Close Reading

Great video. I'm from Victoria but have been living in Asia for 25 years. I have no idea how regular people get by in Victoria/Vancouver etc. I'm shocked how far Canada has fallen. It was probably a long slow slide but post pandemic Canada seems like a disaster. Singapore is so good I'm shocked you would stay in Vancouver or anywhere in Canada unless you are tied down somehow. I left when I was 30 as it just seemed so stagnant especially on the work/financial front and it just keeps getting worse and worse.

Unfortunately I was born there and wasted 23 years of my life there...but I made up for it spending the last 24 in Japan. God works in mysterious ways. :D It's just fucked up that I own 13 homes in Japan and even if I sold ALL of them, I could probably barely afford a DUMP in Vancouver...or maybe just an old condo. But yet somehow propaganda says how expensive Japan is..and how great Canada is. Fuck that shit. The West's propaganda is just messed. Thank God I broke free from that. I can barely handle a 2 week vacation when I go back to visit family. :(

This is a very thoughtful and balanced review. As a retired Canadian who had a good job for most of my life, I'm saddened by the decline in almost all areas of life, lifestyle and and people's aspirations in this country. This decline actually seems quite rapid, I would say from 2015 onwards. Housing in major centres was expensive, but it has skyrocketed in the past decade. There has been a decline in many institutions: 1. health-care, especially noticeable since the pandemic that coincided with many boomer medical staff retiring, but also by our sclerotic institutions refusing to enable foreign-trained doctors to work here. Many foreign-trained doctors in the Vancouver area are doing jobs way below their qualifications while many people cannot even get a family doctor. Crazy. Econonically, there seems to have been no plan at all from the government as we exited the pandemic. At least the US had a plan, to 'build back better'. Our government just floats along as if everything is fine, when the decline is very visible especially to older Canadians. We have admitted 1/2 a million people a year from overseas, so our economy should reflect this and show an upswing. But no, we're in a 'technical recession' as of December and probably a real recession as of last week. I have never voted Conservative in my life, but Trudeau is a flaky dimwit with a famous name who has no clue what he is doing. A fool, in fact. He's mismanaged our foreign relations beyond belief, and nothing has improved domestically. When Pierre Poilievre says 'Canada is broken', I believe it. We deserve much better leadership; in Canada's case, the rot does come from the top. Justin the entitled idiot is much more like his mother than his father.\n\nLong rant. Anyway, I just wanted to praise your balance, and your decision to stay for now. Moving from one country to another is a huge life-change and you have worked hard to be here. I only hope conditions improve for you and your husband in the near future. Will look out for your future videos.

My husband is from Gaza, all of his extended family was killed and these three months have been the most emotionally depleting, we also found out we are 2 months pregnant alhamdulilah and because we want to make sure the little one gets the islamic education and lives in a safe environment we can't possibly stay in Canada (we live in Vancouver, almost no visible muslims here). I'm a revert from Europe so people get so confused when they see me in hijab, it's uncomfortable and scary. Given the fact that my husband grew up in Gaza, we would like to move somewhere where islamic values are still very strong and people didn't exchange them for Shakira concerts (I think we all know which country i'm talking about) so our safest bet as of now is Kuwait and Qatar. More strongly Kuwait as there's a big Palestinian community. Hope this helps!

My family moved 22 years ago from Mumbai to Toronto…while the struggles said on your channel are real, there are also perks which I feel like you didn’t get to experience. If people have good jobs, stable family life then DON’T move…culture shock is huge that people moving from India don’t consider, just by wearing and eating western food doesn’t make you western! \nThere are sacrifices to be expected which you don’t realized as your great grandparents or grandparents might have made when they started out! \nMoving to another country is never easy, unless you’re loaded with $$$. People in India are lazy as they have people working for them and don’t realize how difficult it is living outside of that lifestyle (not everyone in India can afford housekeepers, cleaners). Being independent and doing things on your own has its own positive (just need to figure it out). \n\nI have worked in healthcare for 16 years and let me tell you…social system works better as everyone gets the health service without being judged about $$. Healthcare is based on priority around the world but people don’t understand this as they feel like their problem should be attended first no matter what! \nNot all drugs are legal in Canada, marijuana is legal though with acceptable limits…you probably were misinformed about drugs! Teach your kids about right /wrong when it comes to drugs, smoking, alcohol and that’s the best you can do! I know people who live in India and do all that which you mentioned you were worried about for your kids. \n\nWhat you experienced was a classic case of culture shock and your expectations didn’t match the reality! Moving away from family, changing lifestyle and being responsible adult (doing things on your own rather than relying on workers) is difficult but doesn’t make the country bad that have you an opportunity to settle! Don’t take things for granted even while you live in India…appreciate the effort that goes into everything- keeping roads clean, people working hard, etc. \n\nBest advice I can give to those considering moving to any foreign country is: Keep an open mind, be ready to work hard and visit the country you want to move to before you make the grave decision of uprooting everything! Things usually turn around and get better after 5 years mark- focus on upgrading your education if you have a basic degree from India (even you know how competitive things are in India, so how can western world not be!)\n\nBeing vegetarian- things are tough when it comes to food but living in Toronto has never been an issue. Even people living in India avoid outside food due to hygiene reason which is not a problem in Canada as food inspection is pretty strict (having worked with ministry of health). \nCities like Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, etc has variety of food options (including veg)…just have to be really open to trying other cultural food (Asian, Mediterranean, Italian,Mexican, etc). My parents are strict vegetarians and have never truly struggled when they are out. \n\nCost of living is definitely higher as the standard living is higher compared to India. Education (until grade 12) and healthcare are free (in reality, you pay tax for it), you get pension when you retire (based on your contributions and type of jobs you had)…you failed to navigate the system and I will say having family around is why you didn’t take opportunity to explore and learn on your own. \n\nPlease don’t come to Canada and make life difficult for other Indians who choose to willingly accept the culture and lifestyle here after going through this hardship- cost of living and housing has gone up dramatically in major cities because of immigration influx! If you’re serious about moving and putting up, only then move! Otherwise all the best for your future endeavours!

I guess 650 dollars for a spacy one-bedroom apartment in Vancouver (Kitsilano) is just unreal anymore. I found it expensive 25 yrs ago when I lived there. Jobs back then where difficult to find even for an educated European from Germany. Not even waiter jobs. It was always a hassle to get through the winter. Thank god I am back in Europe.

When I first came to Canada, I was shocked to learn most college graduates' ideal was to work for the government. In the US, the best students usually go into the private sector. Another point, an educated, experienced economist from Latin America immigrated to Canada but could only work as a language teacher to make ends meet. I met him at an evening class in Vancouver. To be honest, I don't think the decision makers care that much about where this country goes.

I'm not Indian, I'm indigenous from Canada and I grew up in Vancouver, where the population is mostly from Asia. Being surrounded by people of asian descent is very normal for me. I don't expect anyone to assimilate and lose their culture to exist here. I knew we had a large population of Sikhs here but I didn't think it was nearly as many as in India... and now I find out there are more sikhs here than in India. Amazing. I also didn't know we had so many Sikhs in parliament, let alone Indians. My school is mostly Indian and everyone I talk to has come from Punjab. Everyone seems to love it here, and the school is in the middle of little Punjab so I've been told by my classmates it is the perfect place for the students who are homesick because they are surrounded by their community. I rarely hear English when I walk down the halls, there is even a course to learn to speak Punjabi, which I want to take so I can talk to the students who don't speak English as well. We have many large gurdwaras, and one near me I've eaten langar almost everyday for the past 10 years. Most people here know Sikhs to be very generous and humble. It was a shock to me when I heard the president of Guru Nanak Gurdwara was shot, because I believed Sikhs to be very kind and peaceful, and the gurdwara has a very good reputation as they take lots of food into Vancouver and feed the homeless. They even opened a kitchen in the DTES during the pandemic to be able to have food available to the people immediately. No one else did anything like that. They delivered a lot of food. Now they have an auxiliary kitchen in the DTES permanently that serves free meals. I thought more news would come out of the shooting but it seemed quiet for a bit until Trudeau accused the Indian government of the attack. This news also shocked me, so I decided to start looking into it slowly. I couldn't really get a good idea of what was going on until I searched a video for Diwali and your videos came up. I will share it with my husband so he can be educated on the matter as well. Thank you for your diligent research and dissemination of important knowledge.

I only left at 51 and wished I'd hv started 3 decades earlier ? Hv been on the road for 9 yrs, covered more than 30 countries where I get to work & enjoying literary every corner of the beautiful planet instead of paying up to my nose for nothing in Vancouver, tho I used to love my city to the moon... not to mention months of wet & miserable winter & how cold & edgy people are these days and don't even talk to me about the evil woke culture where our PM along with all the elites are secretly trying to imprison all Canadians where these blood suckers will drain u high & dry whereby they live in cloud nine themselves! Since moving away I've decided to live only a few months in each country I visit but in spite of moving around once every few months yet I managed to save 2-3x more in comparison to when I was working just to pay all the bills where I could never earn enough to own a home in Vancouver, ever! I still hope for massive turn around for the country I love yet I'll encourage anyone to get out of your comfort zone and u shall be surprised by all the experiences money can never buy u! Don't be afraid as life has much more to offer outside of our comfort zone really!!!

I am not racist but just stating a fact during an observation. I live in Coquitlam. a city connected to Vancouver BC by another city Burnaby. I went to my local blood clinic for testing, it was very busy with long wait times of over 6 hours but I thought I would try anyway. As I took my number and was standing against the wall waiting as their were no seats I took note that out of 38 people I was the only caucasian, the other 37 were 100 percent Asian. I could have easily thought I was in a clinic in Beijing. This is my country, born and raised here from many generations of europeans. When I was young there was more diversity of cultural backgrounds but it has changed in that one culture totally dominates . That is not cultural mix it is a takeover by one particular culture. Why is immigration Canada allowing so many of one culture compared to other cultures? As a taxpayer I expect immigration should be well thought out and to not favour one culture over another yet in Vancouver area that is happening.

Wow, I finally hear someone saying that Vancouver is ugly. I thought I was the only one. I’m from Europe so it was super obvious to me that there is no comparison with European cities and I always cringe when I hear that Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities. It’s literally just the surrounding that is beautiful, not the city. Having said that, I disagree that this is common with all North American cities. Even with my European eyes, I adore the older North American architecture. I think architecture in Chicago is great. San Francisco is beautiful (without the homeless), so to me Vancouver is ugly even in the context of North America. Most of downtown Vancouver has either new boring glass condos or the older ones that look like buildings from communist era in Eastern Europe. And I became really upset about that because this beautiful spot on the west coast deserved beautiful city, it should have been Canadian San Francisco. Original in its own way, but beautiful. But it’s really not. I’m sure it was way more interesting city 50 years ago. I saw old photos and it had some character.

Comments from a Canadian. Homeless people are generally concentrated in the larger cities but in the past few years it has become a real problem. It is a real problem for the people when the temperature drops to -30C. Mental wellness is a huge issue. The racism issue is mainly against the indigenous. The doctor migration to the US is a money thing, not better conditions. Getting a family doctor is easy in some places and difficult in others, generally in rural communities. Getting a reference to a specialist is not an issue and I believe this may be a doctor specific issue. If your GP does not refer you, ER will take care of you. The issue with referrals is the triage system that may result in a longer wait to see the specialist. This is in contrast to the US where one can see a specialist very quickly, if one has insurance. In Canada, every citizen and legal resident has the ability to receive medical care as covered by the provincial medical systems which differs from province to province. Many doctors are now offering online communication with your GP and specialist. Your finance comments are inaccurate. There are 5 nation wide banks but there are also nation wide credit unions and provincial banks which in my opinion these tend to offer better service than the big 5 (exclude National Bank, which is big bank but more investment focused). Cell carrier monopolies is a real issue. Cell carriers are recently offering unlimited data, no long distance to the US, etc. Other countries have a definite advantage here. The government has enabled conditions for a new carrier a few times but eventually, these smaller carriers get swallowed up by the big national carriers. More recently Rogers bought out Shaw which limits our choices further. Sales tax is not always 10-15%. In Alberta the sales tax is 5%. Passing courses and evaluations ensures there are standards which is a good thing. Would you want a Civil Engineer designing a road or bridge that is not suitable for the climate? How about a doctor with questionable credentials? Agree with your recommendations for hiring. It is expensive to hire and train a new employee but can be much more expensive to fire an employee. Agree with the housing crisis comments and the reasons. Getting an absent owner to fix a property? This is crazy inaccurate. Multi-dwelling properties have property managers paid to look after the properties regardless of who owns it. While on the average, foreign investment may not seem to contribute to property prices, this is not the case when looking a the local sectors of the big two - Toronto and Vancouver. There was a case in Vancouver where a property with a shack sold for over $1MM. This is not because the house price was unrealistic, but because of the property location and perceived property value. This is a direct result of foreign investment in houses in the Vancouver area resulting in a lack of properties. Many of these foreign owned single family investment properties remain empty most of the year. Another big issue in many Canadian municipalities is the lack of building code enforcement. The laws are in place but not always enforced.

Thanks for the very informative video. I just got back from a week in Vancouver and saw so many drug addicts and homeless people when I drove through East Vancouver on my way to Gastown. Years ago when I drove this same area, I didnt see this problem. What the heck happened? Is the U.S. rubbing off in Canada. Crime, drugs, homeless people, and criminals seem to have migrated from the U.S. to Canada. Anyway, I was contemplating buying a house in Coaquitlam and retiring there for 6 months out if every year. Now, my eyes are open to what it would really be like. Still better than the U.S., crime wise, but the prices are high. Gas equivalent was $7.50 PER gallon. Food was more. Walmart was more. Starting January 1, 2023 no foreigner can buy property in Canada for 2 years.

This Canadian lived in Orange County CA for 10 years. I took my the 12 year old with me. I had been offered my dream job and was paid enough to have a good standard of living. However, I lived in an immigrant community to save money as I found many of the high schools were horrid compared to Canada. I had not realized the school to school inequality to be so extreme and my kid changed to independent study at home. So with a Canadian elememtary education, they graduated high school a year only while skipping no courses..\n\nMy kid had medical issues and even with good HMO insurance, we could never get a decent diagnosis until it had gotten so bad that their digestive system was so wrecked. I finally sent them back to Canada for the surgery that we could not get in the USA. It seemed the insurance companies kept getting in the way. And in one case a doctor went all religious on us. After 6 years of almost continuous pain they finally got relief for a decade until the prior damage came back to haunt them However, after a year of university ib Canada my kid went to a private university in the eastern USA. They have decided to remain in the USA and now in their mid 30s, they make really good money anf have top line medical insurance which pays for the ongoing care they need because of the damage caused by delays when a teenager. \n\nI found life in the suburbs of Orange County nice but the OC is not a good place to meet people. When after 10 years there, in 2010 I returned to Vancouver to care for my elderly mother. I had been living alone for 6 years by then and was offered the first job in Vancouver anything close to me dream job there. and I returned to Canada at age 59. I had been approved for a green card in 2008 but there was a 6 year wait for it to come through. But I noticed the racism in the USA start breaking out all over the place when Obama got elected. And it has gotten worse and worse every year. Especially with 45 enabling it so much. \n\nMy circle of friends in Southern California are mainly good people and not at all like what we call MAGA-hats now. Except one who thinks 45 was the greatest. Politically, the USA is on the path that Germany was on in 1933 and I fear for the US Democracy if the Orange One gets in again. Even my kid and their spouse have bug out plans to head to Canada just in case. This is why my kid, while having a green card has never taken US citizenship. Besides, being a Canadian has not affected things the two times they got security clearances \n\nWhile most Americans are good people, it seems that about 25% have gone just plain loco and care nothing about democracy. And appear to prefer the USA to be a totalitarian theocracy \n\nI was there long enough, paying the maximum FICA taxes for 10 years to get a small pension from Social Security and I have Medicare Part A. I can afford to buy parts B and D but I see no reason. I have even better coverage in Canada for way less cost. The USA has a nice warm climate in many places and I just loved that. But otherwise y'all have too many people who want to turn the place into an intolerant police state and to return the country to 1950s levels of intolerance, So in my retirement, I will stay here in Canada. Even though I could go and move in with my kid in the USA and get onto US Medicare.

Canadian here. I will just say, after our pop increased by 1mil last year due to immigration (including foreign students that still drive up housing as they need to be housed), I can tell that the approval of our current immigration rates are a bit too generous. Maybe the survey was taken only in downtown areas of Toronto or Vancouver, so its really only asking other immigrants if immigration is chill, but that isnt the consensus of the nation. We dont make more than Americans, but we are taxed more (aka why we want more immigrants to get more tax $), and everything costs more here: from housing to food to energy. Its driven up by the current unsustainable immigration quotas. I myself an am immigrant, but when my family and I immigrated 23 years ago, we only took in 20 000 people a year. I wouldnt have an issue on this at all if we were building enough. Enough housing and transit for everyone. enough good paying jobs for all these newcomers. But these people (with excellent degrees) are lied to at the border with a false promise of prosperity, and just end up being uber drivers to make ends meet. Its a truly broken system. If you arent making 150k/year, you are very much considered lower--middle class.

I lived in Canada from 1983 to 2016 after I left the US Air Force in '83. I was born in the SF Bay area, and grew up there in the Hippie peace love/Viet Nam era in the 60's and 70's. I now live in Seattle. As we have travelled to San Fran, New Orleans, Nashville, Miami, Vancouver (Canada) and New York in the last 6 months, I kinda have a pretty good idea how it was on both sides of the border way back then, as well as right now. We have 2 rental homes, and I STILL have to work until I'm 70 to retire without worrying about losing it all because of the the high cost of health care. Your observation of race/political/religion relations are naive at best, you need to travel the country first hand to see it. Canada has it's far share of right wing crazies as well. They're mostly not armed, and most fights are 5 minute shouting matches. I know this because I work on construction sites. Canada doesn't have commercials for pharma or ambulance chasers. Because big pharma is kept in check, and with a population slightly smaller than California, frivolous lawsuits would clog the courts. If the PM killed some one on the corner of Yonge and Bloor in Toronto, he'd go to jail. You can get an abortion in Canada. There's a fraction of the Fentanyl crisis happening in Canada, and they have waaayy less homeless in the street. Canada has 2 weeks paid vacation AND paid holidays. The tax rate is higher in Canada, but many of the benefits make up the difference. It's cheaper to buy a house in Seattle than Vancouver. You can get a 30 year mortgage in Washington as well, instead of 5 or 10 years. Good and services tend to be cheaper and more plentiful Stateside. Mail service runs on weekends, it hasn't done that in Canada since the 80's. As it stands, I'm in Seattle right now because it isn't the typical US city by far. But I'm thinking when it comes to retiring, I'm putting Canada on the list. Being a dual citizen also makes me eligible for the other Commonwealth (universal health care) countries like Australia.

I was never interested in moving to the States but I think my reasons are different then most.\n\nStarting in my teens, I couldn’t understand why anyone would willingly live somewhere you couldn’t wander in the wilderness without worrying about things like poisonous snakes and poisonous bugs. I couldn’t understand what was so great about swimming in the sea if you have to worry about what part of the beach and how far out you go. How can swimming be fun? Lakes and rivers are much better. \n \nWhen I got older, I couldn’t understand how anyone could enjoy summer when the sun goes down so early in the evening. I left Vancouver, BC partially because the summer days are shorter then home and the winters are too dark. Even on an overcast night in winter up here, the light reflects off the snow and makes the night brighter. Do I like -30C or colder when it happens? No. I can’t walk the dogs because their feet might freeze but they’re idiots and will wrestle in the house if I don’t.\n\nNow that I’m almost 60, I note that all of my American cousins who had duel citizenship have moved back to Canada upon retirement where the conversation rate makes their pensions worth more and after 3 months they qualify for BC medical.\n\nThe guns, healthcare, right wing “Christians”, loss of human rights and potential for violence are why I don’t want my daughter to ever move there.

I live in Vancouver. I wanted to move to Salem Massachusetts when I was a kid because of all the history now as an Adult I really want to move to Las Vegas ❤

I have spina bifida and I’ve had 20+ surgeries. I’m not leaving a country that kept me out of bankruptcy and death and kept me from getting shot. I’m white, but I’m not playing Russian Roulette with my life. I just in the last few years discovered cannabis as relief for my chronic pain. I know there are some places where it’s legal, but it isn’t worth the risk for me. I remember visiting LA when I was 12 and hearing about how cool and hip Beverly Hills was. When I got there, it looked worse than the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, which is one of the poorest, most crime filled places in Canada. It was scary. That’s not the kind of “freedom” I’m looking for. You can’t exercise any freedom when you’re 6 feet under.

I'm afraid that with the gun craze down there, I would not consider it. Then, there is the lousy healthcare... And just when I think you guys aren't that bad off, I watch an episode of John Oliver's This Week Tonight, and a plethora of new reasons spring up. \n\nRight now in Canada, there is a Conservative Party that is starting to adopt the MAGA philosophy of consorting with white supremacism, fascism, misogyny and racist, and I cannot imagine moving to a place where this stuff is running rife. \n\nTyler, you are a lovely example of a decent American, and in truth, when visiting the States (which I haven't done for years), I met more people like you than like MAGA. However, my tolerance for stupid, hateful people is far lower since Trump was elected, and I swore I would not visit the US again until the WH, Congress and the Senate clean house of the Republican scourge. \n\nBut moving to the US would never be an option for me. I love Canada. I live in one of the most beautiful parts of Canada - Vancouver Island. I was born here and have visited many places in the world, but this is, and will forever be, home!

As a Canadian who moved to (self-proclaimed world-class Vancouver) 30+ years ago, when it was a gritty, fun, quirky unusual city, I thought it was paradise in Canada. However, as time marched on, I saw the gradual change, the boring glass towers, the shoebox apartments, the closing of most live rock music venues downtown, the end of Indy races in False Creek, the cancelation of Seafest, the unchallenged foreign ownership of both commercial ond mostly empty condos, leading to a severe housing crisis - gridlock and crumbling infrasture. Furthermore, the cost of living and taxation is crippling. The present Gov't (either sides, 1 of the same) has lost all credibility. The media is garbage. Healthcare is subpar period. So, like yourself, I've also spent several years overseas in cities that are soooooo much more beautiful with amazing climates. I also spent as much time outside Vancouver possible during the last 4 years. I haven't changed much personally but wow(!) the rise in narcissism, anger and divisiveness in Vancouver over that period of time is palpable. You nailed it with 'status chasing and diengenuis' - When you leave, then come back you notice this change much more. For those that were trapped here for the last 4 years, I feel for you. I really do.

Canada is nice, until you speak out against the alphabet mafia. Vancouver was beautiful when I visited a couple years ago and now it's ruined thanks to fentanyl and thanks to useless politicians that refuse to clean the streets. Learn the hard way then. I live in the Bay in California and it's a mess thanks to libs dem policies where criminals have no real consequences for their actions. Water here is perfectly fine imo and I don't need a car to get good food

I've lived In the US all my life. I was fortunate to come across my amazing wife who lives In Vancouver, BC. I was able to travel to Vancouver a lot since 2007 and I love the city. It's very beautiful, the people are decent, the houses are nice (yet expensive) and overall I like it up there. And you can't beat the free healthcare up there. I'm going to be moving from Chicago to Vancouver, BC in about a year cause my wife has had some medical issues and coming to the states won't work financially since she has medical issues already. I'm nervous yet excited. It's not that diverse when It comes to black people but I can get along with anybody. And I'm not worried about anybody messing with me unless they want a real ChiTown ass whooping lol. Thanks for the video guys. You guys are hilarious. Keep up the great work aight.

It's cheaper to live in Dallas Texas than Montreal, which is one of the cheapest cities to live in Canada, so I don't know where you're getting lower cost of living (and yeah I heard you're trying to compare apples to apples, but this is impossible and honestly, wtf would someone want to live in a crime ridden city like NYC? Which btw is around the same housing cost as Vancouver..)\n\nAlso, I'm not sure if you guys pay taxes, but this is a HUGE factor; take home income in Canada is much lower, and when you consider Americans get paid the same as us but in US funds, their taxes are a joke, so their disposable income is much higher.\n\nCanada is a country where mediocrity is celebrated, it's a good country for average intelligence type people who don't or won't earn high incomes , who don't want to own businesses - yeah it's perfect for them , but I was born and raised here , and trust me seeing 60-65% of my income going to cumulative taxes is disgusting.\n\nOh and for the record, someone earning average income of $50k in Canada gives up 46% of that to cumulative taxes - this is a fact you guys seemed to have left out.\n\nFor good looking women, bro once again, Montreal born and raised, the quality has dropped severely - a lot of hairy legged far leftist anglo types taking over, it's not what it used to be....\n\nLived in both, once again, Canada celebrates its mediocrity, the US is where you go to make bank and build a business - And Toronto is the most racially self segregated city in the world....

I moved from the U.S. to Canada. Some observations:\n1. It's unbelievably safe in Canada. The most dangerous places in Canada are still very safe compared to much of the U.S.\n2. Outside of DC and New York and I guess Chicago and L.A. in the U.S. and Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver in Canada, you need a car. I disagree that city planning is that much better in Canada.\n3. The maternity leave in Canada is great \n4. The unemployment insurance in Canada is great too\n5. I prefer the Canadian health care system. I never experienced any long wait times. My wife had literal brain surgery and it was free whereas it would've been hundreds of thousands of dollars in the U.S.\n6. Canada is further to the left and is much more woke than the U.S. Everything here is about equity, diversity and inclusion. Even many Canadian conservatives would be moderates in the U.S. but most people know this already.\n7. There is a better work life balance in Canada. I worked a lot more when living in the U.S.\n8. Most Canadians live by the U.S. border  so the weather is not that different than most northern American states. But once you go to northern Canada, it is as cold as they say it is.\n9. The U.S. is better for making money.\n10. It is much more racially segregated in the U.S. \n11. Outside cities like Montreal and Toronto, Canada is very white.\n12. Things are much more spread out in Canada. When I lived in the U.S. driving for 1 hour to go somewhere was a long drive. In Canada, that is normal.\n13. Canada is pretty great if you like the outdoors. There's only 36 million people here and outside the major cities, you find small towns and the wilderness. \n14. Canadians are quite friendly. I know my neighbors in the country. I never knew my neighbors in the U.S.\n15. Canadian politics is boring and I like this. However, in the rural areas, it seems that people really hate Justin Trudeau.\n16. Since Canada is so similar to the U.S. it is very easy to adjust to life here.\n17. Outside of Quebec, you really don't need to speak French. \n18. The nationalism of the Quebecois is very surprising. There is no group in the U.S. this nationalistic.

First let me say that every country and I do mean every single one has their pluses and minuses Canada's major plus is the fact that crime is almost nonexistent as opposed to the United States where there is a mass murder every single day and a mass murder defined as four or more people killed in One Time by one person this does not even count where there is just two or three people killed at one time they're not included in the statistics the United States is out of control with violence guns you name it and I've lived here for 40 years I spent the first 20 years in Canada in my life was so perfect that I can't even dream of a better life the problem with most people is they move to the larger cities Vancouver Toronto I grew up 40 miles outside of Montreal on the great Majestic St Lawrence River one of the truly great rivers in this world my parents had a summer home on the river and every summer it was water skiing fishing boating golfing swimming you name it growing up 40 miles outside of Montreal if you wanted The Nightlife of Montreal one of the great International cities in this world then you could just drive there in less than an hour and enjoy the great nightlife that is Montreal as someone who is French and Italian I loved the winters because ice hockey was my favorite sport and I played all the sports nothing even comes close to the speed skill and excitement of ice hockey it is like soccer on steroids they're only two cold months during the winter January and February and even then it's really enjoyable as long as the temperature stayed below 32° I was happy because that meant that they could make outdoor ice rinks and I could enjoy my favorite sport of ice hockey all winter long Outdoors as someone who's lived all over the United States over the last 40 years I wouldn't trade Canada for any place else the United States is full of scammers I've been in all kinds of businesses working for different companies and there's rarely a company that I didn't get cheated by and had to take to the labor board for justice and compensation I trust nobody the main thing here is stay away from the major cities of Vancouver and Toronto and you will be able to have a great life with affordable housing and if you're into the outdoors Sports Canada is the greatest and best secondly Canada has the third largest oil reserves in the world and so there are a lot of Natural Resources that Canada has that is wealth for the country that will filter down to the average person what people don't realize is it when you live I've lived in Southern United States and most places the summers are unbelievably excruciatingly suffocatingly miserably hot hot hot at least in the Colder Weather you just put on some great looking ski wear and you can be outdoors and not be bothered by the cold because you eventually a climatize yourself to it Canada is the second largest country in the world by land area and has only a 35 million population there is a lot of room for growth and opportunity and in a safe safe environment to raise a family and at the end of the day that's what it's all about I wish I could say the same for the United States being safe but no it is not and Mexico is they have six out of the top 10 most dangerous cities in the world and Tijuana is the most dangerous city in the world with almost 2000 murders and the year is not over don't believe me just Google it the reality is that the drug cartels control everything in Mexico and the police and politicians are afraid because the cartels are so ruthless there is way too much money to be made in selling drugs and the cartels will stop at nothing to make sure they get their money by the way most of my family still lives in Canada and are doing extremely well for themselves and I am the only fool that moved to the US

I randomly looked at videos from downtown Manchester and Concord in New Hampshire - Philadelphia - Detroit - Chicago - New York - Baltimore - Denver - Atlanta - Nashville, and Knoxville in the United States, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London in the UK, Paris, Marseille, Lyon, and Toulouse in France, Frankfurt, and Hamburg in Germany, Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane in Australia, Tokyo, Yokohama, and Osaka in Japan, Busan, Seoul, and Incheon in South Korea, Toronto - Quebec - Montreal - Winnipeg - Calgary - Vancouver - Victoria - Ottawa and Thunder Bay in Canada. we should be fair. The bitter truth must be accepted. Without any exaggeration. Completely impartial. I have to say that I didn't see a single piece of garbage in any of the other country's videos to convince myself. Without exaggeration, in all Canadian cities, you will find a piece of trash or garbage on the ground less than every hundred meters. It must have an important reason. I do not know. But this is a bitter truth. You can try. This country should be brought closer to its exaggerated claim. Certainly, some Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and even Malaysia are much cleaner compared to Canada. Of course, we should not forget that Canada claims to be one of the 10 cleanest countries in the world. And cities like Vancouver and Toronto claim to be one of the 5 cleanest cities in the world. I am 50 years old and from a country in the 3rd world in the Middle East called Iran (with the most dictatorial regime in the world) and have traveled to 26 countries. Canada is far from its claims. At this time I live in Saint-Sauveur with my family. I work 5 hours a week as a volunteer person to clean the sides of roads, streets, national parks, and public places in the city. I lived in Vancouver for 4 years, this city is a disaster. when you drive or walk on East Hastings, Victoria Drive, Commercial Drive, West Georgia, Broadway, Main Street, Granville, and most places downtown, you never believe this city is in Canada. they're worst than some places in Africa or the 3rd world countries in Asia. I love this country and try my best to help. I came for peace. I thought Canada is a developed and first-world country like European countries, the US, Japan, South Korea, Australia, News Land, and Singapore with the western standard, and also I thought is one of the best. The first time 2018 I arrived in Vancouver, I was shocked. I saw a lot of homelessness, trash, crime, ugly urbanism, and rusty houses in downtown and east Vancouver. I saw, homeless people, pooping and peeing everywhere and it's so common. nobody cares. I was shocked again. I endured for 3 years but every day going worst. late in 2022I decided to move to the east coast because I thought that place has a stronger culture. I chose Montreal. I had heard it is the capital of art and civilization in Canada. it was absolutely wrong. Canada is Canada. I was shocked again, again, and again. the wave of homelessness, graffiti, vandalism, bad smell, terrible infrastructure especially roads in or out of the city, and above all, you can see trash everywhere. plastic bags, tissues, water bottles, and disposable cups. You cannot see any street or park or public place without these. This is impossible. surprisingly nobody cares. neither the people nor the government!!!!!!! please, don't be fooled by the advertisement about a good Canada. please, be careful. most of the things about a good Canada are deception.

I'm a German who travelled to many European cities and when I arrived in overhyped Vancouver I was surprised what an ugly desert of concrete it mostly was. The skyline contains around 90% same looking glass towers. Yes Gastown is nice, but it's only a small part of it.

Wow, I’ve learned a lot about Canada that I didn’t know and I’ve visited Vancouver for one day while vacationing in Seattle WA 20+ years ago. One day most certainly isn’t enough time to get the feel of a place and most definitely not when considering to relocate. I’ve learned not to consider any place for relocation that I couldn’t visit beforehand like I did before relocating to the west coast from the east coast: the world was a friendlier place believe it or not than it is now. ?\n\nConversely, things definitely change over time especially when you’re younger, but I can attest without reservation that people ultimately make a place period: unless you’re a hermit. In fact, we’re looking to relocate at this time and the first priority of consideration is the friendliness of the people wherever that may be, but the world is rapidly changing and not for the better from my perspective. ?\n\nQUESTION EVERYTHING: What Is The Truth (WITT)??? ?. GYHOOYA: OYE!!! ?‍?

I was born and raised in Canada and left 30 years ago. I went to Vancouver about 10 years ago to visit family and I also found it ugly. The big glass buildings looked so dirty and outdated. It felt like an old outdated logging town. Like most Canadians, I used to be proud of the medical system but now I've realized it doesn't cure people it just keeps the citizens sick. Everyone I know there is sick and they are all proud of how many operations they've had and how many pills they take. I remember paying 30% in taxes as a University student with a part-time job. It just wasn't fair. The last straw was when I saw how the Trudeau government responded during covid. They hijacking the news stations and brainwashed the citizens. And then, they froze bank accounts of those who dared to protest or even support protesters. I lost a lot of respect for people there who I thought were intelligent and It made me realize how that place turns people into drones. Now I'm ashamed to be Canadian. Most Canadians live in a bubble and think it's the best country in the world but that's because they don't know what it's like to live. Good for you for leaving. I wish you all the best.

I hope you don't underestimate Europe's existing problems when i went to London 4 years ago i was shocked that it wasnt the place i imagined it to be no need to explain im sure you understand what i mean. Im an Asian immigrant, but i wasnt expecting that i couldnt even see a caucasian in London mostly arabs, blacks, indians, some asians i do not hate it but im just confused i worked in the middle east for 10 yrs and i was hearing arabic speaking everywhere, also asian language its like im in Vancouver or Surrey area. I thjnk its not an isolated problem probably your new to that place thats why you do not see the problems yet but i hope you made the right decision. All the best. The tax is really quite high but the Canadain government though with some flaws is still better than most countries believe me i have lived in Asia, middle east and been to places and met all kinds of people. One thing that seperates Canadian from most other nationalities despite the different ethnicities and races Canadians are generally nice and less violent and id rather have my kids grow up here than any part of the world. Oh yeah you should have tried luving in other provincea each one has a different experience ? i have lived in BC and Saskatchewan it was like living in another continent different culture and different environment but still most great people ?

I was born in Ontario, Moved to Manitoba when I was 16, also lived in Alberta and Saskatchewan. As a long haul trucker I've been to Newfoundland to Vancouver. Canada does have many beautiful parts but I chose Manitoba over them all until I retire to Thailand.

i am so thankful my parents held onto our townhouse in vancouver;\n\nfor anyone that isnt familiar with it, my dad bought a townhouse in the 1990's on west 7th avenue (practically downtown vancouver) for around 500k. even when we moved away, he kept it as a rental property just for some extra cash (back in the early 00's they probably went for 2300ish)\nhe past away recently, and gave me and my fiance the townhouse (it was worth roughly 1m when he died, and this was with minimal reno's/fixes) we just did an entire renovation top to bottom, we got it appraised at 3.5-3.75, maybe even 4 million if we wanted.\n\nof course we won't sell, it has incredible views & is close to everything. but i am so thankful we don't have to worry about if we can ever afford to live in a city i've called home for my entire life

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.

I do love Canada , it was my first love moving from poor, war ravaged country in Vietnam. But it is no longer the country that I used to know. I've lived mostly in Vancouver and Toronto and I can tell you,If you got a family and you're not making 10-15k/month, feesl like you're just scraping by. Tdot was good when I moved there in 1984,TTC rides and cup of coffee used to be just a quarter and houses were just about 100k on average. Now its almost impossible to live near the core of the city to buy a house unless ure making high six figure or move out to smaller cities like Brantford or Windsor to buy one. Not only that but nothing is letting up here, food , insurance, gas ,taxes we gettin hosed to death here. After 40 years here, think Ive seen enough,Im cashing out my house in Vancouver, shipping out to Eastern Europe to retire.

@ Make That Change, you are missing some topics!! A person who is born and raised in Vancouver before the 1980's and where both parents were also born and raised in Canada. Since the year 2000, the cost of owning a detached home has risen 10 folds. You could buy a corner lot house in a nice area and good location for an average of $160,000. Now that home would cost 10 times that cost in the last 20 years. Why? Foreign investors and immigration based on supply and demand as this also includes the increase in rent cost. People spend on average about $1000 to 1500 for a room to rent not their own suite in Vancouver. Twenty years ago, you could rent a whole house with a yard for that price on the waistcoats of BC. \n\nAnother issue, there are Canadians who do travel to USA due to people being in desperate need of care. USA has a wider spectrum of medical options in comparison to Canada. Canadians travel to USA because the waiting list is often way too long. Canada is nota complete free medical system as people hear and rehabilitation expenses are not free unless it is inside a hospital. It was from at one time as Medicare was founded on the grounds in the 1960's by Tommy Douglas, former premier of Saskatchewan, who initiated Medicare but it was no sustainable. \n\nJust because a person gets referred to a doctor, particularly a specialist when there are very few doctors in that area of care, it does not guarantee you will receive the treatment. I waited 2.5 years for a treatment in a hospital, only to be told that I was not a candidate for that treatment even though they did not screen me as a precursor before making a rational decision. DEVESTATING! Canadians if they have money often go to USA or Mexico when in desperate need. \n\nThere is a lack of doctors as many people do not have a family medical doctor who know their case personally. Complex diseases do not receive proper care as Canada does not have an integrated medical system of care amongst other doctors for patients. It has been on the news media where people have died being on the waiting list, returning back to hospitals where the hospital emergency because the concern of the disease was undermined with the overcrowded medical system.\n\nThere is a increased gentrification in the metropolitan cities that is an issue as the richer are now richer and the poorer are more poor. As there is an INCREASED immigration there is a huge stress in cost of living as there is not enough affordable housing and increased homelessness in Vancouver and Toronto. Vancouver is the worst place in North America as it is known as the drug hub called Skid Row. You can google this information as there are article written for 2021 and previously. Expo 86 and the 2010 Winter Olympics skyrocketed tourism and immigration that many people who are born and raised here before 1986 are very angry and resentful of how drastic the decline of how the quality of life has become.

Came to Vancouver 21 years ago - gas was 40 cents a litre and a 1 bdrm was $800 a month in Kitsilano - i made $45 K a year - Now very hard to even get 50K a year - gas $1.60 - rent $2k - Wages did not go up but everything else did. The quality of life is crap. Now they bring in this Vaccine Passport and the next thing will be chinese style social credit system. No thanks ! I 'm giving it until February when they review it and if it does not go away then i will !!! Europe here i come !

I will be leaving Canada within a year or so after declaring non-residency and bring my business with me. My view is that Canada is a good place to live a normal life. Healthcare covers your peace of mind, even if the waitlist is long and bureaucratic. Social benefit is not as generous as people suggest sometimes (at least in Canada unless you're on actual welfare where you can't work but you can't rise your way up easily and you're forever stuck in 1.5k CAD/month... which would be ofc much better than other struggling countries but immigrants often aspire for greater things than that. \n\nEven though I was an Asian immigrant, I never faced significant racism afaik (I could be socially naive however), but there are definitely limitations of opportunities. It's not too difficult to find entry to intermediate jobs, at least for me but that's probably because I did schooling here in Canada. And I was able to network aggressively and learned to be an extrovert, so that also helped. But still, Canadian living cost is high (and I'm saying this from Calgary... imagine what it's like in Vancouver/Toronto). Is it doable? Ofc. 50-70k CAD/year is quite doable ESPECIALLY in Calgary, Alberta. But it'd be difficult to achieve financial independence and true wealth. This is true everywhere ofc but more so in Canada compared to, say, USA where living cost is lower and wage is higher with more opportunities. It's a great place to live normally. If you wanna become exceptional (wealth, customized goods and services, etc), it become harder and costs more. \n\nEven now when I now own business after struggling to get here over 10 years that generates income that I need to achieve financial freedom, tax becomes frightfully bad. Alberta (that imposes lowest tax rate compared to other Canadian provinces (not including territories for obvious reason) is comparable to California in USA that is among the highest in all US states. And let's be real; Alberta is nowhere close of being California. Imagine the taxes in BC/Ontario shiver. \n\nOnce my tax rate becomes high enough to justify moving, I will pull the trigger. Still window-shopping where I wanna go and I have some lists but it's gonna happen especially as Canada will have to deal with their struggling economy, further distancing from US and their government mismanagement that continues to cost the society. I will not have any part in it. I may come back once in a while for visit or potentially retire depending on what the future looks like but right now, I just don't see my longterm future here.

I live in Vancouver and I believe I was experiencing racism while looking for a placed to live. I was asked over the phone If I was Chinese, I said no and the person said that's what they were looking for. Or when I went to look at a suite and the person was east Indian and they ghosted me after seeing what I look like which happened a few times. This makes it hard to find a place to live in Vancouver considering the high population of Asian home owners. I think it may have been different while looking for apartments. This can happen to white people as well especially in a diverse city.

I grew up in West Vancouver, however, my family is American, it was because of my father's job that we lived in Canada. Now I'm in college in the USA hoping to move back to Canada when I am older.

Yes Canada is a peaceful nation. You did not mention tent cities in Victoria and Vancouver, B.C. In Canada we only speak English. Quebec should be their own country. I was in the military in Quebec for one week and dropped out. I got sick in the winter and I did not like how they treated people. Remember when your there you have to learn both languages. This is because of the marching drills and it is hard if you don't know French. If I was American I be happy and they only speak English. America rules!

I love when the USA and Canada play against each other in hockey, especially during the Winter Olympics.\nEdit: I'm from the US, and I was only seven years old when Crosby scored the golden goal in the Gold Medal match Vancouver 2010. After all these years, it still hurts thinking about it, but what to do, *hockey is Canada's game!*

When i was in Vancouver i met a lot of rude Canadians....some were waiters and hotel staffers and an airport worker. Seriously im nice but next time im going to tell these people off. Actually I gave NO tips to the rude waiters and Tweeted about the bad customer service!! Twitter is helpful in many ways!!

Moving to Vancouver was a great experience tbh, I'm of nigerian heritage but was born in Finchley, North London...\nCanadians are friendly and extremely welcoming ( Coming from the UK i found this so off-putting ) lol. Ironically its non-white Canadians i had funny experiences with.... from dating to renting its weird\n\n\nAsians under 27 always asking some crazy questions ( Are you an NBA player ) lol it's cute at first but after a while when little koreans walk up to me talking about ( You look like will smith ) it makes you think... To be fair these are not inherent negatives, But asian canadians alone did treat me weird i found, Indian girls i met all wanted to be with me but where also very ashamed to say so or let their family know, but thats a cultural thing so i understood.\n\n\n Of all the demographics White canadian and native men where the most welcoming and open to me, in my experience.. White women of-course where cool too but that does not really count, especially as a good looking black guy with an accent LOOL you know how that goes!! My Tinder and Bumble were obscene LMAO\n\nRenting from asians while black and Male!? is almost impossible!!! Except they think you have rich parents!! Its impossible in Van unless you are an Arab exchange student lol \nArab and Persian students studying english have no issues renting in Vancouver, for some reason!!\n\nI lived out the St. Regis downtown for a month, Looking for places to rent, i had seen so many places online and filled out applications but never got call backs, asides from 2 group showings i went to, i could not even set up a viewing with the apartment building i wanted... \n\nTill i met an african girl in school, and she told me something i found completely crazy.\nShe told me to make a new e-mail addy and to use my English name when i e-mail, then set up a viewing but to show up with a white friend preferably a girl and that if the owner is asian, i should look around, and offer to pay 6months upfront before they get a chance to ask what i did for work or whether i was a student or not LOL. Needless to say, i did what she said and It worked the asian lady asked me to come get the keys later that day. Its just life, as a property owner they really just wanna size you up, not fair and kind of pathetic but its not inherently evil...

I am an old bearded Caucasian with a cane who often shops at a Korean market in my area in downtown Vancouver. At one point they had a black security officer who would consistently follow me anytime I entered the store. I finally reached a point where I jokingly confronted him and told him if he insisted on following me I was going to get him to help me by carrying things. He never followed me again but we would always smile at each other and laugh when I came to shop. I believe his attitude was based on my appearance and perceived economic status rather then race.\nHaving said this I have also gone shopping at other Asian markets with my children, who are half Chinese, and been followed by the Caucasian security people while my kids were not.

I was born in Seattle and left to Canada (married) when I was in early 20's!  This then was a good change for me as Vancouver was a great city compared to Seattle, moved right downtown and had a blast so for a young person (then) was great.  Met some great people from all over the world and had health care, medical/Dental etc.... I worked in the greater Vancouver area for 8 years and it was tough, very strict, and did not help that I was from the states, white bread Canadian seemed a bit jealous that I was there, sometimes not very friendly.  The Europeans I met were actually better to deal with and I got along quite well with them.  The cost of living was about the same as in Seattle.  After about 8 years being in Canada and working hard I saw America booming and the Canadian dollar was as low as $.62 cents (in late 90's) so I took my craft from Vancouver and brought it to the US just across the border, I became much happier working in the States, I took a little bit of bs but not bad from some that I had a Canadian accent (go figure when I moved up there I had a twang) I really never left the united states I will always be American and I have been still working in the US for over 20 years and deal with mainly Americans on a daily basis from all over the State of Washington.  Depending on where you grow up or end up you should never see a border Seattle and Vancouver have more in common than Vancouver / Calgary in fact most Canadians don't care much for the other provinces.  After 30 years of being part of both countries, I can say that people are people both have great offerings and if you took the best of Canada and America to combine then we would all prosper, there is so much both can learn from each other.  Bottom line:I take the best of both worlds and what they have to offer, yes, I have found less expensive goods in Canada than what they cost in the states.  I have seen it from both eyes, and if you cant be open culturally then stay away.