Close Reading

Good solid takes on life in Canada as it stands in the larger cities. My family immigrated in the late 80s when I was a young child to YYZ and the housing prices and quality of living was really solid back then. We moved to YVR in the late 90s and prices seemed to be pretty stable as well. Think things started to change shortly after my undergrad years in the mid 2000s. Unfortunately, the government wanted to increase immigration which is great, but forgot to build out the transportation infrastructure and develop the health care system properly. Foreign credential recognition is really the biggest bottleneck for newcomers. Newcomer employment expectations and what is available to them is not really matching up, I know this first hand as I've worked in the employment enabling sector. Weather as you mentioned is subjective, I prefer the cold, clean crisp air here in Canada, I don't do well in the hot humid polluted weather in most East and Southeast Asian countries. Crime has definitely been on the rise as many people around me have had personal experiences with this topic. Finally housing, to live comfortably in YVR a family income of 150K is probably bare minimum these days.

schools in America and Canada are DAYCARE. they aren't Schools. also you seriously forgot to mention the rampant BULLYING that goes on., your child WILL be made fun of whether he is white black or any other race. dealing with that is scary frustrating and really hurtful. even priyanka Chopra was bullied as was I many many times by all races except Indian (I am Indian NRI living and working in New York City as a teacher in public and private schools including college courses for 20 years now). your children WILL suffer in the primary and secondary school systems here. ONLY college is where you can actually be expelled or arrested for certain types of bullying. I don't think you realize how serious this issue as a parent...I went to school in India for 5 years as a child and never once do I remember being bullied. when I came here, it was nearly every day or other day. total nightmare. forget grades. I was having so much mental anguish.

Been in Canada for approximately 25 years. I can say that the effect that Canada has on a legal immigrant is neither here nor there. If you can make lemonade out of any lemon you’re dealt, you will thrive in Canada (and anywhere else where your efforts are not overwhelmingly quashed by corruption, blatant racism or other forms of segregation). \n \nLynn, I was a lecturer in Kenya, went back to school here in Canada after wallowing in culture shock the first year, then circled back to teaching in college again after an arduous journey in school, but this time in a different field. \n \nAfter becoming a single mother of four kids, I had to also hustle on the side to build a small business empire along my life’s ladder. Partnership with God, goal clarity, the get-up-and-go, and relentlessness truly work. It isn’t the size of the dog but the fight in the dog that does it, regardless of where you live. \n \nThe starting point for a new immigrant can be very low due to the weather, unpreparedness and culture shock, but if you know that the only way is up, and are self-motivated, those challenges are soon behind you as the tests become testimonies. \n \nBy comparison people have more human rights here regardless of their status. The wheels of justice grind slow but they do grind fine. Women and children have equal rights with men. Politicians are mostly there to serve not necessarily to exploit. \n \nOpportunities for self-development galore - including being trained to become employable and going to school at any age (sometimes for free while you are still at the bottom of the ladder). There are food banks so you never go hungry if it came to that. The disabled are better treated with dignity. \n \nThere are prolonged parental leaves for both moms and dads for up to 18 months. Commensurate with earnings, parents under certain thresholds are given Canada child tax benefits and other supplements for each child under 18 years of age. \n \nDepending on the number of kids and their ages, the money can add up handsomely. Not to mention that there’s no tuition to pay for primary and high school students. Tuition fees start at post-secondary level. \n \nTo see a doctor is free as it is paid for by taxes. It the meds that you and/or your insurance pays for. Some medical equipments may be paid for by either or both the individual/insurance and the government depending on eligibility. \n \nBy and large, there’s cleanliness of common spaces. There’s also safety and relative peace. At least wherever I have lived, I can’t tell you how many times I forgot to lock my door with impunity. \n \nThere’s a lot more stressful work here in my opinion, but like you said Lynn, systems work a lot more efficiently and effectively. \n \nThe elephant in the room is the extra hard work that those living abroad must put in to fulfil expectations back home. Also known as black tax, the overwhelming financial dependency of relatives on their diasporan loved ones places undue stress on many here, especially because there are no short cuts to getting money here. \n \nAnyway, Lynn, thanks for such a great topical issue you’ve shared. I have to stop here as I have written a lot. Hope this helps someone on this forum. \n \nAnd last but not least, you’ll be proud to hear that even though Canada has been good to me, my face may now be turning towards home to see how I can be of use to mama Africa. Super excited!

You forgot the Canada Child Benefit