Where we live it will help a lot. It’s an economically depressed area and has some of the highest poverty rates in the country. Yet the local university has brought so many international students that housing supply dried up prior to COVID. Housing prices have skyrocketed. Food banks are stretched beyond their capabilities. Employment opportunities are at an all time low with a minimum of quadruple the volume of applicants for the few mostly part time positions there are. The local cinema is being used as a classroom there are so many students and no place to instruct them at the university because it is well over capacity on teaching spaces as well as housing. Yet the university keeps increasing the volume of students every single year by the thousands.

This means the local population which already has difficulty for many reasons is seeing homelessness rise dramatically along with food insecurity, housing prices rising at extreme rates, joblessness at extreme levels even for a historically depressed area. Not to mention a huge increase in crime.

For smaller population centers and those with schools acting as diploma mills, which is happening in many areas here, it will slow down the decline somewhat. It’s not an end all situation. Much more still has to be done to even try right the ship.

Absolutely. For many reasons. Quality, price, delivery options, selection. All beaten by the original market for such items.

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We had loads of Americans move to our part of Canada from Trumpistan. They even stayed after he was voted out. Some good people.

History is destined to repeat itself…

As someone permanently disabled and on CPP this scares the shit out of me. I can not physically work due to a debilitating injury but I am still quite young and have a young family. We barely get by with my spouse working and my CPP payments. I went from making over $100k/year to $14/k a year disability just for being injured. I am not poor enough to qualify for any other assistance and I am also not sick enough to qualify for any other assistance. If my income drops again we are fucked. Seriously fucked and we are fortunate because we own our own home and our own 15 year old vehicle outright. I can’t imagine what will happen if this occurs.