900,000 students coming in… | Page 49 | GTAMotorcycle.com

900,000 students coming in…

Maybe I’m missing the math, but at minimum 33% of gross income, a single full timer wage earner can afford the average room rent in Toronto. 2 people earning minimum wage can afford a 1br apt.

I can’t hire reliable unskilled workers for less than $20/hr. That makes $1200/mo available for rent, very doable with a roommate.
Sounds like paradise small apartment with a roommate and living paycheck to paycheck.
 
Sounds like paradise small apartment with a roommate and living paycheck to paycheck.
Not supposed to be paradise.

Paradise is something you work for, it’s not an entitlement.
 
How nice it is to hand wave ideological realities away with "they're just victims of colonization". There is a whole slew of countries in the world that were victims of colonization yet somehow managed to move on and make themselves stable productive nations without exporting hate and terror around the globe. The fact that we have homegrown Islamic terrorism in the west, from 2nd/3rd generation immigrants no less, tells me it's an ideological problem that goes well beyond "we want our land back".
The fact that you conflate all Islamic extremism from dozens of countries in multiple continents into a single box tells me how little there is to discuss. Just because terrible things have been done in the name of something doesn't mean there aren't other terrible things that have been done that can simply be ignored. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Algeria, Nigeria, Iraq, each has a sizeable Muslim population, each with separate grievances and goals. Saudis and Americans have committed a lot of terrorist attacks in my lifetime, too. And an Iraqi would say that the US committed terrorism on their country.

That's nice, and I'm sure they are all lovely people.

Unfortunately the people you met are in a tiny minority. Would your Quebecer friend be able to openly embrace his atheism in Gaza? What about the feminist, do you think the average Palestinian in Gaza would tolerate her views?
It's funny, I'm inclined to take the word of the people who actually lived there over a random dude on the internet. For example, the UN worker said that while she faced significant issues as a woman in Afghanistan, she never had any issues in Palestine. But considering we're throwing all Muslims in the same box, regardless of which corner of the world they come from, I guess it doesn't really matter...

As a Canadian I don't really care who the land belongs to. Both sides believe they have a god given right to be there. My only point of interest is that the people coming here will be a net benefit to our society. Walking around downtown Toronto seeing people celebrating terrorism tells me we do not need anymore refugees from that part of the world.
Have you personally seen people doing that, or watched a few videos online? I've seen videos of Israeli settlers celebrating killing a Palestinian baby, among countless similar examples, but I'm smart enough to understand that doesn't represent all Israelis or even the majority.

That may be the stated reason, but it's only one of convenience. There are a few reasons:

Have Arab nations want nothing to do with have not Arabs. That's just the way it is - they corral them in camps rather than naturalize them.

Containing Palestinian violence inside immigrant communities has always been a challenge. Terror is engrained and accepted in the mindset of many Palestinians - there is no easy way to weed this out. That means every bad Palestinian hurts a good one.

Finally, Gaza and West Bank's Arab neighbors don't want Iranian proxies circulating among them intimidating and destabilizing their local populations. again, It's hard to filter out the bad guys.
I'll take the word of friends and colleagues from Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Iraq, Iran, etc. over some very broad brush painting being done above.

I will agree that the 'have' Arab nations bear as much responsibility for the plight of Palestine as anyone in the West, though. Or at least their governments do. Sadly, those governments are largely autocratic and depend on the goodwill of the US to maintain their hold on power.

I would agree the average Palestinian is not inherently bad. But as a collective, they have made themselves very scary to others. You might blame the media for that, but it's pretty hard to refute the facts.

There were 2.2m Gazans at the time they first raided, 40k of them active Hamas fighters, and another 700K supporting them with financing, transport, logistics, shelter, and other military support services. 75% of Palestinians supported the October 7th terror attacks. Only 7% of Palestinians believe Hamas has anything to do with the Palestinian plight.
This situation didn't start on October 7. It didn't start in 2000. It didn't start in 1967. It didn't even start in 1946. It mostly started in 1918, when the European powers carved up the Middle East with no regard or understanding of regional loyalties or ethnic dividing lines.

The stats that you throw out as 'fact' are meaningless, as they're impossible to actually collect (how do you poll a region under bombardment, in total isolation, with no power and little online connectivity? Who is asking and who is being asked?), have no sources beyond the IDF, and are thrown out there with little questioning by American media, but that's another point of discussion. The IDF has lied multiple times throughout (including about the specifics of October 7th itself), in multiple provable examples, yet we take their statements as gospel.

Regardless, if all friendly nations have been embargoed and regime changed to oblivion, and your children are starving or kidnapped without trial, your neighbors have been bombed to literal bits, your family has been thrown out of their homes so settlers can move in, you rely on the whims of a hostile power to come and go or to seek work, and you have no hope, then who knows where your sympathies will lie? It would certainly be hard to have faith in the West to save you based on 'justice', or have much belief in non-violent resistance as a solution to your fate.

Occam's Razor. Ask them.


First, I don't think basic human rights are conditional on insisting that everyone agree on relatively recently developed majority opinions around sexuality.

Second, the views you see there are not dissimilar to view you would see in much of the non-Western world, the rural US, and not that different to what you'd get in Canada 40 years ago. They're also not that different to many views expressed in this very forum about trans rights, and other more recent changes to the social debate around gender and sexuality, along with our current public obsession with same, pro or anti. The current moment is not the only moment for opinions and public thought about this, it will be different in the future, and they will look back on our beliefs and things we assume are self-evident with a mixture of bemusement and horror, just as we look back on the beliefs of our forebears the same way.

Lastly, this was linked immediately below that video:

 
The fact that you conflate all Islamic extremism from dozens of countries in multiple continents into a single box tells me how little there is to discuss. Just because terrible things have been done in the name of something doesn't mean there aren't other terrible things that have been done that can simply be ignored. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Algeria, Nigeria, Iraq, each has a sizeable Muslim population, each with separate grievances and goals. Saudis and Americans have committed a lot of terrorist attacks in my lifetime, too. And an Iraqi would say that the US committed terrorism on their country.

It's a broad brush because Islam is one of the few remaining ideologies in the world where it's okay to murder civilians in other nation states to obtain "political" goals. I use the word political goals loosely because it's mostly just about establishing Islamic caliphates, and has less to do with reacting to colonialism. Let's take a look at your list:

Afghanistan: currently run by the Taliban. I guess they don't technically sponsor terrorism outside Afghan borders, but blowing up westerners in Afghanistan is fair game. They also sheltered Al Qaeda in the 90s/00s and enabled 9/11. They are a Sunni Islamic group seeking to maintain the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Pakistan: definitely trying to redeem itself but sheltered Bin Laden for many years and lied about it. The Afghan bordering tribal areas are basically lawless and run by pro-Taliban (Sunni Islamic) orgs. In recent years Pakistan itself has tried to clean up the terror cells in its borders which have made it subject to terror attacks itself (note: no western involvement or land stealing going on here, just regular old sectarian violence).

Indonesia: Muslim majority country with 87% of the population being Sunni Muslim. They have terror problems from Jemaah Islamiyyah, I'll just copy and paste the Canadian terror group definition: "Jemaah Islamiyyah (JI) has its roots in Darul Islam, a violent radical movement that advocated the establishment of Islamic law in Indonesia. JI subscribes to a Salafist [Sunni] interpretation of Islam and aims to establish an Islamic caliphate spanning Indonesia, Malaysia, southern Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, and the southern Philippines. JI has had cells throughout much of Southeast Asia and targets what it sees as enemies of Islam. JI has been responsible for a series of bank robberies, hijackings, and several major bombings of civilian targets, such as the 2002 attack on a night club in Bali, which killed 202 people and injured 500 others, including Canadians citizens."

Algeria: getting better but was a major hotbed for the Maghreb branch of Al Qaeda (AQIM) until recently. They seek to topple the secular government in Algeria and install, wait for it, a Sunni Islamic Caliphate. They launched terror attacks in Africa including bombings of embassies and hotels in Mali and Burkina Faso. Algeria has been independent from France for nearly 50 years.

Nigeria: home of Boko Haram. "Boko Haram is a Salafist jihadist [Sunni Islamic] group operating in northern Nigeria whose ultimate objective is to overthrow the Nigerian government and implement Sharia Law. The group desires a political system in Nigeria modeled after how the Taliban now rules Afghanistan." You can read the link posted to learn about all the nasty stuff they get up to, like kidnapping young girls and using them as suicide bombers.

Iraq: was a pretty stable place until Bush invaded, in the sense that there was no Islamic terror but you were at the mercy of Saddam's flavour of autocracy. Obama finished it off by withdrawing as early as possible and for a long time we had ISIL. "The Islamic State is a Sunni jihadist group that seeks to sow civil unrest in Iraq and the Levant with the aim of establishing a single, transnational Islamic state based on Sharia Law, replacing the Iraqi and Syrian governments."

So yes, the west has mucked around in these countries but the common denominator is also that ALL of these nations have trouble with groups that: 1) seek to establish Sunni Islamic caliphates, and 2) are okay with killing civilians in other nations to do it.

It's funny, I'm inclined to take the word of the people who actually lived there over a random dude on the internet. For example, the UN worker said that while she faced significant issues as a woman in Afghanistan, she never had any issues in Palestine. But considering we're throwing all Muslims in the same box, regardless of which corner of the world they come from, I guess it doesn't really matter...

Anecdata is no way to run a government, or make policy decisions. It's a nice sentiment to believe that all these problems are created by the west but historical evidence does not exclusively support that.

Have you personally seen people doing that, or watched a few videos online?

Yes, I had the misfortune of being downtown on October 7/8 2023 and witnessing all sorts of celebrations.

I've seen videos of Israeli settlers celebrating killing a Palestinian baby, among countless similar examples, but I'm smart enough to understand that doesn't represent all Israelis or even the majority.

I am sure it happens, they get up to nasty stuff as well no denying that. Here in Canada though they tend to keep to themselves, yet we have Jewish schools being shot up and pro-Hamas celebrations quite regularly from the other side. As a Canadian this is my concern.

I'll take the word of friends and colleagues from Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Iraq, Iran, etc. over some very broad brush painting being done above.

I will agree that the 'have' Arab nations bear as much responsibility for the plight of Palestine as anyone in the West, though. Or at least their governments do. Sadly, those governments are largely autocratic and depend on the goodwill of the US to maintain their hold on power.


This situation didn't start on October 7. It didn't start in 2000. It didn't start in 1967. It didn't even start in 1946. It mostly started in 1918, when the European powers carved up the Middle East with no regard or understanding of regional loyalties or ethnic dividing lines.

And before 1918 it was part of the Ottoman Caliphate for about ~500 years. It was a screwed up place long before the west showed up.
 
I'm angry at the owner of the Canadian Tire franchises who misrepresented the LIMA application that was approved. That OWNER should be punished.

Promise a rate of $20/hr (which I'm sure he can get Canadians to work for), and then reduce is to $16.05/hr arbitrarily upon start of work.

I agree with the LIMA program being tied to an employer because that just would mean that workers would come in, and bounce at the first opportunity for a higher role elsewhere, which goes against the nature of the LIMA program completely.

Tough call...but we'll see more of these cases. As the TFW gain rights, and word gets around, they'll start to push back and then just claim refugee status to stick aound.
 
I agree with your points, but I'm also curious whether the answers would be changed without a camera in their face.

Many people won't show their true feelings on camera, because they know they won't be acceptable to many in society...and they want to ensure that they appear 'proper' for various reasons.

But...I can't tell either way just from a video.
 
I'm angry at the owner of the Canadian Tire franchises who misrepresented the LIMA application that was approved. That OWNER should be punished.

Promise a rate of $20/hr (which I'm sure he can get Canadians to work for), and then reduce is to $16.05/hr arbitrarily upon start of work.

I agree with the LIMA program being tied to an employer because that just would mean that workers would come in, and bounce at the first opportunity for a higher role elsewhere, which goes against the nature of the LIMA program completely.

Tough call...but we'll see more of these cases. As the TFW gain rights, and word gets around, they'll start to push back and then just claim refugee status to stick aound.
Minimum wage in Ontario just clicked over $17/hr. Scumbag CT owner was 'hiring' for a supervisory role at just a few bucks over minimum wage. And crying about how no Canadians are willing to work for that rate. The problem with bringing third world wages to Canada is we get dragged down to third world status instead of elevating others.

And the fact that these poor folks had to pay $10,000 for the privilege just shows how predatory and awful the whole system is. It couldn't have been managed and executed worse if they tried.

I agree with your points, but I'm also curious whether the answers would be changed without a camera in their face.

Many people won't show their true feelings on camera, because they know they won't be acceptable to many in society...and they want to ensure that they appear 'proper' for various reasons.

But...I can't tell either way just from a video.
'Man in the street' videos are useless, but entertaining. It's also possibly telling that the guy doing those videos is actually Israeli. Anyway, when things stopped being about Palestine and became about Islam in general, I was out. That's a bigger and much more complex conversation and impossible to discuss in a meaningful way on a motorcycle forum.
 
It's can be hard to tell whether employers are abusing workers or agencies and TFWs are abusing the system - both happen.

I like the idea of closing the TFW system to low-skill positions when a CMA's unemployment rate is at or above 5%. I'd also reduce Ontario Works payments to able-bodied workers when employment rates are at or above 5%.
 
I'm angry at the owner of the Canadian Tire franchises who misrepresented the LIMA application that was approved. That OWNER should be punished.

Promise a rate of $20/hr (which I'm sure he can get Canadians to work for), and then reduce is to $16.05/hr arbitrarily upon start of work.

I agree with the LIMA program being tied to an employer because that just would mean that workers would come in, and bounce at the first opportunity for a higher role elsewhere, which goes against the nature of the LIMA program completely.

Tough call...but we'll see more of these cases. As the TFW gain rights, and word gets around, they'll start to push back and then just claim refugee status to stick aound.

I'm hope this employer is going be made an example of by the gov.. and my guess is CT is considering cutting ties.
The pay change is grounds for a constructive dismissal case.. I hope the employees filed cases.
The employment market doesn't need to be importing workers right now.. maybe in a specific industry, but not over-all.
 
It's can be hard to tell whether employers are abusing workers or agencies and TFWs are abusing the system - both happen.

I like the idea of closing the TFW system to low-skill positions when a CMA's unemployment rate is at or above 5%. I'd also reduce Ontario Works payments to able-bodied workers when employment rates are at or above 5%.

I'm pretty sure that's why he put down supervisors on the TFW application.. It probably wouldn't get approved without that title.

Similarly... I visit a lot of companies that have "supervisors" and "managers" everywhere.. 4 dock supervisors driving forklifts on a 3 door dock (saw that last week).. they were over titled to help with the student to work permit applications.
 
I'm hope this employer is going be made an example of by the gov.. and my guess is CT is considering cutting ties.
The pay change is grounds for a constructive dismissal case.. I hope the employees filed cases.
The employment market doesn't need to be importing workers right now.. maybe in a specific industry, but not over-all.
In similar programs in the US, most were based on skills not available in country. There is never a legitimate argument that there are no people capable of retail supervisor in Canada. The game is obviously there are no people in Canada willing to work for the crap wage the owner wanted to pay. Ditch the TFW program entirely for retail and let wages adjust to fill the required roles (and also allow stores that can't function without extorting labour to fold as they don't benefit society).
 
There will always be a need for unskilled TFW but it should not be retail.

While there are problems with this as well, agricultural work is one case I know of. Sure people will complain that "lazy" Canadians should be filling these gaps BUT we are just too soft to do so. I know I would last about 20 mins... and I bet most on here not much longer, it is hard physical work.
 
There will always be a need for unskilled TFW but it should not be retail.

While there are problems with this as well, agricultural work is one case I know of. Sure people will complain that "lazy" Canadians should be filling these gaps BUT we are just too soft to do so. I know I would last about 20 mins... and I bet most on here not much longer, it is hard physical work.
That's why I was slightly careful with my wording. I wouldn't necessarily say farm workers are unskilled though. I have no idea how to plant and harvest crops on a commercial scale. While I helped with hay when I was younger, I wouldn't last long in fruit/vegetable farm service.

Allowing TFW for retail was just a giant turd with no upside for anyone (other than a few store owners that made bank by taking advantage of government programs that were misguided at best).
 
In similar programs in the US, most were based on skills not available in country. There is never a legitimate argument that there are no people capable of retail supervisor in Canada. The game is obviously there are no people in Canada willing to work for the crap wage the owner wanted to pay. Ditch the TFW program entirely for retail and let wages adjust to fill the required roles (and also allow stores that can't function without extorting labour to fold as they don't benefit society).
In the US, employers using H1B visas did so to get access to highly skilled workers -- typically professionals in tech, international business, and health care. You couldn't quickly qualify for unskilled jobs like a retail manager, PSW, or truck driver.
There will always be a need for unskilled TFW but it should not be retail.

While there are problems with this as well, agricultural work is one case I know of. Sure people will complain that "lazy" Canadians should be filling these gaps BUT we are just too soft to do so. I know I would last about 20 mins... and I bet most on here not much longer, it is hard physical work.
I don’t know. BIL has gps driven tractors, he starts a 200 acre field on autopilot then sleeps in the tractor till an alarm wakes him
Up. !
 
There will always be a need for unskilled TFW but it should not be retail.

While there are problems with this as well, agricultural work is one case I know of. Sure people will complain that "lazy" Canadians should be filling these gaps BUT we are just too soft to do so. I know I would last about 20 mins... and I bet most on here not much longer, it is hard physical work.
Also most Canadians need a full time job that'll last for all year. So working only in the warmer months doing manual labour might be fine, but come winter you now have to try and find another job. It's back breaking work but also not sustainable for year long living unless you own the farm.

100% agree that there's no reason to hire TFW for retail. When I worked at a car dealership, most of the people there got their start as teens at the local CT until they moved on. Now teens can't even do that as they're hiring outside the country.
 
There will always be a need for unskilled TFW but it should not be retail.

While there are problems with this as well, agricultural work is one case I know of. Sure people will complain that "lazy" Canadians should be filling these gaps BUT we are just too soft to do so. I know I would last about 20 mins... and I bet most on here not much longer, it is hard physical work.
It's hard to call the bluff of the welfare bums. Aside from the hard work, the accommodations are often trailers, not the standard we expect.

Changing the ingrained attitude of a slacker isn't easy or cheap. Sabotage is an easy out but expensive for the farmer.

I knew a family that got a bad start with mom making a bad father choice (Booze and snooze). When he got kicked out she found a better replacement. The kids, used to the slack attitude got the message from the new dad. Go to school, go to work or go away.
 
Saying something, and doing something about it are two different things...

Does this need parliament or can he pass it as a decree? There is a solid chance he never gets another day in parliament to get anything he wants done.
 

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