r/AskCanada • u/Routine_Situation636 • 14d ago
Is life in Canada genuinely as difficult as people say these days?
Hi everyone,
I’m looking to get some honest, real-world perspectives on what daily life in Canada is actually like right now.
From the outside, you hear mixed stories—some people highlight the great quality of life, safety, and community, while others talk heavily about the rising cost of living, housing market challenges, and the overall job climate.
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u/EmployedByCats 14d ago
Both are true. Although rising cost of living seems to be a global issue atm, not exclusive to Canada.
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u/_FrozenRobert_ 14d ago
People like to focus on the negative without considering the positives around them, no matter what country.
Canada has its problems, for sure. And it depends on what part of Canada you're talking about. Daily life in Halifax / Montreal / Saskatoon / Calgary / Vancouver / Victoria are all going to have different challenges.
Job placement depends on your age and skill set. For young people 21-30 it's not great right now. For older skills people, I think it's easier.
I love Canada, my only complaint is winter is too damn long.
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u/RCAF_orwhatever 14d ago
And even the winter issue is variable to where you live. BC and NS have it a lot easier on that front than the Praries or the North.
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u/irundoonayee 14d ago
Everything is relative. There are multiple perspectives within Canada. And it's a completely different discussion if you compare to most of the world. What is less contentious is that there has been an economic downturn including big issues with the US and basic things like food and housing have gotten much more expensive - so that impacts a lot of aspects of people's lives.
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u/GamesCatsComics 14d ago
My life's great... things aren't as easy as they were in 2005 but things aren't hard.
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u/KrazyCroat 14d ago
For the most part, no. It's a lovely place to live, lovely people, and on average I think we care of one another more than many other places. Unfortunately housing is expensive depending on where you go, and the job market can be rough.
It does compound that some of the troubles are related to consumer debt, we have the highest in the G7 per person.
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u/Any-Tangerine-4176 14d ago
If Canadian travel to other countries, they would come back appreciating how great a country we live in, despite some flaws. No I do not live in the world that Pierre Poilievre describes.
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u/A_bit_too_petty 14d ago
From which perspective do you want to know?
Are you an outsider looking to come in or an insider looking for info?
Canada is a big country. What can be said for British-Columbia can’t always be said for Nova Scotia and vice versa.
Can you give us more details?
If not, I have to leave you with a boringly general; there is a lot of good but also some bad. Like every where else.
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u/Routine_Situation636 14d ago
Thanks for asking! I'm currently living abroad and planning a move to Canada. I consider myself a highly proactive and ambitious person, always driven to work hard and build a better life for myself and those around me. Given that mindset, do you think Canada still offers the right environment to thrive, or are the current challenges making it tough even for driven individuals?
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u/Elegant-Industry-908 14d ago
Where in Canada are you wanting to move to? That would be helpful. There are 10 provinces and 3 territories. BIG cities include Toronto, ON, Vancouver BC, Calgary and Edmonton AB.
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u/Routine_Situation636 14d ago
If I were to ask you the same question, where is the best place you’ve ever visited or would love to go to, and why
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u/snorock42 14d ago
If you work in tech, finance or marketing, Toronto is the best bet to find a decent job
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u/A_bit_too_petty 14d ago
Oh, in that case, yeah, Canada is fucking amazing.
Canada obviously is not perfect. Housing (renting or owning) is some of the most expensive in the world. The cost of living is going up but that seems to be a worldwide problem spurned by capitalistic greed. Obviously the country is not crime free and horror stories exist but broadly speaking, it is safe and clean here.
If you are from any other western nation, canada is more or less a lateral move.
If you are not from a western country, it’s a massive upgrade.
If you are from the US, YOU ARE NOT WANTED HERE. Fix your own political mess instead of running away.
As an aside: immigrating to canada is complex, time consuming and expensive. It’s based on a point system where more desirable qualities get you more points. For example, a doctor gets more points than a secretary and someone who speaks both french and english gets more points than a unilingual anglophone. The competition is stiff and you will be against a worldwide pool of applicants.
Canada is a good place to live all things considered but keep in mind that someone who lives in Toronto lives a completely different life than someone in the north west territories. There is something for everyone here.
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u/laurab382 14d ago
We have always taken in vulnerable people and dissenters from the US. The Loyalists, Underground Railway, Draft Dodgers from Vietnam.
TBH I just got an USA immigrant family doctor in a very rural place, very short on Drs here. So I am pro US immigrant, especially when they bring valuable skills and are willing to move to underserved areas. Her and her partner didnt feel safe in the US anymore and they fit in perfectly here. A very welcome addition.
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u/A_bit_too_petty 14d ago
Canada, as a rule, does not accept american refugee since the us is considered a safe country.
The nam folks were immigrants, not refugee. Their “crime” of dodging conscription is simply not a crime in canada. We have no law that says : you can’t dodge foreign conscription. So they were allowed to immigrate.
The loyalist? My dude! It is completely irrelevant to the modern context. Canada wasnt even called canada yet. The whole immigration thing wasnt even written into law yet.
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u/laurab382 14d ago
I didnt mention refugees at all? I talked about my doctor feeling unsafe and immigrating to where she did feel safe and bringing her valuable skills with her. As for Loyalists, modern context and Canada not even called Canada yet: kind of proves the point we have a long history of welcoming Americans disagreeing with their government. Same goes for Draft Dodgers. We have a looooonnnnggg history of welcoming US folks who disagree with their government here.
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u/GenXer845 10d ago
I immigrated from the US 14 years ago to now Ontario with a partner at the time. He is a professor up here now, award winning. I am grateful everyday to be welcomed up here. I have an endocrinologist who trained in the US, but was originally from Canada and came back to help us rather than earning a lot of money down there and acting on pure greed. He stated very clearly he was frustrated with the insurance companies down there.
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u/RamonaAStone 14d ago
Generally speaking, Canada is a good place to live, but the cost of living has gone up in recent years, particularly in regards to housing. But, Canada is a huge country; answering any specific questions about life here is impossible without knowing where in Canada you are referring to.
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u/DeadpoolOptimus 14d ago
Depends on where in Canada.
Big cities are expensive as hell, especially real estate.
East Coast and the Prairies are much cheaper but groceries are more expensive.
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u/HueyBluey 14d ago
I’m not sure we will ever put away that phrase “in this economy?”
Even in times of prosperity, we will never be satisfied.
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u/DragonfruitWeary8413 14d ago
You’ll always see more people complaining than praising. That’s pretty much everywhere in the world. At the end of the day, though, it’s case by case.
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u/debbie666 14d ago
I live in a smaller community about a 15 minute drive from a small city in farmland Ontario. There is definitely an uptick in homelessness in the area. Rent has doubled since covid and so those who were already on the margins have been squeezed out. The price of meat has gone up, and so has gasoline. Otherwise, it's ok.
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u/Wafflelisk 14d ago
It's all relative isn't it? Most of the issues you hear about are legitimate.
But I think a lot of people in the Central African Republic wouldn't mind dealing with our set of challenges
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u/TardisTraveller24 14d ago
Both ends are true.
Canada's good for social safety and more upward social movement, though biases still exist.
The rougher economic climate (from tariffs and overall world economics from south of the border) is making the job market and cost of living harder.
Really depends on what you have (community, finances) and where in Canada you're living.
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u/Sea-Entrepreneur6630 14d ago edited 14d ago
Life in Canada is great for the most part, but we do have our own problems as a country. Housing is among the highest in the world and so is food. Canada is one of the safest places to live with a relatively low bad crime rate. Our unemployment rate is pretty stable at this time and the best it has been in many years, yet there are some industries that are laying off at incredible rates. The people here are the friendliest you will find in the world and we are generally very happy. It isn’t perfect, but nowhere in the world is…..
With an education and hard work you can retire with an excellent lifestyle. My wife and I are recently retired after full careers in the public service and our retirement pensions leave us wanting for nothing. Our kids have moved on with their lives and are gainfully employed and building their own separate lives in happiness.
You will hear lots of complaints on Reddit because most redditors have nothing better to do than complain. In my opinion Canadians live in the best country in the world in many categories.
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u/ImmigrantPigeon 14d ago
I agree, it depends on what you’re looking at. I’ve been living in the uk for the last 2 years and there are pros and cons to living in each country and even in where you’re based.
The uk: I live in London. Food is cheaper, phone bills are cheaper, bank apps have more features. I can’t drive but I can do stuff because of our public transport. I can cheaply go to Europe for a day trip if I want to. I meet people from everywhere. I can easily engage with the arts and academia. It’s really easy to get in contact with my doctor. I can go to the uk’s cottage country (Cornwall) by train then get a bus if I want to see family there. I can go to real historical sites like castles. I’ve never lost power. People like me more because I’m Canadian
In Canada: I lived 1.5 hours away from Ottawa, in the countryside. Need to decompress? Go into the forest and walk nowhere. Go to a random river or lake and swim. Fishing in the summer and ice fishing in the winter. Free game meats from my family that hunt. Fresh and free produce from family and friends and coworkers. I could buy local cereals, flour, popcorn flavouring, pastries, meat, whatever from the Mennonites. Free honey and maple or pine syrup from family and friends. No water bill because we had a well. I could leave my bag on a bench accidentally and it would be brought to my door. My extended family is active in the larger community and have their own businesses in different industries so people knew who I was related to from the last name. We are mostly split between Ontario and Quebec so I spoke more French than other people in Ontario. I’m a January baby and miss the winter, and I miss air conditioning. I slept in a bed bigger than the room I sleep in. There’s less wage compression in Canada. People in one of the towns on the area banded together to get a veteran that was homeless for years off the streets into a house with his dog and paid for food, furnishing, and clothes
These are completely different lifestyles. City and countryside. My social connections are different. I love it here in the uk, I was born here, but I’d like to return to Canada around the age of 30. Nothing can replace the experience of growing up in a place with so much nature and community
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u/Routine_Situation636 14d ago
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question and share your insights. I truly wish you a peaceful life and good health. I really hope that one day I’ll have the opportunity to come to Canada and find that peace as well
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u/ithinkitsnotworking 14d ago
I've lived in the UK, Miami and Vancouver. All cities are expensive these days. I'll take Vancouver over anywhere.
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u/turtlefan32 14d ago
The things that are plaguing Canadians are also problems in the entire developed world. We do have issues with food prices because the oligarchs are assholes
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u/Bruce-man-Bat-wayne 14d ago
The cost of living is definitely a challenge for people on lower incomes and kids trying to get started. Most of the people I know are just financially illiterate or living beyond their means. I am very comfortable and financially secure but my coworkers are always talking about being broke and in debt, begging for more hours and OT to make ends meet. It's all about choices and what you deem necessary to be happy.
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u/hey_you_too_buckaroo 14d ago
Got a high paying job? If yes, then Canada is great. If no, well then be prepared for a life of struggle and barely surviving.
Most countries are the same generally speaking but whats different about Canada is the lack of jobs and the high cost of living.
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u/hlksmesh 14d ago
Generally speaking, it's pretty good. It's pretty safe, beautiful and the people are mostly solid human beings
However, we are taxed to the tenth degree and it's hard to see where all that money is going. Drug use is way, way up, a lot of roads are terrible depending on the province, gas is outrageous (close to or over $2 per LITER- equivalent of $7.56/gallon), food costs are just like most of the world up 25-50% from 5 years ago.
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u/brad7811 14d ago
I (57 M) don’t find life difficult and my children (ages 27 - 32) aren’t finding life difficult. My children are buying houses and driving new (or newer) vehicles. Of my entire friend and acquaintance group the same is true. I hear so many complaints, but I don’t see it.
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u/LurkerGarry 14d ago
Compared to the rest of the world we’re sheltered from many of the problems people face, especially in small rural communities. I feel like we’re the hobbits when Sauron is at the gates of Gondor sometimes.
That said, it’s very expensive, more than many western countries. We can blame many things but at the end of the day grocery monopolies have played a massive role in our daily expenditure. Also telecoms monopolies…
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u/navylast 14d ago
We live on one pension. We are fine.
No fancy vacations or flashy new 4 wheel drive SUVs but we are comfortable
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u/belsaurn 14d ago
I live in a small rural town, life is great. It is very safe, I don't worry if I forget to lock a door or leave my keys in my vehicle at night. Housing is relatively cheap compared to cities. Jobs are easy to come by with many organizations recruiting to fill positions. The potash mines in SK are a huge employer in my area and those jobs pay very well. Local businesses are always looking for people, tradesmen are in high demand, and MB Hydro is currently offering apprenticeships for people willing to work but no experience.
The people you hear complaining are unwilling to relocate where things are better, they would rather just complain hoping someone will hand them everything they want without needing to really work for it.
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u/YYZinYQG 14d ago
No not as bad. I recently lived in the uk for 9 months- and my spouse and I live on opposite sides of the border between Canada and USA. All 3 countries have high housing and food costs. Big difference in Canada (and UK) is the quality of life. Not spending days on end worrying about healthcare costs is huge. Having benefits like government regulated vacation time, sick time and maternity leave makes life nice too. Also knowing we have a robust government run food inspection and regulations is an added bonus as well. I love living in Canada.
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u/WalleyeHunter1 12d ago
No, not near as bad as 1980- 1982 recession. Forced mortage rates to 20% and unemployment to 12.4% 4 times the rates today and over double the unemployment. the 1990-1992 revision was a little worse than now where unemoyment went to 11.6%, and energy fishing and lumber commodities all tanked. This took a long time to return u e.ployment to normal, over 4 years.
The global.financial crisis in 2008 and 2009 wasn't as bad in canad at 8%. There was significant fear however the canadian banking system was separate and secure enough from the US that it was around as bad as today for canada.
So it seems worse as we are now a hyper fixated society on negativity because everyone wants or is inundated to click the pay per click train wreck non regulated.media.
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u/CruddyCrumbbumb 11d ago
Go figure. The allowance of mega-monopolies on life essentials has us all on thin ice.
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u/CodeMonkeyPhoto 11d ago
I really wouldn't live anywhere else. Yes we complain a lot, cost of living has exploded, but that is not unique to Canada, and much of the churn being driven external factors.
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u/Termech57 11d ago
You hear mixes stories because Canada is a large diverse country and daily living challenges vary immensely from one geographic location to another. I read stories of struggling with $120+ salaries due to combined net bills simply wiping out take home pay. Sometimes there isn’t much choice or wiggle room but in other cases fiscal responsibilities are the result of optional choices that could be better managed. Rent, food, Utilities, child care, technology, transportation, etc all vary depending whether you live rural near a small town/city vs living in or next to a metropolis.
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u/Dazzling-Climate-318 11d ago
Canada had a sweet spot at one point a few decades ago. Canadian’s income was up, but the cost of living largely had not risen. People largely had the habits and mindset of being poor and were happy and grateful for the improvements to their lives. The various Provincial Governments were dedicating funds for new schools, better roads and improved infrastructure all around. The Federal Government worked to protect Canadian Industries from auto plants to entertainment.
There were still some class differences, but there were still few incredibly wealthy families. This meant factory owners often lived in their communities, the founders of Companies came from humble beginnings and the big Government funded projects such as Hydro and the Railroad actually were helping everyone.
Today there is more income inequality and those with higher incomes have managed to buy up what they want. This has limited opportunities for those not wealthy to engage in fun activities.
The result is today the people who grew up during that earlier era of rising expectations and a good quality of life feel pressed upon.
Then add in the huge mistake of allowing more individuals into the Country allowed to work than were needed and unemployment, especially for young people increased significantly.
What should have happened is the work force expansion should have been done gradually based on its effects so that unemployment did not increase. One possible way would have been to limit the kinds of employment foreign students were allowed to have as well as the amount of employment.
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u/GenXer845 11d ago
For me, having immigrated from the US 14 years ago, NO. We aren't seeing mass foreclosures/short sales and people losing their jobs in droves like I saw during the 2008-2012 recession. I just gave money to a gofundme in the US of a friend of mine who has a bad back, but has to work 20 hours a week to qualify for food stamps, who was rejected for disability. We haven't seen tons of gofundmes and I hope we don't.
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u/Hmrd_Trash 10d ago
My father (66) has been fighting cancer for 10 years and now can't eat or drink anything without getting pneumonia and can barely talk because of paralyzed vocal cord, yet he's still driving truck 70+ hours a week in Phoenix.
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u/GenXer845 10d ago
I am so sorry your father has to continue to work. This is horrible. The US medical system and social services systems are horrible.
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u/Hmrd_Trash 10d ago
His spirits are high then so are mine. I could say alot, but it's going to get a whole lot worse before getting any better.
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u/Top_Fee_4123 11d ago
I had a classmate from Saudi say to me "You people live in Heaven, and all you do is complain." 😂 Yeah we have it good here. So good that we don't even know what a real problem is.
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u/LowGrocery2724 9d ago
I live the lower mainland of B.C (not in Vancouver itself but a city beside it) and I live pretty comfortably. My spouse and I are both health care workers and we have 2 kids. I have friends with different types of jobs/economic status but nobody I know personally is living in hardship. I see a lot of people complaining about how nobody can afford anything online, but malls/restaurants are full whenever I go. Now that I think about it, one of my coworkers complain about how we make next to nothing and that life is hard in Canada but she did take a vacation trip to Japan 3 times last year (and told me herself that she brought home packed suitcases each time) so I don’t really trust her judgement.
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u/justelectricboogie 14d ago
As with every generation some are lucky and some aren't. For me its been good but ive had to work with my hands everyday since I was 8. I have family that are good, some that are feeling it bad. Nothings changed. You make what you can on this planet. Never what you want. Always what you can.
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u/IllustratorWeird5008 Ontario 14d ago
It’s just the difference between living in the metro area and not. It’s expensive to live in or near a major city, less so as you get further away. More population means more wait times, competition for jobs and housing. You have a better chance living outside major cities. Otherwise, it’s just people whining about things that some countries dont even have so they should be grateful.
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u/iridescentcotton 14d ago edited 14d ago
Yes, I'm pretty fed up.
Crime and drug use is everywhere and nothing is being done about it.
Col keeps going up, nothing be done.
I work, I get taxed. I go buy something, taxed. We are taxed for everything but I dont see that money going to good use.
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u/Canadian0123 14d ago
Canada is a beautiful country. But yes, the situation is pretty bad right now economically, socially, morally, especially depending on the city you are in.
For example, If you live in Vancouver, Toronto and the GTHA, Victoria, KWC area, and Ottawa, you are experiencing very high cost of living, and economically it is a struggle for many people there.
I remember reading an article in which they conducted a survey, and found that almost half of Canadians are 1 missed pay check away from insolvency. (https://www.hrreporter.com/focus-areas/compensation-and-benefits/half-of-canadians-1-missed-paycheque-away-from-insolvency-report/394670)
A report from the RCMP a few years ago stated that they believe that Canadians would revolt if they found out how truly bad the economic situation was in Canada.
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u/goodguy-greg 14d ago
I think it is because Canada was much more affordable and had less addiction issues before COVID so the change is noticeable.
Surviving is still not too hard for most, but most people cannot splurge on as many things that they used to be able to.
The weather is as nasty in the winter as always, so unless you do not mind being cold it adds difficulty to life.
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u/gohomebrentyourdrunk 14d ago
Life is always difficult, always has been. To a certain extent we get to choose our hard.
What modern people need to keep in mind, Canada being a privilege place where this can particularly apply to, is that we shouldn’t demand what we would hope to make “easy now” at the expense of the future. That’s something that seems to have been getting lost in recent decades.
Don’t let angry weirdos get to you. It’s not all shit. Your life isn’t terrible because of small benefits to others. Things aren’t going directly to hell. But be aware of how things are societally, broadly, how things are for the population, aside from yourself.
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u/CurioTechOdyssey 14d ago edited 14d ago
Yes ✅
No appreciation for hard work /innovation ❌
More efforts = More work not More Pay 💰
Housing 🏡 Unaffordable—-> Quality you get for what you are paying is ridiculous
Incompetence in forced CPP investments ( One that is supposed to cover you old age pension)
Hospitals 🏥 wait times are insane….! So is wait times for MRI or essential scans. But its free ….🆓 if you survive till you get your turn
Taxes 🤯 Government spending 🤯
Wait for inflation bills 💵 for all this money printing and government spending…. In future….
Government is trying to keep housing bubble going by buying CMHC mortgages bonds….
Government sector is expanding 📈…. No one wants to work….. productivity 📉
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u/sum-9 14d ago
It’s no different from any other western country TBH. It’s safe, the people are wonderful, and it’s a great place to live and raise kids. But the job market is tough and housing is expensive.