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Different strain

Canada is often perceived as a land of opportunity and comfort, but my personal experience told a different story. After living there for over a decade, I made the difficult decision to leave for several reasons, each of which compounded my struggles and ultimately led me to seek a better quality of life elsewhere.\n\nThe Incident That Sparked the Change\nIn 2017, I was attacked in Toronto, leaving me with a broken nose. It was a traumatic experience, but the frustration didn't end there. When I reached out to my doctor to fix the injury, I was placed on a waitlist. For years, I followed up, hoping for progress, but by 2023, I still hadn’t received a call for the surgery. Each time, I was told the same thing: a shortage of doctors meant they couldn’t help. This highlighted a stark reality of the Canadian healthcare system—while it is publicly funded, it is often overwhelmed, leaving people waiting for years for essential treatments.\n\nThe Harsh Reality of Living Costs\nLiving in Canada became increasingly unsustainable for my family and me. Despite working hard and earning less than $100,000 annually, the cost of living pushed us into a debt of over $70,000. The financial strain was immense, forcing us to sell our home just to clear the loan. Even with this sacrifice, our lifestyle remained stagnant. We hadn’t taken a vacation in ten years because there was simply no room in the budget. Owning a home or enjoying basic luxuries felt like an unattainable dream, and I realized that continuing in this cycle was not a viable option.\n\nChallenging Weather Conditions\nCanada’s harsh weather was another factor that wore us down over time. The long, freezing winters and short, unpredictable summers made it difficult to enjoy outdoor life or maintain a consistent routine. The mental toll of enduring such extreme weather year after year contributed to the decision to seek a more temperate and enjoyable environment.\n\nA Need for Change\nAfter ten years of struggle, it became clear that the current conditions in Canada were not conducive to a fulfilling life. The combination of healthcare delays, skyrocketing living costs, financial stress, and unforgiving weather made me question the sacrifices I was making. Life is short, and the realization that there are other places in the world with better systems and opportunities prompted me to take action.\n\nWhile Canada has its merits, it’s important for people to reassess their priorities and make decisions that align with their well-being. For me, leaving was a step toward reclaiming my life and creating a future where I could thrive, rather than just survive.

I'm an immigrant child from well educated Parent from the Brain Drain era of immigrants from the 1970's. These immigrants from the last 20 years have a different mentality especially when they're not very well educated. Too many immigrants put a strain on the social and economic fabric of Canada.

I'm Indian but not born in India for 3 generations and even in my country, the Indian/Paki immigrants are just coming in droves. There's a distinct culture difference. It's like 10 or 15 years ago, the Indian government opened the gates and said OK, you can go now... And off they all went to every part of the world ??\nFrom a financial perspective, it's definitely not good for the economy, cos they milk the system, don't pay taxes and send money out of the country back to India.\nIndian people though are not generally dangerous though or drug dealers, definitely not like some of the black countries like Nigeria where many will go to a new country specifically to do crime. Somalian people on their other hand are family oriented and get involved in business, not crime.\nHowever, uncontrolled immigration places a huge strain on the system.\nIn this video though, why are the white people involved in drugs. That isn't really related to immigrants, is it..

I lived in Toronto during 2 different periods. 1988-1991 (Leaside and Yonge/Davisville) and then in early 2011 to late 2013 (east Scarborough and then Bayview/Sheppard). Yes, the city has changed dramatically. Even from my 2013 move from there. Grossly overbuilt. the hockey team should be called the Toronto Condo Leafs. Services strained. Poor funding. Poor political leadership. And I won't even touch the hot button issues. I noticed changes in 2012-3 and the start of polarization. Toronto has immense wealth and also immense poverty as we see now. Then again, big cities all over North America have the same issue.

For years, I've been drawing comparisons between my life in Canada and that of my American friends. Having lived across three provinces—20 years in Ontario, another decade in Quebec (learning French along the way), and a decade in Vancouver—I adopted a modest lifestyle that saw my savings grow to £40k. However, unforeseen circumstances, like my father's passing, led to financial strain. Despite a good job with travel perks, I found myself yearning for a change. Learning about an Ancestry visa, thanks to a colleague, revealed my eligibility due to my grandparents' immigration from the UK to Canada post-war.\n\nAfter gathering paperwork, I took a leap: severance from my job, selling my condo, and relocating to London, England. Initially hesitant due to the GBP exchange rate, I was pleasantly surprised—my savings lasted three years in England. While my childhood dream was the USA, I found London surprisingly affordable. Though my income was a third of what I earned in Canada, in three years, I found a partner, bought a home within five years, and established a savings account for the first time.\n\nLife in London meant exploring the world, negligible worries about expenses, affordable living costs (from phone bills to dentistry), and accessible public transport. The quality of life, housing affordability, and healthcare in the UK surpassed my Canadian experiences. The lifestyle contrasts were stark—five weeks of paid leave versus minimal vacation time in Canada, affordable education, and fewer societal issues like homelessness or drug abuse.\n\nMy advice? Explore the Ancestry visa for a life-altering opportunity; it’s tied to grandparents' lineage and offers a path to citizenship. The UK's supply and demand dynamics, along with its lower taxes, provide a different economic landscape compared to Canada. And here, what you see on price tags is what you pay—no hidden fees. This shift has transformed my life, and the possibilities seem endless. Check out [the Ancestry visa](https://www.gov.uk/ancestry-visa) for more information!

For years, I've been drawing comparisons between my life in Canada and that of my American friends. Having lived across three provinces—20 years in Ontario, another decade in Quebec (learning French along the way), and a decade in Vancouver—I adopted a modest lifestyle that saw my savings grow to £40k. However, unforeseen circumstances, like my father's passing, led to financial strain. Despite a good job with travel perks, I found myself yearning for a change. Learning about an Ancestry visa, thanks to a colleague, revealed my eligibility due to my grandparents' immigration from the UK to Canada post-war.\n\nAfter gathering paperwork, I took a leap: severance from my job, selling my condo, and relocating to London, England. Initially hesitant due to the GBP exchange rate, I was pleasantly surprised—my savings lasted three years in England. While my childhood dream was the USA, I found London surprisingly affordable. Though my income was a third of what I earned in Canada, in three years, I found a partner, bought a home within five years, and established a savings account for the first time.\n\nLife in London meant exploring the world, negligible worries about expenses, affordable living costs (from phone bills to dentistry), and accessible public transport. The quality of life, housing affordability, and healthcare in the UK surpassed my Canadian experiences. The lifestyle contrasts were stark—five weeks of paid leave versus minimal vacation time in Canada, affordable education, and fewer societal issues like homelessness or drug abuse.\n\nMy advice? Explore the Ancestry visa for a life-altering opportunity; it’s tied to grandparents' lineage and offers a path to citizenship. The UK's supply and demand dynamics, along with its lower taxes, provide a different economic landscape compared to Canada. And here, what you see on price tags is what you pay—no hidden fees. This shift has transformed my life, and the possibilities seem endless. Check out [the Ancestry visa](https://www.gov.uk/ancestry-visa) for more information!

Wow as a developer and a combat vet with an MBA some of these comments reflect just how dumb Americans are. Do you have any idea the financial strain, educational strain, infrastructure strain, just to start that allowing immigrants from any country has on any society then you’d think differently. Oh and by the way if you’re an Earned Income Worker, which 99.9% of you are, you’re the most affected,.

Lucrative real estate investment in Toronto and Vancouver created a massive holding and rental industry across the country, increasing immigration targets add strain to rental and purchase supply, the huge boom in short term rentals (airbnb, vrbo) adds fuel to the fire. \n\nNow that Vancouver and Toronto are becoming unlivable it’s residents are leaving and exploding the populations of midsize cities.\n\nIs it impossible to own a home in Canada? No, but if you aren’t a high-earner you may have to settle for a different city (see: prairies).

Trudeau needs to shut this border crossing already. It is so hard and competitive already to find an apartment or house to rent, there are canadians suffering and waiting on the central housing list here for years and guess who keeps moving to the front of the line taking the spots, these people who are put up in hotels, given food, money, and citizenship, also all while the people who are trying to immigrate legally have to pay and wait, it's not fair for them. I love different cultures but this needs to be done legally, things are already rough for a lot of canadians and this is just going to continue to strain the system.