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Ya it’s sad. I lived in downtown Toronto for 20 years and loved it! I left 3 years ago and moved to Mexico. I don’t agree w much of what is going on in Canada right now. My friends and family are all still in Canada so it was a difficult move but it’s no longer the Canada I know. Very sad for sure :(

Born and raised in Toronto. I have lived here my whole life for over 50 years. The city has changed drastically and very rapidly. As my retirement approaches and my kids finish University, I am out of here. The crime, the cost of everything, terrible transit and roads that look like they have gone through a war. I live by the lake and we have homeless tent encampments and people living along the train tracks ( and this is the suburban part of Toronto, by the Rouge valley) These are only a few of the reasons why Toronto has changed for the negative ( and I do not see it getting any better)

Good for you, I despise this city. Nastiest people I've ever encountered, having lived in 3 countries a decade at least each and travelled about 30 more. There's something really rotten about ppl in Toronto.

I lived in Toronto during the '90s. I found it smug, with very entitled, self satisfied people. Definitely not worth the money considering not that interesting and very expensive.

I’m trying to move out Toronto but I can’t sell my house because nobody has money. I lived in Toronto all my life. And Toronto has changed a lot \nA friend of mine sold his house last year and move to Calgary , then he used that money to buy a cheaper house in Calgary and all he owes on his new house is $100K. He loves it there. Thanks for the video I thought I was the only one. ❤

It's post-COVID and post-Tory fall out. As well as meddling by Ford. Maybe Chow will make a difference, but the issues stem from chronic under funding and mismanagement going back a long time, so who knows. Feds and province need to stop undermining Toronto's infrastructure and see it for how important it is for the country as a whole. Yeah, I know the joke about being the centre of the universe but having lived in various places across the country, the economy and population of Toronto DO make it very integral to the whole country.

I lived in Toronto for over 30 years. Prices on everything are soaring and really getting out of control. Rent, mortgage, food, insurance, and constant high-interest rates would force people onto the streets. Canada needs to do something now! Many restaurants have prices increased by over 20-30% on their menus in the past 3 years. It's just madness and ridiculous. What is minimum wage going to do? Most people I know just work work work, and do not have time to enjoy life. Very sad.

Unfortunately I would agree with you 100 percent. I’ve lived here for the last 40 years and the quality of life here in Toronto has really declined. I would think the biggest problem is the housing and rental market

Lived in Toronto for 50 years. Went to school, raised a family, great job, retired. Realized there was nothing left in the city that I loved anymore. Too busy, too much construction and traffic, mediocre institutions, heritage, big and small, demolished. Moved to the country, never looked back. Have no desire to even visit anymore. Too bad. Was on it's way (30 years ago?) to being a great city. Just a mess, now.

I lived in Canada for almost a decade in the 2010s, mainly in Toronto. Even during that period I noticed how much it changed. I still love Toronto and have friends who I would like to visit, but would never move back there.

Life has become very expensive worldwide. Whether in Kenya or in Canada, the cost of living hits you hard. I have lived in the US for the last more than twenty years. When I first came here $50 would be enough to buy food for a whole month. Today $50 cannot buy you food for even a week. A gallon of petrol today is over $5. The same thing is happening in Kenya, I believe. There are a number of problems when you land in Canada as a visitor. One: To covert a visitor's visor to a work permit is a process. Two; where do you want to land in Canada? If you land in Toronto, Ontario, you get stranded because everybody is landing there. People dont want to go to the north. All those pictures you are seeing are in Toronto. Because of the influx of people arriving there, the government has spent the budget for visitors and refugees. Three; the choice of jobs. When somebody promises you a job in Canada and helps to get a visitor's visa, think twice before you leave home. If somebody promises you a job in Canada, let him help you to get a work permit before you leave home. That way you are surered of a job. There are so many things to consider before you leave home.

In general I like Toronto, I lived there for a couple of yrs a long time ago, but with these prices, I won't move back, forget it. It is impossible to live there, period. I live in London and even over here the prices became much higher than before. My mom is in real estate, renting out bachelor apartments and she is nice, she doesn't rip ppl off, she rents them for reasonable prices, utilities, parking included like in the good old days and ppl sometimes beg her to pick them to move in, it's that bad. No one wants to move out once someone moves in. Gee, I wonder why.

Lived my whole life in Toronto noticed a steady decline over the last 20 years. Moved to Calgary 1 year ago, best move I have ever made.

I have lived in Canada since 2000. My dream is to go back to Kenya and live there. We lived in Toronto for ten years and it wasn't easy for our parents to make ends meet. I moved to Alberta in 2011 and I am so happy that I moved here when I did. We live well. My husband and I are into trades and we thank God for taking good care of our family. It is getting harder here since Trudeau became the prime minister. Food, gas, clothes. housing everything has gone up and you need a good job and have legit papers. The grass isn't always greener on the other side

Hi, I am also from Zimbabwe, and I have lived in both Australia and Canada. I left Australia 2009 because I felt the place was not an open society. In Canada job opportunities can also be tricky for immigrants. I moved back to Australia after 10 years in Canada. At the end of the day the choose is yours but the grass is not always greener on the other side. Calgary is just identical to Perth. I would advise you to live in Toronto. In Australia I live in Melbourne now.

Same here in Montreal used to love this city still do but post C19 everything changed like everywhere housing crisis, politics, the cultural center it user to be changed maybe its just looking at it now at the start of my 30s compared to when i moved here from Europe and Central Africa at the start of my 20s. Met friends i have for life, got great professional opportunities lived in nice places great food in the city. Now everything is just super expensive now and i know toronto is must be ever crazier. Im considering moving back to France or Switzerland to be closer to my family and friends and also be close to Gabon easier to visit than here constantly taking 4 plains round trip everytime i go back home. After losing my father last year getting divorced 3 years ago i think my time here is done. 14yrs here i became an adult here had amazing experiences, became a canadian citizen but its just not the same anymore. Time for a new adventure somewhere else. We used to live well even back as a student on minimum wage, now with a better career good salary we’re struggling. Breaks my heart seeing this all over canada.

I've lived in Toronto for almost 20 years, and I can't wait to get out. The plan is to move somewhere else in the spring, just figuring out where. Toronto now breaks my heart-- you see people seriously struggling everywhere, and it's hard to see it in contrast with the opulent wealth that much of the city has. We're lucky to be in a rent-controlled apartment and we've been here for over a decade, and there's no way we'd find anything even remotely similar here now (the apartment we live in would go up at least $1000 if we leave). The safety is also an issue- I live in a fairly busy area that used to be extremely safe (I used to walk home alone at midnight in high school) and now I rarely leave my apartment after dark. There's very angry, erratic people, many on substances, and I've had some rough encounters already. And don't get me started on public transport.... My sister saw someone almost get randomly pushed into the subway tracks yesterday, and obviously that doesn't get reported. It's worse than people think, and it's only gonna get more horrible once winter hits.

I was raised in New Orleans, and lived in Toronto from 2015 to 2021. As a game developer, my income and affordability are no setbacks; but the increasing crime rate was fairly on par with NYC and LA in 2021 (I'm sure must be the same now). Yeah, free healthcare n no guns yada yada yada (always take a heat for that) but that insane level of theft n break ins like WTAF man! Yup, free healthcare too but good luck accessing it! My income purchasing power was quite low compared with many major cities in the US (exc. NYC but similar to LA). Add the forever construction, harsh weather, that influx of migration from a specific country (hush-hush) with no desire to integrate n assimilate, I decided enough was enough, packed my bags n moved to Irvine CA. Never been happier!

it's really not better anywhere else. i lived in australia for 10 years before moving back to toronto and i definitely prefer it over here. grass isn't always greener

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 ??????

I have lived in Ottawa for over 30 years, and we have many of the same problems outlined as in Toronto, especially when it comes to housing prices, and heating and air conditioning and gas and groceries....I have a very good job, but can't imagine maintaining any quality of life here post retirement. Personally, I am looking to spend my twilight years in Colombia where life is better for a fraction of the price.

We live in Barrie Ontario, but have lived much closer to Toronto before. We are both in our mid to late 50’s and are planning on semi retiring in 3 years to New Brunswick. It’s very affordable and easy to retire there. As Ontario is extremely expensive, I can definitely see people moving out east in Canada as well as companies relocating there for the simple reason of affordable building rents or to build a new building for their business and offer jobs at a place where their employees can afford to live. I am also predicting that the populations in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia will see huge growth in the coming years.

Grew up an hour away from Toronto, and lived there between 2018-2020 while attending grad school. It was expensive then, and has only gotten worse. My friends that remain are afraid to taoe the TTC, and as you touched on even the nice neighborhoods no longer feel as safe given all the random crime. I work in community services, and so much of what we are seeing could be mitigated or outight eliminated with better funding for social services. It's been almost three years since I moved across the province, and although I love to visit, I could never move back eith the way things are now.

I was born in Toronto and have only lived here my entire life (Im in my mid 40s). The disaster here in Toronto over the past 8 years is thanks to Trudeau. Theres no way anyone can argue that.

Born in Montreal but lived the last 40 years of my life in Toronto… and as others have said… it’s not what it was. Trudeau has destroyed this country. It remains to be seen if the damage is reversible. \n\nIf I were you I would suggest checking out Budapest. It’s an amazing city and the country is run by a PM who actually gives a damn about his people and their culture.\n\nSouthern Brazil is also quite nice (as you know) and SÉ Asia is attractive if you don’t mind the distance. \n\nGood luck!

Thanks for sharing your observations Alina. p.s. I lived in T.O. for a year and enjoyed it. Now it surely will be a place I only visit. I, too, once thought of moving to Toronto. And having read some comments from viewers... consolidated my future plans. ?

Yep, I emigrated to Canada (Toronto) in 1994 and lived there for seven years. The property prices were out of reach even then, so we moved east and bought a house in Pickering. We then moved to Calgary in 2002 and started a business. Now retired, own properties, and grateful to help others find reasonably priced accommodation. I speak often with my fellow immigrants, and many are returning home. Canada has become too expensive for them - and increasingly unsafe.

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

So sad. My Mom’s family all lived in Toronto and my earliest memory of it goes back to 1964. It was always my favourite city and I’ve seen many. It changed so much over the years. For me the best period was 1967-81. Despite these problems I still love it in my heart.

The problem is the many mentally ill not getting help in their own province small town. They bring their problems to Toronto. Ask any shrink and he'll tell you. Ask a socialworker, ask a correctional officer who get to see the scum brought to east detention or Mimico. The biggest criminals are from small town Canada.\nI have lived in Toronto for 65 years. I am 80 and I don't go anywhere after dark. Why do the homeless come here fully knowing that the rents are high? Obviously demented. A normal poor person goes to live where they are welcome.\nI stay here and I put up with the good, the bad and the ugly.

Grew up in Toronto and lived there since 1992. Left Sept 2021 and moved to Calgary... I never thought I'd move but affordability and my car getting broken into 4 times in 12 months pushed me over the edge.

To Everyone bad mouthing Toronto I got a few thoughts to share. First off I’ve lived in Edmonton all my life. But growing up there were two constants in my life almost every summer. 2 places where I could get away have fun not come back for weeks or even months on end. One of them was Toronto . That trend has continued into my 40s.\nSecond I don’t consider Edmonton home. I consider Toronto and my other favourite place my homes always have always will.\nThird Toronto like Every other city has bad and great things about it. But the great things far outweigh the bad things. Yes Toronto is big. But it’s also beautiful vibrant majestic lovely a sight to behold once you visited it long enough. You got the blue jays you got the cn tower you got a lot of stuff no other city has. Toronto is my dream city. It’s where dreams can actually turn into big dreams That result in major success. Toronto is for me. I love it I always will and to be honest it’s way better than Edmonton.❤️❤️❤️????.

Winnipegger here who lived in Toronto 2014-2020, moved back to Wpg 2020-2021 and is now back in Toronto. \n\nFirst and foremost, your comments on crime are inconsistent with the data and blown out of proportion. I suggest viewers take a look at StatsCan’s crime severity index which confirms that Ontario is the safest province or territory in Canada (safer than PEI lol). There are also scores for cities and Toronto is safer than almost every other Canadian city, safer than even Ottawa or Calgary, twice as safe as Vancouver, nearly three times safer than Winnipeg. If we start comparing to US cities, it would be even more shocking. Suffice to say, Toronto is not only safe, but it’s the safest major city in Canada and one of the safest major cities on earth. \n\nThe homelessness crisis has certainly gotten a lot worse, sadly. As has the cost of living, but you get what you pay for.\n\nHaving travelled to 35 countries (doesn’t mean I’m an expert, but I have some experiences in other places), I respectfully disagree and think Toronto is one of the greatest cities. It’s one of the greenest cities in this continent, safe, on the lake, super close to other major cities, great infrastructure (relative to Canadian cities anyway), it’s beautiful and there’s a ton to do, not to mention the diversity. \n\nDon’t be turned off by this, if you can afford it, it’s one of the best places you could live on this planet.

Lived in Toronto for 21 years. Moved out 2 years ago to Calgary. The Best decision ever made. I only wish we made this move much earlier. Calgary is great, but if you decide to move here, please don't bring the TO attitude. Please don't Ontario my Alberta!

Diversity is what has destroyed Toronto, the more diverse it is the more dangerous it gets. I have lived here my entire life and have seen the change for the worse, it has especially nosedived since the Trudeau era starting in 2015. But new mayor Chow will make it even worse in a very short amount of time.

Lived in TO in the late 60s and it seemed a clean and safe city. My brother-in-law lived in TO for about 50 years and loved the place. My wife used to visit him often in the 70s and 80s and she liked Toronto a lot. We went again in 2019 for my BIL's funeral and I thought the place was a dump.

Like you Alina, Harriet and I lived in a city where we were born , raised and loved. Boston. What's happening in Toronto is happening in Boston. The big cities in North America are experiencing\nsimilar issues, some better than others. We still have family in Boston. We continue to go there as you do in Toronto. It's been a while since we've been to Toronto. The two cities are very\nsimilar. Harriet and I are optimists, we hope that the future of yours and our beloved cities will bring us back to a place that we remember fondly. Sending much love❤❤ from Richmond, Va. Harriet, Jim and Yuki

I have lived in Toronto many years i originally as a child grew up in Mississauga. Both cities have changed with time. One of the saddest things is that many people don’t feel safe in Toronto. I have many great memories I still currently live in Toronto I can afford my place a one bedroom in west Toronto. But at the same time my landlady’s. Doesn’t provide what’s necessary. Being no doorbell inadequate heating mice around at times. However I put up with it because the alternative is not there at this time \nI work hard like many do. But at the end of the day. Not much left over

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 lived in Toronto for 23 years. What are the better options you see?

I am originally from Toronto but have lived for 35 years in Los Angeles. It is sad to see the same problems that my 2 favorite cities both have. Two big advantages that LA has is the weather, and higher incomes. In Toronto there is a drastic gap between income, and cost of living. There is that in LA too, but the gap isn't as big. People still make a lot of money here, but with more money, that increases inflation.

Lived in Canada near Toronto my whole life, almost 30 years. My family moved here from Ireland.\nI will never be able to afford my own home at this rate. Theyre not building affordable housing and many immigrant families that move to Canada are large and pool all their resources to buy each other homes, which would be a good idea if it didnt screw over everyone else looking for homes. I do work with pools and I see immigrant families living in large, expensive homes regularly who own multiple homes. Between that and foreign investment/richer people snapping up homes to rent, everyone looking for a home or rent is getting gutted financially. People who have lived here their whole lives are struggling.\nThere needs to be much stricter regulations when it comes to housing and how many you can own. We need affordable housing that isnt snatched up by one person or group to turn into rentals.

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.

As someone who lived in Canada for 20+ years your video is extremely accurate and informative. I live around 35KM from downtown Toronto and a townhouse nearby sold for 2.4+Million not long ago and the wage is so bad here

I was born in Lima Peru at the age 21 moved to the Canada Toronto was my first home and I lived there for 17 years ,but the Canadian winter was wearing me out , so I moved to Vancouver and my partner and I opened a video rental that last me for 24 years until the end of vídeos rental in the meantime I started to invest in real estate , I bough 2 condominium apartment one is a penthouse with roof garden , them 250.000 dólares back in 1994, same year I bought the second apartment for 175.000 dollars 28 years later that investment have increased to 2’200.000.00 dollars I lived all my life in Canada I am now 77 years old in good health,now as a Canadian citizen feel very proud to be Canadian and never consider moving anywhere I am very happy where I am, and I am sure many Canadian feel the same eh

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 lived in the bay area California for a time and I would go back. But now with a family I share the same three recurring concerns expressed.\n\nBut really would love that weather again. Now the concern would be getting a job paying well enough to actually afford to live there as well for a family-sized home.\n\nLiving in Toronto area, it is expensive here already, but somehow I would need to make double or more salary to make it in California.

First time that I watched your channel - and I commend your candor and your openness. I lived in Canada in the Niagara peninsula and the Greater Toronto Area from 1953 to 1989. Then in 1990, I had a job opportunity to work for a Michigan base company that allowed me much global business travel. I could have moved to Michigan with my wife and two sons however I decided that my residence would still be in Canada on the Windsor side of the Detroit river. I commute every working day across the border and I am glad that I did in fact remain a resident of Canada. I do have a green card still to this day in 2023 as I continue to work for the same company. I can tell you that the for the first few months in 1990, every time that I would cross the border to go back home, I felt a sense of ease and contentment to be back in Canada. I do like the USA but I prefer living in Canada.

To your point about choosing where exactly in the US you live - I grew up for 26 years near Toronto but have lived in the US for the last 20 (husband is American). We live in a bubble of like-minded and similar people, and there are very few places in the US we could tolerate. Also, DO NOT underestimate the effects of school shootings on families. I have kids and I'm a teacher. It's on my mind EVERY SINGLE DAY. I'm kind of hoping my kids decide to go to university in Canada. Finally, don't forget that for good health insurance, you are paying a premium just for the coverage, and then on top of that if anything happens you are paying hundreds/thousands of dollars for the services!

Hey Tyler! As a Canadian who lived in the US (and all over the US) for over five years, I just wanted to comment on this video. \n\nIn your video, you seem to be shocked with Canadians reactions to school shootings and health care in the US. Much like Americans paint all of Canada with one brush, Canadians do the same. We watch American news channels more than Canadian news channels, and we read news from American sources more than Canadian sources. American news really is designed to scare people, and Canadians are easily scared! Not all of us consume only American news sources, but most of us do, and that’s just simply based on the fact that Google, Facebook, CNN, ABC, etc. are American companies. Yes of course there are safe communities and cities in the US, and yes of course if you have a good job you probably don’t have to worry much about health care.\n\nDuring my time in the US, I lived in Miami, Chicago and Seattle. I didn’t like Miami. It’s kind of another world down there. Seattle was ok. Chicago though… I absolutely loved living there. And if given the opportunity, that is where I would live for the rest of my life. People will say “Chicago! It’s so violent and problems blah blah”, but like you said, there are areas, even in big cities, that are super safe and fun to live in. \n\nI live in Toronto now, and I wouldn’t hesitate to move back to Chicago if given the opportunity. The food scene, the music scene, the sports scene, and the unbelievably friendly people. Such a great town.\n\nAnyway, love the videos. Keep it up!