Close Reading

I’m Lebanese , i applied for work permit 1.5 year ago, got approved a month ago and got my visa 2 weeks ago( for Edmonton, Alberta). My hourly wage is 16.46$ before tax. I’ve calculated my cost of living ( rent, food, transportation, etc.. ) It was acceptable back then . When i applied earlier , it was my dream to come to canada. I’ve struggled a lot to get the visa and I’ve booked a flight that was supposed to be next week , but honestly things have differ from when I’ve applied. I used to see affordable housing and cost of living, not anymore. Things have changed there, from cost to living to rents to increased crime rate ( it’s even higher and more tragical than Lebanon itself in his worst current situation) and so on and so forth. I’ve literally canceled everything and I’m not even regretting my decision.\n\nWorking on a slight above minimum wage, in a weather that’s -20+ for long months just to be in ‘CANADA’ and live from paycheck to paycheck isn’t going to seduce me honestly.

I was born in Canada, and lived to see the change from traditional values to this mess...\n\n1 - homelessness\nthe rents and other things went up, and welfare does nt match it. even minimum wage does nt cover it in some cases, \nit s a given that you will finish on the sidewalk, and that does that many will turn to drinking and drugs.\nit will not last long however, as winter comes and there are nt enough shelters, so they conveniently die.\nyou could invest billions, it will not help if you have bad management, you have to dig deeper...\n\n2 - racism\nit s a bit of a backward country in that sense, many rural areas were very late in receiving immigrants,\nso they re not used to see diversity, unlike the US lets say, so there are parts of the country where acceptation\nwill be low, they will discriminate and gossip for sure, but it s more backward as it is racism.\nin time, when they get to know you, it goes away, and they realise how dumb they were.\nI live in Quebec, and you can blame feminism for that, they see Muslims as a symbol of patriarchy and feel threatened.\n\n3 - medical\nit s been like that since about the 90s, again, bad management made the system crash for some reason.\nI admit that I m not sure of what happened exactly there, not enough doctors for sure.\nmaybe it has to do with income, as they can get more revenue in the US or elsewhere.\nI suspect that hospitals s management - administration is too slow and crowded, but I m no expert.\n\n4 - technology\nyeah, well, it s expensive here, cell contracts, internet, probably because of distance, but I suspect\nthat we re being cheated a little too, and since again, we re a bit backward, we re used to the old methods.\nwe re not fast to adopt new trends or fashion either, it s very traditional here mostly.\n\n5 - taxes\nwe have federal and provincial taxes, plus purchase taxes, so yeah, we pay a lot of them.\nexactly, it can vary from 30 - 60% for sure, overtime does nt pay that much, 2 nd jobs can build you a big bill.\nyou re better to save on expenses than trying to earn more, you have to be cheap.\n\n6 - Canadian experience\nI m born here, but I heard of many stories about immigrants s credentials not fitting the local standards.\nin some cases, it sounds ridiculous, and closed minded, not accepting outside concepts and ideas.\nI did nt know about speaking English, but I sure know about French in Quebec...\nhere, it s very insecure about the language, almost paranoid, without speaking French, you will have many troubles.\nagain, it s mostly about bad management, and rules and mentality that self sabotage.\n\n7 - housing\nlike mentioned before, the real estate in general has jumped tremendously.\nI m no financier expert, but an overview of economy tells me that banks compete between countries,\nand they will recourse on artificially inflating the value of real estate, and that plainly kills people.\nthis is the main reason of the homelessness you see on the streets.\nyeah, the soundproofing is quite poor, and some very old buildings can cost a lot in heating.\n\n8 - well, crime is on the rise, and citizens supporting the law and public safety is not very encouraged by the system in place.\nin some way, you re better to shut up than supporting the police... this has to change!\n\n9 - the social services are biased, and impose their vision if you want help.\n\n10 - the mental health policy is too wide, and makes you ill instead of helping.\n\n11 - the pharmaceutical companies are too influencing, and make people sick instead of helping.\n\n12 - the food regulation is lacking, it is not strict enough, allowing chemicals, gmo, and radiation.\n\n13 - feminism is almost radical, especially in Quebec, they segregate genders, and dividing us, it makes the country weak.\n\notherwise, you pretty much covered it well.\n\ngood work sissses.

I moved to Canada in 2012. I used to love Canada as even with $11 per hour job was more than enough to survive (during studies, part time job). I used to live happy life. But, since Liberal government was elected in 2015, things are going crap. Just between 2016 when I signed lease of 1+1 apartment for 1140$, in 2019 it was getting rented for $2400. Prices went up for house and lots of things. Liberals had messed up affordability that most people in Toronto region are living paycheque to paycheque. On top of it Carbon tax in hide of saving environment which literally not working out, is killing Canadians. \n\nAfter living in Canada for 11 years, I don’t see this country has any good future overall. Our banking to technology sector everything is outdated. World is moving so fast, Canada is not able to catch up. I am looking for easy was to get green card of USA, the country which I hated, it seems USA is far better. I have many relatives in USA, I asked around and it broke lots of my stereotypes about USA which I had developed living in Canada and from Canadians. Even met few people who lived in Canada for 10-15 years and moved to USA and living there for last 5-10 years. Worst decision of my life was choosing Canada in 2012 for easy immigration. My classmates who chose USA and moved there in 2012 are in much better position career wise as well salary wise and they files are also in progress. Living lavish life with great weather, while Canada is depressive as hell.

I used to live in Los Angeles and have been in Switzerland for the past 15 years....I hate going back to visit and having to travel all over the fucking place just to see people. Driving here, nope. Public transportation can't be beat here...homeless, if you homeless here you really had to make an effort to do that. Never missing LA one second lol

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....

My family moved to a suburb of Atlanta 15 years ago from LaSalle, QC. I am happy to be away from the language politics and snow, but the living areas here are so segregated. They call the US a melting pot, but from my perspective the individual parts aren't blending together. I was so used to seeing Italian, African, Irish, Indian, Caribbean, Native, Asian, Middle Eastern, you name it peoples everyday at work, shopping and at the gym. Based on where I live, I really only see African Americans. The funny thing is, if I travel just a few miles in a specific direction, the demographics change dramatically.

used to walk/run/bike everywhere ? i live in LA thank god i have a truck i got lazy now driving everywhere

I'm from Houston and its more sprawled out now than it was when I was a kid. If you're dating someone on the Southside and you live on the Northside? You basically in a long distance relationship. And they aint lying about the tap water, used to live in Oregon for a few years and the tap water compared to Texas 8s night and day but when we traveled up to BC that tap water was amazing!

As someone who was born and spent decades growing up in Toronto who moved to the US years ago and spend time regularly in multiple states, I disagree vehemently with what Aba said about safety. Aba did not recognize that not only is the US like 50 different countries, with each state being somewhat unique unto themselves, but the cities are like an amalgamation of 2 or 3 different cities. What I mean by that is about the safety and security aspect, it all depends on where you live and where you hang out. Undoubtedly, US ghettos and the sketchy clubbing districts are generally worse than Canadian housing projects and such. If you live in the regular or especially good parts of the city, it's totally safe. \nBecause most US towns and cities are built around neighborhoods, security and safety is always a big selling point. As long as you avoid the ghetto and late night 'action' areas, it's generally safer than Toronto. Toronto suffers from an outbreak of car break ins, car thefts, home break ins and recently car jackings all over. Many US neighborhoods and areas have no such thing. On a side note, as a POC, I also have experienced far less racism in the US than I used to in Toronto. Without getting into a can of worms, if you live in a Democrat controlled city vs. Republican one, you are going to experience more crime, more homeless, higher unemployment, etc. You guys are referencing LA, which has become far worse, like San Francisco and New York. \nAnd the cost of living comment is ridiculous. Again maybe LA and NYC which are shadows of what they once were. Canada has far higher tax burden, way higher inflation, prices of food, energy, clothes and homes are off the charts. In Texas, Florida, Tennessee and Washington, we have ZERO income tax as well as lower tax than the HST. No way, Aba and Preach are dead wrong on these issues, because they are using LA or NYC as a reference. There's a reason the movies Escape From New York and it's sequel Escape From LA are such prophetic movies.

I disagree with the racism part. It's not that it is not existant. It exist, but no where else in the world would you have places like Fairmount bagel, Willensky, Schwartz that are reknown internationnally. How can Canada be racist when ethnic food could thrive so much? How can places like Satay brother in Montreal thrive? How can we have so many Korean, Japanese, Chinese businesses thriving in our country? I've never heard of a famous poutine( the dish) place in Roumania or China? What about Cubas world famous tourtiere? Never! In addition, you draw conclusion with being very biased with the statistics. I am pretty sure you don't know the margin of error of the study you used! It's just a free insult. If there is that much racism that I might be blinded by, well at least I can garantee you that you're not helping reducing it! Canada is a wonderfull place to live if our politicians don't act crazy like in the last few years. I am glad to encourage any the business I just mentioned. without them a least Montreal wouldn't be the same. In Canada, we almost all come from immigrant family. So, no! Most Canadians, born here or naturalised , are not racist.

This is why Canada wants all the immigrants to come work here so they can drain all their income in taxes to pay for all the old people draining the system. They need workers at low paying jobs to work double hrs. paying double taxes to pay for senior's health care etc. They are also consumers who will have to spend what's left of their pay cheques to just feed and clothe themselves. Leaving so little left to actually do anything with. As a 5th generation Canadian I have struggled all my life to just keep food and home to live and raise my kids on very little. Now due to what has happened in Canada and the economy, inflation, skyrocketing housing prices, my kids will never be able to own a home in their own country. It's sickening. Canada is cold. Canada is not fun. Least fun because of all the rules on everything. Taxes and fees on everything. There used to be much more fun and things were much more relaxed in the 70's and 80's but now it has changed so much that I'm starting to hate my own Country, my province and the Canadian leadership at this time is the worst in history. And get this: I'm so poor I couldn't even afford to move around or travel in my own damned country! We don't even have a universal transit bus system to travel anymore. YOu have to have a car or fly but be damned if you can hop the old Greyhound and go from Vancouver to Toronto anymore and save a few bucks. It's sick and dysfunctional here.

I live in Canada for 20 years, I volunteered in a shutter couple of times preparing and serving food, I haven't seen any black person that's homeless, Winnipeg to be a specific where I lived, where homeless is higher there, yet you showing black people in your video as homeless?! that's just tells me you are racist yourself. \nwhere I used to live, black people especially the immigrants are business owners, and they're hard working people. \nWe all know who are the homeless and why they are homeless not because they can't find job but because they have mental problems then they end up to drugs addictions. Even if the government gave them monthly allowance they used it for drugs. \n\nI wish them peace with in their souls and minds and get back into the right path.

All I got to say bc i used to live in edmonton dont go there people are not nice and edmontons jobs pay nothing

Very good video, I wish I knew it all in 2014! Taxes, OMG this was such a nasty surprise when my grocery bill was higher than what I saw on a price tag. Funny that a lot of this is true in Switzerland as well. Switzerland hates overachievers but values team work. Always respect your team, help and be polite are absolute dealbreakers. Other aspects of cultural norm also works. Remember how Canadians were closed when it comes to personal topics, Swiss people are reserved and it takes time to get closer to them but they can also been direct when it comes to a civil state, at least this happened to me. \nFunny fact: when I arrived in Switzerland I had Canadian views of a distance and annoyed people by saying 80km is close, but when I explained I used to live in Canada they understand I need time to adjust. \nI lived 5yrs in Toronto and never get issues with winter, but I hate summer heat not winter.

Id rather pay high taxes than be used as gun targeting practice when ever Im outside, living in a country with no social security net. And ER waiting times are the same everywhere. Canada boring? I live in Montreal. Americans come here to party with the legal drinking age being 18 yrs old, instead of the American 21.? Also, youre not obligated to go to a seniors residence when youre older. Thats a CHOICE. Dont base living in Canada just on your experience in one city, TORONTO, the most Americanized city in all of Canada. My parents left the US when I was 2 yrs old to come here and it was the best decision they ever made.

What I see in Canada is that lots of people have an employee mentality. Many of them make a good income, but they spend their money on stupid things, like nice cars, expensive phones, fancy restaurants, trips, etc. How can they expect to build wealth if they basically flush their hard-earned money down the toilet? It's true that housing and food are expensive in Canada, but that's basically all you need to live. The rest of your income can be used to create businesses and more income streams, but no people prefer their 9 to 5 job and watch non-sensical TV shows after that.

A lot of the points you made were true, but not exclusively Canadian problems, they’re western problems. I dated someone who lived in the US, and travelled back and forth. I also used to work for a major American health insurance company. It’s a nightmare. The cost of premiums alone. I totally agree about the cost of living here... but I think the rest of your points lacked research and any solid supporting arguments. It’s boring? Why? Where are you living? Because I’ve lived in Montreal, Toronto, now I live in a smaller town and I can find you’d something fun to do every day. I think if you’re bored you’re boring. And my entire family and my husband are Caribbean immigrants... I found this video pretty ignorant.

I'm a blk American born and raised and l have serious interest in moving to Canada. Since my people are from the US this is all l know so Im acclimated to the racial climate of the states. A lot of your cons are the same issues many face in the states. Taxes are crazy cost of living is insane wages are stagnant and you basically live to work. I live in Minnesota which is not far from the Canadian border but originally from New Jersey so I'm used to the cold. The health care system is sh*t here. Noone really has money to pay privately that's why our care is funded by employers. At the current moment there is also a shortage of medical professionals so often times you still have to wait months for appointments but you know what l would rather wait and have my taxes pay for my doctor then go into medical debt. My biggest issue with America is you pay all these taxes and reap nothing at least in Canada you can kinda see where the money is going.

I was born and raised in Canada and still live here (my roots are in Jamaica and Tobago). The last 5-10 years has made me so sad to see what’s happened to what was once such a great country. Rent and housing costs are out of control… car prices… food… utility bills… this government (led by Trudeau) has almost completely eliminated the middle class. Now there’s only the rich and the poor. And let’s not even talk about the issues with forced vaccination and stripping citizens of their charter rights… I never experienced any real racism and have never thought of Canada as a racist country. I still don’t. It’s just this woke agenda that is being pushed recently that is dividing everyone. Also very sad to see. I used to think that I would retire here but now I’m not so sure…

LOL next time you go to British Columbia go to where I'm from and it's a little Valley called blueberry Creek it's in the interior about 400 mi from Vancouver Vancouver isn't as bad as you say it seems that way but truly I lived there for about 10-15 years after I grew up in blueberry and it is definitely unpredictable that's for sure you have to take an umbrella with you or a raincoat or a sweater or something cuz you could go out in the morning it's bright and sunny and by the time you get to the bus stop it's raining that is very true but it doesn't last long there is certain seasons that it rains but if you look at the meteorology it really isn't that much more than anywhere else and gloomy you want to talk about gloomy you live in Alberta I live there for quite a while and one morning I woke up and I just couldn't take it anymore all you see is different shades of gray and brown so I packed up and went home and finally saw green again I'm glad you guys are in Canada but boy do I hear you I used to be middle class owned a home and some land and then I became homeless because yes that's what our government is trying to do they don't want me to class people we have too much power when Harris came into power he almost succeeded in wiping out the middle class dirt poor have no say in anything so I'm trapped here I hope you guys have the freedom to go where you like I really do you guys are great

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.

You both make valid points about Canada. I am 2nd generation Canadian. I do feel like its expensive here and Even I have a hard time landing a job. (Recently got laid off from my career job, they said I didn't have enough experience to work there). My friends who aren't single and live with their partner, have an easier time living here compared to people who are single & living by themselves. \n\nNight life is boring here. However, daytime life specially in the summer is better. I feel like Canada is more for an outdoor person. Depending where you live, there are beaches, mountains, trails, & lakes to explore. Some parts of Canada even look tropical! We have hot springs here as well!\n\nFor the leisure & work life balance, I feel like that depends on the person. I used to work 2 jobs (not because I was bored or needed the money at the time), I just wanted to save more money & help my friend out with his business. I felt like I had good balance of work & leisure. I hanged out with my friends on Friday & Saturdays then I had my 'me' days on Sundays.\n\nIf you are going to move here, do your research, also I don't think people consider their countries dollar into the equation, what I mean is, if you want to convert your money to Canadian... you might have less money then you have. Example, at this moment, 1 Mexican Peso is 0.066 Canadian dollars, therefor people coming from Mexico might have a hard time afford things in Canada compared to a person who is moving from USA. (1 USA Dollar = 1.31 Canadian Dollar).\n\n\nO btw, I love both you hair!!~

Never forget your home. Build at least a one bedroom in your own land back home, so you can return in your old age, if you live to your 70s, 80s or 90s. Look at the number of homeless people abroad, who are old. Don't forget your family back home. All these people talking are young but work very hard now and buy land in your hometown and build a place for yourself, and if possible a place to rent out so you can get income in future. You will never own anything in these oyibo lands. You will always pay very high taxes, even when you are not working or retired, and the house will go into foreclosure. Think my African brothers and sisters. I know things are bad back home, but don't get old and try to live here. A nursing home is like a prison. We are not used to that kind of restricted lifestyle.

True! True!. Its a ok country to live but tooooooooon much taxes. Always paying taxes for others who are treated better than you, yet they have never work day in this country. So Truth!! Phone bills is a lot thats is why I used my cell for everything! In the U.S not every jobs pays well minimum wage in canada.is more than that of the U. S. \nBut still the U. S is much less expensive place to live. The U. S is one of the strongest passport. 98% of what was said is truth..

My wife, my 3 kids and I used to like Vancouver but not anymore!!! The weather is why we plan to leave for good but also the expensive rents! I also heard about horror stories at many hospitals (and yes, I have worked in Africa and to be honest, Africans hospitals are way more functional than the ones in Canada in terms of human aspect… there they care, Canadians do not give a shit about anyone!!! And I am saying this as a Belgian!!! I have some African colleagues at work here and at least 80 percent of them either want to go back to Africa (one is actually going to start an Afro business there and build his own house) or move to Europe (one of them plans to live to my homeland Belgium and two others in France as apparent the pensions there are way better than the Canadian one) as soon as they get enough experience in canada! None of us at work , including me, want to retire or get old here in Canada! For me personally, it is the Canadian extreme loneliness and lack of willingness to open to others that really shuts me down… I am fed up and and tired of paying taxes in a country where some (not all) hospitals and some retirement homes treat patients like … objects, not human beings! I now understand (as before I did not) why even some of my African colleagues are looking forward to go back to Africa or to some of them, immigrate to Europe! .. none of us want to be left alone and depressed in this so highly individualistic and unfriendly, falsely “cool” country called Canada… a country that claims America and France are racist countries when not even one CEO in Canada is coloured! I am also fed up of Canadians being cool!!!! Cool???? Yes, their humour is crap and they are all too serious… not astonishing why so many end up being depressed or on meds to be able to function! \nLast: I am fed up with 1. The stupid credit score system which makes North Americans anxious and frustrated!!!! Stupidity does not even exist in France or Belgium where I am from! 2.food is Canada is … not good…lol… really close to being bad! 3.the country is boring… reason… people are so disciplined and nothing happens!!! I just miss Europe even if we are far from being perfect and I prefer our imperfections to the Canadian perfect society which end up making people boring and annoying!!! 4. Canadians are shallow compared to us Europeans 5. Their transit system sucks if compared to Europe 6. Health care system is nothing comptable to what we got in Europe!!!! \nResult: I leave Canada years before retirement as The last thing I want for me is to remain in a country and get “sunk” Into Canadian depression, Canadian loneliness and Canadian “coolness”. \nOhh just as an indicator, it is really rare to see someone who is happy in Vancouver BC these days… the city just looks like a factory to make people work, make Canadian banks richer and pay taxes! Apart from that, I do not give a damn about the beautiful scenery and lakes as long as everyone around gets scammed with unjustified and ridiculous high cost of living!!!

Hey I used to live in battleford and it wasn’t that bad as long as you didn’t make eye contact or interact with anyone and it’s a grate place to learn how to hide a body

I was born in Quebec, I grew up there, studied, worked, lived almost all my life, except for a few years in Toronto and Ottawa for studies and work, where I never really felt at home, but like in a foreign country. I love Quebec, its history, its culture, its language, its way of life and Quebecers in general. I get used to its climate, its six months or so of winter, but still with nice, hot summers. I also put up with the high cost of living due to the multiple taxes to be paid, the highest in North America, which means that, paradoxically, it still costs less to live here than elsewhere in Canada and to the social safety net Quebecers benefit and which is the envy of many citizens elsewhere in the country. The shadow on the board: the hostility and racism of English Canada, including most Anglophones in Quebec and the allophones who join this recalcitrant community towards Quebec and Francophones in general, the ambient wokism, the complacency of the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, who has transformed the city into a huge bike path, Justin Trudeau's hypocrisy regarding Quebec legislation for the protection of language and secularism, which he intends to challenge before the Supreme Court of the country . If I weren't so attached to Quebec, these would be the main reasons that would make me leave Quebec, but to go where, like the wandering Canadian of song, banished from his homeland... Where? Any informed suggestions?

7:00 No, diversity is not strength, it is weakness. The non-European immigrants see Canada's open door immigration policy as a weakness. I live in Vancouver and large parts of it, including my suburb, have become Sinified (Chinese) because they have used real estate to park their funds in this city. The properties are left unoccupied or Chinese-occupied as the prices are too high for the born and raised to afford. It is a type of Chinese colonialism which the Canadian government has allowed. And there is a huge South Asian cluster in Surrey, Vancouver. Neither assimilate and why would they, because they see there is not much of a Canadian culture to assimilate into. So you end up with a mosaic of cultures that mostly remain separated from eachother and foreign ownership has become excessive.

I moved my country 6 months ago.I used to live 3 year in canada.weather is very bad.alone life.expensive room and house.capitalism system.relationship just money.Love is very difficult in Canada.sometimes racism.Healthy is very bad.working is very hard need to every week 50 hours working save money and buying house impossible.I didn’t meet long time relationship because people don’t trust each other in Canada …

I live in a home in the suburb area of Bangkok-Thailand and also live in a condo in the heart of Bangkok, both have the same psychological vibes as you showed in the video. I don’t even know my neighbors on the same floor at my condo, I don’t usually see my neighbors at home either. I’m now too get used to with the independent lifestyle, when there are a lot of people ir communication around I usually start to get headache ?. But of course, for me the nicest thing is to take my mother with me if I have chance to live in abroad ❤️.

I'm an Indian living in India. People here dream of places like America and start saving money from a very young age. I think they don't know the true reality of the Western countries. Many of my relatives who go to these countries never come back. I think your point about getting used to it is also true. They never complain about the lonliness. They only praise it, saying that it's not as loud as India. But I don't think I'll be able to live such an isolated life.

I am a doctor who used to live in canada , i had no problem with the medical exams for licensing as its an important way to prove the competency in such a critical field, i passed all of the exams , however its very very difficult to get into the system and after years in canada i still don’t know what else needed from us to get into the system lol

True. I was born and raised in the countryside in Mexico. Even in the cities in Mexico and other Latin American countries, life is more vibrant. I remember when I used to live in the city in my home state in Mexico, you couldn't even tell if it was a weekend or the middle of the week because there were always many people sitting around in the parks and central plazas enjoying life. Businesses used to close two hours for lunch so the employees had plenty of time to go home or eat anywhere before going back to work in the afternoon. Life wasn't just about work, but here in the United States it seems like everything revolves around work, work, work, and work... and that doesn't seem to be a healthy lifestyle (physically and psychologically).

Alberta is so much wealthier than Quebec, I don't know how someone can possibly rank Quebec higher. I used to live in Quebec (Quebec City) and it's an absolute dump. Almost like living in a third world country.

for me:\n1. Taxes... eh alright\n2. Yeah I need to speak English\n3. I live in Arabia but I think I can handle that? idk, I have lived in New Zealand and the UK, which aren't nearly as cold but with warm clothing I think it should be okay\n4. Doesn't really matter to me so much\n5. I guess I would have to get used to that. You rarely tip where I've lived.\n6. I don't drink.\n7. no comment, doesn't affect anything\n8. I have lived in New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates, think I'll be good\n9. At the moment I cannot drive due to health reasons, but that *should* get better in the future..\n10. that's good

Canada is a land with great resources, great opportunity and potential, but for a place with so much supposedly smart people they do alot of dumb things. Been here 7 years now and I have seen so many issues that have obvious solutions but because of some weird culture or heritage or whatever they just keep doing the same thing until it hurts them. The real estate market is an absolute MESS and everybody knows. Money laundering, realtors colluding to set prices, blind auctions etc you name it. But they are just gonna keep doing the same thing until the country is in a major recession. Then everybody is going to be crying for bailouts. The health system is a MESS. Trying to find a doctor is like finding a needle in a haystack. They have them driving taxis instead, claiming that their qualifications arent as good. Yet they dont have enough doctors or nurses to support anything. Coworkers whose spouses work in those industries let me know they have to be working ridiculous shifts because there are not enough people. The taxes are ridiculous. I work in I.T. and taxes are like roughly half my salary. Many coworkers have told me all the illegal stuff they do to get around the taxes. Which I don't do because I wasn't raised like that. But people get taxed so much everyone is doing some thing to try to bypass it. And if you dont know the tricks or dont want to do them, you just get screwed. People don't talk about real issues here. There is alot of fake positivity and optimism because they dont want people to get sad and suicidal from the really long and harsh winter. I used to wonder why there were so many train delays until some one explained to me that many people commit suicides in winter by stepping in front of the trains. The only thing propping up this country is the constant influx of immigrant slave labour through the college system, (Like a ponzi scheme). But the immigrants are going to stop coming here if they cant even afford to live at all. Even the regular citizens cant afford it. So what will the country do after that, since there is an elderly population and not enough people to support the industries? Right now most of the immigrants come here and save up there money to go somewhere else or back home after they realize what a shitshow it is. I even have coworkers born and raised in Canada who are telling me they want to leave. Canada needs to stop patting itself on the back for doing stupid apologies and stuff like that, and actually do economically sound things to stop digging themselves into this hole. Great potential for this country but I don't know if it will ever be realized.

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.

Um I used to live in Montreal and I seen more people get arrested in one day then ever so I beg to differ

I’d love to visit Atlantic Canada: all my friends here on the West Coast say it’s very nice. \nI loved living in Quebec and Montreal, but both cities are very cold in winter—and I don’t speak no french too good, hoste! \nI’m from Ontario. it probably was a beautiful place until white people got there. But it’s way too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. Most of my family has moved out to the West Coast. I guess they missed me.\nManitoba is very nice, but you’re right about cold winters and lots of mosquitoes in summer. Winnipeg is a fantastic city. The biggest city on the North American Plains.\nSouthwest Saskatchewan is absolutely beautiful. Nuff said.\nAlberta is one of my favourite provinces—just too bad about the goofy government they got there. I lived and worked there lots over the years. Many Albertans have moved out here to the West Coast to get away from the horrid politics there.\nBC is by far the best place to live. I live in the steep rain shadow of East Vancouver Island, nice and warm, short if any winter. All my friends live here. I used to live in Victoria—we might move back there—it’s my favourite city anywhere. Vancouver is a blast—but too big for me. I wouldn’t live anywhere else in this country but BC. \nFriends tell me Yukon is great but NWT’s Yellowknife is a hell-hole. I read a great online zine from Nunavut—Nunatsiaq. As close as I’m ever gonna get.\nSo you’re ranking is not very good from my perspective. Alberta sucks because of its dependence on bitumen—and it’s not “cyclical”, it’s doomed. Tons of crazy anti-vaxxers and religious right wingers, too. Quebec is wonderful, but too, too cold in winter. Plus muh french ain’t too good, eh...

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

Canada is one of the best countries to live in period. However, it got way too expensive. I moved to Canada 16 years ago and the prices rose 300-400% including housing, Real take home income is less than it used be. This country is different for everybody. If you came with money and dont have to work then you dont need to worry about the income tax and you can still enjoy all the benefits of living in Canada like healthcare. Tons of people on welfare and other assisting programs. High minimum wage. Underpayed skilled professional. The only ones i am happy for are the construction workers but the climate is so bad you really need to suffer everyday because it is really cold in winter and hot in summer.

Excellent video! I'm impressed by the time spending on waiting doctor and winter in Montreal. I try to learn something new to have fun and improve myself, by this way I start getting used to here after living here for four years from China. Whenever you're, I hope you can live happily with your family.

It is not bad country ;\nEvery where in the world has its problem.\nI used to live in Italy and when I compare Canad to Italy ;it is way better that italy or even France.\nThe only problem of Canada is cold weather and First Nations (sorry I am not racist and love every kind of human )\nBut it seems Canadian government does not have good policy toward them and rate of crime is high among them.

At minute8:33\n I used to live in the alpine at 6k ft. For half the year at my job. If you don't like Canada....leave. Your expectations were too big.

Excellent explanation, guidance and recommendations. \nI love the way you recommended about packing the suitcase. I hope people at least follow you on that one advice only. \nI respectfully disagree with you on the discrimination part of your video. \nI live in the US and never been discriminated but it all depends on the work environments. I have seen people in low paid jobs are oftentimes discriminated for their skin color or ethnic backgrounds. \nYou might not remember me but I used to meet you in IBA Karachi.

Well, you are lucky you can go to the US to drown out all of your problems, in Iraq the healthcare is bad, the education system is bad (especially in public school where kids get hit.) and the people are not nice. The only people who are kind are in Iraqi Kurdistan! Oh, yea I have depression and I am only 11 (my parents think it is not serious.) I used to live in the US, but the Iraq government paid for my dads college, so we had to go back. I am also suicidal, I might commit suicide soon. I am also Muslim. I hope you people live a good life.

I live in the USA. I have strongly considered moving to Canada. The US is great. But don't believe the hype that we are the greatest country on earth. That is nonsense.\n\nIt's very stressful living in the US. Yes, you can become wealthy. But you have to basically dedicate your life to working. Working for corporations can provide a nice living for your family. But you won't be home very often.\n\nBottom line is that the US is not what it used to be.

I almost feel all religion should be completely private. Any suggestion of any religion publicly should be illegal. Christianity/islam etc. You cant discriminate against islam. Its easy for me to say because im an atheist. Islam does appear the most dangerous but it used to be christianity. There are good muslims and good christians but equally ghere are maniacs. If everyone kept their religions private/secret and those flouting that were jailed that might work. Fair for everyone really. Why should people need to ram their religion down others throats. Its a shame because im in favour of freedom but i guess that would mean banning the burka, crucifix’s etc. Shame people cant just be civil, live and let live etc. I think its either regulate or anarchy.

I heartly want west to suffer from first hand experience of what Islam actually then these western secular enthusiasts who claim that islamophobia is against pluralism will realise that islamopbhobia is actually a weapon used by muslim-liberal nexus to kill any criticism of Islam. Islam is fascist in nature. liberals are habitual of criticising the majority groups anywhere so that majority remain divided and they well know that muslim political behaviour is completely based on Islam they can't be liberals and secularism has no place in Islam. even if you live in a muslim society as non-muslim you just can't get equal rights on par with muslims. ayatollah Khomeini said that secularism is like prostitution. a muslim gets all rights like other citizens in countries like america, India, britain, australia and other democratic countries but a non-muslim from these countries can't expect such rights in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE,kuwait and so on. wherever muslims are in majority they already had a separate country.

1:41 I used to live in the neighbourhood in the background. (West End, Vancouver)