Close Reading

I am 66 , I had to take my ill wife to emergency at the Peterborough hospital about 3 months ago. After sitting for 2.5 hours in an over crowded emergency room, I asked how much longer before we see a doctor. We were told by a nurse it would be another few hours at least and it could be up to 5 more hours after that to see the specialist she needed. So the wait could be 10.5 hours, we waited 2 more hours, then we got up and left. If we ever go back it will be in an ambulance. But to be honest We are done with this broken, rotting health care system. I blame the bum that has destroyed this country and destroyed the Canadian health care system.

I moved to Canada in 2018 on permanent residency with a nice job and family. We moved to the USA a couple of months ago after acquiring Canadian citizenship.

My neighbor went o canada just a few months ago .but im not felt any jealousy qtheart . Bcoz.iknow what is happenning canada economy in this later yrs..

This video was posted by cnn on the internet 10 months ago!

I have been to Canada alone as an immigrant 20 years ago & found a job within a month but backed out bec i had to buy my own tools & need to do wiring jobs in the cold. I decided to return home bec of the cold. Good decision that I didn’t resign from my job at that time. Looking back, i did not regret my decision to come back

Please listen up everyone . I got to Canada two months ago I have spoken to so many people that have been here for 8 months , 6 months etc. . I can tell you this for free A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE ARE JOBLESS ,HOUSING IS EXPENSIVE , THINGS ARE EXPENSIVE HERE . This is not a Joke. I really don't know why many content creators out there don't talk so much about this joblessness in this land. People dey suffer . I am telling you this for free. Its so difficult to see anyone that is happy here. \n \nIf you like open your month and be saying Oh come back to Africa blah blah blah . I have said what I want to say . I am off !!! Good luck \n\nBefore I forget , I have applied to more than 120 job posting , I am JOBLESS everyone\n\nPlease Incase you have any motivation for me Please comment below , I am feeling so regretful here

I don't even know what to think as an open work permit holder. Where I was from, 2 years ago, i sent like 20 job applications, went to 5 interviews and got 2 offers. Took me 2 months but that was it.\n\nNow I'm starting my 4th month in toronto and sent more than a hundred applications, and I've not even gotten a single interview. I had naively assumed that having a certified native-level proficiency in English would ease things up a little, but i just feel completely ignored in this city. Might have to cut losses and just go somewhere else. Rent is insane.

I pay over $4000 mortgage on a 420k house I bought 7 years ago, used to be $1300, worked so hard for 18 years to be able to buy a house. Property taxes are $350 a month, groceries are tripled.. every single person is suffering. I’m thinking it’s about time to have a change in the system.

Toronto resident here. I do agree with everything that Alina pointed out. Those thing exist. But the only REAL problem is the high cost of rent. It now equals and even surpasses the cost of a mortgage. If the rent problem were resolved, and they can do this by simply building more housing (which they are now starting to do - with government programs and incentives), then most of these problems Alina reported on would recede or disappear completely. \n\nAlso, the homelessness is not visually worse than anywhere else I've visited. Homeless encampments are visible in every city I've been too. However, in Toronto, a LOT of homeless people come from other parts of Canada. \n\nThe violence that Alina referred to was just a snapshot in time. She made her video around 4 months ago, and at that time there were several truly shocking incidents on the subway (which even made international news). Those incidents have not continued. The subway system, and Toronto, is still a very, very safe city. We are the third largest city in North America, after LA and NYC, and we had something like 50 homicides last year. Chicago has like 500. Just by way of example. \n\nI love Toronto, even though it is very expensive to pay rent here. But there is so much to offer that I wouldn't consider living somewhere else. Not a chance. It's great that you can live somewhere else if you work remotely, but when you're not working, what do you do?...Toronto is safe, clean (except in tourist season), with limitless opportunities for career and lifestyle. Wouldn't live anywhere else.

In California, Ontario at the Warehouse for designer purses i wont say which one, we have 2 immigrants who came here less than 4 months ago, they have been housed and given money and job permits. Noone at work talk to them much bc they keep to themselves. We have a homeless coworker with her dog and she is living in her car she brings dog to work too, but these 2 illegal aliens are clean, happy, well fed and are dressed nice everyday. The both have kids too who are in school already.\n\n\n The company gets money for hiring them. A bonus they called it. I love my job but scre that.

Hello madam I'm a huge fan of you're Channel I've got a question for you please \nI am a business man in Nigeria I use my various private wallet like palm pay and moniepoint apps for business and don't store my money fully in my savings account in my bank I just opened it 3 months ago and now I'm applying for a visitor visa with it I attached my online bank statements and 3 months savings statements do I stand a chance ?

I am not Muslim but Canada is still a great country. A Muslim country will be a huge change and it does depend on the country. I lived in Morocco for 2 years and you are judged by your money. Really snobby people. They hate the poor and there are lots of poor people. Cost of Living has also increased. Lovely climate. No job opportunities for young people. I worked in Dubai for 6 months. All bling and only the 20 % have any proper say. Spent a holiday in Oman. Woman still kept back. Also might get caught up in Middle East conflict. Countries like Kuwait/Saudi etc very strict after freedom of Canada. Albania probably would not be strict enough for you. 60% percent Muslim. Had a holiday there about 10 yrs ago. Beautiful in summer and I believe still reasonable. Will be interested to see where you pick. I live in Ireland cost of living madly expensive!! I have cousins in Montreal. Have spent many vacations there. Why not try Vancouver for better weather? I just love Canada but all my immediate family are here. Will be in Canada again in September.\nReally living in a country just because of your religion in this day and age is not great. We now live in a Global World. If you have good family values that is all that matters. Anyway Good Luck but it is a big jump.

It was only few months ago Canada announced a historic fast TVE for spouses and close relatives of PR and Work permit holders. Now, we hear this. I am afraid if there is a data/knowledge based decision.

i graduated a couple of months ago and it's been difficult for me to find a job simply because there's so many applicants. can't even find retail jobs to tide me over in the meantime bc there's so many international students desperate for work. i feel sick. i did everything right and i'm just stuck in this rut.

I was born and raised in Toronto and lived 57 years there. 6 months ago, I moved to Saskatchewan having never visited before. I'm ashamed of Toronto. It's not what it was. I outgrew it and although I have good memories of what it once was, it no longer is. And I will forever tell everyone it's not even worth the visit.

I lived in Canada for over 20 long suffering cold years. My rent in 1982 in Kamloops for a large two bedroom appartment was 105 bucks a month. Then when I moved back to Toronto and got an apartment right on Young at Grosvenor our rent shot up to a tough 620 bucks a month (all utilities included) but I was making a lot of money so it seemed like the good life. I wonder how expensive that luxury high rise is today? Probably about $4500 per month would be my guess. Canadians don't like to talk of the negatives in Toronto, but I feel really sorry for some of my family still there. My mother in law broke her back. All they could do is give her pain killers for the four months before she could get penciled in for surgery. And that was before it all went to hell. It's nice to see so many shots of places that were once so much a part of my life, but in all honesty moving to the States was the best thing I ever did. It was in fact like an escape from madness. Now similar crazyness is here, even on the South East coast of the US. Time to look for another escape. Any suggestions?\nOh, and my friends cousin got murdered in the Jane and Finch area years ago. Just a guy with a gun that nobody is supposed to have - shot him in the chin.

Hes speaking the absolute truth. Hopefully things will stop soon .its not the childrens fault for what the adults do. They already proved a point months ago , now its just a crime against humanity.

True but what has his subservient, aberrant, and fanatical - as in ridiculous - nation done to help remove that weight? NOTHING. Just a week prior, they were signing accords with TOTAL disregard for the issue at hand. Now they state the obvious, act as if history started just wo months ago, and want a cookie for it.

The world is changing for greed...I used to rent an apartment 7 years ago in the centre of Madrid for 600€ per month, now it would cost around 1200-1300€, and salaries have barely improved since then. It is frustrating.

Yeah they are cause more then 50 children's from my community got admission in Canadian university who merely passed their high school....so I was not surprised cause 13 years ago same thing happened in UK and 99 percent of those student came back crying within six months....

I was born in this city and i don't like what it became. Moved out many years ago but i have to return for for work twice a month so I'm still in the GTA. I can't stand it. My goal is to gtfo one day. The dream is a smaller town or smaller city.

I lived in TO for 20 years. Didn’t like the climate much and was looking to move somewhere south but not to the States. Ended up in Merida, Yucatan, purchased lovely furnished colonial house with the pool, former AirBnB, 1km away from the main cathedral. No need for a car. Paid little 6 years ago for the $$ most people can’t afford to renovate their kitchens in TO. Monthly bills are $140 CAD including all the services, property tax, excellent internet, electricity and yes we use AC when sizzling hot outside. The best of all there are some direct flights to TO and we do visit in summers exclusively ?. Overall ….we are born again, the best decision ever. Still love TO but too pricey for us as we need more than $140 daily for survival!

I lived in Toronto for almost 25 years but moved to Berlin, Germany, a few months ago. I found the last few years to be really sad and also scary. There is such a huge mental health crisis. The TTC is not very safe feeling. I have friends there who travel with dog or bear spray in their purses. The cost of rent is definitely a huge issue. A lot of friends can never move into a new place and I don't know anyone there who can afford to actually buy a home.\nThe positives are the food options (groceries and restaurants - some of the best in the world), the nice social life, so many things to see and do around the city, and the various beaches and islands.\nThe city is definitely looking uglier and uglier, though, with all of these boxy, glassy condo towers and now with Ford doing things like turning public space into a foreign-owned inaccessible spa.

I have moved out of Canada fee months ago. Im glad i did. Currently in pakistan, hoping to get a decent job and move to saudia.

I lived in Western Europe, Japan and at the moment, Canada. I lucked out getting a well paying job in Vancouver when I moved back a few years ago and my average tax rate is actually the exact percentage you stated in the video - 28%, which includes income tax, pension and employment insurance. I'm actually doing better in terms of quality of life now but I do miss being able to travel around Europe for cheap. (e.g., quick train ride to Paris for the weekend) Now, I take cheap flights (e.g. Flair Airlines) to Mexico instead.\n\nJust to state some data points: when I was in Europe, I paid a total average of 39% income tax on a lower salary than I have right now in Canada. Things like utilities (e.g., gas/electricity), restaurants, certain grocery items and electronics (e.g., iphone/PS5/computers) were significantly more expensive because European VAT (inclusive) is usually 20%+. \n\nI don't have the exact numbers but on average I believe I was paying 70 - 90€ ($100 - 130 CAD) just for electricity each month for a small flat, but I am now paying $30 - 50 CAD for a decent sized 1 bedroom. I believe my housing gas bill was about the same or possibly a bit more. In addition, automobile gas prices were much higher (about $2€/L on average which is $2.90 CAD/L) and I think they could go even higher right now. \n\nHowever, rent is definitely more expensive in Vancouver, but I believe that is true for many West coast cities in North America. Right now I'm paying $2300 CAD a month for a 1BR, and I split that amount with my partner. In comparison, it would have been about €1300 ($1900 CAD) for something similar in the city where I was living previously. In a more expensive city (e.g. Amsterdam) a 1BR would easily cost €1800+ ($2650 CAD).\n\nFor me, the difficulty of making friends in my late 20's stays about the same. I think it is difficult to make new friends after graduating from school, and you have to put yourself out there by joining groups and events. (e.g. Meetup or volunteering?)

As a canadian i never thoughg of living anywhere else vanxouver is so beautiful. Growing up govrnmebt started cutting programs and services in schools ans public resources. And kept doing it. \n\nNow they are removinf beautiful homes to build ugly apartments no yards .\n\nThere is not enough public space. Everyone is moving to the city. We use to be able to go to the beach on a weekday in spring and there was no one. Now its packes. To get to the bathroom was almost a block long. The bathrooms are small. Goos for population we has in the early 90s. We need somethings 4x larger now. \n\nIm ok with new comers but if they create a new community in the rural areas. We have so many areas up north no one moves to.\n\nOr lots of space to build new communities up north, not deatroy the current communities that already exist. \n\nWith all the new apartments there is not enough space for cara, no parking and no room on public transportation.\n\nSimply, the city cannot support anymore people. Its unrealistic. \nI worked with a girk who shares a 1 bedroom apartment with 5 other people and she still paid 1500 a month for rent.\n\nThis will soon be like america - run down, extreme poverty & homelessness. The homelessness has gotten so extreme.\n\nWages havw increased maybe 3x since i was a kid, but pricea rose eveey year.\n\nAs a kid we paid $850 for 3 bedrooms. When i mo ed to my first apartment i paid $800 for 3 bdrms. My friend pays $3000 now for a 2 bedroom aptt.\n\nThere are more crimes more thefts now. My old houae was 600,000 that same house is now 1.5 mil. \n\nI make 2x what i made 3 yeara ago ans things are even more expensive than, i have less now vs when i was making less. Ill never affors a house i can barley affoes to save.\n\nIm certainly looking at gettinf out of here. This country is going to trash

9 years ago I stayed in Malaysia on two occasions as a workaway volunteer, each time for about two months. As I'm sure you know it's Muslim majority but with large Chinese and Indian minorities. I found it a wonderful place for people and still keep in contact with a Chinese and Indian friend.\nIf I were your age (I'm 79) I would definitely leave UK for your no's 1,2,3. Good luck.

You are spot on! (And far too polite/politically correct - sorry to say lol).\n\nToronto is the WORST city to live in. I look forward to leaving. I regret moving here 17 years ago - don't know how I've managed to stay this long. Toronto has changed me... and not for the better. This place will make you bitter, you'll have no friends (or shallow, money-hungry ones) and there's no sense of community. Your workplace will be toxic, you'll work long hours for a boss that treats you like crap and pays you less than you're worth. You'll be underpaid, and not valued or appreciated. You'll wake up in the dark to go to work in the freezing cold and come home in the dark, in the freezing cold. You'll live in an expensive tiny box in the sky with disrespectful neighbours (and their barking dogs). The 'unhoused' and addicts will hang outside of your building, begging you for money and smoking crack/weed. The stench of urine and poop on a hot summer's day (the 3 months of it that there is) will make you want to heave.\n\nAnyone thinking of moving to Toronto should seriously think twice and do LOTS of research. There are so many BETTER cities in the world - choose wisely. Don't choose Canada.

I lived in Toronto years ago. It was nice in summer but in reality the weather is only warm 2 months of the year and the winters are very cold. I moved to the US and have lived in Manhattan, Ft Lauderdale, Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Seattle. Each place has its own special things and negatives. Nothing is perfect but I do prefer a longer warmer climate.

They are ripping you off big time. All you are paying for is a bit of glass and concrete. They could have done it in less time 100 years ago. The Empire State building was completed in 18 months.

I left Canada 2 years ago and moved to California. I lived for 13 years in Mississauga. About Canada: terrible weather, worst drivers, fewer cops to ticket drivers, worst community and University teaching experience. I taught for 13 years in Ontario, and it's all business. Housing is more expensive in Mississauga than a beach house in Orange County. Excellent medical system in Southern California (at least what I have experienced so far with two younger daughters). With year-round great weather and access to high-quality fruits and vegetables, school systems are among the finest in the US. I have not heard a single gunshot in the last 2 years. People are not allowed to take weapons unless concealed with a license.\n\nI would not recommend anyone to settle in Canada. I heard that most immigrants who move to Canada are not well-educated and end up doing blue-collar jobs. Those who are educated are doing under-qualified jobs. A super expensive country with super high vehicle insurance, expensive cell phone and cable plans, and so on. I took a dermatologist appointment for my kid, and it took 6 months in Ontario versus two days in the US. I know it is just my case, but overall, I am very happy that I left Canada.

I didn’t believe it until my carpet cleaner told me he was from Venezuela and arrived 6 months ago

Hi Jason\nThanks for the great video\nFor the Atlantic program, should the degree obtained be at least 24 months ago for skilled workers?\nI saw this on the site in the Educational requirements section.\nThe educational credential must have been obtained within 24 months prior to the date you applied for permanent residence.\nI want to apply for a skilled workers stream but this sentence is not clear what stream should attend.

We moved to Istanbul 4 months ago. I feel like I never lived in Germany although I spent 30 years of my life there. The feeling of beeing among muslims here is indescribable. Dont want to go back, not even for visit.

Since the liberals with the leadership of Justin Trudeau took over, 10 years ago, in the federal government, Canada has become a pathetic place to live. Socialism has destroyed the entrepreneurial spirit. Taxes are very high and professional immigrants can not practice their occupation since it is not recognized by the government. The government prints money and gives generous handouts to those that don’t work with the result that the debt has reached uncharted territories and the Canadian dollar has lost more than 35% of its value against the U.S. dollar. Healthcare is horrible since you have to wait for months to see a medical professional or have an operation. The country is run by monopolies and oligopolies in banking, and telecommunications. To buy or rent a house is extremely expensive. Finally the winters are long and cold and when you see the sun you feel is a real treat!

New subscriber here ??‍♀️ loved your video i will give you my honest opnion and what i learned since i just immigrated 6 months ago it took us 3 years and all our money to do this\nWe are Egyptians we immigrated from Egypt to Australia i have a 3 year old daughter just know that now in the middle east some international school do teach things about gays and in most arab countries this new generation thinks that drinking and partying is being cool u would be shocked how this new generation is westernized so take care ,Dubai is a great option but take care of that part i just said plus they love to show off their money\nSouth Africa i know an arab family who just left bec their kid almost got kidnapped and they were shot at so it's not so safe \nWe chose australia bec people are down to earth ( not like Dubai ) and here is a huge arab community plus they are stricked about drinking and almost no arab hate crimes plus the weather is good since we too hate the cold ? we live in perth it's modern enough but still quite and family friendly australia has great education and Healthcare too hope this helps ❤ good luck guys if you have any questions i am more than happy to help ?

Halloween was two months ago lol

Assalaamu alaikum, thank you for posting and sharing. I am an English revert of some 20 years, and we made a decision to leave the UK 18 months ago for very similar reasons. We have lived in Turkey, the UAE and Qatar, and have spent time in Oman. I would recommend all except the UAE as new home. Be prepared to learn Turkish if you want to settle there, as English is not widely used. May Allah reward your intentions and grant you goodness in your Hijra.

Assalaamu alaikum, thank you for posting and sharing. I am an English revert of some 20 years, and we made a decision to leave the UK 18 months ago for very similar reasons. We have lived in Turkey, the UAE and Qatar, and have spent time in Oman. I would recommend all except the UAE as new home. Be prepared to learn Turkish if you want to settle there, as English is not widely used. May Allah reward your intentions and grant you goodness in your Hijra.

Where are you moving to? Alhamdulliah our family moved to Saudi Arabia 6 months ago from the UK, Alhamdulliah its a great experience and we homeschool our children now. Its nice to be in a islamic environment and safer place to live. Good luck!

Asalam u Alikom \nAlhamdulillah I moved my family out of Uk back to Afghanistan as well just 5 months ago for most of the reasons you mentioned. West is not a place to raise your children anymore. \nMay Allah swt help us all.

Moved to Canada 6 months ago as a permanent residence and moving out ASAP!

What do you mean they are not trying to leave their land, they were desperately trying to enter into egypt just a few months ago.\n\nIf other non-arabic countries said no, stay in Gaza and fight their would be international condemnation.

ALina I see you are a jet setter ( going around the world seeing different places which. Is great and educational ) but remember your dear. dad. he. raised you in a good and Loving way and he’s getting older not younger have you ever considered Living close. too him. and working from home ( And I agree Toronto suck’s I trucked 18 wheeler’s in there delivering product’s in the the 1980s for a. while and everything you said is true about Toronto , I also worked. there. about 5 year’s ago on night shift on a union pipeline job, and stayed at Bradford, Ontario about 40 miles or. so north of the city of Toronto , driving a small truck , I don’ t want too sound. negative either but you couldn’t pay me enough. too. Live there, Now. or Never not. my cup of tea / I grew up most of my Life in. Saskatchewan , I’ am about the same age as your Dad or a year younger , / A good Looking Lady Like you would do well in Saskatchewan , and if you didn’ t Like the cold in the winter you could be a snowbird. you and your Dad ( go away for a few month’s too a warmer place) just. saying. there are a lot of good people in Saskatchewan (Ukrainian, German, Norwegian,Finnish, Irish and English and Scottish just. too name a few, I think there is a good future for a young person or person’s in. Saskatchewan for. a future, and Listen too your father , he Looked Like he’s worked hard all his Life on. the farm, I can tell Listening too him , he’s no dummy ,smart man, I still have a neighbour where I had a small acreage 17 acres south of Tisdale, Saskatchewan ( Brent Butt country ) he farmed across the road from me ( still owns the farm ) retired Lives in nearby Melfort, Saskatchewan has an apartment room he’s around your dad’s age , / I. Live in a small town on the edge of town between Toronto. and. Ottawa ( winter are quite damp here , do too all the Lake’s in Ontario )Anyway the best too you and your Dad in the new year if he is still. farming l hope he had a good crop this ( or if the Land is rented l hope the renter got a good crop) also. best too you and your Dad / Bill S. Canada

Canada sucks. I graduated 7 years ago and never found steady work in my field. Best I got was a half year contract. And then I learned that even if you make 5500$ a month, your gross pay will look more like 3200$ once the government takes its cut. And for what??? What do they actual provide to Canadian citizens? NOTHING. The only people getting anything from the government are drug addicts, refugees, and boomers. Canada is a country where everything is expensive and you get paid shit. The people suck, the culture sucks, the weather sucks...I cannot think of a single upside of living here (except maybe that it's not a religious shithole and women aren't treated like cattle).

All western financial systems are due a heavy crash they can not keep up with such vast amounts of people coming in and as in Europe the vast mass of illegals who can not work sucking up the benefits system raises taxes and demand for housing is shooting prices up. \nThe western governments went into money printing mode that creates inflation raising prices on every day goods and foods this can not be sustained for much longer before it all comes crashing down, This also affects places in schools and medical wait times with more people flooding in to the point in the UK where i live you can be waiting up to 5 hours for an ambulance and 3-6 months for an operation.\n25 years ago you could get a 2 bedroom house here for around 25k now you are looking around 150k-250k the kids born here have no chance of owning a home and most end up staying with parents up to their 30s-40s, Even private landlords are under threat from government buyouts that end up housing migrants and not our citizens its a real mess that has no signs of slowing.

Trudeau says he is working hard for Canadians every day. The evidence disagrees:\n- carbon taxes hit every item purchased or service required to live; housing, food, fuel etc. etc. Do you really believe 8 out of 10 Canadian families get more back than they pay in?\n- Trudeau promises to make housing cheaper but fails to recognize that the Immigration Invasion is a contributing factor\n- Trudeau says the gov't will borrow so Canadians don't have to. Evidence shows that consumer debt levels are the highest in the G7. His reckless borrowing has doubled federal debt and created a 40 yr. high in inflation. Mass immigration causes taxes to rise, gov't services to decline. Inflation, rents, and mtge costs rise. Is PM lying?\n- An immigration invasion pushes wage levels down and inflation up. Why won't PM talk about this\n- one in 4 Canadians has to go to food banks at least once a month. Meanwhile Ukraine gets $9 billion in Canadian aid for yachts while Canadians suffer. How is this helping Canadians. \nIf you believe Trudeau's rhetoric then if you are better off now than 8 yrs ago. Ask the truckers if you are more free. Wake up folks.

I do agree that we need to normalize and promote a simple lifestyle where non essential consumption is discouraged. I am living in a two bedroom place only 546 square feet and it’s too much! A few months ago I ended up getting a roommate so the place wouldn’t feel so empty. This woman had no other options and likely would have been homeless had I not taken her in. I think Canadians need to help each other a lot more, rather than looking to the government and the crime minister. Their high taxation and uncontrolled deficit spending is the main cause of our economic woes.

I stopped visiting Canada 40 years ago because of insane or corrupt border control policies. I traveled to Canada from California to record an album for a popular rock star. My crew number 4 people and we had reserves a month for basic tracking in a studio there. We bought our own reels of 3 inch wide recording tape because the studio wanted twice the rate as normal and since my studio was a distributor for the mastering tapes we brought from my own inventory. Each reel of tape was 3 lbs and brought 30 reels. We got to customs and they said we owed money for importing the tape. Normally a reel would have been $180, and customs wanted $38,000 x 20, and would not let us retrieve it to take it back to the US side of the border. How can a tape worth $180 suddenly have duty of $38,000?\nIt was explained to me as the Potential Value of the tape which meant AFTER a hit song was recording in it. Most recordings are total losses and the tape cant used on a new project even if properly bulk-erased. They expected me to pay on the spot $760,000 in duties. I gave up and left the tape with them. I called the artist and said we could not do the project in Canada and we went back to California. The artist came to us a few months later and the result was a minor hit, and probably barely made its production cost since the label only distributed it in Canada. I talked to an international trade lawyer about what happened and he said customs officials were wrong in Canada but they are given full latitude with no appeal so his advice was never take anything over the border that I did not mind being confiscated. Sometimes they would let it in because it was going back out in a month, but likely they sold it off and pocketed the money. The US is corrupt on a federal level but Canada is corrupt on the local level. I moved out of the US 24 years ago have a much higher quality of life than is even possible in the US, and live very cheaply. Total cost of living with a very active social and cultural life impossible to duplicate in the US which as some of the least options for culture. And my cost of living is $1500 a month, less than utilities alone for one house in California, and that is for 2 people. Last month for example I attended world class opera, ballet and symphonies 9 times, and went out to dinner, in jazz clubs or dance clubs, visited12 top museums, and it was still under $1500 for the month. A pair of tickets to the MET in NYC for lower grade performance, sets, orchestra ad theater, was $1800!! $600 for tickets to drama for 2. Here there 237 drama theaters within walking distance of my city center home, and can walk anywhere at any time of day and be safe due to VERY low crime rates. Free medical is good. I am not citizen but still I had an operation and 10 days in a vip single room for $5300 and despite my insurance I had been paying back in California $824.month, it was going to cost me out o pocket $500,000 and one day in a recovery 12 bed room, and require paid nursing attendant for 30 days. The results were great and was treated like king.\nCanadians have lost control of their government but Americas are screwed regardless, with lower than international standards for everything, with crime, corruption in Washington, extreme cost of living, no access to culture, few if any safe parks. My adopted city is not only far more beautiful than any US city, my GF can walk, alone, anywhere in a city of 7mil at any time of day through any of the 600 beautiful parks open 24/7..at 3am. There are no homeless, and 80% of those over 20yo own their home clear of debt. No college debt despite twice the % of people having degrees. The rest of the world caught up and has surpassed the US and Europe in quality of life. \n\nI have only been back to the US 5 times in 24 years and each time I am shocked by how much the entire society has declined while most of the world outside of Europe, Canada, US, UK or Australia have dramatically improved.\nEvery year since 2008 more Americans leave the US to live elsewhere than legal immigrants arrive.

I immigrated to Canada in 2010, and here are my experiences inside and outside Canada. I am grateful for a good education; having a Canadian passport opened up many opportunities in other countries to build a higher-level career. However, if I had known the amount of stress, health, and financial damage that I had to endure, I wouldn't have chosen to come to Canada. I would have remained in the US or EU countries where I could achieve even more without suffering to the level I did here. \n\nMisleading immigration promotion: The government-sponsored Canadian immigration program oversells what Canada can offer. It withholds information on the cost of living, chicken-and-egg problems like Canadian work experience is required to get a job at the same level as you are in, Canadian credit history is required to rent a proper apartment, Canadian education is required to secure a high-level job, etc. \n\nHiring process: I knew the Canadian system was not ideal for immigrants over a decade ago, but it got so bad now that even the born citizens are unable to survive. The Canadian government and employers lack a basic understanding that ambitious, high-achieving people immigrate to other countries for high-level positions using proper channels. It's ridiculous to see that Canada uses a point-based system to choose highly qualified personnel to enter their country yet expects them to pursue low-paying entry-level or labor jobs just because they have brown/black skin. At first, I thought having a Canadian degree and experience might help me get high-level jobs, and I didn't think how I spoke or looked would matter when I had high credentials to show off. So, I got my masters & Ph.D. from the Univesity of Toronto, which consistently ranks #1 in Canada. I have a bachelor's from a prestigious university in Asia and had a high-competitive, well-paid federal government job in another country. Still, none of that was recognized in Canada, and I had to volunteer for over 6 months, 10 to 12 hours/day, in a research lab that led to a funded PhD program. I worked even harder during my Ph.D. with many accomplishments, like 40+ research and leadership awards, internationally recognized scientific discoveries, and innovative technologies. I checked all the above and beyond in various domains (research, teaching, leadership, business, engineering consulting, collaborations, etc.). Yet, employers couldn't see past my race, gender, age, etc., and refused to give me the opportunity at the level of my qualifications. Luckily, I managed to secure short-term work in the UK & the US, and it changed even how I see myself. I was highly respected for my credentials, given higher positions than I applied for, and paid 3-4 times more salary and benefits. Of course, bias is an integral part of every society, but my race, gender, age, etc., were not as big of an issue to begin my career at the mid-career stage in these countries as opposed to Canada. \n\nHealthcare: Access to healthcare was another big challenge for me. When I moved to Canada in 2010, due to extremely low temperatures, I developed hives all over my body, my eyes got red, and I coughed for many months. The doctor said there was nothing wrong with me and refused to give me any medication. It took us years to get a family doctor, and we got one through my personal network. In 2015/2016, I developed an autoimmune disease, and my eyeballs popped out. As of today, I did not get to see an eye specialist as they have only 1 specialist in the area, and the waiting time is for years for the first consultation. Every time the family doctor told me that I had iron deficiency, even when I insisted that they should run additional tests and they cleared, they were flagged. The doctor never diagnosed my autoimmune condition. Luckily, during my short-term work in the UK, I saw competent interns who completed my care. NHS is poorer than the medical system in Canada... they are understaffed, don't have hospital beds after surgery, or don't have stock of paper gowns, yet the staff are highly competent and caring. Within 1-2 years, they did complete diagnosis by sending me to various specialists, completed eye surgery, and even found a lifelong condition that was preventing me from realizing my full potential. Following, in the US, the doctors confirmed the diagnosis of all the conditions within 1-2 months and put me on two small pills for life. It has dramatically changed my life, and I have even more admiration for the medical profession. While in Canada, I suffered for over a decade, and every time, I was treated as a hypochondriac and never given a single prescription. \n\nQuality of life: Big cities like Toronto are mainly affected by high crime rates, overpopulation, cost of living, low employment, low salaries, etc. A few months back, there was a huge auto theft, and one of my contacts lost their Lexus car within minutes of parking. Despite being a scientist, I have no faith in politicians or individuals fixing these problems. The salaries are not increasing, but the taxes and cost of living are on the exponential growth curve. The ridiculous part is that Canada expects you to pay taxes even when you are not employed or living in Canada! I lived in London and Boston, and they offer a much higher quality of life and pay. \n\nGrowth potential: No wonder Canada, being a G7 country, falls at the bottom of the list in innovation, equal opportunities, economic growth, etc. It has a decent education system but, due to its inherent bias in the hiring process and monopoly of certain businesses, loses talented immigrants and highly qualified Canadians to the US, the UK, and EU markets. Unless there is a dramatic shift in policies, Canadians, especially new immigrants, cannot expect any positive experience in Canada except for being discriminated against and losing valuable time and money by being there.