Close Reading

My husband and I lived in Columbus, Ohio for 12 years. During that time we had two babies, but we had insurance so the price tag wasn't too bad, overall. We made good friends there, all different political views but we got along well and it was great. We lived in Ohio both pre and post 9-11. I definitely noticed a difference in the growing patriotism around us. Even pre-9-11 there was a higher level of overt patriotism than I was used to in Canada. For instance, more people had flags in their yards or America-themed bumper stickers than I was used to in Canada. But post 9-11 patriotism grew immensely, and we started to feel like political views were starting to have an effect on friendships. Also, Ohio passed a conceal carry law (firearms), and I found my awareness that anyone around me might have a concealed weapon unsettling. In Canada the only guns anyone I knew owned were hunting rifles, locked up. But suddenly I had to worry about if there were guns in the houses that my children were visiting. As a Canadian, I just wasn't used to the idea of everyone having guns around. Anyway, we overall enjoyed living in Ohio. The cost of living there was reasonable, the people were friendly, and we only moved when the real estate bubble burst and my husband lost his job. We went back to Canada and, honestly, I've been relieved to be back as I watch the news and see how divided the American people have become. Even some of the friends that I had in Ohio have changed and become a lot less accepting of different opinions. It makes me scared for the future of the US, and the effect it all will have on the rest of the world.

He's full of negativity and complaining a lot

I know lots of Canadians living in the US. Many have become US citizens and have no plans to return to Canada, save for Visit.

Ah, the USA, the land of freedom... freedom to get bent over by the system.\nBtw, police are armed in Canada too. The difference is it takes longer in Canada than in most States to become a police officer, and most act and present like professionals. They are also not seen everywhere, just the occasional police cruiser. When you see a lot of police here, the feeling it gives is that they are needed, which means there is trouble.

Canada is not perfect by any means. Lots of room to improve things, and I absolutely love and appreciate Americans. Great folks. But, the fact that any person, rich or poor, no matter who it is, can go to the doctor as many times as they need to without getting a big bill. We do pay for little things. Like... sometimes you pay for crutches or special devices, but for the most part, you don't. It comes out of our taxes.\n\nPlus, couples get a year of maternity leave here. It can be split any way the couple likes. LIke... the mom or dad can have the whole year or they can split it up between them, part mom and part dad gets it. We have unemployment insurance we pay from our taxes, so if you get suddenly laid of from work, ,you get some money coming in for a while to tide you over until you find a new job. And the disabled can get disability coverage too.\n\nOf course, we do pay higher taxes for these things, but... I kinda like that everybody gets healthcare. NO, I'm not into Communism, but having social programs is great. And... um... we do have more education in Canada, and more avenues to get help with tuition.

The housing crisis in Canada is getting a lot of political attention, so hopefully things improve soon.

@20:30. Toronto, Vancouver have a lot of crime. We don't hear about it. If there is a shooting, then you ear about it.\nI want to see police presence, keeps criminals at bay, causes people to behave.\nWhy did my car insurance in Toronto go up by 80% in one year I asked my insurer? Car theft has shot up is the reply. I did not see that in the media, my neighbour's are not aware of it either.

It's a misconception to assume that the US medical care is always better, or that the wait times in Canada are a lot longer.\nWhile there's no question the quality of care depends on where you live, rural areas in both countries don't typically have specialists or all the latest equipment. Major urban areas are much better served.\nAlso, the measured outcomes for many types of surgical procedures are often statistically better in Canada, with higher success rates and better recoveries for many types of procedures. The big difference is because more Canadians have regular check-ups, problems are typically caught sooner, before they become serious. That's a big reason why our life-span is several years higher, and our infant mortality is much lower than the US. Because of the extra co-pay costs or because they don't have insurance and cannot afford basic medical care, many Americans put off doctors visits until they're really sick. \nDuring a routine check-up I was diagnosed with a minor heart condition last September. Was able to see a specialist within 5 weeks. That specialist sent me to a heart surgeon a few weeks later who scheduled an Arterial Ablation day surgery in December. (I walked out 6 hours later...) Lots of pre-surgical and post surgical testing and follow-up. As it turned out, the other side of my heart also required the same surgery, and by March that was completed successfully too. Again, multiple follow-ups and tests, and I've got a totally symptom-free outcome.\nI had a hip replacement a few years ago that went well and resulted in a totally pain free hip that allowed me to return to normal activities I could no longer enjoy before surgery.\nTotal cost in the US for both these types of surgeries would have likely been well over $100,000. The most I paid was for the hospital parking...\nIs it better in Canada? - Absolutely...!!!

I prefer the states. \nI've lived in a couple as I've said before and honestly.. it is better down there. \nI live in literally the most expensive city and Provence In Canada. \nI'm born and raised here and sure Americans have there problems but overall it was better everywhere I've lived in the states.\nHere it's just hidden by a smile.. \nWe've been known as a better country and lots of us can't admit it's as bad as it is here. And how much we can't say anything to change it. \nIt seems that you have more logical rights there and people seem to understand that trying to be loud and free to do whatever means something more. \nRight to live means more then follow orders like here. \nWe're falling apart as a country and I'm sick to my stomach knowing that Canada is not what I grew up believing. \nI grew up and seen the world the way it is and we don't live in a dream world like we want you to believe we do. \nThe states are at least able to voice opinions and there are places you can live OK.

America is a fantastic place ... to visit, great and diverse scenery, lots to do, but would I ever live there, no, there is too much gun violence and also the healthcare system sucks

I'm Canadian. I was born here, raised here, and have lived here all my life. However, my parents are American (they came during the Vietnam war), and I have full dual citizenship. I could cross the border into the U.S., get a job, start working and live there for the rest of my life if I ever chose to do so.\n\nHowever, I will never live in the U.S. Why? The cost of healthcare insurance and healthcare in general is definitely a part of that, but another huge factor is the socio-political atmosphere down there that is very unappealing to me. Everything from politics, the gun issue, much higher violence than we have in Canada, more racism issues, the media, and from what I have observed from decades of visits to the U.S.: there just seems to be a lot more people that are on edge and hostile than I am used to compared to Canada as well. For me, the general culture and mindset is just not something I want to live amongst.\n\nThere are some things I enjoy in the U.S., and there ARE wonderful people there too. I have several friends in the U.S. (born and raised), not to mention my entire extended family is American. But for me, the U.S. is a nice enough place to visit, but it's not somewhere I'd ever want to live.\n\nNo matter what kind of trip I take to the U.S., whenever I get back home to Canada it's always like a deep sigh of relief. I feel safer. I feel more relaxed. I feel at home. No matter how good my trip was, when I set foot back on Canadian soil again I always get a feeling of humble gratitude that I live here. For me, other than the warmer weather and some of the sights the U.S. has to offer, I'm much, much happier in Canada. I feel very fortunate to live here.\n\nAs a side note, I have never found our public healthcare system here in Canada to be lacking whatsoever. Any healthcare I, or anyone else I know that has received any, has always been prompt, of excellent quality, and reassuringly delivered in a professional manner.\n\nAs an example, in 1994, my father had a seizure and it was discovered that he had a benign brain tumour that had to be removed. Not even a week later, he was booked for his surgery and he had his procedure. He was operated on by one of the top two neurosurgeons in North America at the time, he spent three weeks in recovery at the hospital, and he had months of rehab afterward. About 2 weeks later, he had another seizure (the last one he ever had), he stayed in another hospital for an additional two weeks.\n\nHowever, all of what I just mentioned, and I mean ALL of it, was paid for by our public healthcare system. All he had to do was show his healthcare card and sign a release form for his surgery, and that was it. Nothing more. There were literally ZERO bills, no insurance companies, no paperwork, no phone calls, and ZERO hassle. Nothing.\n\nAnd no, our family was NOT rich or privileged either. Just an average middle class family. However, my dad's neurosurgeon told us his surgery and all the months of care he received afterward would have cost $180,000 (in 1994!), and our family would have been out on the street if it wasn't for our healthcare system. My dad also had a very minor heart attack in 2007 which didn't require surgery, and he didn't have to pay a dime or do anything else other than show his healthcare card for that either. Since those two events, my father has lived a healthy, normal life thanks to our public healthcare.\n\nIn Canada, EVERYONE receives that kind of care, regardless of if they are a billionaire or they are homeless. Because that's the moral and ethical thing to do, and is just one of the many reasons why I plan on staying here.

I have a couple of friends who moved to the US and they would probably tell you that it’s not a bad place to live and raise your family. But, they live in Southern California and Arizona so they are living in far better climates then they ever had in Canada. Their spouses were able to get extremely good jobs that pay a lot more than they would ever be paid in Canada so they live in gated communities, their children all go to private schools, they can afford the best health insurance plans and so they are insulated from all the biggest issues that are found in the US. Being higher income families they never had to utilize any of the social security programs such as unemployment, maternity leave (they were able to stay with their child their whole childhoods), health insurance (always able to pay copays and any costs above what their insurance will cover), no worries about daycare or food stamps. They really don’t have a clue how a very high percentage of US citizens actually function daily and I think they would not be happy there if they were forced to ‘mingle with masses’

As someone that has been to almost every state except Hawaii, Alaska and i havent been to Porto Rico. But ya its violent and angry and poverty is everywhere. This is the 90's to now im talking about. \n\nExcept everyone has a choice you dont have to join a gang you can better yourself and play the victim card. There are a lot of stories of people doing the right thing despite coming from a bad neighborhood or poverty. \n\nCanada has a lot of police presence but ours are nicer most of the time

I would never want to be American and have often thanked God that i was born in Canada. I have a lot of health problems due to an elderly women almost killing me in a car accident amongst other condotions. If i was American my family would be bankrupt. A nurse came from america to work here in canada due to their healthcare care system. Her hospital wouldnt admit the man dieing of a heart attack or even do cpr until they got the insurance info. She quit that day and came to canada that was the 90's\nMy family are also loyalists

it's good to remember responder bias too. Canadians who are living in the US and are overall happy & content with it, are probably a lot less likely to respond to online questions like this.

there isnt free health care Its pre paid via the high taxes, The wait times for procedures can be 5 yrs. MRI prob 2 yr wait. US is this week, You dont get hearing vision teeth or cosmetic(warts etc) or medicine and you need a plan to cover them and most times a lot of medications are refused. People need to know LA is the 5th largest city of Canadians BTW, There are plenty private You pay Dr;s in Canada, or want a DR? you have to join a Co-op and that allows you access. Prescriptions are cheaper 700% cheaper for diabetic stuff, Antibiotics are 1000% cheaper.

I'm American and spend at least a month in Canada each summer. Maybe a grass is greener situation, but Canada seems better in almost every way. One thing is for sure, the people in Canada are a lot nicer than Americans.

Possible 2-3 day Amazon delivery compared to same day or over nite in a lot of US; incredible political upheaval & seeming US people tolerance for this (really worrying) and gun reform, oh no I mean no action . Will all this happen in Canada?\nPossibly, but “heh” lots of room here to hide!

11 years ago a trip to the ER in Texas cost close to or more than the cost with insurance than a the cost for an ER visit in NS (for those out of country who are not covered by our provincial program). \n\nWe would pay $50 copay at the ER, then over. The next few days we would receive a bill for the physician, then from pharmacy, then from the facility, then from X-ray, etc, every separate department would have its own portion. \n\nAnd then there was the unpleasant surprise when the doctor who saw you in the ER was not an “in network” doctor even though the hospital was “in network”. Our insurance paid 70% of (approved) in network costs, but only 50% of out of network costs. Keep in mind that “in network” hospitals and providers had lower negotiated rates with the insurance companies. Which meant you would have coverage of 70% of a negotiated lower rate for in network but out of network was 50% of a higher rate.\n\nMy neighbours were lovely people. The culture was much different than I expected. The gun culture really hits you in face. For the first while it seemed to be so obvious - signs on pharmacies, hospitals, and schools that state that guns were not allowed, even with a conceal and carry permit. Very quickly, that became “normal”….\n\nFood was amazing. Gas was cheap. Politics was everywhere. Christian mega churches were everywhere - along with some very vocal overbearing people who force their beliefs and opinions on anyone who is near them. \n\nI was surprised with the number of people who felt it was appropriate to discuss religion, politics, and money with virtual strangers. A lot of very personal questions as well. I am guessing it is the difference between what is considered extremely rude in Canada, vs what is just a regular question in the US (or that area of Texas). \n\nAnd another very different thing was how hardly anyone swore. I had the bottom drop out of a bad carrying glasses when I was in San Antonio, the glasses broke, and I said “Shit.” I have never seen so many heads turn towards me. Most of the females looked at me with complete disgust and a lot of the males laughed. I expect that the American who heard me swear, were thinking I was the rudest person. One of my children’s friends was from Australia and when their mom came over one day, she said something to the effect of “so glad you are Canadian” because she sis not have to worry about offending me if she said fuck. That was a relaxing afternoon.

ssa covers a lot of medical needs but you have to be a citizen and retired to get it if you working then you must buy insurance or the company you work for does most of them covers you while at work though but some covers more but you have to pay a copay that can get high

The problem with Canadian health care is a lack of doctors. It's not that Canadians don't become doctors, it's that many doctors move to the US because they can make more money there. \nI live in a small town that has a large hospital and it has pretty short wait times and the hospital has lots of space. We could easily accommodate overflow from surrounding communities, but we have a lack of staff to do so. So there are a couple wings of the hospital that are completely empty as a result. The hospital itself is well maintained, new looking, lots of art on the walls and mood lighting. It's a very pleasant place to visit. Every time I've gone in for an emergency, they've been able to get me into surgery within a few hours, but booking a surgery for something that's not life threatening takes about 3-4 months. But that's because they have to leave space just in case there are emergencies that come in. With more staff, they could easily cut wait times in half.

Every time you say “America, or American” I cringe. There are 35 countries in the Americas. \nIs there a country, that identifies as Europe, Africa, or Asia? \nNot being anxious about the police, or thinking about someone having a gun. Is really good for mental health. \nI love you guys, for lots of other reasons. For one, the world still needs, the presence and idea of “America”. \nChina wants to take over. They are not very nice, to non Han people. Ask Hong Kong, Taiwan, Myanmar, Solomon Islands, Philippines, Tibet, Xinjiang, and other places. \nWhen Russia exhausts itself with the current war. China will steamroll them.

For mixed race or non white people, the USA tends to be a bit scary. Yes I have travelled a lot in the USA but always felt as though I had to keep a wary eye out. VERY stressful. Canada is calmer and the people not as confrontational..

That person who says they're an ethnic minority, They clearly aren't an actual Canadian, sounds like an immigrant who just bounces around places. They probably had to pay out of pocket in Canada due to whatever program they were using to work here. As for making more in the USA, i'm unsure what the ratio is, but obviously lots of immigrants come to the USA, like Canada, where they just get free housing, a free job, free education then they leave the country after getting all the free treatment.

A lot of Canadians who do move to the US, do so for career development and advancement. My cousin moved to the US and works in IT. He makes like, 5x what he could staying in Canada. He, with his family, is staying and never plans to come back.\nAdditionally, I think the thing that Canadians appreciate about our health care is that we don't have to think abut it. We don't have to assume that giving birth or going to the doctor will cost and that the cost may have some variability. It jut makes it way less stressful, as health scares are stressful enough as they are. But it is true that availability is an issue. I'd say our quality of care isn't too far behind, but I'm not particularly knowledgeable on that.

You're right , if you are rich or a high earner, sure anywhere can be sort of good,,, but if you are normal or poor you are screwed ,,, especially if you're not white ,,, a lot of craziness, and not getting better

Pretty sure the woman who was pregnant was mostly concerned about no mandantory maturity leave. Not health car so much.\nThat said it is common for Alaska couples with no health insurance to come to the whitehorse yukon hospital to have their babies. They pay for the services but save a lot compared to the cost in Alaska.

The healthcare and the nuts with guns,, and there is a lot of nuts

3 years 3 months in the US and moving back in 2 weeks. The absolutely hardest thing is a lack of community. Add a very materialistic society, little social support, $500/month for insurance where youre limited to what doctor or hospital or dentist you can go to, all the red tape to do literally anything....its unfortunate. My mental health took a sharp decline, and a lot of other people are in the same boat.

A lot more Canadians move to the US than vice versa.\nWhy? There are world class unis, big salaries and the opportunity for fame in the US.

Hello Brother \nI watch your all videos \nYou are really doing a heartbreaking good job \nI know it takes a lot \nPlease my request make a video for Ratan tata from Zero to Hero ❤\nLove you bro : Appreciate your breaking bed work

Well said...there seems to be a lot of these videos lately about why Canadians are leaving. I wonder if there is a way to reverse this trend?

i lived in vancouver and the homeless situation will always be a lot more aggressive and worse in the west coast

don't count a place out until you've been there. yeah toronto is seeing more crime and is more expensive than ever, but e.g., vancouver, which is a lot smaller, more peaceful, easier to get around, may actually still not be necessarily better (real estate is just as expensive, hard to make friends, rains and snows in the winter now, everything closes super early), but you really gotta try a place and go with where you love. LA is full of problems, but I really love it there.

Lots of appreciation for the research you guys do for this whole story Nitish bro. Respect from Pakistan.

Very biased video.. a lot of biased comments..

Toronto has a massive influx of people, so housing is a challenge, of course. I can walk to things, bicycle to things, or take the subway. I remember how bleak the downtown looked with parking lots everywhere, now replaced with parks, attractions, and condo housing. Each neighbourhood is dynamic - new communities currently being built on tired, older malls - make better use of space.

Now you know that how terrorist sikhs are bro this so bad if sikhs want their own nation why people start saying us khalistani and i want to say one thing that khalis meaning is pure and we want a khalsa raj like ranjit singh and before partition we have an opportunity to have a nation and now we want that so how we become terrorists sikhs are helping indians in their harsh times so it should be in people heart of india that they should support sikhs to have a nation because we are facing a lots of problem like natives of punjab are unable to get jobs because outer state individuals are getting jobs and local are still unemployed so this is the reason sikhs are going to other nations and sikhs had sacrificed their lifes and indian people are not understanding

Completely agree with you. I spent 6 years in Canada and quit. Both me and my husband are highly educated but had to end up with minimum wage jobs to begin with. Winters are brutal. 2013 we experienced minus 40 with snow storms !! And keeping urself PACKED in ur home for months is extremely depressing. Medical facility inspite of being free is a joke !! You are better off getting basic medicines from India. They want to fix everything with Tylenol, that too such low potency that even 20 pills will not make any difference. And just 1 crocin in India and you can run a marathon next day. Education too is pathetic. They need a calculator to add 5 +5 !! Here 6 yr old kids do mental mathematics on 4 figures in their heads !! No university in Canada can even come close to IIT'S, IIM'S and IISC ever. 12th std math and science here in India is probably taught to engineering degree students on Canada. Moreover only Asian kids like Indians, Koreans Chinese kids ever reach university level education the rest are dropouts and busy with sex and drugs and temporary jobs to fend for the same. Mind you there is a lot of racism in Canada. Most whites hate Asians as they think that we have 'snatched' away their jobs !! They don't like it when we end up buying own homes within 2 to 3 yrs of migrating. Grocery is expensive. Commercial dairy products are high on hormones and other chemicals. It's crazy how many women there have issues with their reproductive organs. Hormone related obesity, diabetes is rampant. As she said only if you go there thru a company on projects ect it's alright. Else there is no place like India in every aspect.

Lot of historical misinformation and BJP RSS nonsense in your crap talk

As a hindu i can say i had met great sikhs ? I am. From patna bihar and in patna sahib gurdwara there are lot of sikhs who are good they actually have respect for us and we have for them nowadays people trolling sikhs isn't good they are great people once you meet them ? ❤️ and in langar they also feed every person no discrimination .?❤ Hope everyone should spread a peace ✌️?️

These people are breaking the law and they know it but they don't care, hopefully, when Trump wins he'll send then all back to where they came from, it will be a lot cheaper than supporting them and their families with our tax dollars, how are they going to support themselves when they don't even speak English. They think and we are, the biggest chumps in the world and they are taking advantage of us, and Biden is destroying our country just for the illegals vote.

Canada is one of the best to live. However it’s on the map because a lot of visas have been issued. USA is worse. I have been here for over 20 years and don’t regret it

You talk about khalistan without even knowing the meaning of the name, u call khalistanis terrorists.\n\nI hope u should make a video on ur home minister Shah, tell people how he is a terrorist, a goon who killed a lot of innocent people too.

I like your videos but, a lot of misinformation. \nOne thing people need to understand is Sikhs can't be suppressed. If we are supressed then. We will retaliate, its in our blood, maybe not today, tomorrow for sure.We never got justice for 1984 sikh massacre victims. The criminals are roaming free in streets.

When you think about why a country would keep its doors open to immigration, you can kind of picture the life as an immigrant in that country. Though Canada is not a coutry that's been around for a year or two, population still at only around 38 million, they still need a lot of labor force and tax payers to further develop as a country and maintain the current level of welfare I assume. As everything is give and take in life, what you look for in immigration is well matched with what you can offer as an immigrant, everything works out fine. If you want leisure and take advantage of their civilization only, however, you either need to have enough wealth to cover or contributed to the society so much that you deserve a life of those that have already contributed building that country to the level that it is at. I think that only makes sense.

I am from Pakistan really beautiful good video you uploaded I enjoyed a lot , we are also planning to visit Canada then will decide to settle there or come back. your video is very informative

It breaks my heart when our Hindu brothers call every Sikh as Khalistani. The Punjabi community has already faced a lot during 1947 partition and 1984 riots. We Indian Punjabi and innocent NRIs do not deserve hate. Thank you for this awareness video Nitish.????????

Toronto is a beautiful city but if you don't make a lot of money you can either live in studio apartments and hardly buy food to eat or end up homeless. Toronto is much more expensive than most american cities, it might be as expensive as New York City or a bit more. Canada is a truly gorgeous country but it is too expensive. The US is getting so expensive even in Texas,you feel like moving to another country too,in my case my country Panama. Makes you think when will the inflation stop and be controlled in Canada and in the US. We don't want all poor and middle class people to have no money and be left with nothing and end up homeless. Right now it is not a good idea to move to the U.S. or to Canada, just to visit for some months but living in those countries is crippling people's lives.?

I agree there are a lot problem and issues in Toronto. But I don't see any perfect place in the world especially after pandemic. If you have, please suggest.