₦airaland Forum

jedisco:
Interesting update by Carney... outlines his plans in the midst of a changing world eloquently. Canada is blessed to have him.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk2TZwkhi4E?si=7EhGtEhbN5ApunBT

1) Hehehe...he had to choose Isaac Brock - he was instrumental in thwarting the American invasion of Canada in the early days of the war.
This is symbolic given that Carney has been given the mandate to thwart/stand up to the American president.
Can he do it? He is the best person to attempt it. Cometh the hour, cometh the man.

During an appearance on Joe Rogan, Jordan Peterson made the remark that Trump’s tariffs threats and “51st state” chatter would come back to bite him. He further added that - “He’s (Trump) gonna pay for that because once Carney is elected, if that happens, Trump will not have a more seasoned enemy in the West,” he declared.
“Carney’s very well-connected, very,” Peterson added. “Especially in Europe and the U.K.”

Let's be clear, you will rarely find 2 Conservative/Republican high priest combo in North America that pull more followers than these 2.
So if there is any Conservative voter out there still smarting from their candidate losing the election, well, una oga don say your candidate is not competent and connected enough to stand up to the derogatory 51st state comments.

2) Speaking of 51st state - these are the top 5 countries with proven oil reserves....
1 Venezuela 303,008,000,000 17.17%
2 Saudi Arabia 267,230,000,000 15.14%
3 Iran 208,600,000,000 11.82%
4 Canada 163,108,000,000 9.24%
5 Iraq 145,019,000,000 8.22%
We know what happened to number 1, number 2 is a owes its existence to the western world (treaty of darin) and arguably, remains a western satellite 'town' , we know what is happening with number 3 and your 'native land' is number 4. He is not joking about the 51st state comment, there is a pattern to these things.......control the oil, control all!

2) With real intent behind the '51st state' and 'governor of canada' comments, Carney needed a strong mandate but he did not get it in the last election. There has to be a way to change the minority mandate to a majority.
Immediately after Poilievre lost his riding, I wrote that there is still a back door into the House, albeit a risky one. The back door is going to contest in a safe riding which will give him access to the House of Commons. Now he has access to the seat, but his authority is being tested - forget the malarkey about getting significant increase in popular vote share and the overwhelming vote of confidence during the leadership review.
And right now Poilievre is hemorrhaging authority where it matters most. How many caucus members has he lost to Carney now?
Lastly, Carney resisted the temptation to be partisan by not delaying Poilievre's by-election till as late as December 2025 - this benefits all Canadians in that the best person presented by the opposition ensures the government is held accountable. Carney would have presented as a power grabber if he delayed the by-election and encourage cross carpeting of the opposition to his side - their rank will be depleted due to the absence of Poilievre and he is grabbing the followers one after the other. But now with Poilievre's presence in the House, Carney is grabbing the sheep right in the presence of the shepherd.

In the-same manner, Carney's Advisory Committee on Canada-U.S. Economic Relations include more prominent Conservative voices as the country prepares for critical CUSMA review negotiations - the likes of O'Toole who may have an axe to grind with Poilievre. Omo by the time Carney is done dealing with Poilievre and the Cons...hmmm...
This way of consolidating power reminds me of a quote about Haile Selassie - he creeps like a mouse, but has the jaws of a lion.

3) Enough of the politics. Let's share ideas that will make us better as immigrants. During the Spring update, a $6-billion "Team Canada Strong" program to train upto100,000 new skilled workers by 2031 was announced. It includes a $5,000 bonus for Red Seal certification, increased apprenticeship grants ($400/week), and $10,000 wage subsidies for employers. They want to modernize training, with $331 million over five years to speed up paths to Red Seal. The big projects that will be approved require skilled workers, @leksite120 and others have talked about the advantage of trade school etc. This is an opportunity for both new and landlord immigrants to pivot.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/jordan-peterson-says-trumps-threats-185854454.html
https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy-sources/fossil-fuels/oil-resources
https://www.worldometers.info/oil/oil-reserves-by-country/
https://budget.canada.ca/update-miseajour/2026/report-rapport/intro-en.html

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/huge-budget-deficit-has-danielle-smith-raging-against-the-immigrants-she-recently-asked-for-and/article_d6d0ec0e-7804-4852-943b-5eac5ba76f8a.html

Hehehehe

Ayomikunkco:
Good day everyone. I am a new PR awaiting landing in May 2026. I am an experienced HCA and laboratory assistant/phlebotomist from Nigeria. I have a PSW certificate from Ontario (online study). I have always dreamt of becoming a nurse some day. Now that I have my PR, I think it is best to start the race of achieving my career in nursing. I have an offer of admission into BSc nursing ( pre nursing courses included) But alot sounds as if it isn't achievable or doesn't worth it as a PR.
I am not sure if it is extremely difficult to achieve academically or it just doesn't worth taking 4 years of my life when I can get something good without having a Canadian education.

Narrowing it down to diploma of nursing
Laboratory assistant course(4 months duration
Medical laboratory science (28months
Diploma of social work(24 months
Pharmacy technician.

Also, all I hear is I can't combine study and work together. How true is this statement?
I just want to align myself in a good healthcare course without much stress while making a cool cash.

Healthcare has been my identity all my life so diverting totally away will not make me feel complete. I am open to good suggestions too. Little about me A mother of 3 (12-7- 1 year and 2 months) relocating family of 5.
Thanks.

A little bit about the nursing project - I have focused on that because it's been a dream of yours and that pivoting from it will not make you feel complete.

1) Athabasca University used to have online pre-health science courses. Also check in with your university if it is acceptable or if they have a course equivalency chart for pre nursing courses from online Athabasca University. This way you have time to work + family responsibilities.

2) Congratulations on your PR. This may not be for you but it's good for families with kids transitioning from 'one' environment to the 'other' to try to foster independence. If you happen to have someone who helps around the home, this is the time to thank them and pay them off. Independence in every member of the family from the daddy to the mummy and the young ones, especially with regards to domestic duties, self care and activities of daily living is very important for new immigrants.

3) It is achievable academically and people do it all the time. I know folks who came into this country and started, arguably, more difficult, and expensive professional undergraduate degrees like Dentistry, Medicine, Pharmacy and were able to graduate. Was it tough, oh yes, it probably was for these folks.
Is it worth it? That is subjective.

4) MSL, DSW and Pharm. Tech. are also rewarding and awesome career lines. Go for it!

Goodluck.

In line with @maternal's post about government jobs....

There is the Federal Student Work Experience Program which is basically a recruitment pathway for the federal public service and is exclusively available to students. If you are in school, please feel free to apply.

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/jobs/services/recruitment/students/federal-student-work-program.html

Also, if you are in school and would prefer the non trad route of paying for tuition, the armed forces have a program where they pick up the tabs for your tuition, plus pay you a yearly stipend - you get to work for them after graduation for a specific number of years otherwise the salary+tuition will be clawed back.

Good luck and happy family day.

jedisco:
I think his speech was well calculated. He's responded to Trumps criticisms especially in light of CUSMA negotiations which are due soon. How long would one stoop while Trump grovels?
Russia and China have shown that Trump only respects strength. Europe and the UK have realised that too.

Canada has it's own peculiarities but bending over to Trump at each turn would be disastrous. Now they're gunning for Alberta - pleading and begging only means they'd come for more.

The ideal follow-up to that speech should be answering the press about some of the high points. Not only was Carney not available for that, he ensured that the hatches were battened down when his ministers did not answer any questions about the speech. Not even one aspect of it. That is a fluff speech!

Based on Statistics Canada data, Canada’s merchandise trade surplus with the U.S. last year was on track to reach C$100 billion. That equates to 3.2% of Canadian GDP (A merchandise trade surplus means Canada exported more physical goods to the U.S. than it imported from the U.S. over the year).
On the other hand, looking at the trade situation from the U.S. lens yields smaller figures, partly reflecting different data measurement. Applying Census Bureau figures, the U.S. is on track to record a trade deficit with Canada of roughly US$45 billion in 2024 (or a mere -0.2% of U.S. GDP). In Canadian dollars at the spot rate, this would amount to $65 billion (https://economics.td.com/ca-canada-us-trade-balance).
Canada needs the US more than the US needs Canada when it comes to trades.
In my opinion, it will be better to not ruffle feathers, to continue to manage an already bad situation so it does not become worse. Whilst hustling day and night to ensure this situation never happens again, which is what Carney has been doing.

The job figures were released a few days ago and it does paint a not-so-good picture, and that is an euphemism because if you combine that with inflation, cost of food prices etc, then you have a real situation at hand. This is not the time nor the season to be engaging in fancy talk at all. Just knuckle down and do the job. It is a season and it will pass. The US midterms are coming and the report card will be out soon enough, the pressure Trump is exerting will not be maintained like this for long. He is able to do that because he has both the senate and house. The moment he loses one, then stuffs will get real. He will be busy swatting flies away from his now-exposed necrotic sore that he will not bother riding roughshod on others.

Russia does not come into the conversation at all. Putin is another US democratic president away from serious problem. Remember that this war was supposed to be a police action in which they will over run Kyiv in weeks and it is extending to years! It is estimated that Russia has lost 2% of its males to the war, that is future, never mind present, problem right there (https://www.csis.org/analysis/russias-grinding-war-ukraine).
Senescence is real and as advanced as modern science is, it has not solved the problem of immortality yet. Have you ever wondered what will happen in a post-Putin Russia? If what happened after Stalin was anything to go by then drama go dey for that side oo!

China is not restricted to trading with just a country, they are friends with all continents. In addition, they are not restricted by any green policy that bottlenecks mineral exploration, they have put themselves in a strong position.

leksite120:
If you don't mind getting into trade, go to a trade school and start a trade career as an electrician, pipefitter or others.
You can not go wrong on trade, it is financially rewarding, long-term advantage and easy to be independent in the future.

Not saying white collar isn't okay, but if you don't want to waste and gamble your time,, just go for the one that's sure.

Start as an apprentice, you'll get paid even during your apprenticeship. And after your apprenticeship, sky is the limit.

Under-rated. We don't talk about this as often as we should.

jedisco:
BTW, I wonder what peoples thoughts are about trumps recent shenanigans with Europe.
Should they bend over and let Trump do as he likes as some had advised Carney and Canadians to do?

There is no pleasing a bully

Europe! The 'old world' that subjugated almost every human in the days of yore! Pillaging everything in its path and claiming it in the name of royalty! Enough said.

Never please a bully, bid your time, some will say stoop if you must, then go all in with everything.
I am not sold on Carney's speech because he showed his hand too much. Remember this is not just any bully but the most powerful one. And it seem Carney has realized it, hence, his refusal ( and his ministers) to comment about Trump's recent threat which was as a result of the speech.

Preliminary skirmishes should not be fought with major artillery. Subterfuge with a slice of flattery should have been key at this point while Carney bids his time. But he is the PM, so he knows best. The US midterms are coming, that is when Trump's report card will be out. Politics may seem international but it is almost always local.

Happy new year everyone, may this 2026 be a better year than the last.

Have a great one.

Bibitayo2:
Thank you so much for your reply.

I have a BSc and a PGDE, and I have been doing some research on obtaining a teaching licence in one of the provinces. I really just want to understand the financial situation of teachers compared to other professionals.

It is well known that teachers are low-income earners in Nigeria. Is it the same in Canada?

Would you advise someone to go into teaching in Canada?

Thank you.

I do not think we need to worry about the financial situation of teachers compared to other professionals unless you are thinking about pivoting to those professions. We should be more concerned about if the remuneration is good for your short term, medium term and long term needs. And information about teachers' remuneration can be gleaned on the internet. Each provincial professional teaching body has their collective bargaining agreement and I have attached that of Alberta for you in the previous reply. You can search for that of any province to have the info.

The most important thing here is to continue to engage different provincial licensing bodies (Shop around! My info could be obsolete but most of them will require a credential evaluation like WES/others to Canadian equivalencies to determine if you have the 'B.Ed' that some provinces require to have an unrestricted/professional A license) so you have a clear idea of what you need to do to have a professional license to teach.

Bibitayo2:
Please, is teaching a good profession to go into in Canada?

I currently teach in Nigeria and I plan on getting the teaching license of a province before I move.

I am also taking online courses on KYC/AML.

Hopefully this is not coming late.

Do you have a B.Ed, M.Ed or NCE? I think its never too early to start the ball rolling on getting in touch with the appropriate provincial teacher's regulatory board about what you need to do to obtain a license. They are the ones in charge of licensing. If they tell you to do bridging courses, please go ahead and do it as long as you have set your mind on going the teaching route in Canada.

There are people (Christians especially) who prefer to teach in the catholic school system compared to the public - it's a long story.

There are rewards for Canadian teachers on earth and in heaven, Mum was a public school teacher for 35 years in Osun state and a fully paid monthly pension is cause for thanksgiving! Let's not start what we can't finish if we talk about active service remuneration - military years especially.

Lastly, check out the grid for Alberta here - https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/ecc-alberta-teachers-salary-grid.pdf

Good luck.

eniola1010:
(1) thinking of buying used 2020 rav4 or used 2020 acura mdx. I would have loved the rav4 but its a bit too basic and its horsepower is 203 which may not be powerful to pull through heavy snow, but i know toyotas are very reliable.
And as for the mdx, its a more powerful car and the horsepower is 290 it can pull through snow i guess. It has so many functions like heated seat, heated steering and so much others. But i am skeptical because a car like this having too much funtion and very low price might be prone to eletrical issues.
Although i plan to use winter tires in winter anyways. Which one of the two is a better option?


(2) asides copart, fbmarket place, is there a reliable auction yard one can go to to pick up used, reliable certified cars. I know most places u need a dealer license or some sort of license for this, i will sort that out, but where in ontario can one find such reliable auction yard that categorises cars into good, fair and bad so you know exactly what you are getting into.

Cc jedisco ferfer 73O9

Brother, that is a lot of power, 203 or 290 and more than enough for everyday people. The specialty winter tyres also gives you more capability although I am not sure that will be necessary since both are available in AWD, right? A few thoughts...

1) I think the most important thing here is to look at your budget and work with that.

2) The next thing is to do your research well. Brother-in-law just told us they are being billed 5 figures for a '21 highlander transmission/other issues. Now that is a problem! And we are still wondering how we missed something as obvious as that because if you just google the common problem(s) with this car, that's what will come up. Inspect if fb market/get guarantees if from dealer. Look through the carfax report and watch for timely maintenance/oil change etc.

3) Also, its important to consider depreciation too. When you buy a car, you may not use it till the wheels fall off! So when it is time to offload it, we all want it to command the highest amount possible. Use this tool to compare what their value will be in a few years (https://caredge.com/depreciation). What about the cost of ownership/maintenance - (https://www.edmunds.com/tco.html).

3) It is good that it is a 2020 rav4 so it is not Canada's most stolen vehicle (https://www.equiteassociation.com/top-10-most-stolen-vehicles). Personally I am choosing reliability over any other thing, weather is harsh here and in most parts of Canada for months and I need what I drive to be dependable whilst also being relatively pocket friendly to maintain.
Cheers.

jedisco:
True. I'm planning to start looking late winter and buy in spring. So hopefully, it'd be one or two months overlap. Would start looking online soon e.g using realtor

I never got the rave about Rav4. I know it's a reliable car but internals are rather basic and it being the default vehicle for taxis in Canada put me off. One

I see your point- paying interest on a higher principal would add up overtime. I'd be asking my broker to run all the scenarios when the time comes.

Broker comparison is the kinda thing AI tools are good at. Would raise a querry and see.

Please share when you have the AI tool.

@mortgage - Great plan to let the broker run all the different scenarios. I beg you, shop around. If you have been pre approved for a particular amount/rate, you are still allowed to approach another financial institution. I think they only pull (hard) your credit once for the first one and that is it. As a new comer to Canada, some (I know for sure that TD has this because I know someone who got it) financial institutions have newcomer rate/bonus thingy! Shop around - broker, big 6 bank etc.

@Rav4...unless I have the resources to go buy the only Bugatti Ottoman made for Suleiman the Magnificent, I will vote with my feet for a tested and trusted, albeit banal and ubiquitous, RaV4.
The taxi drivers definitely know something we do not and I'd say we follow their lead!

jedisco:
Good stuff

For the rental, I ultimately used rentfaster with aim to get my place when the rental expires

@getting your place on expiration of lease - that is a good plan which requires that a lot of things fall into place. If you have to wait, it is better for the lease to expire and be on a month by month 'contract' (this is more expensive) than to break the lease - in which case the damage deposit is gone. Please watch out.

Facebook market place is popular and with all things being equal, it is a good place to get stuffs.

I know someone who was waitlisted for a rav4 for 8 weeks, it is better now since immediately post covid, it usually takes longer. By the way, this is for the gas only variant and this will be the last gas only rav4 - subsequent ones will be hybrid or plug in EV (which means they are more expensive). At the end of the day, it is a reliable vehicle and being a very popular car attests to the fact that people want the best bang for their buck - reliable, holds its value and a little bit cheaper compared to major competitor like Honda CRV. It may even be that it is an asset at this point especially if you consider the dynamics of a 2023 variant (with up to 80mileage) being more expensive than a new 2025, with the catch that the former is available now whilst the latter require waiting/patience.

I know Olubams has talked about the demerit (higher rate) that comes with having a 20% down payment but I think it is still cheaper compared what you pay apropos the mortgage insurance (immediate penalty) and the rate that is levied against a larger principal loan (medium/longterm penalty) if putting in less than 20%. Our in-house financial experts can come up with a clearer picture.
I think aiming for double digits down payment is more realistic for most people. Single digit down payment just makes me uncomfortable.

You can see a lot of listings using realtor.ca - add your location/city.

Yes, that is a practice account and the money is what you will call - audiomoney. The e-series is majorly for US companies, I do not think it's a global one. I do not know any site that aggregate brokers/funds. Perhaps our bankers can help with that.

See below

jedisco:
Fair enough.. interestingly, the UK and US also posted job losses recently. This is to negate particular challenges Canada faces.
Every country does have challenges and economies do have peaks and troughs, however, conversations should be rounded

As someone who moved recently, I've needed and would need help with certain bits e.g

-Where to find the right rental accommodation, source a vehicle, insurance e.t.c
-Tax efficient savings/investment accounts and how to maximise these annually
-How to go about purchasing my place down the line, mortgages e.t.c
-Investments one can explore
-Pension planning as Canada does have a thinner safety net e.t.c

These obviously would differ from person to person and I still need help with many of these especially from those who've been here long enough. You then see why it becomes tiring when the overwhelming majority of discussions are focused on warning people not to come or driving some far-right narrative.

1) Rental accommodation depends on the city and what one can afford. But it is important to talk to the right people. For instance, I live in a city bisected by a river and the word on the street is the West side is riddled with crime and it is all nice/crimeless on the East side. The official police crime map tells a more complicated story. Accordingly, rent is higher when you cross from the side the sun sets to where it rises for the same configuration and probably less square footage. Do not even get me started on the extra you pay if you are buying. For both renting and buying, there are pockets of deals in safe neighborhoods in the supposedly notorious side.
Always watch out.
It reminds me of Alexander Solzhenitsyn's words - If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.

2) @ sourcing a vehicle. Facebook market place is under estimated in my opinion for sourcing a vehicle. There are good deals every day on there and I have used it a couple of times to buy and sell. Ensure your powder is dry (cash is handy for transfer to the seller), get your mechanic inspector ready at a short notice, check carfax report for service/other histories and you may be good to go. Another way is to go to the dealership for a new vehicle, you get a good deal (MSRP, Warranty) especially for makers that hold value like Toyota. Although the downside is the wait time for such fast movers like rav4 and grand highlander. Right now in this here parts, there are used rav4 that rival/exceed the price of a new one.

3) This may not be for you. Always get a prepaid cell line first, especially when dealing with the big service providers. I can assure you that within 6 months when you keep up they would want to tie you down to a contract, and it is almost always a sweet one. If there is one bill that nauseates me in this country, it is mobile phone network access bill.

4) With my limited experience, the only thing I can say about getting a mortgage is to shop around (from brokers and banks) and try as much as possible to get to the 20% down payment threshold. Usually its better to put more down, as the saving on the interest rate will be less than the insurance premium.
There is the counter argument that you'll be better served putting less down and investing the difference. But one should be aware that the "return" on paying down a mortgage faster is guaranteed and non-taxable, vs paying capital gains taxes even if your investments fail to outpace interest savings.

5) Real estate trends seem to be defined by geography/city size etc - the big markets are experiencing slight depreciation but the mid-sized/small cities are booming. According to the link below - Fredericton and St. John have seen double-digit gains and Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba continue to gain, led by cities like Red Deer, Saskatoon and Brandon, where prices jumped 10 to 30% year over year.
https://www.wealthprofessional.ca/investments/alternative-investments/canadas-residential-real-estate-market-shows-geographical-divergence/389897

6) As per pension, please take advantage of matching contributions and investment by employer group RRSPs. Also, pension planning, in my opinion, includes planning to pay for college education for kids. Some of us started life early and some of us 'hmm' - you know what I mean! Putting in the minimum $2,500 per child per year into a RESP and attaching it to an investment vehicle attracts both provincial (depending on the province) and federal contributions that gives a little bit more freedom when it's time to pay for the kid's college tuition. College education is not getting any cheaper and I think it's about to experience a jump with the continued reduction in the volume of international students. Lots of higher institutions in the country are struggling because of this and the normal thing to do is to increase fees for all - domestic and international.

7) Again, with my limited investment experience, this E-series mutual funds was an opportunity to explore during COVID - around 2020. This is a practice, self-directed account that was set up to test-run some ideas. It is not an investment advice. See attached picture.

orjohn24:
As unemployment is raising and people start losing their homes, your idea of “national pride” will collapse soon. Pride without economic power is fake just like the way some shops are relabeling U.S.-made goods as “Made in Canada” to fool buyers as buy in canada made good. Stop deceiving urself

Straw-manning, as usual.
Your inability to string together a coherent argument without resorting to name calling and strong words reeks to high heavens. You should do better.

You are the one deceiving yourself by wishing for unemployment to keep rising + people losing their homes. Better be careful what you wish for.....

You are also being untruthful to yourself by pitching your tent in a country you believe lacks economic power.

jedisco:
Fair enough. Canada needs to build its economic base. Part of that may be by getting the right talent in and reducing intra-provincial trade barriers among others.

In relation to the U.S, Canada and to a large extent Mexico are quite different from most other nations.
Trump etal have not been flaunting to take over sovereignty of the UK. How many sister nations did Trump and his wingers go around calling the leader of 'a boy' as they did with Trudeau?

That's why I find the idea expoused here that Carney should do anything Trump wants as quite naive. Trump isn't easy to deal with and any move has to be weighed-up. Not being too brisk as Doug Ford and not being a stepover as many may want. Though time is of the essesnce, trade deals manytimes take years of negotiations to craft out if both parties are to benefit.

My little bit -

1) For sure, Canada needs to build it's economic base and this involves increasing both the population and economic activities including resource extraction. Perhaps, the latter before the former at this point if we are reading the room right. We can also talk about how to leverage on the Northwest passage but that is another matter entirely. There are other reasons apart from the abundance of critical minerals that Trump had eyes on both Greenland and Canada.

2) Carney can not afford to do whatever Trump wants. Those who advocate for doing whatever Trump wants are engaging in peak detraction. Carney's mandate was based on national pride, his experience managing an economy in 'lean' times, difference in political belief from Cons/Republicans etc. History has shown that bending to the will/pacifying someone who seeks to intimidate is not the way to go - see Neville Chamberlain in Munich as an example. One can stoop to conquer initially, but the long term play should be something other than laying down for one's belly to be tickled.

3) History has also shown that populist regimes always self destruct. Just wait....

4) Speaking of patience, Carney may be waiting for the CUSMA review, by that time the after-effects of all these tariff brouhaha would have made landfall and reached the pocket of 'Joe Sixpack' and with the looming midterms next year - the stakes will be very high. At this point, it won't matter if the DNC gets their act right or not, if folks are paying more for everyday stuffs, people would want to hold someone responsible.
If Trump continues to take a similar hard stance with CUSMA, then immediately post CUSMA and pre midterm will be the time to borrow Douglas Ford's big stick. Go toe-to-toe and dollar-for-dollar.

eniola1010:
I wanna ask some questions

1) are winter tyres a necessity, i mean are they worth it, would they pass thru 80% of snowy conditions?
Also, is it wise to put it on all seasons or you have to change it to normal tyres when its summer. Interchanging as the season comes and go seems stressful too me, i’d rather just leave it on irrespective of the season. But i wanna hear you guys opinion.


2) also, whats the best place to get a used reliable car, i checked autotrader and fb market and their prices are so so high. Is copart a good alternative?


3) trying to buy a 2015 suv and most of the mileage i am seeing is mindblowing. Why are most cars in canada having so much mileage? Is it because the country is big or what. I am mostly seeing = or > 150k km.

Hello, hope this is not too late.

1) I drive a sedan, I realize that winter tires are really helpful, I have never been stuck in snow. If I am grounded, that means the whole city is shut down because of significant amount of snow. Some people say if you have an AWD, winter tires may not be necessary - I have no experience with AWDs.
It is annoying to switch tires every Oct/Nov and May (May long weekend is usually when I switch out the winter tires). Costco offers one of the best price around especially if you bought both sets of tire from them.
There are adverts for this service on Facebook marketplace, caveat emptor.

2) Speaking of fb market place, you can set a reminder for the type(s) of car you want - immediately it is posted, you are alerted to go check it out. It is a competitive market for good deals. I have good experience buying a vehicle there - private seller, wanted their cash and it was a Sunday. Ensure your car inspector is ready at short notice. Also, ensure your account is well funded. You may have to make transfer via your online banking (especially on a weekend when bank branches are not open). Private sellers may need the money immediately and not want to wait.
Some one mentioned sourcing your carfax report yourself - this is very good quality advice. Look through the report and ensure that it is well serviced, high or low mileage is neither here nor there, it is the every 5k miles/6- months servicing that matters especially for makers like Toyota.

3) Please refer to the last line above.

Goodluck out there.

GraciousWords:
Fraser Institute only rank schools in the top 4 provinces (na play o!)

Seriously though, looks like you may just have to search for rankings per province or even city to see if anyone covers them.

For interested "high-schooler's" parents here is a list of IB schools across Canada
https://www.ibo.org/programmes/find-an-ib-school/?SearchFields.Country=CA

IB is a fantastic program (superior in my opinion to the Canadian Diploma and even A levels) and can be used to get into Uni across North America and Western Europe.

Happy Parenting!

Thank you.

jedisco:
Interesting and close.

Trumps administration has really 'benefited' the CPC

Haha, benefit, eh!...sarcastic Wednesday.

The election has come and gone. A few personal takeaways -

1) The hyperboles, the catch phrases like 'Axe the tax', 'bring it home', 'build the homes' did not work. I'd say it is more of 'pee the bed' with Pierre's performance. The obstreperous personality of Smith and Moe – the premiers of hydrocarbon-rich prairie provinces, with their threats of secession from the union has also come to nothing.

2) The 'leader of the opposition' lost his riding to a political debutant who was doing the grunt work (the basic, often physical or repetitive, and sometimes boring work that is necessary for a project to succeed but is not considered glamorous or prestigious) of knocking on doors and being visible in the community. Whilst the 'leader of the opposition' transverse the whole country, boasting about sold-out crowds and basking in the adulation of strangers and partners-in-rebellion, he forgot the small rule of not 'eating where you defecate’ - he seasoned the pit-fire roasted pigs (Literarily, the Truckers cooked whole pigs over an open fire on the street of Ottawa) and helped procure coffee to wash down the bovine grub of the Truckers who spent up-to 20 days on the streets of Ottawa making the life of his constituents miserable (The reason for their protest? Covid-19 social distancing protocols, mask and vaccine mandates). Actions have consequences.

3) The infatuation with reducing complex issues to simple terms is a dangerous habit. It was too easy to point at Trudeau as the reason for the increase in cost of living and inflation. Hatred of Trudeau and the carbon tax became an article of faith and with it the inability to pivot which resulted in political seppuku for Pierre. Some people even jubilated the day Trudeau's divorce became public. Of-course Trudeau left ignominiously, there is no single picture of him with Carney even on the day he handed over to ensure that he does not besmirch the latter with his political persona. Within hours of becoming Prime Minister, Carney knocked off the consumer carbon tax, now the 2 main point of support for the opposition no longer exist. Yet, they continue to foam at the mouth at both.

4) Politicians are like medications. Regulators/voters have to be sure that their benefit far outweigh the side effects/mistakes. If you do not have a need for that medication, do not take it because you are taking poison if there is no indication. The present situation needs someone like Carney, he will make blunders, but his economic knowledge, demeanor, ability to read a situation and act/pivot accordingly (see 3 above) means he should be more beneficial overall. A minority government will serve as a control mechanism to check his excesses.
Although, I am not a fan of his because of the capitalist affiliations but his firm stance against bully by the southern neighbor deserve applause. Again, the ability to pivot was key.

5) All in all, the transient nature of life is always good for a man to ponder in addition to an awareness of his other limitations. Like the bard of Stratford-upon-Avon wrote -

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances....

The main political players of the past 3-4 years have been 'retired' or sent off - Trudeau, Singh and Pierre. One can say Pierre can remain the leader of the Cons, after all a big picture analysis of their performance show that they got a better share of the vote than when Harper (the last Con PM) had a majority and their catch phrases resonate with the youths, but the baggage of losing your own riding will dog him for a long time to come.
N.B - There is still another backdoor way for him to be an MP, but that is risky.

6) The major source of disagreement between the Liberal-led Ottawa and Conservative-leaning resource-rich provinces like Alberta, Saskatchewan has been the lack of 'empowerment' of the energy sector in these provinces. When two behemoths tussle, the minions around will be strafed.
An ideal situation for us immigrants is to get to a point where these political swings/strife does not lead to major turnarounds in our ‘economy’. If that means we need to explore ways of having viable, long-term careers that confer immunity to the boom-bust cycle of the energy sector so as to preserve and improve the strength of our communities, then so be it.

maternal:
Please post this poll, or where you got the info, that the majority of Albertans want to leave Canada. Do people even know the logistics of what's involved to accomplish that ? Then the US needs to vote them in. The Republicans consider Albertans Liberals. It won't happen.

If Albertan somehow becomes a nation, what makes you think Trump won't slap Tarrifs on the nation ? It looks like the Liberals will win. An unreal 180. PP inability to pivot, and Danielle inability to keep quiet and not rock the boat caused this. Canada is a diverse nation, and not everything is about oil. Nobody outside of Alberta is buying the separation threat. Its better each province and territory works together. Energy projects will be more favored now. Canada's economy independence and prosperity depends on it.

These are calm and wise words.

On the assumption that majority of Albertans will vote Wexit ( but this is not the case, at-least according to this poll - https://angusreid.org/smith-shapiro-sovereignty/), the constitutional battle alone will torpedo any progress. It is the-same reason Canada will remain a constitutional monarchy and the crown will never be expunged as the head.

Canada is a beneficiary of treaties between First nations and the crown. The Natural Resources Transfer Acts allow treaty lands to be transferred from Ottawa to the provinces. Secession breaches this Act and that means the treaties come into focus again. Good luck with 'seceding' that! What about the reserve lands that are strictly under federal jurisdiction?

Reality will set in after the election.

[quote author=jedisco post=134698962]They are the kings of double-speak aka British diplomacy.


Hehehehe...2025 is the new 1984 and Orwellian doublespeak is here to stay.


https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en/votes/44/1/205 and https://globalnews.ca/news/11097024/poilievre-promises-to-keep-dental-care-pharmacare-if-elected/

lanresz:
Absolutely, official opposition is a target to aim for especially for NDP. If NDP achieves this target, it puts Conservatives in power. By NDP standard it is a problem to be rich. Everything much be controlled. Everyone should end up with the same after tax income.

One of the legacy that Trudeau will be known for is the child care policy. No one no matter their political leaning can't take that from him. As for the dental care program and pharma care will see how that will work out.

The reality is that they won't get the status of official opposition and it is not looking good for the Cons. You know this already.

It is a problem to be rich with NDP? Nope. That is wrong. They have always advocated for everyone to pay a fair share of taxes! The rich always have the wherewithal to exploit the tax system such that the lower/middle income are left to hold the bag. It is disingenuous to call that 'controlling everything' or having a problem with the rich!

There is no need to see how the dental program will work out. It is always cheaper and effective to prevent people from jumping into the river than to pull them out of the river. The dental program is a health promotion campaign and since Canada has a universal / publicly funded health care system, it is simplistic at best to claim that the middle class have not benefited from this program.

It will be the-same tax paying middle class and others that will fund the more expensive downstream issues that would have been cheaper to prevent if done earlier.

lanresz:
There is a reason where the possible best the so called people oriented party will get in Canada is an official opposition. A lot of their socialist policies are not popular for a reason. In my circle of friends full of middle class no one has benefited from the pharma-care and the dental program.

Official opposition is still a target to aim for and it does not take away their antecedent that they are the only party that does not sell the people out to the rich.

Oh and by the way, Canada's health care is publicly funded so as long as the dental program and proposed pharma-care prevents spending more money (which it does) down the line as a result of poorer health outcomes, then all taxpayers have benefited.

[quote author=Kenn55 post=134581255]There is a reason why NDP can't win an election in this country cos people are not stupid. It sounds good to parade those bogus programs but who is going to pay for it? NDP never thinks about how to grow the economy, this time around they will be wiped out. They had the chance to force an election that would have favored them but was aligning with JT, now they are not part of the equation again.

The do not have to win an election to play a role. I would assume that there are some functionally thinking Canadians who are aware that the effect of these programs are being tracked and there are policy documents outlining their economic benefits - from the dental program to $10 a day child care.

lanresz:
U-turn? Not yet. He has not repealed it. He can't repeal it until the parliament is called back. He only reduce the rate to zero, which is allowed by the legislation. However, the industrial carbon tax is still in place and he promised to keep it for the large emitters. When they questioned him more on what that means for Canadian industry competitiveness, he said he will apply a carbon adjustment price to imports from countries with no carbon tax. I don't see him letting go of carbon tax.

That was a wrong statement for me to use. He has removed consumer carbon tax.

I see him letting go of the consumer part permanently as he has done already. Also, I think he will look for a way to pacify resource dependent provinces like AB, SK etc by not hampering their moves for extraction/prospection etc. Dude is a billionaire with a lot of influence...these kind of folks know how to compromise and horse trade.

ednut1:
someone who wrote a book that talked about climate change change/sustainability , someone whose wife is an expert in sustainability and also said Canada carbon taxes is a model for the rest of the world to follow suddenly removes carbon taxes and you think it real. He simply will introduce and shadow carbon tax 😂

Yea, right! As long as you have written an encyclopedia about climate change and lay in bed with Greta, we can conclude that you will continue with that idea against the will of the people, even if your predecessor 'died' on that hill and a majority government is unlikely with other parties not on board with said idea.

The reality is that if some section of the Canadian (middle class mostly) is not sold down the river by climate change policy of the liberals, another section (lower + middle class) will be betrayed by the Cons through another unpopular policy. Choose your poison or should I say choose your reward?

There is only one people oriented party in this country that will not sell out to the rich/powerful and it is neither the Liberals nor Cons. And it is the only party that has consistently canvassed for people policies like National food program, pharma-care, dental program and even challenged grocery chains like Loblaws about price gouging etc.....

lol @ shadow carbon tax! Perhaps we can add Sellout Singh, Carbon Tax Carney, Justinflation, Axe the tax, Canada is broken now Canada first e.t.c. Too much exposure to Pierre's soundbites and trite slogans...

ednut1:
Trudeau a drama teacher won elections 3 times. All of a sudden liberals now care about qualifications and pedigree that Carney has lol. He obviously is a good candidate but he is the poster child of those net zero/ sustainability bullshit policies.

I am taking a drama/math/humanities teacher over a career politician anytime, any day. A teacher is a respectable member of any community compared to a politician, any politician.

JT has his foibles but I do not for a minute doubt that his mistakes would not be an exact replica of PP raised to a power of 7 if he were the Prime Minister. He would also let in record number of immigrants simply because it will ameliorate the shockwaves created by COVID and more importantly because of the private sector. PP voted against establishing a National School Food program and it is a fact that his top advisor lobbies for, yes, Loblaws.

We can't take it from MC that he has the pedigree to lead the country in this time of economic uncertainty with his experience. He may be one of the backers of the Carbon tax but he is wise enough to know it is unpopular and he has taken a u-turn on the carbon tax by repealing it.
I do not think that those policies are nonsensical, they just went too fast with them in a short period of time without doing due diligence in many areas including the area of public enlightenment.

jedisco:
Lol... after siding with the Republicans before the election, chap is now torn between. After years of hardwork, he is now left praying that Trump et.al reduces the volume

Mark on the other hand is a good and likeable candidate with a brilliant economic pedigree- one the public could trust in this period of Trump-induced economic uncertainty. I wouldn't blame any Canadian who doesn't trust PP to take on Trump.

Hehehe...
I believe politicians of any shade or hue are not to be trusted. Their benefit must outweigh the harm they cause.

But I have a personal distrust for the ones who have never worked any other job - the career politicians. This guy (P) was born in '79 and apart from a brief stint in corporate collection for Telus, has already spent more than 20 years on government payroll as a politician!

jedisco:
The Trump effect...

Someone whose first name starts with P (Pierre) has not been sleeping very well.

lol

Kaycee20878:
Hi guys.. I hope you’re all doing well.

Please I’m considering moving from Quebec to New Brunswick. I don’t know much about NB. Sounds crazy but I also don’t know anyone there😂, not a soul. I need any type of help I can get. Not financial help nor someone to accommodate me. I mean tips, advice, more information about the job market, cost of living, the environment. Anything anyone is willing to share. Please if staying in NB or have lived there before any information or knowledge you share will be helpful. Thanks in advance 🫂

I think you should consider other cities/provinces too since there is nothing pulling you towards NB.

Do a SWOT analysis.
Look at economics, weather etc
Consider what is best for the kids/spouse.
Always pray, if you are the spiritual type.

jedisco:
True- fact is he who has is more likely to have more. Daddy and mummy made their wealth from property/stocks/business decades back. They have 2 kids who are well educated. They'd gift them thousands to get on the housing ladder in the 20's. Pikin wey get sense would build from there. Ultimately, parents would pass on and leave another chunk.

Many migrants on the other hand, come in and start paying rent. Hehe. We can only work hard+smart and push for the society to remain meritorious (and affirm certain adversities) while at it plus effective taxation to help redistribute wealth. Also, not to shy away from wealth generating opportunities which manytimes could be in business, property or both.

Incontrovertible fact that - when you have, there is more likelihood of having more. And no one can begrudge these hardworking parents the fruit of their labor and for sure, they reserve the prerogative to bequeath their wealth to the next generation. It gives them and their kin a head start compared to people who are just coming into the system.

The reality of some immigrants leaving their home country and coming to a new environment may be akin to taking a step back, with the addition of factors like an unfavorable job market, expensive accommodation (rent or acquisition) etc, it becomes really challenging.

Working hard+smart can get one close to an even footing compared to those who have lived here for generations and it starts from before setting foot in a foreign land like Canada. How do we set our expectations? Do we bother to even questions the things that we have heard before coming in or even when we hit the ground?

For instance, with a freshly minted PR, I am hearing that Canada has free health care. Is that a license to indulge my excesses? Yes it is free, but is it readily accessible? Have I any inkling about the wait times for surgeries? What about Pharma-care, is that free too?

I am also hearing that schools are free! Wow, free education for my kids...awesome. Will the school system (free or otherwise) alone without my consistent and regular input take my children where I want them to get to (most of us want our children to be doctors, dentists, engineers etc). Is the culture in the school system compatible with the virtues I want in kids?

Oh I don land now, snagged a good job and started working like Simone Pepe - piling up the OTs, not missing even a day of work. They have started calling me champion and the boss kept asking for more overtime. Will it be at the expense of devoting 30minutes per day to do a memory verse or go through your kid’s arithmetic with them? Is it worth it to deprive the kid of that? What about my relationship with the Missus?

Gbemu! The government of Canada will pay child care benefit for my pikin every 20th of the month? What is this money for? To get a better mortgage pre-approval or chop am joor after-all groceries are expensive? Can I put it into an RESP which will pay for the kid's college!

End of spiel.

I am not sure how we can push for this society to be meritorious. I look forward to reading what you mean.
I am careful about merit especially in a multicultural environment like Canada. The concept of merit assumes that success is based on ability and effort whilst ignoring the human proclivity for bias which perpetuates inequality and other factors. Sorry, I am not a fan of Ayn Rand and her dog whistles for something more sinister.
I do not believe that any human society can truly be merit based, we can try but it is an utopia - personal opinion this. With that said, some societies do try to ensure merit plays a role whilst others are just getting high on cronyism and mutual back-rubbing.