Why Canadians are Moving?

Seeing that red and white maple leaf flag always made me feel proud as a child. I used to mock Americans for their lack of geography knowledge, for not knowing who our Prime Minister is, and for assuming that we all live in igloos and have pet penguins in our bathtubs. The truth is, most people who don’t ski don’t enjoy winter. The rest of us simply wait for summer to arrive so we can break out the kayak and go fishing. I never liked winter because I didn’t enjoy the winter activities. I hated cross-country skiing, and I can’t skate on ice because I’m afraid of falling and not being able to breathe. Yet, here I am, living where the air literally hurts my face. I scrape the frost off my car every morning while repeating to myself, "We don’t have hurricanes, we don’t have alligators, and we don’t have earthquakes," over and over until the window is clear.

My daily routine became monotonous, even with a puppy who can’t hold his pee. I wake up, walk the dog (if it’s warm enough), pack my lunch, go to work, come home, walk the dog again, cook dinner, watch a TV show or a game, do a puzzle, prepare lunch for the next day, and go to bed, only to repeat it the next day, knowing we can't afford a nice home. In fact, we can barely afford a one-bedroom apartment, so we rent a two-bedroom basement suite that's cheaper than the market rate. We can’t afford anything more as we try to save for a house we can barely afford. Our housing costs are about $2,000 a month. I know this is a good deal in some states, but not when your salary has stayed the same for the last three years, and the housing market has inflated by 13% or more.

I used to be so proud to tell people I was Canadian, but now, with the dream feeling like it’s come to a halt, it's hard to feel that way. An average family home here costs around $700,000 CAD for a three-bedroom house with a garage. In Dallas, for example, a similar home costs $300,000 USD, which is roughly $420,000 CAD. And yet, we’re expected to accept this massive difference. This is why more and more Canadians are moving to the U.S. – we've reached a 10-year high in Canadian migration to the States.

In 2020, an average of 77,591 Canadians moved to the U.S., and by 2023, that number had jumped to 94,576. I think this is because jobs tend to pay better, and housing costs are lower. Plus, for someone like me, who can’t wait for summer after enduring only three weeks of winter, the weather is a huge advantage. Yes, I know it’s hot and humid there, and some of you might not want to move because of that. But do you know why I go to Mexico every winter? It’s not for the cold—it’s to experience summer. I was meant to sunbathe by a pool, not bundle up in multiple layers and a winter jacket.

The main reason for wanting to move is to have a more affordable life. My husband dreamed of being the sole breadwinner, so I could stay home and take care of our house and children. Some of you might think this is a bit old-fashioned. But I chose to have a job, not a career, because I want the same things: to raise my children, not send them to daycare. I picked a job that offers flexibility and great maternity leave benefits, but those benefits mean nothing if I have to work full-time just to survive. If we move to the U.S., I’ll likely need some time off from work, but that's part of the reason I got a dog.

Wouldn’t it be nice to afford a house with a yard, raise children without living paycheck to paycheck, and still be able to go on vacation? Even if I can't have children, I want to be at home, working on home projects, volunteering for fundraisers, and getting involved in the community. I would have a different life, far from my family—but that's the only thing keeping me here. The only way I can see to achieve these goals and dreams is by moving to the United States.

So it might be time to pack up bags and get out of here