Canadian politics thread

[68style]

Originally Posted by CivicBlues

lol why would they? The CCP are the ones providing the statistics.

I have a hard time believing the CCP gave separate stats for Taiwan?? I don't think so... anyway I was just being silly.

[CivicBlues]

You mean the Republic of China?

[Tapioca]

Things aren't so rosy for higher income earning Americans either these days:

https://youtu.be/k5abCDqzdhM?si=P4R7PiAaKtRF_HGt

Puts into perspective that Canada is really just following the pack in terms of the overall economic malaise for most folks in the developed world earning middle income.

[westopher]

It's not all that hard for objective people to realize that we are just along for the ride with the other g20 countries.

[twitchyzero]

just with more taxes and flood gates 100% open

[CivicBlues]

^Flood gates that go both ways. Capital is leaving as well.

Race to the bottom, late stage capitalism baby!

In other unrelated news:
https://www.reuters.com/technology/g...ts-2024-04-17/

[mikemhg]

This is certainly late stage capitalism.

Tech layoffs are going crazy right now, many CEOs are banking on AI to replace a lot of these entry to mid-level tech jobs. That combined with this fetishization of outsourcing to places like India, we're in for a rough ride the next decade.

It will only get worse, for everyone.

[Hondaracer]

Remember when Jagmeet and Trudeau said they cared about Canadian jobs? And they proposed anti-scab legislation that never came to fruition?

Then Trudeau was “So angry!” When both Telus and Bell cut 10,000 jobs to outsource over seas? That went well.

I don’t wish ill upon too many people but Telus management/directors and the heads of their respective unions can all get cancer and die. Fucking clowns on both sides rode the system into the fucking ground and legitimately destroyed the only livelihood many people had.

When I was still at Telus some of the union higher ups actually had the gall to say “I’m gonna chat with Trudeau at so and so event”

I literally dragged that line out until I left saying “so when is Justin gonna help?”

Fucking clowns

[AstulzerRZD]

Originally Posted by Tapioca

Things aren't so rosy for higher income earning Americans either these days:

https://youtu.be/k5abCDqzdhM?si=P4R7PiAaKtRF_HGt

Puts into perspective that Canada is really just following the pack in terms of the overall economic malaise for most folks in the developed world earning middle income.

Individual circumstances vary, but here's my experience...

Comparison w/ other G7 countries
Having lived on both sides of the border (Vancouver/Toronto, Seattle/Cali/NYC), I’ve found that even with 300k CAD, owning land in Vancouver is challenging.
For creating wealth, money velocity is slow since money's stuck in real estate and changes hands every 5/10 years, and venture/seed funding opportunities are limited.
Additionally, it seems the Canadian government prioritizes the property market over overall economic growth.
Compare w/ France which creates high speed rail, fighter jets, airbus, nuclear, submarines, pharmaceuticals, and great funding for growth/scaleups.

Economic Opportunities in the U.S.:
Across various sectors (healthcare, consulting, finance, tech), I’ve noticed that specialized education leads to higher earnings in the U.S., coupled with a lower cost of living.
Even in prime ZIP codes (e.g., Santa Monica/Venice, Montlake/Bellevue/Medina), houses can be found around 1.3M.
Tier 2/3 cities (like Atlanta/New Brunswick) with major corporate headquarters offer more affordable housing (around 600k).

Avoiding Traps
Be cautious about living in high-cost areas where owning a car is necessary (e.g., Bay Area without a tech career).
It’s also essential to watch out for employers that require healthcare premium payments and additional deductibles (i.e. Amazon).
Considering public school quality and avoiding unnecessary private school expenses and out-of-state tuition is crucial (Chicago / NYC / South Bay / Seattle are great).
Lastly, hidden costs (energy, insurance, transport, taxes) should be factored in when choosing a location (carefly w/ Florida/Texas/NJ).

Winning Strategies
In my opinion, success involves working in Tech/Finance in tier 1/1.5 cities (investment banks, hedge funds, VCs) or tier 2 cities (Fortune 500 companies).
Prioritizing areas with good public schools is also essential so your child pays in state tuition - UC Berkeley is no more expensive than UofT/UWaterloo for Engineering.
OR wife works for university hospital system or university itself so your kid gets real cheap tuition.

Life after kids:
Investment property in camp grounds in CA, own a lot of a street in a smaller state, etc.
Move to LA/Nashville/Miami to enjoy car and creative hobby life once kids are settled.

[Hondaracer]

Toronto and Vancouver bring the worst of all those unaffordability scenarios the other G20 countries are “going through”

If you're hanging your hat on free health care, lol. The type of income people make here and the absolute lack of availability of even preventative healthcare is a complete fucking joke. If people were to do similar jobs in the states, almost certainly you’d be making substantially more money and easily cover the difference in private healthcare settings. At the very least, you’d actually be able to access healthcare.

Canada brings the worst of the majority of these shortcomings.

Honestly I don’t think it’s fearmongering or just “hate” on the liberals to say, if you have a serious illness such as cancer, etc. you should be terrified of the care you’re in for here.

[AstulzerRZD]

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

Toronto and Vancouver bring the worst of all those unaffordability scenarios the other G20 countries are “going through”

I think London and Australia have it worse when I look at local salaries <> housing cost.

Would highly recommend hopping south of the border for at least a couple years if family/health/social/career situation permit.

Of everyone I know who's left, maybe 5/300 have returned to Canada, the rest don't have plans.

[Hondaracer]

I dunno.. we have very good friends in Australia, 3 hours north of Brisbane, so comparable to say.. Penticton, Kelowna, Kamloops etc

Both of them work in a hospital, both of them make 30-50% more than they would in Canada, and they just bought 3 acres with a beautiful 3000 sq fr home for like 500k CAD.

These were also people who were considering moving back to Canada but the prospect
To do the same job they do in “rural” Australia would mean going back to school for 2 years and taking a 30-50% pay cut. Good luck Canada.

[AstulzerRZD]

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

I dunno.. we have very good friends in Australia, 3 hours north of Brisbane, so comparable to say.. Penticton, Kelowna, Kamloops etc

Both of them work in a hospital, both of them make 30-50% more than they would in Canada, and they just bought 3 acres with a beautiful 3000 sq fr home for like 500k CAD.

These were also people who were considering moving back to Canada but the prospect
To do the same job they do in “rural” Australia would mean going back to school for 2 years and taking a 30-50% pay cut. Good luck Canada.

ah true facts, I was thinking CBD Sydney/Melbourne

[68style]

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

I
These were also people who were considering moving back to Canada but the prospect
To do the same job they do in “rural” Australia would mean going back to school for 2 years and taking a 30-50% pay cut. Good luck Canada.

Honest question though, no troll, but what made them even think of coming back? There must be some intangibles to even LOOK at it let alone do a serious cost comparison.

Is it because it used to be home/homesick?

We're a massive country land wise, but a blip on the radar population wise. This country has always been a backwater for pay and work, just most of us are too proud to admit it or we accept it for the chill lifestyle.... but chill lifestyle is gone when you can't even breathe financially in the 2 main cities, so things have really come to a head.

There isn't a government or mindset of any sort that can change the fact Canada is a pretender wanna-be on the world stage from an economic perspective.

[Hondaracer]

He’s from Australia, she’s my wife’s childhood friend whose parents still live around the corner from us.

Both of them love Canada and are outdoorsy people etc. have even been looking at buying some sort of rec property here. But the work situation is impossible for them

[68style]

Originally Posted by AstulzerRZD

Move to LA/Nashville/Miami to enjoy car and creative hobby life once kids are settled.

I hear a lot of good things about Nashville and also Columbus and Raleigh mostly from hockey players that have played/lived in both cities.

[Manic!]

On of the problems with the US is school. I hear people who move to the US move back when they want kids because public schools are terrible in the states.

[AstulzerRZD]

Originally Posted by Manic!

On of the problems with the US is school. I hear people who move to the US move back when they want kids because public schools are terrible in the states.

You either pay for it via private school or via where you live.

Palo Alto / Bellevue / Medina / Chicago / Boston all ok around the 1-1.5M mark but tradeoff is you have to live a very very suburban lifestyle.

[westopher]

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

Remember when Jagmeet and Trudeau said they cared about Canadian jobs? And they proposed anti-scab legislation that never came to fruition?

Then Trudeau was “So angry!” When both Telus and Bell cut 10,000 jobs to outsource over seas? That went well.

I don’t wish ill upon too many people but Telus management/directors and the heads of their respective unions can all get cancer and die. Fucking clowns on both sides rode the system into the fucking ground and legitimately destroyed the only livelihood many people had.

When I was still at Telus some of the union higher ups actually had the gall to say “I’m gonna chat with Trudeau at so and so event”

I literally dragged that line out until I left saying “so when is Justin gonna help?”

Fucking clowns

All these mega corporation CEOs can fucking die. They are an absolute cancer on society and make a living being reverse robin hoods. Fuck them all. 90% of the money they make is stolen from their workforce, and the systems in place are built to protect them at all costs.

[westopher]

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

Toronto and Vancouver bring the worst of all those unaffordability scenarios the other G20 countries are “going through”

If you're hanging your hat on free health care, lol. The type of income people make here and the absolute lack of availability of even preventative healthcare is a complete fucking joke. If people were to do similar jobs in the states, almost certainly you’d be making substantially more money and easily cover the difference in private healthcare settings. At the very least, you’d actually be able to access healthcare.

Canada brings the worst of the majority of these shortcomings.

Honestly I don’t think it’s fearmongering or just “hate” on the liberals to say, if you have a serious illness such as cancer, etc. you should be terrified of the care you’re in for here.

I agree with you for the most part here, but I will say, my grandpa has been dealing with cancer care here now for over half a decade, and if he were in America, there is no way he could still afford to be alive.
I think once you get actually diagnosed here the care is fairly good, but jumping through the hoops for diagnosis is the hard part.
My friend in California recently died of cancer. His widow is FUCKED. All of us are trying to help her figure out how to sell basically everything to pay for the treatment he dealt with. Not to mention the insurance company is now saying they will not cover tens of thousands of dollars of treatments that they already had covered and are demanding payment.
We have told her to tell them to just fuck themselves, but she's in a horrible position to deal with the grief of losing her husband and now being harassed by these insurance providers.
It's fucking bad there.

[AstulzerRZD]

Originally Posted by westopher

I agree with you for the most part here, but I will say, my grandpa has been dealing with cancer care here now for over half a decade, and if he were in America, there is no way he could still afford to be alive.
I think once you get actually diagnosed here the care is fairly good, but jumping through the hoops for diagnosis is the hard part.
My friend in California recently died of cancer. His widow is FUCKED. All of us are trying to help her figure out how to sell basically everything to pay for the treatment he dealt with. Not to mention the insurance company is now saying they will not cover tens of thousands of dollars of treatments that they already had covered and are demanding payment.
We have told her to tell them to just fuck themselves, but she's in a horrible position to deal with the grief of losing her husband and now being harassed by these insurance providers.
It's fucking bad there.

Is Grandpa over 65? Would qualify for medicaid/medicare in the US.

There are also services to help fight claims, which should apply to the estate even if they apply.

[underscore]

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

If people were to do similar jobs in the states, almost certainly you’d be making substantially more money and easily cover the difference in private healthcare settings. At the very least, you’d actually be able to access healthcare.

Not necessarily, my American coworkers benefits aren't nearly as good as mine and I don't think they make as much either. On top of that a lot of stuff costs more down there than it does here.

[Hondaracer]

Originally Posted by westopher

I agree with you for the most part here, but I will say, my grandpa has been dealing with cancer care here now for over half a decade, and if he were in America, there is no way he could still afford to be alive.
I think once you get actually diagnosed here the care is fairly good, but jumping through the hoops for diagnosis is the hard part.
My friend in California recently died of cancer. His widow is FUCKED. All of us are trying to help her figure out how to sell basically everything to pay for the treatment he dealt with. Not to mention the insurance company is now saying they will not cover tens of thousands of dollars of treatments that they already had covered and are demanding payment.
We have told her to tell them to just fuck themselves, but she's in a horrible position to deal with the grief of losing her husband and now being harassed by these insurance providers.
It's fucking bad there.

I’ve got nothing but praise to VGH and BC cancer foundation. They are truly world class facilities and the level of care anyone I’ve known who has had to deal with them has been top notch. We even have it in our will to leave money to BC cancer upon our passing.

Imo the issue is diagnosis and the que you are in to even be seen. Honestly the best course of action is unfortunately calling 911 or getting your ass dragged into the hospital (legitimate or not) in order to get the gamut of tests done which may take YEARS going through the proper avenues via family doctor, tele-health, etc.

A huge problem as well is that all care is not equal. My former boss’s brother had crazy inflammation and chronic pain issues which they just could not figure out. He was a fairly average guy in terms of employment, income, etc. however my boss was definitely of means and he actually paid out of pocket to get private diagnosis etc. (or attempt to at least)

Eventually their family doctor literally said, we’ve exhausted everything Langley and Fraser Health has to offer. He said.. drive to Vancouver, collapse on the sidewalk, and have the ambulance take you to VGH, because Langley does not have the capacity to diagnose whatever is going on with you. He did just this, he was fast tracked to specialists, and eventually was diagnosed. Good luck if you live outside the lower mainland.

A big thing in the back of my mind in not wanting to leave the lower mainland is that the BRAND NEW St.Pauls is like a 8 minute drive away from my home. As a fall-back plan in an emergency, you can’t really ask for better, nor for surgeries etc. if it was to come to that point. I know I’m sounding like a contrarian in saying healthcare is garbage but I’m also relying on a brand new hospital being my backup plan, However, as I’ve said, that’s given an emergency and not proper diagnosis and I think both can be true in the current climate of healthcare in Canada.

[68style]

Originally Posted by Manic!

On of the problems with the US is school. I hear people who move to the US move back when they want kids because public schools are terrible in the states.

My GF has American citizenship and this is exactly why we aren't moving there, anywhere that both of us would want to live is just as expensive as here and the public school system is scary both in quality and, weirdly now, ideology.

[CivicBlues]

lol kids...

in this economy?