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Toronto is doomed thanks to the woke Libtards and the NDP! Mind you the Conservatives did not helped the city either! When I moved to Toronto in 1966, there was no crime to speak of! You could leave your bike outside in front of any store nobody would steal it. Apartments were affordable, and even working on a min. wage job you could survive. After P.E. Trudeau was voted into the national government , everything started to go down in general, and this reflected in the city of Toronto too. In the past 20-25 years it is in a total downward spiral. TTC is now dangerous to use. The city government is anti-car, putting in stupid bike lanes everywhere, chocking traffic, cutting off parking, a four way stop signs on every corner of the streets, and the worst the Police do not enforce traffic violations. If I could afford it I would move from Toronto, but truly to where? Hamilton, Guelph, Kitchener, London, Windsor? Nah, not much cheaper... Perhaps another country? Sure Dubai, Switzerland sounds good if I would be a millionaire!

As forth generation Canadian I left years ago and never ever want to return .\nGrowing up Canada was the greatest place to live but with years of Canada being flooded with a million new bodies a year it’s become a horror show .\nSure many coming are great people but they won’t stick around once they see with their own eyes the realities there .\nSo anyone loving to come to Canada are obviously from third world hell holes and are coming for the free stuff .\nCanada has new migrants from the worst countries in the world countries you would never ever dream of visiting but now those people live next door.\nI watched a YouTube stream from Toronto on New Year’s Eve and did not recognize my old Toronto the good anymore .\nRight at Yonge and Dundas the main intersection in Canada 95 % of the people were South Asian and 80% were male .\nThere was no Christmas decorations in Toronto just one sad looking tree they call a remembrance tree .\nDon’t know what we are supposed to remember what Toronto use to be when they celebrated Christmas and it was a White Christian country ?\nIf you can believe it Toronto doesn’t even have a New Year’s party concert celebration anymore ,just lame fireworks over Lake Ontario.\nMontreal doesn’t even have fireworks anymore lol \nTake my advice get the heck out of Canada move to Thailand where housing is cheap ,food cheap and people are nice .\nYou only live once don’t waste it in miserable Canada

You said to ring you up when I was in Toronto

I came to Toronto when I was 11. 43 years later, my wife and I are getting out. We are even looking at getting out of Ontario, possibly Canada. It is impossible to afford to live here, and jobs aren't available if you don't look too diverse... there are tons of empty boarded up stores increasingly in the GTA and it reminds me of parts of Buffalo in the early 80s. It has changed too much for me. Thanks for sharing, we realize we are not alone.

I was raised in Canada, got married and came to live with my husband in kosovo about a year ago. At first it was hard as I missed my family and friends in Toronto but when I think about how blessed we are here to practice our beautiful deen freely without worry, plus now expecting our first child it puts my husband and myself at ease. Alhamdulilah!\n\nWishing you and your family an easy move away, inshaAllah it’s filled with khayr!

I left Canada in 2023 January because of One reason. In Schools they teach kids how to change the gender and how to take drugs which will not harm. \nCanadian values doesn’t aligned with my family, cultural values so I left Canada even I was earning good money. But money has no value if you are unable to raise the kids properly. \nI left Canada and it’s been 1 year I am living in my home country India and I have zero regret about leaving Canada. Canada country was good when I came in 2017 but now everything is changed. My sister and brother in law they also moved from Toronto to Dubai because they also think that there children will have no future in this country. \nMy brother in law told me Dubai is very good for raising kids, have moral and cultural values. Respect for everyone. No drugs promotion, No gender change promotion in Dubai, quality of health care and education is way better than western countries. Strict rules for women safety.

Toronto votes Liberal so it drags itself along with the rest of Canada nto decline. Trouble is that the Toronto Liberals move to less Liberal areas and keep voting Liberal and bringing those areas into decline. \nYears ago i visited Toronto and was surprised to see an elderly man sleeping in a cardboard box in the rich financial district. Was surprised to see but I helped a blind man to a bus stop when the Toronto crowd ignored him.now you say it is worse.

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!

well see problem number 1 you live in onturdio which to me from what ive seen on videos thats where the retards reside well primarily in toronto, but the stupids are dispersed every where either onturdio or kweebeck, but mostly from what ive seen the sheeple tend to gravitate towards onturdio. I would also mention BC but BC doesn't decide elections onturdio and kweebeck does. Here's a good idea to grasp how stupid the people of onturdio are in the provincial election they elected the same guy that mandated the lockdowns..thats how stupid they are and now are complaining about the cost of living. If your moving to chinada avoid onturdio like the plague especially if your not vaccinated as you will lose your job when the mandates come back and they will just give it time the practice session couple years back was a success so dont worry it will comeback i guarantee that

I was born and raised in Toronto. I have no family inheritance to give me a jump start. I make good money (middle upper class) but I’m still struggling financially. Not because I spend like crazy or anything, but because taxes are crazy and everything is so expensive. And now with the high interest rates, my monthly expenses went up $4000+ for no reason. Just based on interest rates. I had a pho lunch for 2 last week and it was freaking $70! Crimes are increasing like crazy and the government keeps having talks of handing out money when we are in so much debt. Seriously the government right now is discouraging talented hard working ppl and encouraging lazy leeches to keep being lazy. Our healthcare is also a joke. Doctors know nothing and are only there to write prescriptions. The amount of people I know that was misdiagnosed for conditions so obvious that any 10 year old can figure out by googling their symptoms is ridiculous. \n\nBeing a Toronto native I really hate seeing the city/country crumble like this. I am starting to question if sticking around is the right choice. But I’m so established and embedded here I don’t know how to uproot everything and move elsewhere. And I wouldn’t even know where to go. The states have their slew of issues too

NO, the cost of living in Canada has not *always* been high. For someone as young as this woman that may be true, since people usually say *always* to refer to their own lifespan. When I went to Canada (Toronto) in 1967, it was quite easy to find a one-bedroom apartment for $100-130 . Nothing luxurious of course, but acceptable. Public transport cost 25 cents (!), 5 tickets for $1.00. Working-class salaries were in the range of $100-150 per week. The value of the Canadian dollar was 7% less than that of the US dollar. My wife and I were actors who worked in a children's theatre for $45/week. Slim pickings, but with our approx. $370/month we got along all right, went to the movies, bought records and books,, ate in restaurants from time to time, bought food cheap in the Kensingto Market and got a complete tax refund at the end of the year. There was an air of general prosperity Things have changed drastically over the years, obviously.

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.

Born and raised in Toronto / GTA. At age 22, after the 1st wave of the COVID-19 crisis I felt the strong desire to leave - ridiculously high living costs, low salaries, general negative sentiment amongst torontonians, drastic lockdowns to combat COVID, insane traffic / poor public transport. I just graduated from university when I made the decision to move to Copenhagen, Denmark. 3 years later and I am confident it was one of the best decisions of my life. As much as I love Canada, I have to admit that the country is lagging FAR behind Scandinavian countries and I prefer my lifestyle here. Great Video btw!

This is not entirely unlike what women experience. If you go to the Indian consulate in Canada, you would find they behave similarly. The situation has improved a lot compared to 2015 and 2016. I lost my passport in Canada and was living 300 kilometers away from Toronto. When I went to the Toronto consulate to get my passport (now everything is done by BLS, but it wasn't the case back then), the officer, despite knowing I had all the necessary documents, insisted I obtain an unnecessary police document related to an FIR. I was surprised and pleaded extensively, but was still told to go back and return with the document. When I returned, the police officer told me they don't issue such documents. I went back to the consulate and was still denied. I protested there for 20-30 minutes. Eventually, with the same documents I initially presented, I obtained my passport. Such incidents used to be quite common.

I was born and raised in toronto, i moved to the uk in 2015. When i visited toronto in 2021 i was shocked at how different the city was. Its gone completely downhill…glad i left.

Toronto was more beautiful 20 years ago. There are homeless, smell of tobacco, and the high and ugly chimney. What happens there? I don't feel safe anymore when walking in the street at night.

1) Toronto is poor value. Getting housing of any kind (buying or renting) is stupidly expensive. And the quality you get for the price is lousy. Especially the newer builds, which are just thrown up as quickly as possible and sold to investors. Policy measures generally all seem to serve to just inflate the price of housing further. The occasional lip service given to affordability is amusing, but ultimately sad. There are lots of people who really do not want the housing bubble to pop. They will fight against it with all they have.\n\n2) It has become kind of boring. There is lots to do if you have money, but it’s harder to find entertainment on a budget. Even the free stuff like parks are filling up. Stuff like sporting events, eating out, going out is very costly across the board. Even the “cheaper” stuff is expensive. It seems like a lot of local culture is disappearing. Even the cool neighbourhoods are filling up with the same chains. I think the high commercial rent and bureaucracy is deflating a lot of would-be entrepreneurs. Most landowners seem to just be banking on cashing out their land for condos.\n\n3) Canada overall has a high cost of living compared to salaries. In the US you can find lower cost of living areas that still give you a real city experience. And in Europe you can be poor but still live a decent, if no frills, life. In Canada the basic necessities are all expensive. Phone bills, grocery bills, rent, insurance are through the roof. Domestic travel is expensive. And the dollar sucks if you want to travel abroad. Health care is free but good luck finding a family doctor or waiting 8 hours in the ER these days. It’s expensive to be poor, or even middle class.\n\n4) Most of the Greater Toronto Area, outside the core, is soulless suburbs with awful transit - very “American” except with worse traffic congestion. You will need a car, which is another huge cost. Row upon row of old cookie cutter suburbs with the same crappy houses. Good luck walking anywhere, and if you do you will need to walk down boring, treeless arterial roads with cars zooming past right beside you, and cross giant eight lane intersections that were never built for humans on foot. In a rainstorm or on a fall evening you have to be really careful not to be run over by aggressive drivers.\n\n5) It is hard to raise a family in an apartment here. You can do it but it’s not very easy, and also you are still kind of judged for it. Lots of young people are feeling stuck and are deferring or avoiding starting a family. Buying any type of house, even a basic townhouse, requires pledging your soul to a bank by taking a massive mortgage with eye watering debt in a volatile market. But few apartment buildings have the kind of sensible gentle density, the family unit sizes and the common amenities, like little courtyards with jungle gyms, that you might find in Europe. No one ever contemplated that anyone would ever desire to raise kids in an apartment. It’s just a cultural thing that has worked its way into how things are planned and designed.\n\n6) The transit system is ok by North American standards but awful by international standards. There are only two real subway lines, one stub line, one line that is permanently out of service after a derailment, and another line that was supposed to open a couple years ago but still has no date for opening. The subways go out of service frequently, sometimes for the dumbest reasons, and then it is a zoo of shuttle buses. The streetcars are nice but so slow. The buses are fine if you find yourself dreaming about riding a daily herky jerky rolling tin of sardines. They are building a lot of transit but it will take decades to get done.\n\n7) There is still a lot of cool multiculturalism and opportunities to experience different foods and cultures - one of the best things about Toronto. Increasingly though it seems to be losing the fun vibe of the 90s, when everyone celebrated each other’s backgrounds and was chill. It seems the immigration is not as broad based anymore and also people are importing a lot of their “old country” grievances here. The immigration system also kind of preys on people abroad by selling them a false fairy tale, so they end up dejected when they arrive and see how things really are.\n\n8) This one might be controversial but it’s kind of an ugly city. There’s nothing particularly of historical meaning or value. Some of the older neighbourhoods are kind of nice, but the last 25 years they have only built giant glass skyboxes, one after another. There aren’t the cool “missing middle” walkups like in NY, Chicago or Montreal (or even LA). There are very few buildings with much architectural character. Some of the buildings they deem “heritage” here are an embarrassment.\n\n9) For safety, honestly on this score I think Toronto is not bad. There are not too many real “ghettos” and it’s night and day compared to much of the US. With that said, there is more vagrancy and social issues these days, with tents and such. It’s very sad but the shelters are full, lots of homeless go into the libraries, parks and transit system. It does make it harder to enjoy these public amenities safely. It is nowhere close to Europe where you might let your kids run free around town. Canadian parents still helicopter their kids and the place again is not designed to really be safe for kids, in the same way as Europe.\n\n10) Finally, a bit of a double edged sword. Toronto had a lot of youthful energy - people coming here from all over. It is definitely not as sleepy as many parts of the world. With that said, it is becoming a bit of a transient place (minus the world class experiences like London or NY). If you are from elsewhere you might find it hard making and keeping friends. I’ve seen lots of people struggle because it’s is hard to build a strong social network. We have a very “shallow” culture here - people are extremely polite but not overly warm and hospitable. We treat one another kind of like neighbours - meaning we’d like to have a cordial, drama-free coexistence and otherwise kind of stick to ourselves.

Thank you for posting this! I feel much the same.\nI was born in Toronto but my family moved to another city in Southwestern On. when I was 10. I pledged to move back and did in 2004 to become a student. I loved the freedom and vibrancy of the city, met many friends and had a wonderful time. Even as a student, working part time, I was able to afford a shared accommodation downtown and still have a bit of disposable income. \nAfter graduating college, I found full time employment and was able to live comfortably alone in my own 2 bd apartment in mid-town for many years. In 2012, I met my partner and we continued to live in North York in a 3bd rent-controlled unit. We could see the decline in the city over the next several years. We decided we would never be able to achieve what we wanted to by staying where we were so in 2018 we took the plunge and bought a home in Windsor and have never looked back (though Windsor also has many social/affordability issues) .\nIn all, I miss the Toronto I once knew and loved but the decline of the city is pretty shocking.

Spent my whole life in Toronto. Even though I grew up in one of the poorest neighborhoods at the time, it was a paradise compared to the hole it is now. When I retire and my parents pass on, I will sell all and leave the asylum to the lunatics. Screw this place! I want to move to an area with NO social services to breed the rot that consumed the city of my birth.

We left Toronto in 2019 after having lived there for almost 20 yrs (separately and as a couple). The city seems to decline a little bit more every time that we come back to the city to visit friends or for entertainment. It's truly saddening to see the state of things, since I remember first moving to the city in 1998 when it was a very bohemian and vibrant place to live. A room cost me around $350/mth, and I was able to live quite comfortably as a student. That's definitely not the case now, with mega-corporations ruling the rental market and charging a small fortune for much needed housing, as well as the constant mismanagement found in city hall. I'm glad that we left all of that behind for a small town on Ontario's west coast

So I was born in Russia, then moved to Toronto, then lived in New York for 5 years... Let me tell you waits in emergency room in New York aren't nearly as bad as in Toronto... but costs... 300 dollar copay when my employer in New York was giving me one of the best insurance available in US... But I just didn't like living in US... I moved back to Toronto eventually to lower pay, mainly because my relatives are here... but having social safety net and stuff like that is nice, even if my salary in Toronto is lower than in NYC...\nP.S. both USA and Canada are way better than living in Russia tho

I always wondered why I had to be here when the snow tilted between 45 and 60 degrees in winter and hit my face at 30-40 km/h.\nquality of food, transportation, service from employees, speed of processing time, etc there were many things that made me really unsatisfied being living in Toronto.\nsame, at the first time I came Toronto, everything looks great. but not anymore \nI'm korean and I feel really unsafe when I go and live abroad. Korea, Japan, Singapore mainly all Asian countries are top 5 in safety all over the world I think. \nAsia especially Korean and Japan have great service, quality of food with reasonable price. I think I don't need to move foreign country. \nmy background is in South Korea but I can say living in Toronto Canada was horrible and harsh for Korean. Because of multiple reasons but the harsh weather is the biggest for me. Feels like winter in Toronto is 7~8 months long if I compare it to winter in Korea. Fall and Spring?? No, they don't have fall and spring and it's all winter. they have snow in early September late April or May. It was horribly hard because the cold air from the arctic and really powerful wind came all together. even though the weather and temperature look a little bit off from Korea, Canada has a much more harsh location with weather. not only harsh weather but they do provide really embarrassing experience such as expensive payment for everything, a lot of factors disturb me from leaking money. I don't think Canada is a good country. my view of this country totally has been changed 3 years ago.

Accurate. I was born in B.C. but moved here when I was 3 years old. I'll say this Toronto always had a level of crime rate so be careful of your surroundings. Crime rate dipped down in 2002. In 2018 moving back it is worse than ever before. A city that wants all the chiefs but how does one simply live here on the minimum wage bracket. If a city has a minimum wage said citizen should be able to afford rent. Ergo professionals could then afford upscale neighbourhoods. Toronto has always been expensive but this is not do-able I might go back to British Colombia if this gets worse over the winter. Ontario you lose another Canadian in this metropolis.

I moved to the US to upstate NY(not even near NY City nor is the crime), and only last a few months before I moved back. I’ve also been to 70% of US States, and every time I’m nervous as everything is just so different and you don’t feel safe. \n\nYour streets are definitely different than ours, and quite dirty to say the least. \n\nI’d rather live on the streets of Toronto, then live in an State in the U.S. \n\nThe only State I’ve been too where I’ve felt a tad bit safe was Idaho, but even then, I was still uptight! \n\nCanada also has higher standards when it comes to hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, food, etc. \n\nI live bordering Buffalo, NY and am even scared to cross for a sports game or shopping, although It’s not that terrible over there. \n\nYour gun laws are scary, and although I have a license to carry here in Canada, the U.S. needs to be much more stricter and also not allow sales of them on every block! \n\nI have hundreds of friends in the US, and sometimes their wait times for appointments are much longer than mine, and I don’t have to claim bankruptcy afterwards.

I’ve lived near Toronto for the vast majority of my adult life. Around 2016 I was working there and started to explore the city a little bit more, living there for a short time. I think the draw and attraction was that it always was a little hectic. Always something to look at, so many different cultures. Also such contrasts, walking through the downtown core and then out to a neighborhood like Greek town. With parks and even forests to be found. It went from tense to a feeling of refuge and a sense of a natural oasis within a chaotic machine. I think the sense of calm which could be found has become a little more rare. Also a certain openness that people and cultures had towards each other has been fading. Discourse with other opinions morphed into the near impossible. It’s all by design and sad to see. It’s a tangible and significant change. When you zoom out at the infrastructure, social and economic level. It’s very hard to see a healthy recovery happening anytime soon. Mostly due to those being in charge not caring. Still lots of beauty there. I would never choose to live there again, but if anyone is still living there and reading this. My advice would be to explore the greenways, parks and forests to be found. The juxtaposition of city and nature gives a heightened appreciation to both realities, and really gives a more balanced/peaceful mindset to explore the good which can be found

I lived in the US for 30 years. I hated every year, except for having my sons there. My American husband is a staunch NRA supporter. At the 30 year mark, when I gave him an ultimatum. I gave him 30 years down there, and the time had come where he needed to do 30 years in Canada. We've been in Canada for 6 years, and he doesn't ever want to go back.\nI feel for the new mothers, who only get 6 weeks maternity leave (8 weeks for C-Section).\nCanadian Mums get a full year. Nurturing your new baby is necessary for a well-balanced child. You can't bond in 6 weeks. \nYour health insurance is nuts. We paid $1500/mo. just for our family. Then you have a $5k deductible first! Just walking into the ER is $500 and THEN add on labs, x-rays, meds, etc. My son was in mental health treatment and our insurance capped mental health at $25k for life. \nThe biggest slap up my head, was when I found out I CAN'T collect my SSI. I paid a lot of taxes, since we made 6 figures/year. So, now I'm screwed, since they won't pay a former Permanent Resident. Had I been a citizen, I could get it. My husband is a PR in Canada, waiting to take his citizenship test. If he applies for SSI, he needs to go down to the States for 30 days and nights, annually. \nI'm from Toronto, born and raised and I am so happy to have my feet back in my own country. My boys are still there, as well as my grandchildren. Thankfully, they fly up twice a year. You couldn't pay me to move back.

Born and raised in Toronto but left for a job in Sydney in 1989. Every time I go back to TO, I find it dirtier and more crowded -- and the traffic is just horrible. I'm appalled by the homelessness. When I was a resident, if homelessness existed, it was pretty invisible. The clean, friendly, safe yet buzzy city of my youth is no more.?

Love it here in Toronto, Im lucky though i dont pay crazy high rent even though im itching to move for some odd reason. Maybe because I know I cant be here forever, I live in an old building that wont last, isnt mine and will be forced to move out when soemoen else buys it, like I was at my previouse apartment, which is my only problem, all he condo development, basically kicking out poorer people, thats why rent is high, but they're going to have to live with no sun in the city when all those towers block it. That being said the areas is just so bueatiful, it feels like its nestled in a forest, then the lake, its a great spot. Got 4 the seasons, i hear ist the most diverse city in the world racially and its climate is just as diverse going from -30 some winters to well above +30 some summers and everything in between. That being said I am getting tired of the city life and looking for a change although i think Toronto has a lot more potential and is actually underrated right now and will just get better. Maybe not more cheaper, but hopefully politicians will wise up and stop selling out for short term profits for long term problems.

I used to love working in down town Toronto in the 90's and early 2000's. I haven't worked in down town town Toronto on a daily basis since 2011. Still work from home, but had to go into the office a couple days thus far this year and I was disgusted!!! I was stressed, my skin crawled when I got home. As far as I am concerned, down town Toronto is a dumpster fire.

My sister grew up in Toronto with her Mom while I was with our dad about an hour outside of the GTA. Even back in 2003 when I would come to visit my sister, or just go on class trips you could smell the city before you ever saw it... Torontonians had a bad reputation of thinking they were in the center of the universe, and it always just put me off of the city. It's not that I would ever want someone to not come to Canada... but there are just so many better places to live in Ontario, let alone the rest of the country... that why would you ever want to subject yourself to what T.O. has become?

I hear ya and I know it’s hard but honestly it hasn’t changed - it was always impossible to live in T.O. Fir decades it has topped the list of the most difficult place to thrive in the world …. Commonly known - when i was your age - if you can thrive in Toronto - you can thrive anywhere. Why? What’s the difference? Wayne Gretzky said it? …… is everything? Do you know what that is? What is everything? It’s the key to success in any area? Nike also says it but differently …

I landed in Toronto in 1984, it was clean, safe and affordable. I was able to support myself going to university in the early 90’s working part-time as a waitress. Tuition was much cheaper back then and of top of that I was able to get a grant from the government (which was scrapped I believe). I used to walk down Yonge Street late at night with friends until we reached College Street to go have breakfast at the Golden Griddle on Carton Street. I miss the Maple Leaf Gardens and the CNE Grandstand. There were no shootings at nightclubs when I went dancing. Then things started getting really bad, the cost of living and the violence skyrocketed so I decided to move to Quebec City at the end of 2014. I worked hard on my French and now I am a civil servant for the Quebec Government. I have no regrets. I am lucky to have known Toronto The Good. If you want to reminisce about the streets of Toronto in the 1980’s look for the Night Ride videos here on YouTube. Cheers ??

I guess because Toronto is so huge and because I stayed in the main touristy areas I only noticed a few homeless people during my trip. They were more noticeable to me in Calgary in the spring. But the worst I've seen is Portland, Oregon and Seattle, WA and in 2021 Washington DC was pretty bad off...though the encampments I saw then had been cleared out by DC when I returned in 2023.\n\nI really really enjoyed my stay in Toronto over Labor Day weekend, my first time ever to visit. But just looking around me I got the same sense I did in NYC...it's a beautiful place to visit but living here would be ungodly expensive. The luxury apartments across the street from my hotel seemed to have rather low occupancy, from what I could see from my hotel room window at night. A lot of rental real-estate are speculative investments and any thought of addressing housing needs, keeping occupancy rates high, etc. are purely secondary concerns...zombie buildings with unaffordable rents that remain sparsely occupied while the need(s) are so dire is morally offensive and government should step in with rent controls and occupancy requirements and tax those owners more heavily who have occupancy below a minimum threshold. The increase in crime is a completely expected outcome of economic desperation. The US answer is usually more police & harsher penalties but I hope Canada is more rational and humane in addressing these societal ills.

Born and raised in Toronto… My dad used to live on Toronto Islands..I lived St Clair & Mt Pleasant, St Joseph’s High School, Ryerson… used to be “Toronto the Good” I’m 71.. left in 2006… went back in 2018 and was HORRIFIED . Street fights on Yonge St… FILTH… I realized that things were going south.. when Ryerson wouldn’t allow it’s workers to say “ Merry Christmas’ SO HEARTBREAKING. Now in Ottawa… what can I say ??????

The last time I drove down Young St, I was stopped in traffic waiting for it to move, when a homeless man stepped out from the side of a building and started peeing on the sidewalk, right in front of people who were walking by. Of course they side stepped him, some gave him a dirty look, others just didn't care and continued walking around him. Toronto is fast becoming a dirty, violent city.

I currently pay $734.96 per month for my bachelor apartment in Parkdale, Toronto. All inclusive. I found the place in 2015, and it started at $660.00 per month. It's a smaller building where I know most of my co-tenants. Quiet neighbourhood most of the time. I've been one of the lucky ones for sure. I love this city! I'm from Peterborough and I will never move back. Some of the best memories of my life have been here. But you're right Alina, it has changed. Much like most other major cities in the world. The economic hardships being the #1 issue. Rent going up, wages staying the same, and inflation not slowing down. But with Toronto, the transit system is far behind the progress of cities like New York. Toronto should have multiple subway lines going east and west. Queen St. and Dundas lines for sure. The overall culture of the city is not as vibrant as it was during the 2010s. That could be Covid related. Or things are taking awhile to come back to pre-Covid form. But a lot of great venues and restaurants have been shutting down. And being replaced with the construction of condos. The real estate is insane here. It feels like things have gone downhill since the Raptors won the NBA championship in 2019. Because that really united everyone when there were a million people gathered for the parade. I'm hoping things turn around and there's more affordable housing for newcomers. I know I'm staying here for a while longer. Because of my cheap rent. And career attachments to the city. Great job on the video! ?

Hmmm, I like you, but this was extremely negative. I don’t feel unsafe at all when travelling in and around Toronto

When I was young I used to fantasise about going to Toronto Canada as I have some cousins who lived there. Today this makes me quite sad but it is a similar situation here in Sydney Australia but a few years behind you guys but affordable housing is a big issue and a small but growing homeless issue Rising. We don't have the extreme random violence like in Canada but stuff like that does happen in all major industrialised cities around the world. Growing population without good healthcare and infrastructure is a major issue in a lot of big cities around the world.\nWe have a government that wants to increase the population and at the same time acknowledge the fact that we don't have the infrastructure to cope for that and also squeezing that big population in a smaller and smaller space of course causing greater mental issues as a result

I was just in Toronto yesterday and I noticed how many homeless there were compared to when I was there in 2019. It breaks my heart because I spent so much time in the city growing up.

That wasn’t an easy video to make, Alina. You were more diplomatic than I am about my hometown NYC. I left when I was 35. Crime, costs and homelessness are through the roof. Not even the rich can afford it anymore. New York and Toronto are great places to be from, but they are no longer meant to be lived in.

I am a resident of Toronto for the past 11 years now. I moved here from Calgary because back then I had a better opportunity. I was an aspiring pastry chef. I landed in pretty stable and well paid job. I've already noticed the changes in city a few years before the pandemic. The drug addiction and mental health problem were already quite evident as injection sites were popping up around the cities including public parks. Then the pademic happened, it exposes the cracks in our society, some people are becoming selfish and intolerant. I lost my job due to the pandemic, it was very traumatic, I developed severe anxiety/depression. Luckily, i had some savings when it all happened. Fastforward, I've been working in the last 2 years now but I can no longer find the same job and pay I used to have. Most companies are now more ruthless. They let go employees any minute as soon as they felt the business is slow. There's no more job security. The only reason why I am surviving is because I am living in the same apartment since i moved here. However, my new neighbours who just moved in are paying twice as much. I've been attempting to leave the city but that would mean that i would be paying at least twice of my current rent and there aren't much opportunities elesewhere. I honestly felt trapped in my current situation but I am still grateful that I am still better off than many people who are already living on the edge. Sadly, the situation is only getting worst according to many analysts. I think the country is at a breaking point in many aspects.

Bringing all of these immigrants into Canada annually has created the biggest housing bubble ever. It needs to stop for a period of time in order for supply to catch up with demand.\nGrew up in a very diverse community in Toronto and hated it. Impossible to fit in with any group when immigrants all stick together in their language groups. I was only kid in most classes that identified as Canadian...

The most depresssing factor of canada is it's weather...\nIntially i was not realizing it bt it just dawned on me that how important is sunlight for your body and also for your mental health especially in winters......yahan pe sirf 3 mahine hi suraj rehta hai..june july and August .... september se leke may mid tak.rarely you will get a glimpse of sunlight...\nI mean you wake-up every morming nd its always dark and gloomy outside from September end till april end....you dpnt feel like doing anything...especially in winter's you wake up at 9 o'clock and 4 oclock its dark.....you have no idea how much it effects your mental health...people get depressed mentally and also gets deficit of vitamin d...also government have legalized Marijuana and saying oh it will make your mind feel happy and you will not get stressed anymore...i mean how come...government is killing you softly..they dont want you to think higher..they want you to leave behind....i realized most of the people suffer from knee pain..joint pain bcoz they dont get enough sunlight ....\nI read somewhere that most of the suicide case happens inthe month of January bcoz this is the month when people get more depressed....i must say comparatively to canada india is the best place to stay ....you will get sunlight whole year... also in Toronto there is no such social life as india ...so much taxes by the government...houses are getting expensive.....all you r doing is just work , come home. Sleep and go back to work again...you work 12 crazy hours here and your 7 hrs work salary goes staright to the government as taxes...and on top of that car insurance...home insurance ..morgatege payments...phone plans ...property tax..gas bill...water bills...hot tank bills...electricity bills and so much more ...ye sab bulls bharne ke liye ek single person ko double job karni pad rahi hai bocz of which he gets sick mentally and physically...\nAlso the health care sytem is the worst here..if you r sick and call for an appointment they will appoint u after 6 month's....\nDoctors have become more corrupt nowadays.....\nI know india mein middle class family itna afford nahi kar sakti bt alleast india mein log satisfied hain ..khus hain.bhale hi paisa kam ho...atleast they spare some time to spend with their families..friends...bt yahan aisa kuch nahi hai...yahan log paisa bana lete hain bt wo khusi nahi milti..wo satisfaction nahi milta india jaisa........\nAgain i must say canadas weather is the main cause for your sick mental health and also your bine health....if you want to be in a good health....your mind should be in a healthy state first ....and as you all know health hai to wealth hai\n..

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.

I think it really depends on the type of person you are and what you're looking for. I've lived in central Toronto for 25 years, and a few more in the suburbs prior. Family emigrated here from the UK when I was 10. Really look forward to the prospect of going back to the UK when I don't have a regular job (semi retire) anymore for a variety of reasons. Nice to live in Canada, but long for the beauty of the town and country life in England.

I feel very safe in downtown Toronto because I am accustomed to it. I've never experienced any issue with the homeless and continue to talk to them, offer them food IFFFF they just happen to be pan-handling and often hug them to make them very SEEN. I feel safer in downtown Toronto at 3 am then I do when the 905'ers (suburban types) come to party in the entertainment district or around any French-separatist bc of how they are liable to treat me for my lack of decent conversational French. And IF guns are reported, I have to the thank the US for smuggling them in. \nFinally - as for health care - I believe its breaking down... our hospitals are beginning to fail us. The decline in health care is SO evident, BECAUSE anytime the Conservative party is in provincial legislative power they drop medical and education funding. I believe medical funding is being dropped purposefully to manipulate the population's thinking in order to have us eventually\nvote FOR privatization of health care. I NEVER MIND PAYING TAXES - WHAT I MIND... IS HOW OUR TAX DOLLARS ARE BEING SPENT... it all depends on the party in power. I would pay 40% income tax happily IFFFF our tax dollars were devoted to services mirroring the way Scandinavian countries do - they invest it WELL in their municipal services rather rather than blow it. \nOur federal and provincial bureaucrats are sucking. Fine... our municipal bureaucrats are sucking, too. Oh, Canada - I love you and wish Pierre Trudeau, or Joe Clark or Ed Broadbent were back in Parliament. I miss you Jack Layton. We would have loved to have seen you as Prime Minister. CANADA IS MUCH TOO INFLUENCED BY THE US... we are thankfully different, but your influence is\nmuch too prevalent. And as for the Canadian people - get your heads out of your asses and re-familiarize yourselves with Canadian CIVIC STUDIES. The shit was taught in grades 7, 8 and on.

Very nice conversation. Canada has opportunities for those who are capable to grab it. I was in real estate developments for 6 years during 2011-2018 started with $80k down payment. Until I build my 4000sqft home in Bluffs area in Toronto built few houses. It was a stressful time for many incidents. Dealing with City, contractors, finances is very delicate. All it needed patience and hard working to overcome the every challenges. When I ended up the trade after building my house during the pandamic using all the gains around $1.6m from the houses that I have built and sold. I realized I made $4m which is worth my mortgage free house. So, it is a journey from $80k to $4m in 8 years.. I witnessed many immigrants from South Asia got involved in the real estate construction and many has made few million dollars..\n\nTherefore, I would say to the new generation. Do not give up your hope but make sure you work hard and look for opportunities though it has become hard during these days..

Hi Tyler, born and raised Cdn here. I have American relatives and ancestors. I spent a lot of time going to the States to visit them when I was young and US felt like our big brother back then. Nice, clean, safe, fun and just big. Heck, when I was 15 I even took the Greyhound bus from Toronto to San Francisco. I've been back a few times but last was in 2015. Lkg to come back maybe this Christmas. I know media is biased but to give you some explanation, we don't have guns up here to the extent you guys do. Of course we have crime and sick things do happen up here but, we don't have to fear that every single person we come in to contact w is packin a gun. And the news intensifies our fear of that one aspect of your country's culture. And yes, the amount of mass shootings at schools terrifies us. I am sad to also see the political extremism in the US now. I miss the US of my childhood and certainly do agree, small town rural people are salt of the earth there. I even found New Yorkers nicer than Torontonians.

My career as a corporate pilot ended when my US multi-nat employer moved their flight department from Toronto to Binghamton, NY. They offered me a Restricted Green Card if I moved to Binghamton as the chief pilot. It was a moment of truth. Having worked for two different US companies, and having been in every state except Hawaii, I concluded that I could not do that to my kids. While I have friends in the US who are fantastic in every way, I never felt comfortable talking about politics or religion with any of them. I felt so strongly about it that I gave up flying even though I loved it. The American's excessive religiosity, gun fetish, racism, the possibility of being conscripted to fight in some bullshit, unnecessary war, and the lack of a national healthcare plan all factored into my decision. In 2015, when the US electorate chose an ignorant New York con man with authoritarian fascist ambitions to be their president, I felt fully vindicated in my choice.

The Canadian immigration system is fair and easy to understand. Unfortunately Canadian employers always ask for Canadian experience. In no other country was I ever asked this. After immigrating to Canada and failing for many years I finally moved to the US where I have been far more successful and happier. Just returned from a trip to Toronto where I have many good friends. The traffic is a nightmare and the housing is unaffordable. Canada is wasting all these highly skilled immigrants. They need to provide housing and effective labor force integration. They need to recognize foreign qualification and cut the insufferable red tape. It was an issue when I was part of an IEP (Internationally Educated Professionals) conference over 18 years ago and I see it has not changed. Given a free choice most immigrants would chose the United States. Why? Because despite all the craziness, Americans only care if you can do the job. And they are very welcoming. There is a positive energy that anything is possible. And I am now a very proud American. I will do anything for this country. Canada is a great country but it is wasting their new immigrants.