One American says moving to Canada from the US not only meant enjoying the great outdoors and natural beauty but also leaving an exhausting political climate.
After calling Los Angeles his home for 20 years, Lucas Wilson told Daily Hive he moved to BC with his family in 2020 because they “got tired of the chaos.”
“We wanted to be in what we considered a better place,” he said about the decision. He, his wife, and his daughter said goodbye to California and moved to Saanich on Vancouver Island. Since then, he’s become a permanent resident of Canada, purchased a home, enjoyed the beauty of the island and the hikes, and come to really like his neighbours.
“Vancouver Island –as I think most Canadians know– is gorgeous. It’s a wonderful place to live,” he said.
He further explained to Daily Hive that there was a combination of factors, but the political environment in the US became tiresome to his family, especially considering they were so politically involved.
“We wanted our taxes to go to a culture and a society that more accurately reflected our views and how we felt,” Wilson said.
In a now-viral post, Wilson explained his reasons behind his move and opened himself to discussions about Americans moving to Canada.
“I file taxes in both countries, I’ve dealt with the medical system in both countries, and although I wouldn’t call myself Canadian, I own property and live here, and have at least a sense of some major cultural differences,” he wrote. “If you’re an American and have thought about moving… AMA [ask me anything].”
Post by @lukigw
View on Threads
Since then, his post has been liked more than 1,000 times and received more than 100 comments. Many welcomed him into Canada and asked for advice, but some people responded, “Please… don’t move here.”
Some Canadians say Americans are unwelcome
While many welcomed him into Canada and others sought his opinions on the move, some expressed concern. There were comments written from people who said they believed folks moving to Canada was driving up the cost of housing, adding to the challenges of finding full-time work, and further straining the already-strained healthcare system.
“Please don’t encourage more Americans to come to Canada,” another person said.
In response to the comments, Wilson said he hears people’s fears but finds some criticisms misleading.
“There’s a horrible housing shortage,” he admitted. “But at least from what I’ve read and what I’ve learned, most of that is due to very, very permissive laws.”
Dave Navarro Jr/Shutterstock
He said he has not heard a “compelling reason” to understand why he and his wife, who now own a house as their primary residence, are an issue contributing to Canadians’ inability to access the housing market.
“We’re not real estate speculators,” he said. “If there is a reason, I’m open to the conversation and would love to learn. I just haven’t heard it yet,” he added.
“But I mean, I have yet to know of a country that doesn’t have a certain amount of people … that are anti-immigration to one degree or another. Canada is no different.”
According to an online survey published this summer, Research Co. found that 44% of Canadians think immigration mostly negatively affects the country. Additionally, 46% of the survey’s participants expressed that the number of legal immigrants allowed to relocate in Canada should decrease.
Most participants, however, said they believe “the hard work and talent of immigrants makes Canada better,” a statement from Research Co. reads.
Government changes to immigration policies have caused some folks to aim to secure their permanent residence in Canada. While Wilson said he was able to be granted his PR, others have expressed challenges in doing the same.
“Prevailing myths”
Folks who responded to Wilson’s Threads post also suggested Canada may be more expensive for an American who moved over. However, Wilson said this was one of the “prevailing myths.”
He said he found the US press suggests taxes are much higher in Canada. “You end up paying much more, and you’re much poorer,” is the idea he said was echoed in US media, but added, in his experience, after he files his taxes in the US, “we owe less money in Canada than we do in the United States.”
“People talk about double taxation, you can be double taxed if you set up your life wrong, if you set up your status incorrectly,” he said. “The only pain in the ass is that I have to file in both countries, and that’s for US citizens.”
Chay_Tee/Shutterstock | Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock
Wilson emphasizes that people’s experiences with the cost of living likely vary depending on their incomes and circumstances, but in his particular situation, he has found housing is cheaper near Victoria, BC.
“I know Victoria is an expensive housing market in Canada, but compared to Los Angeles, my, the housing is much cheaper,” he said. “You can get a lot more house for a lot less money, and the property taxes are much lower in our riding and our property taxes are much lower.”
Apart from housing, Wilson said healthcare had been significantly different compared to the US.
Wilson said he’s found that in the US, Americans have less freedom to switch jobs because of the fear of losing health insurance, which he’s observed Canadians don’t often feel.
Night and day healthcare systems
About a year ago, Wilson’s wife broke her arm, and it was the first time they’d gone to a hospital outside of the United States. After taking down his wife’s care card, Wilson said they had a “slightly humorous exchange” when they were caught off guard at the lack of paperwork and processing.
“That doesn’t happen in the US,” he said. “In the US, unless you come in on an ambulance and you’re in a dire condition… the first conversation you have when you walk into any medical offices is, ‘how are you going to pay for it?’”
Political differences
The US has been his home since he was four years old; Wilson admits it’s given him a “wonderful” life.
“But people and places evolve,” he said. “The way that the US is evolving right now in terms of… rights for women’s reproductive freedom, rights for the underprivileged, disability rights, social justice, and social equality in general, it is not moving in a positive direction in the US,” he said.
According to Wilson, he and his wife felt Canada was “different.” While he admits the country “is certainly not perfect” and has its “issues,” he said he felt strongly that Canadian politics stems from a “more human stance.”
While politics contributed to their decision, Wilson said the idea of the move was also prompted by his children’s aging.
“It was sort of one of those life-changing things, that it was time to do something else,” he said.
A real stereotype
Lastly, Wilson said that one of the conceptions he had of Canadians was the stereotype that people are super, which he was happy to say rang true.
But, he said he found the idea more than just a stereotype. “Looking at it deeper… being polite is… about maintaining the fact that we’re all sort of doing our part.”