or other rich European countries earn better save better

Truth is that the immigration system has been a source of income and financial gain for the system but gives little back. Sadly many Canadians think the opposite is true. They think because refugees are given shelter while waiting for processing that means they receive support more than the locals. Truth is immigrants come here mostly on loans, spend years working and spending to support families back home, it takes years to understand the taxing, credit, wealth, education and many other resources that drives the Canadian community. This put immigrants in a position where they work more than the local just to meet the bare minimum life standards. If many of the immigrants knew the ins and outs of the system, then they would really take over and appreciate being in canada. \n\nCanadians and canada as a whole are welcoming. You might meet a few who have little knowledge of the global system and standard against immigrants, something that their countries economic system depends on. Remember your countries have never lived without immigration. From the day the first white personal stepped onto this lane, immigrants have continued to come in more different colours. It’s our duty to focus on making life better not on how we can make life harder for others. Wanting to live in canada with your own specific community and wanting others to stay away from a land that has been shared for decades is just a selfish stand. We all love canada because we all find peace here.

Just because you’re qualified to be a doctor in some 3rd world country doesn’t mean you should get to practice here. Canada already has an issue with doctors giving insufficient care the last thing we need is to let the equivalent of witch doctors start practicing medicine here

It’s been 5 years for me here and I honestly can say I have achieved nothing in my life yet. It scares me when I think I can’t return whatever my parents had invested in me. The fact is you’ll never have a good paying job in Canada being an immigrant. When I say this trust me I mean it. Most you’ll get is a minimum wage job which can make you survive the life here. Taxes are high definitely and what I feel is you’re working to make someone else’s life easier. \n(P.S: people who’ve stayed in Canada will understand who I’m implying to)\nNo one wants to be your freind, scope of socializing is zero coz mostly it’s cold round the year so everyone hardly come out, especially in Northern provinces like Yukon, Saskatchewan, Manitoba.\nHealthcare is a joke. If you feel sick and not well and you wanna see a doctor be prepared to wait for hours and hours. I once had stomach infection and I had to wait 5 hours till someone could see me. I asked for painkiller at-least so I could bear the pain but they refused that as well. You might well see someone you love dearly and with whole heart die in-front of you and you could do nothing. (I’ve experienced it myself hence saying)\nYou’re a lone survivor who’ll always keep fighting. \nThe only person who can make money here is businesses and high paid jobs which are reserved to Canadians. That’s how Canada’s job market is. Canadians’ first and if there’s something left they’ll look at you. By the amount of money people invest here they can establish a nice business back in their country itself and earn accordingly on own terms. \nMost importantly you’ll cut yourself from all emotional supports like family, freinds etc.\nI was social person back in India who liked making new freinds and memories but it’s nothing like that here. \nAnd it’s the same life, no different.\nYou wake up, dress, eat, go to work, come back, eat, sleep. No different.\nNo fun and nothing. You actually don’t live in present, you live in an expectation of a better tommorow.\nYou’ll always have a smile when you greet someone but I guarantee you no one’s gonna check on you to if you don’t start a conversation even with a simple “Hi”. Mostly Canadians are nice but again some will systematically judge you and say nothing but you’ll see in their actions, the way they’ll talk in a twisted way etc.\nYes I’m not saying that Canada’s bad or it’s no good but trust me it will take forever to build a life here especially with the number of people moving here from round the world. \nIf you’re well off financially from back home Canada’s a paradise for you. Indeed it’s a beautiful country with lots of beauty and lots to explore but remember everything comes with a cost here. Everything comes with a cost. People need to stop believing in this fake illusion and come only if they got a purpose here. The only reason why they’ll let you in the country is for money and once you’re in you’ll have to keep spending, doesn’t matter if you’re broke or whatever you have to.\nOnce I earn I’ll happily give up my PR status and go back to India as i very well know what the situation is how it’s gonna be in future.\nSo just one piece of advise to every middle class person like me, guys please invest and spend your money wisely coz we know how hard it is to earn and it’s high time Canadians start appreciating what immigrants like us do for them by burning ourselves day and night and start realizing that their past generation once came from some other part of the world as well and settled here. Being white doesn’t make you a nice Canadian, you’re actions defines you more than your words. \n90% of this country is built by immigrants and that’s how it’s gonna develop in future, so if they keep treating us the same way good luck to them ?.\nAlso a plus note to anyone thinking that Asians are stealing your jobs, go get outside and have the balls to face them and take it away from them. Staying home and ranting and abusing us that we’re taking your opportunities and blah blah isn’t gonna work. We are so successful round the world because we are hardworking, honest and respectful to everyone. Even if we’re earning minimum and barely surviving here we always make sure we’re not burden on the government or anyone else and won’t keep crying.\n\nA big shoutout to all you guys who came here in the hope of a better future but are still struggling.\nKeep hustling and you’ll reach there, if not step down and go back and start your life again on your home soil. There’s no shame in experimenting continuously rather than sitting ideally and crying about future. \n\nAll the very best my people and lots of love to you ❣️

“Attempted mass entry” does that mean they didnt make it through?

So lgbtq + indigenous + non white = 90%? And in Vancouver and in Montreal, I see so many old white men, meaning they are mostly gay?

It's not just immigrants. Refugees have left Canada and returned to warzones stating they have better odds of surviving there than in Canada. Doctors, Nurses, engineers and businesses are leaving Canada as well due to high costs of living. It doesn't help that Canada today hates competition and has so much bureaucracy keeping the status quo even if it means the entire system will collapse.

You mean the skilled and educated ones

1:50 labour shortage? There is no labour shortage. People are lining up around the block for a part-time retail position at Walmart or Tim Hortons. It's impossible for teens to find a summer job and as a university student you'll only get an internship with connections. This is all by design though. This means wages can be kept low or even decreased while corporations increase their profit margins.

PR Hortons PR Superstore PR A&W PR Subway Have a good one in broken english. What ever happened to welcome or have a great or wonderful day. Please would somebody explain to me the meaning one what? No personality....

You mean people don't want to/can't stay in a place where the cheapest apartment they can find will cost more than the entirety of a full-time job's salary? Who could have ever known?\nCanada is a ponzi scheme by and for landlords; the only cure would be to finally let the housing bubble burst.

Yes, if you don't like it here, by all means leave!

GOOD GO BACK HOME!! PLEASE BY ALL MEANS

IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE!! It's not only immigrants who are eyeing the exits. I've spoken to many people who want to leave but either don't know where to move to or don't have the means to go anywhere

Immigration without proper infrastructure. people with the means are leaving. We were 3 international students in a single class of 40 in 2012, now 100 international students and probably 5 or 6 local. that shows.

Most people blame the immigration programmes. But who considers that what are the percentages that should be added to the housing sector to build new houses and also the healthcare sector? \nThe Canadian economy is based on weekdays, and productivity/efficiency is lower than the USA worker. Canadian working hours are lower than US workers. The manufacturing industry is no longer expanding other than the USA. \nIn the meantime, healthcare is a nightmare. Canadians have new technologies but this system accepts fewer patients per day/hour. You can’t just get an appointment even in the banks. I mean what they are doing. Are they printing money inside the banks? No whole country’s productivity lowered day by day. \nWe have to find solutions for these issues other than that we can blame immigration programmes or immigrants but nothing changes.

You can’t invite people in if you don’t guarantee equal opportunity and healthcare. Period. This will obviously breed discontent and resentment. Leaving is one option. Rioting is another. Working the multiculturalist rails hammered down by Pierre Trudeau into a solution that includes immigrants of all class systems and work experience as well as those needing it means only opening those doors to all Canadians. A benefit to all.

my family left their country after ww2 and went to canada and buildt a great life....i was born there and 47 years later i went back to their birth place and now i have a better life.....i miss canada and i lost everything moving....but my kids deserve a fair shot at life...canada literally offers NOTHING TO FAMILIES...JUST POLICE CHILDREN'S AID, HIGH TAXES AND TRANS TEACHERS....being a tax payer in canada means nothing now.

It means we’re bringing in people with little or no money,that we don’t need

If trudeau gets in again, I'll be leaving. Unfortunately, apparently leaving means you have to leave half your assets

I mean we have people here that can't even speak English or French and are accepted by immigration. Some people openly says that they hate Canada and are only here to send money to their family in their own country. ? Government is not encouraging their own people to have children which is what keeps a country healthy. They rather immigration people than making their own people happy to have them live happy by having affordable housing and have a family. Quite impossible right now, my wife and I are starting to have huge problems financially and we both make 75 000+ a year with one child. We can't have another till we can afford to have another housing is unaffordable and we can't ruin our selves to reach our goal of having 3+ children. We are getting older and that window is closing fast ?

that means they never wanted to be Canadians to begin with.\nfree education and Drs then they leave.\nnothing new but our government keeps bringing them here from countries that hate us

It's the same in Australia. They keep banging on about skilled labour shortage. What the really mean is cheap, sponsored graduate shortage.

India cannot recover from NAG's bite. India is becoming like Bangladesh was few years back, where everyone who could do anything would cross the border by any means.

It is stated on the Website of the Government of British Columbia, “The B.C. government is making credential recognition for internationally trained professionals more transparent, efficient and fair.” Could anyone explain what it means “more fair”? Are there different degrees of fairness in Canada and in the province of British Columbia?-Well, isn’t fairness or being fair referred to Justice, and if so, does this mean that the Canadian legal system does not respect individual rights of all people equally?-And, if Canadian legal system does not respect individual rights of all people equally, isn’t this a violation of section 15 (1) of Constitution Act, 1982 that guarantees, “ Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability”? \n Also, according to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (S.C. 2001, c. 27) \n3 (1) The objectives of this Act with respect to immigration are \n(e) to promote the successful integration of permanent residents into Canada, while recognizing that integration involves mutual obligations for new immigrants and Canadian society; \n(j) to work in cooperation with the provinces to secure better recognition of the foreign credentials of permanent residents and their more rapid integration into society. \n Consequently, if it is stated on the Website of the Government of British Columbia, “The B.C. government is making credential recognition for internationally trained professionals more transparent, efficient and fair.”, does this mean that the Government of British Columbia has been treating immigrants for more than 20 years in contradiction to s. 3 (1) (e)and (j) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, and, if so, why? \n Also, if, the Government of British Columbia has been treating immigrants in contradiction to 3 (1) (e)and (j) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and in contradiction to section 15 (1) of Constitution Act, 1982, what about access of immigrants to the Court of Justice under section 24 (1) of Constitution Act, 1982 that guaranties, “Anyone whose rights or freedoms, as guaranteed by this Charter, have been infringed or denied may apply to a court of competent jurisdiction to obtain such remedy as the court considers appropriate and just in the circumstances.”? The question is whether there is access to justice for immigrants or for all people in Canada and in the province of British Columbia under section 24 (1) of Constitution Act, 1982 or not?

A country is a home you fight for & to make a contribution. To make it better for the next generation. Immigration has made Canada great because new comers worked to make Canada great. Asians, Irish, Brits, Italians and the list goes on. They made Canada attractive to so many. If new comers aren't prepared to make Canada a home then by all means leave.

485,000 means 150,000 to Toronto, 150,000 to Vancouver, 50,000 to Montreal, 50,000 to Calgary, 50,000 to Ottawa, 30,000 to the rest of Canada. Folks in big cities, brace yourself for another sunami of immigrants.