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Bad things about Saskatchewan:\n-A LOT of snow, A LOT\n- negative 30c is the norm in winter, summer usually plus 25c (It's COLD)\n-housing prices aren't as cheap as the video says... sure you can buy a place for $280,000 :) ...an apartment. \nA new family house made in 2012 costs $550,000, an old one made in 1980 costs $330,000.\n- Not a lot of bang for your buck. Yes, there are jobs in the major cities but the pay isn't so great unless you are a nurse or work in health care. (Best province for upcoming nurses btw) Minimum wage for the win! \n-As I said previously, minimum wage for the win! There are jobs but you don't get paid enough to live without a roommate or almost be constantly broke.\n-Rent is okay. If you DO manage to get a decent paying job, like a teacher, plumber, doctor, etc, rent is cheap.\n-Expensive retirement. Thinking the healthcare is great for seniors? It is. But, get ready to give every last penny to your senior home. A neighbour got a quote from a local seniors home for him and his wife, $65,000 per year (MINIMUM) for the 2 of them. That's how much the old folks home costed.\n-You need a car. If you want to visit outside the major cities, you need a car. In the cities you can survive traffick by bus, but it is better with a car.\n-You can't see northern lights a lot. Not from the cities. You have to go north, north, north, out in the middle of nowhere.\n\nGood things about Saskatchewan: \n-No cougars. Bears and wolves live here, mainly in the north.\n-People are friendly. There isn't as much crime in the 2 major cities, Prince Albert does have a lot though just like the video said, so I'd steer clear of that place.\n-Great education. Good place to raise a family.\n-Great healthcare. Has most covered in universal healthcare I think out of every province. Seniors like to move to Saskatchewan for retirement. It's a great place to retire if you have the money to move.\n-Lots of local stuff to see. A lot of local shops, parks, camp grounds, etc.\n-Rent is cheap. It's cheaper than Vancouver or Toronto.\n-Food prices are alright. Not good, not bad, just okay. Even a poor single mother can buy some food I think.\n-Lots of land. There is lots of flat land here. Not that you could own it all lol But it is pretty to look at.\n\nHighlights/Best people to move here:\n-nurses\n-immigrants for fast food jobs\n-rich seniors\n-rich families (good place to raise a family)\n\nPeople not good to move here:\n-single people\n-poor seniors

I was in Canada for 10 years which I considered lost years. Many of my friends also are in the same situation, we all lose our health, saving, confidence and many other aspects of our own personality. We can not blame Canada though as it is the same everywhere in the world. If you do not have to then do not move to Canada. As the regret is a lot after you do the move.\nIt is not the same for everyone also, but for most of the people it is not working anymore to immigrants to Canada. It is not working for Canadians also to live in Canada as before too.\n\nSo be careful when making decision on immigration to Canada as many people lose a lot.

It takes me 3 months to get a doctor appointment in the US here in Seattle and I was just told several months to see my eye doctor. Depending on medical plan the insurance means you do not go to the specialist without a referral. So Canadians may not have as much to complain about. My parents were immigrants to Canada because it was easier (my father was in Danish Merchant Marine and was in China Sea when his appointment would come up in New York). They did not have it easy because they did not speak the language and worked hard to learn. Working as a housekeeper was the norm for females and my mother's education meant nothing when she expected to work in a bank. Danes stuck together and helped each other to get jobs, with carpentry (most had apprenticeships like brick laying), to socialize, etc. and this is normal for immigrants. Working multiple jobs was normal and having a great home was their American dream instead of a government apartment. It is true for all immigrants that their kids will do better than the parents. The kids will have no accent if they learn English by age 12. There are age cutoffs on learning a language in child development. During the hiring process the jobs are given to people the interviewer perceives as being like themselves. This is proven by psychologists (I am one). This puts immigrants at a disadvantage unless they have a rare skill without competition. Dad got his house and Mom took my sister and went back to Denmark because of health issues and the US has garbage medical care and social services for the elderly (poor sister didn't speak Danish because it wasn't allowed in case it impacted our English skill). As a daughter of immigrants I worked 20 hours days and weekends almost all my life. I put myself through school and have been successful despite being female and making much less than men. Immigrants need to realize that it will be their kids who make the big bucks and succeed while the parents who immigrated will struggle. As a cultural mix (US, Canadian and Danish citizen because of wacky sexist rules) I have had a lot of confusion over the years trying to fit in and figure out what my values are. I have had to ask my US husband is that behavior normal? Of course different states in the US or going 200 miles north to Canada means a different language to speak (Canadian or Spanish in the South) and different values, ways of dress, etc. so being an immigrant can mean just traveling 200 miles north or to an insane state like Texas or New York. Culture shock is everywhere but most of us move for the money. I am thinking of going back to Canada but my home was Vancouver and that now looks like a hell hole. My husband had over a million dollars in medical care and I really do not wish to lose all my assets to medical costs in the US. So now I am trying to choose between death by earthquake in BC somewhere or death by tornado or perhaps fire storm in Calgary due to climate change.

To me, the problem is threefold. a) Toronto and Ontario in general - and perhaps the whole of Canada - are accepting way more immigrants than they have quality jobs for. If you need taxi drivers and plumbers, maybe this experience should be valued way higher than education as part of the existing immigration programs (which is not the case). At least then potential immigrants know this before they come and get stuck in low-paying or relatively OK-paying but repetitive and demoralizing jobs with debts and mortgages that become a trap preventing them from leaving. It's also partially on immigrants themselves who come to Toronto to only find out there's 100 people competing for one spot and that you need to be exceptional - or connected through your ethnic network - to work regular white-collar jobs. b) The official bipartisan policy of non-integration. The naive expectation that having people live in ethnic enclaves will somehow make the overall culture richer is not what happens: instead, people tend to stick to their own communities and the common culture thus gets eroded and limited to economic and financial matters. This makes some cities feel like one large business with everyone networking 24/7 instead of socializing normally. And arguably, having the right culture / social life is what motivates already successful people move in the first place. So when they come and they find out there's nothing but money talk and hustling, they leave (if they're smart). Quebec is doing better in that regard, but then Quebec is not really Canada and it's been pressured to cave in to the same money-centred, uncultured and disconnected society by the feds for decades now. The States is smarter in that it actually makes sure to integrate its immigrants (and let's be honest, many immigrants like being part of a new culture if it fits them) c) Treating real estate as an investment and not as a basic necessity (as Japan or some Nordic countries do, for example). That coupled with a lot of Asian money being laundered in Canada through immigration channels and private equity firms buying whole apartment blocks for rental purposes has led to the highest housing price increase in all of the developed world in the past 20 years or so. The median price of a condo in Toronto is higher than in New York despite the massive gap in salaries and the fact that New York is one of the most expensive cities in the world to begin with. Some draconian measures are needed here to prevent foreign - or even out-of-province ownership -, second property ownership and corporate ownership for renting purposes.

To be fair, a large percentage of immigrants to the United States move back also. Even during the Cold War, refugees from the Soviet Union moved back in large numbers. It is natural for people to think of what they’re gaining when they move someplace and not focus on what they’re losing. A lot of the times you don’t even know what you’re losing until you get there. No place is a dream.

Canada is what you make of it. You can arrive rich and end up poor and you can arrive poor and end up rich. In between that, you can have a great life that balances your needs. I’ve seen immigrants succeed simply because they see the opportunity in front of them . They worked hard in their own counties to stay just above the poverty line ,but when they apply that same effort here it pays off ten times greater. I feel that compared to a lot of immigrants, natural born Canadians come across as spoiled and a little lazy…we are. We haven’t had to struggle the same way someone from a poorer country might have. I’ve talked to people who’ve worked ten to twelve hours a day just to stay afloat. If you did that here you could make plenty of money to live and have some left over. As far as owning a house goes,yes it’s expensive . I feel that homeownership in any country is relatively expensive. Here is a tip; use that soaring home prices to your advantage. Houses are expensive but you can make a lot of money buying and selling. I recommend putting together a buyers group and share the house for a few years, then sell at a profit, buy a bigger house or two smaller houses.try to buy the worst house in the best neighbourhood and fix it up slowly . That house could double in value in five or six years in the Toronto market. This is nothing new of course ,the people from India and China seem to do this a lot here ,it drives up prices and profits. On the downside to this ,you are now part of the problem. As the housing prices are driven up the non wealthy can no longer afford to own a house . They are at the mercy of high rents with no rewards of ownership. They are caught in a cycle of hard work and (relative)poverty. This could also be you if you can’t keep up the house payments and are forced to rent.\nHow well you speak English is important but your native language is also useful here because Canada is half immigrants . As a Canadian that speaks only english (Irish descent)I have to say to all newcomers that I’m very impressed that you have learned a new language and that you may even speak more than two! Don’t be embarrassed about your abilities . I find that in my experience , Canadians do not look down on people just because they don’t know English. In fact ,I’ve known people that have lived here for decades and still know very little English. They are comfortable in their communities and they function just fine. Learn as much English as suits your needs and be proud of any gains you make.\nOutside of Toronto are other cities that you might consider when looking at southern Ontario.From my experience,most are generally the same, just not as big . There are large immigrant communities in London Ontario, Hamilton and just outside of Toronto where housing is just a little bit less expensive but the commute to work is probably longer. This is just my opinion but in the small towns there are less people of colour , (which is what people of no colour call everyone else . I wonder if I’m called a person of no colour in some other culture ? LoL ). That might make it harder for you to feel integrated ,if that’s what you want. I’m not saying that people from other cultures can’t make it in a small town , I’m just saying that it’s definitely not Toronto . Here, people of any nationality can feel like they have a place where they can belong . It seems that no matter where you are from ,there is a community already here that’s set up restaurants and stores and clothing shops and newcomer support systems. And if your from Portugal or China or India or Africa or the Middle East, there are large groups of your kin here that have established roots for generations and you probably know this already.\nToronto means meeting place and that becomes evident quickly. I was born here and it’s one of the things I love the most about my city. I’m not going to say that there isn’t systemic racism here ,the people of no colour still kind of keep the top position , but as we become a minority in a decade or so ,I hope that will shift to a broader spectrum. It’s certainly happening already. One good thing is that the police department tries to hire people of colour so that racialism may play a smaller role. We’re getting used to seeing our politicians more and more reflect their constituents.\nI have to talk about the weather. Because I’m from here I’m used to the extremes of minus thirty and plus thirty . Eventually you get used to it (somewhat). Dressing in the right clothes is important. Summer is easy , but winter is different. It’s trying to kill you. Spend the most that you can afford on winter cloths . If you can afford a quality parka you should get one. The hood can be drawn around the face and stay out of the wind.\nIf not ,think of layers with a outer layer that blocks the wind. We have things called long Johns that are basically full length thick cotton or nylon pants that go on under your pants and a pair of extra thick socks. Buy your boots to fit your thick socks. Try to get the best boots you can afford ,it’s something that you might spend a little extra for but never regret.\nAll in all we are a fairly organized and peaceful society. Most people are friendly and will give you a chance . We have a good social safety net here and you don’t have to be homeless or starving if you don’t want to. There are people and organizations set up to help ,that truly try to get people back on their feet. It’s a good investment that pays off in ways that matter for the quality of life in a big city. I’m not putting my American neighbours down when I say they do things differently. They have their ways ,we have ours. This is just something that we do because we’re trying to learn how to help those that society has discarded or can’t find their place. Sure we have one or two areas where the homeless have pitched tents and we have some resources for them if they want. Unfortunately The mayor recently forced a small camp to move from a very visible place to more scattered locations. There were social workers involved as well as protesters trying to protect them. I didn’t like that happening and I want to see even more resources dedicated to them ,but on the other hand ,we are trying to avoid something like what happens on the streets when it’s just ignored. When I see YouTube videos of the streets of Philadelphia I’m extremely saddened. I thank the lucky stars that I was born in Toronto Canada.\nFor all it’s pollution and expense and crowds ,I think it’s a great place to do almost anything your heart desires . For every ugly building there is a beautiful park ,for every honked horn there is a birds call , for every cold and dark day there is beautiful sunny one around the corner.

I know Canada is not perfect and I find you’re a bit hard on the red maple leaf... just because you don’t find the same things as your native country. It’s like\nfrench people coming from France, going to Quebec province an complaining about the food, the weather etc... well we’re not France, sorry to say! But I can\ntry to understand your situation; it’s probably inevitable that the comparison between your country and Canada would show up eventually. I see regularly \nimmigrants moving here and it’s true that it’s not easy. (Some people will have to be cab drivers because they can’t find work in their field). But you have\nopportunities if you work hard. I have the example of a Russian truck driver who move here with his family (wife, two kids). The man started by working for\na general transport company, then was able to buy his own truck. Now he’s able to work with whoever he wants. So I think every experience is different.\nOne other thing I noticed is that for families coming here it will always be easier for kids (even teens) to adapt quicker then their parents. I live in the east\n(the maritimes) and there is not very large cities. Some immigrants that come here will stay for a while but then they would move to a larger city (like\nToronto) because that city must have the most ethnic diversity in Canada. For cultural differences true that Canadians are like Americans in the «none»\nfashion trending. It’s a different mentality then Europe because over there fashion is a statement; you are judge on your appearance. Here, not as much.\nIt shows you don’t like winter and if you don’t your not a real Canadian! :-) Don’t generalize, a lot of people here like winter. And for taxes I don’t have a clear\nexplanation other then we have a huge empty country that needs roads, infrastructures, etc. and someone has to pay for it! (fun fact, all the population\nof Canada could fit in a country like Poland... it shows how empty it is here). Finally, and I heard this many times, maybe the people or the part of the\ngovernment to blame is Immigration Canada. Maybe they give to much of an idealistic image of Canada! I truly hope that all will be fine for you here.\nDon’t forget that you can make a change to the society; if you don’t like it, you can make it better! Cheers! (Sorry for this long message)