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2022-11-22 1
I've been thinking of leaving Canada as well. It's hard to find good jobs here, you'll work yourself to death trying to keep a roof over you head and yo pay your bills, and I can just go on and on. I was born and raised here, yet it no longer feels like home, things are getting worse here. All I keep thinking about is the time I went to visit ghana. I don't know how to describe it but to me they looked free, they had a sense of genuine warmth and community that you dont get here.
2022-09-04 0
Me am planning on moving to Canada.. checking out what people don't like is just few \nWeather , taxes , food I feel like if there's a community of Africans u can do the owambe once in a while to fill the gaps
2022-09-03 0
Rather than move to Nigeria, I'll move to Uk , my Nigerian community there is big. Feels like home.
2022-08-10 1
Thank you soo much Bhai \nThe moment I see the video i was literally on Tears because in the very last community post i asked the same question , i was also depressed from last few days owing to rejections \nOn the last community post my comment got a magnitude of likes and i was just feeling a strong essence that you will surely make a video for the same \nThank you soo much\nKeep Growing\nWMK ???
2022-05-29 0
..because nobody else ever gets or feels discriminated. She seems like she plays the card at all turns. Disgusting study that makes one group more special than the whole community.
2022-04-21 0
The U.S. is very large, and there are many different types of people and many different types of neighborhoods, cities, and communities. I have lived where neighbors knew one another very well, and their kids would play ball in the street or play baseball at the local park or playground. I have lived where there are walking trails where you would see the same familar faces time and again. I have lived where there were many community activities. There are places where you can find farmer's markets and where churches are large and hold events. Our town has many groups that you can join, and there is a local theater. There are cities of course, where you can find all sorts of things to do. People do have a tendency in many places to have their spaces, and as most people do have what they need within those spaces...and many are spending more and more time on computers and watching televisions, we are becoming more estranged than we once were. We have come to value privacy. But, again, there are many many people with many different lifestyles. Today I went to shop at two different stores and ended up in conversations with several people. One man invited me to visit his farm. One woman told me all about her home and garden. Another lady told me about her daughter and what was going on with their family. I did not feel like a stranger, and the people I saw working in different businesses today were talkative and interacting with many other people, including friends and neighbors and other familiar faces. it just takes a little effort to smile and to speak. That being done, I was very happy to return to my home and have my own space again, where I knew I could take a nap without anyone knocking unexpectedly on my door. So....it depends on what you want. I would hesitate to paint the U.S. with a very broad brush. \nThat being said, it is very difficult to leave your home behind. It can be very difficult to stop seeing differences because you did love so many things about where you grew up, though you might not realize how much you will miss them until you've gone. I feel that in myself, and I have to be very careful not to miss the potential and possibilities where I am, because I am always thinking about how I miss where I once was.
2022-04-21 0
Great video. I am a Canadian that works with newcomers. I have lived abroad and back again. We recently did a trip to the U.S. A great trip overall but I agree with a lot of your comments about the suburbs. We saw some beautiful neighbourhoods in the US (and here in Canada) but there are almost no signs of life. I grew up in the suburbs and it was nice as a kid because we were always outside but as soon as I finished school, I couldn't wait to get out. My old neighbourhood is now a bedroom community built for the car. Now, I live downtown in a major Canadian city. My house is very small and old but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I always see people, rain or shine, snow or hail. I see families, dogs, dogwalkers, children, seniors with canes. I love it because I see life. Living in a neighbourhood like the one in this video would indeed feel lonely and isolating.
2022-04-16 2
I am from India living in USA for 13 years now and I disagree with your analysis. We tend to compare and jump to conclusions quickly coming from a warm climate. This video is taken in winter, look at trees they have no leaves. People are inside b'cos its cold. Take a video in summer and you will find kids playing, swimming in pools and more lively atmosphere people walking around. In cold weather kids and people play sports in indoor arenas. The civil society is disciplined and they are following rules and laws to play at demarcated areas like parks and playgrounds. You won't find people playing on streets. My daughter plays gymnastics and you will appreciate that its a community effort to organize it. Without community sports like gymnastics is impossible to exist. Imagine 500 lbs cushions to move and organize so players can play. All parents gather and make it happen. And such teams of parents are there in every little town. This is just 1 sport. American life revolves around sports more than another country. So its a different country and if u compare USA\\Canada to India or Africa the difference is like Heaven and Hell. I will be lying if I said I was not depressed, but the reasons for my depression were not related to location or space I am in. I was feeling lonely and depressed even in India living among 1.3 billion people. So its not a matter of place but the inner space.
2022-04-03 5
I was born in Manitoba and lived here for 28 years. While the negative aspects pointed out in the video are true, hardly any of the positives of living here were touched on. Yes, we do have a month or two where you can hardly spend time outside but during the winter there are beautiful sunny days often and plenty of +25-+30 days all summer long. Manitoba has an incredible amount of festivals during the summer all across Winnipeg and small towns. We have a thriving underground EDM scene where young people explore various forms of art, dance, costrumes, and musical genres every weekend nowadays. There are many interesting cultures present here including Mennonite and Hutterite communities which are some of the most generous small town folk. We have tons of local farms which people can buy affordable organic food from. Manitobans on average are friendly people and strangers will often strike up a conversation or help get your car unstuck on a wintery day. I have travelled around Canada but I do feel like Manitoba carries a unique sense of community that other places might not have.
2022-01-04 0
To me, the problem is threefold. a) Toronto and Ontario in general - and perhaps the whole of Canada - are accepting way more immigrants than they have quality jobs for. If you need taxi drivers and plumbers, maybe this experience should be valued way higher than education as part of the existing immigration programs (which is not the case). At least then potential immigrants know this before they come and get stuck in low-paying or relatively OK-paying but repetitive and demoralizing jobs with debts and mortgages that become a trap preventing them from leaving. It's also partially on immigrants themselves who come to Toronto to only find out there's 100 people competing for one spot and that you need to be exceptional - or connected through your ethnic network - to work regular white-collar jobs. b) The official bipartisan policy of non-integration. The naive expectation that having people live in ethnic enclaves will somehow make the overall culture richer is not what happens: instead, people tend to stick to their own communities and the common culture thus gets eroded and limited to economic and financial matters. This makes some cities feel like one large business with everyone networking 24/7 instead of socializing normally. And arguably, having the right culture / social life is what motivates already successful people move in the first place. So when they come and they find out there's nothing but money talk and hustling, they leave (if they're smart). Quebec is doing better in that regard, but then Quebec is not really Canada and it's been pressured to cave in to the same money-centred, uncultured and disconnected society by the feds for decades now. The States is smarter in that it actually makes sure to integrate its immigrants (and let's be honest, many immigrants like being part of a new culture if it fits them) c) Treating real estate as an investment and not as a basic necessity (as Japan or some Nordic countries do, for example). That coupled with a lot of Asian money being laundered in Canada through immigration channels and private equity firms buying whole apartment blocks for rental purposes has led to the highest housing price increase in all of the developed world in the past 20 years or so. The median price of a condo in Toronto is higher than in New York despite the massive gap in salaries and the fact that New York is one of the most expensive cities in the world to begin with. Some draconian measures are needed here to prevent foreign - or even out-of-province ownership -, second property ownership and corporate ownership for renting purposes.
2021-09-07 0
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.
2021-08-19 0
Thanks for making this video. After nearly 13 years as of Jan 1st 2022, I'll be leaving Canada on a one-way ticket; not to my country of origin, but further into new ventures.\n\nIt's been a slog to become a citizen and try and make life work here. It's a good place to be successful financially if you make sound choices, and then to live a fairly quiet, isolated life. If all you want is to live within your own ethnic community and have a better quality of life, it's a good place.\n\nUnfortunately, it's never had enough culture or meaning for me. Life feels pretty empty no matter how much money you make. The national identity being based around home-ownership feels extremely depressing to me.\n\nAnd you're both on point about the reserved, passive-aggressive nature of Canadians. I've become like that too now. It's pretty obvious that it costs us dearly; people are unable to be genuinely warm, to take risks and form real friendships. Everything feels surface-level because no one risks taking the steps that might even be a bit of intrusion into each other's lives that is the signal of the start of a close friendship. I'm sick of the surface relationships I've had here.\n\nAnd the wholesale import of U.S. narratives with complete ignorance of our own realities. Most Canadians think they live in the U.S. and seem unable to name a single important issue in their own province or country. I truly came to see the Canadians as a colonized people who refuse to truly admit that they are colonized behind a thin veneer of insecurity posing as a virtue-superiority complex.\n\nI sound harsh but it's the outpouring of someone who's fallen in and out of love with his country.\n\nI don't know what I will find on the other side, but it's going to be different and I honestly can't wait.
2021-07-01 0
What I came to realize in life is that people don’t really like you, they like your talent/skills. take your time to be skilled in something and people will hunt down your skills. this applies mostly to all people based on statistics. if you are white and you ain’t skilled, you will be fired. as simple as that. businesses want to make money. so if you are black and you have what it takes, businesses will hunt you down since they will realize that they need your skills. I have learned that from Thomas Sowell and it has freed my mind as a young black man. I am a scientist ( I aspire to be the best one ) and I have started to reap what I sow. stop trying to make people feel sorry for you. work hard, get skills that are needed in the society and the rest will take care of itself. Also, you gotta hold yourself on high standards as a human being and you will be a blessing to the community. have a wonderful day y’all. love one another. we are the same race ( human race ) with simply different skin colors. just like FLOWERS of different colors. we need to change our mindset and things will be better for sure.
2021-06-23 0
Aslaamo alaikum\nDear Ashir i have listened you carefully but the thing i think is, how can a man like me get migrate from Pakistan to Canada?\nI am a driver now, before this i had spent 50 years of my life in jobs since i was 19. I got my education upto F.Sc., due to separation in parents i had started to do jobs and still in struggle to make my kids educated. When you disclose the reality about difference between two countries please think 1% or may be sum bit, people like me feel that they are failed by the word KISMAT and you understand who make Kismat. I feel heavy heart while i had struggled for better but never got success just because i am from those who are really poor and more over belongs to a community which never been stoped to be discriminated. I am very much upset in trying to be truthful just to see most of whom had a corrupt money or ethic they get success and rate it by adding that Pakistan left no values nor else what. I know Allah is every where and sees every moment for his creature spent in living a life without any luxury or normal and always put in struggle with an end of this life. I request you to tell the truth that don't make decisions as one wants but remain calm that Allah will give you better in after life. If you feel that you didn't understand what i want to say you can mail me, my id is mfarooqaslam1@gmail.\nPlease don't feel bad i am v much sorry if so. I have pain and waiting for end of this as per Gods will.\nRegards and gratitude\nFarooq.
2021-02-17 0
I know it won’t be easy but, Toronto has a lot of resources for immigrants and even undocumented immigrants. I worked for a shelter and although it was the only one that takes undocumented families, you learn there are resources out there. \nIt’s about aligning yourself with the right community support Center, finding the people who will fight for you. There are so many people here who welcome and want to help all types of immigrants. No matter your background.\nThe people who work helping these communities they are ruthless in their fight for citizenship, or at least finding you a job and home, they will guide you through the system. Social workers, ones in community resource centres, not government centres, will be your best friend. They know where the red tape is and the resources available to you. \nYou could even go to a specific shelter to t all out your options and where you could go to get help.\nI understand this is not ideal. \nBut, if you want to be here, your best friends are non-profits, finding a center that aligns with your story, your background, because they will fight for you. We have people here from every country and resource centres geared towards your own language, religion etc.\nAnother big way to set yourself up for success. Churches, rich churches to be specific. \nMy mom works in a very rich church and it helps them feel better about themselves helping people, you could be nice enough to alleviate their guilt through their wallets, and connections. Under the table work, shelter, space for your family, set you up, they might even have the lawyers you need pro Bono in those rich churches. Church shopping, do not be above it if you don’t have resources. You don’t just get help, you build a community and support system through a common bond, the church. \nI know these aren’t revolutionary tips, but without specifics of your background it’s hard (for me specifically) to give specific advice online as to what services could be provided for you.\nIt’s kind of like a doctors appointment. You need background info to diagnose the resources for you and how to access that help.
2020-03-18 0
They are on their way to live right next to you. Not integrating but to form their own little community. Eventually you will feel like the immigrant and move elsewhere. Soon they will follow. Displacement on a global scale
2019-08-23 0
and there is the fact that when most come here ,they do not integrate into the community,,,,,,they collect together and protect them selves,,,,if you think i'm wrong ,look at brampton,,it,s true....i treat everyone i meet as a person, not there color or where they are from,,if you're a nice person i got you're back.but when you build you're own communities,where when i walk through i feel like i'm in a dfferent country,,that bothers me,,,,alot
2019-03-16 0
If you feel rejected maybe it's because you came without being invited or filling out the paperwork for asylum or immigration before you came. We want people to do things legally and pay taxes like we do so of course we don't like it when people work under the table and not put back into the community they are getting so much from
2019-03-08 0
what we have is a problem with Islam light. Which is what happens when they set up and they don't have very much of the community. But once the population becomes high enough they can enforce their Islam in law 100%. Or they feel like they can that's where the real torture begins.
2018-06-24 0
so what exactly is the problem? there are laws in canada - no you can't just walk in a stay and get benefits. if there is misinformation in the community migrating north, then who is at fault? if anyone from any country, regardless of race, creed, religion, sexual orientation - anything - thinks they can just go to another country with no strings attached they're crazy. I get the feeling this is meant to look like a racist issue - it's not. if you're white as snow, speak english and carry a bible, the rules are the same - you come legally, and go through all the paperwork and checks that are required.
2018-02-17 0
The most racism I experienced in school was from teachers. Its the most profound kind of racism, because they are authority figures. The thing is when your fellow students display racism it doesn't have the same gravity as it does when your teacher does it because you know your teacher does know better but they truly believe it.In University, I actually had a teacher give a lesson that was so tinged with racism that it really broke me down, because what I've come to realize is that so many people think that being racist is saying actual racist words and don't understand that perpetuating stereotypes are the most prevalent forms of racism.  It is demoralizing because it feels like a losing battle when your teacher is perpetuating racially disparaging ideas to an entire class, and you think about how many people are going to be influenced by that idea and in turn perpetuate it. I realized that this teacher really insidiously believed what she was saying was true, but that it just wasn't politically correct to say it. The main principle of white privilege is that white people get to be individuals but people of colour get grouped together by the most base stereotype of their race.  I don't think Black-focused schools are the solution. I think more integrated schools with diverse populations of students and teachers are the solution.\n Then there are concrete issues of race, space and the law. For example when you come to realize that carding continues in Toronto, and that most residents do not care that young Black men are being harassed and treated like criminals by the police because it does not affect their community, it makes you wonder if people are only inclined to feel empathy for those who look like them.
2015-10-13 0
it is a shame to see those hateful comments while we pray that may God keep peace in Canada, when we pray in Mosques.\nI'm a Saudi living in Canada. I don't understand how we welcome Canadians to our communities without forcing them to leave their religion but we face that when we come to Canada. **Terrorism has no religion**\n\nIn the past, christians had some terrorist groups and it was crazy but it's ignorant to say Christianity is about terrorism! Now we have crazy groups but that's not us! they use the name of islam and they manipulate verses to do their greedy ugly work.\n\nBTW Canadians should feel ashamed, because they treat Native Amercians like shit, and they still do << quoted from white Canadians! \nthey took their land,,, took children away from their parents to foster homes. this is taught in Canadian universities in a class called Aboriginal Studies.\n\nturn off the TV and go read about islam. I have a white Canadian friend who converted into islam. and she is VERY happy about it.. and i have so many other non muslim friends... we love each other and care for each other.
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