Close Reading

Seems like this town was a hell of a lot easier to ask questions and get answers then the Jewish town video.

YGood day. For from context I'll reveal a little about me. I am around 27% Indian, 34% northern African people which is around 61% combined. My other ancestry includes Wales, Sweden, Norway Scottish and Irish, Hebrew/ jew as in from 12 tribes of Israel, However, the world calls me black Jamaican born. I live in small town with population under 41,000 people in northern Ontario Canada for past 21 years. I remember when I came here with company contracted to build and say very few black people mostly French African and some mixed black with some Chinese probably total under 20 people other than white or indigenous peoples. Over the years was steady increase of black, Chinese, Philippino, and my Indian doctor and his family to maybe total around 50 none white none indigenous peoples. Just before pandemic we had a large number of Indian students which was awesome to see considering my heritage as my grandmother on dad side was Indian. But a year before pandemic we noticed many started working in convenient stores and fast food places like most high school students do to save for college/university which was becoming a problem for Canadian students as some employers got incentives or cheaper labour to maximize profits. As pandemic rolled in so it seems more Indian students from other regions in Canada. So, Canada, Ontario, and small town I reside already had huge housing problems as some homes we even to be condemned and indigenous homeless from north increased crime rates and now we had students living beyond building code occupancy with shared living causing rentals to shoot up in prices as landlords became greedy and selfish. This small town of under 41,000 is by some estimates over 55,000 by increasing Indian students who for past 5 years fighting to get permanent residents even though they came as students which proves the goal was always invasion and coming as students was the ticket. If you and rest of new immigrants don't see the problem yet, I'll continue. 95% of taxis have Indian drivers, 98% food and other delivery Indian, 90%+ convenience and groceries, clothing and all stores 90%+ , vehicles on roads 70% Indian, my son barely got into college with 90%+ Indian population in college and his class is 2 white students, himself only mixed , and 2 Africans and 22 Indian students who cheats on a regular basis but professor afraid to confront as they are quick to call racism. But even bigger for me is these Indian students/new immigrants have no respect for the history of Canada and USA not knowing how indigenous peoples were raped tortured and murdered to take over this country and then enslaved African people to build this country while they raped tortured treat less than animals and still suffering with fighting for equal rights for over 400yrs while still being racially profiled and beaten and murdered by police officers because of this colonizers system. Now you come here and benefits from black and indigenous peoples struggles and claiming rights when you have not been fighting the battles with us or for us. Also, the criminal aspects of your community is not being taked about as well which includes extortion to businesses owned by Indians, car thefts, drug trafficking, human trafficking and other criminal activities. There's so much more than just saying you feel unloved by the people you're taking things from for their children and grandchildren and generations without showing any respect as that is defined as selfish. You and many new immigrants forget this is not India and expect everyone to bow to you and that is what we are against. i Have some awesome friends that are new immigrants and are respectful and want to learn about history and current events and impacts they have and how to reprove Canada not destroy Canada

well I have to say that this video is yet another white man complaining how the country is when they sat and watched it happen over the past 20 years. BOO Hoo you're the minority now sucks don't it. Not being able to get hired white people homeless living in the streets and entire areas are being taken over by immigrants. WHAT TO HELL HAVE WHITE PEOPLE BEEN DOING FOR 20 YEARS!! No mass protests, no private members bills, no community organizations to stem the tide of immigration. It seems what you're saying is if it isn't white, it isn't right and now finally enough white people are feeling what it was like for every brown or black person and other non white groups (still shit on) for the past 50 plus years. Remember there isn't an issue until it affects white people is the way it's been in Canada my whole life. I lived and grew up in small town Canada during the 80s and 90s and I can tell you white people weren't very friendly, and they certainly didn't hire people that were nonwhite for any of the good paying jobs, the data exists if you care to look. I think instead of promoting division and board line hate why don't work with these communities and find out why they only hire their own. Maybe pay back for the decades of being shit on by white Canada would probably be a reason you may hear; I know I do and have because I've asked owners of the companies. They are fed up with driving cabs and doing shit work so instead of crying about it they created communities or took over communities and made it so they don't have to reply on or hope that whites will help.... THEY HELPED THEMSELVES. and if you as a white person sat around and watched and let it happen since this didn't happen overnight well you are right where you belong, something to consider. Drop the race baiting and work and open communication with people and work toward a common goal. Maybe had that happened 20 or 30 years ago, Canada may not look like it does today. \nRemember immigration was initially intended to bring in workers for a set amount of time and then they were sent back. Canada wasn't producing enough people to replace or increase the needed work force required for the country's growth. \n\nYoung man if you ever want to talk and help figure out how white and brown people can come together and fix a racist system that goes both ways, I have just a few ideas that might actually make Canada not only how it used to be for whites but a Canada that benefits everyone. So please stop with the race baiting and promote and find ways that everyone can exist....unless you are racist and don't want anything but to have white people be the majority again, and if that is the case then your part of the problem and not the solution. \n\nBTW I am native French and Spanish and English now that is a war going on inside me lmao.

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.

Tyler's reaction to Canadian fears about school shootings throughout this is that this is a big city problem, and if you move to a small town, you'll be safe and not have to worry about it. So, I got curious, and looked up the population of Sandy Hook, home to one of the most famous (feels gross to describe such a tragedy that way) school shootings. It has a population of less than 10,000 people. What is a small town to Tyler, because 10,000 people seems pretty small to me?\n\nAs a Canadian, I was utterly flabbergasted going into a US pawn shop and them just having a gun room. Enough guns to arm a small army. Hunting rifles. Handguns. Even one that looked like some kind of assault rifle. You can get guns in Canada, but at like, a hunting store, with proper licencing. The fact that you could go to a pawn shop and just...browse the guns there is so alien to me. Every country that has tighter gun control has fewer school shootings, and shootings in general. Like, shootings still happen here, but not to the same extent they do in America. American gun culture enables them because they both make guns so readily available, and have a culture that celebrates gun ownership in a way other cultures, like my Canadian culture, do not. I think our last school mass shooting was in the eighties? So, if I lived in the US, I don't think I'd be afraid to send my kid to school, but it would be way more of a concern than it is here, where I don't even consider the possibility of that happening at all.

First off Canada is not a systemically racist country I’m white I’m also poor and I’ve lived here all my life nearly everyone excluding the native population in a immigrant or a descendant of a immigrant my mom is Portuguese and I also have black family members we are no more racist than anyone else in any other country. Every country has a few homeless people and that number has grown immensely due to poor Liberal government policy when I was young there were maybe one or 2 homeless people in my home town and they were severely mentally Ill homelessness has greatly increased since pm Justin Trudeau has been in power and that’s something I can say I have observed first hand living here in Ontario Canada for 30 years - my entire life. Canadian tax payers don’t want to pay for drug addicts to get more drugs the Liberal Canadian government have set up “safe injection sites” and “ methadone clinics” that basically give these addicts more drugs that are payed for with our tax dollars again these clinics and safe injection sites didn’t exist when I was a kid and since then the number home homelessness has increased as well as the number in population addicted to drugs. Also you’re getting your statistics on hate crimes motivated based on race or ethnicity from CTV new a media outlet on the pay role of the Liberal government most people with any sense don’t pay attention to mainstream media here in Canada because it’s no longer journalism when you parrot a narrative that the government that is constantly attacking the fundamental values of Canada no controls I live in a complex that consists mostly of Arabic in Syrian people most racist comments I’ve heard has been between other families that have recently immigrated to Canada and it doesn’t happen often it’s usually just from unruly kids that are too ignorant to understand the implications of the words they utter at one another RBC is one bank in Canada if all the people working there happen to be white it doesn’t make a difference and is likely purely because they’’ve been working that same job for many years now we don’t give people jobs in Canada based on their skin colour people get jobs based on their performance and wether they meet the necessary SKILL requirements for that job there are lots of other banks in Canada that have different cultural diversities so far I honestly just feel like your just shitting on my county and that’s extremely rude of you eh. It is hard to find a family doctor these days a lot of doctors were fired for refusing to take the Covid shots I also refused to take the Covid shot and I haven’t had Covid through out this entire plandemic not once I hardly even wore a mask because I know when I’m being lied too I know how to spot when someone is experiencing duper’s delight when they think they’re getting away with doing something wrong Justin Trudeau and Christia Freeland frequently express duper’s delight when they refuse to answer questions or deflect questions your voice sounds like your from either Sweden or Switzerland how close am I I’m not surprised that’s also where the WEF “word economic forum” is from yes? It really seems like you’re just trying to demonize Canada as a whole and quite frankly it’s insulting I love my county and all the people in it where ever they come from again accept for the natives we all started out as immigrants here and I find the stuff that you’re saying is extremely divisive the only people that really leave either do so because they want a good job and a life else where for their own personal experience and life fulfillment or have been deported for what ever reason we have strict immigration laws so there are many ways to get sent back to ones original country.

I think you ladies are way out in left field and you really don't know what you're talkin about. Unfortunately for some people it doesn't work out for whatever reason usually because they do not want to assimilate very well. I grew up in Ontario to a french-canadian father and an Italian mother in my life in Canada was so perfect said if I had to dream up a better life I could not have done so. I grew up playing all the sports and enjoyed all the different sports and the changes of seasons. My parents had a summer home on the st-lawrence river and every summer we water-ski swam fished, play golf in the morning and barbecues every night right on the water. Even though my grandfather was in the hotel business I was all about sports and enjoying everything about it. I grew up in a town of about 50 thousand about 40 miles from Montreal. When I wanted some great nightlife just drove a short drive to Montreal and it had everything did anyone could want in Nightlife. I have lived in United States for forty years and I can tell you that it really isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Heaven forbid should you get some kind of catastrophic illness you are screwed. I knew a woman who work for travelers insurance for 30 years at the best insurance a money could buy had suffered a couple of strokes and was on the verge of going broke had she not died when she died. People think that insurance continues to pay his long as you're ill and nothing could be further from the truth. This lady was going to have to sell her house to continue paying for round-the-clock care had she not died when she did. United States middle class is getting wiped out. I've seen enough poverty and hardship in this country to last a lifetime. I find greed to be running rampant in this country. When I grew up in Canada there was always the grass is greener on the other side and when I did move over to the other side the US that is I can tell you unequivocally the dead grass is not greener on the other side. There are more millions and millions of people here that are one or two paychecks away from being homeless. And we're talkin 2023. Now let's talk about violence. There is a mass murder in the United States every single day of the year. And a mass murder is defined by four or more people being killed by one person at one time. Killing these so out of control in the United States that now even six-year-olds are shooting their teacher. I find a tremendous amount of built-up Anger from people. Food is very expensive and shelter is also out of control and non affordable to most people. Again I find United States being able to paint a much Rosier picture then does really exist. And there are more con artists and thieves , Crooks, con-artists, bamboozlers, cheats and scammers then anywhere that I've ever been. And I will say this is it it ain't getting any better and I don't see it ever getting better. I find it is everybody out for themselves no matter who they cheat. I live in Southern California and I can tell you that night life where I live is non-existent. Understand that LA and Hollywood they always have to glamorize everything to sell it to tourists. Just remember that things today are not what they were 40 years ago. Middle-class people in Canada would also be just middle-class people in the US. But if your life means anything to you as far as safety and raising a family then Canada wins hands down end of discussion. People that say Canada is boring is because they are boring. That's what I found to be pretty standard across the board. Life is what you make of it. But I will say that you gals definitely need to move away if you don't like Canada. Do not let the door hit your ass on the way out. And just for your information Canada ranks annually as one of the top countries in the world to immigrate to. Canada is the second largest country in the world by land area and next to Saudi Arabia has the third largest oil Reserves in the world. Canada has huge amount of freshwater which most of the rest of the world seems to be lacking and having spent my Summers on the Saint Lawrence River one of the Great Rivers in this world. I wouldn't change my twenty years in Canada for anyplace else in this world and I will be moving back shortly.

To confirm as an American. Yes, it seems like everyone wants to put hot sauce and cheese on everything and it's annoying. The tap water here is bad unless you get it from the fridge or have a filter. Here in Arkansas, I think our spring water is great.\n\nRegarding the city and getting around to restaurants and other areas, pretty much. A good portion of our factories are on acres of land. However, some are still close enough that you can walk to. I'm certain this is hardly different from Canada but we are 97% rural. People think of America as big cities but usually its the local town and a pumpkin patch. When Aba said America is like 40 different countries, he ain't wrong. \n\nFirearms is ingrained in our culture. That's a given. I see a lot of people mention safety and this is what I can say; I felt my safety was compromised by a tornado warning. Trouble can happen but if you don't deal drugs or do some under the table stuff, usually you won't be a victim of a crime. \nI'm planning on owning some land myself so I can shoot on it, farm, and raise a family. Just be independent.

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.