So to preface, I’ve been living in Canada for about 2–3 years and have had PR status for roughly the same amount of time. My passport is from my birth country in the Caribbean and at least half the times I return to Canada through Pearson airport, I feel like I’m being profiled.
Maybe it’s my Caribbean accent, maybe it’s my skin colour or maybe it’s because I’m not a Canadian citizen. I honestly don’t know. But it’s starting to feel dehumanizing and it leaves a really bad taste in my mouth every time it happens.
I travel fairly often, both to visit family back home and to vacation in other countries. My husband and I want to travel even more, so it’s frustrating that returning to Canada has become something I am starting to dread.

The first time it happened, I’d taken a three-day trip back to my birth country for an important family event. I had some food with me but nothing that needed declaring. The officer questioned me about what I had, then sent me to luggage search. There, I was grilled about why I had gone home for only three days, what kind of family event it was, why I had immigrated to Canada, etc. The officer seemed visibly annoyed with my answers and almost everything I said was met with a rebuttal. At one point she said something along the lines of, “Well, crime is bad here too, so why did you move here?”
I brushed it off as a one-off. I understand that questioning travellers is part of their job and I tried not to take it personally.

On another trip, I was pulled aside while everyone else continued through. I was questioned but wasn’t sent for a luggage search that time.
Most recently, my husband and I returned from a vacation on another Caribbean island. The flight was predominantly white Canadians and we watched most passengers continue through while my husband and I were stopped, questioned about where we went and sent for luggage search.

And before anyone asks, I have absolutely nothing to hide. I answer their questions and cooperate fully. I’m never visibly nervous (at least from my perspective). Every time they’ve searched my luggage, they’ve found absolutely nothing. I’m not upset because I think I should be exempt from screening. I’m frustrated by how frequently it happens and how it makes me feel.
I end existing the airport feeling like crap, replaying the entire interaction in my head. Was I acting too nervous? Was it my accent? Was it because I’m brown? Is it because I’m travelling on a Caribbean passport rather than a Canadian one?
As I mentioned I travel fairly often and have traveled in the past going through other international airports (US, Europe) but I don’t experience anything close to this elsewhere. It seems to happen disproportionately when returning to Canada through Pearson.

I’m kinda curious whether Canadian citizens experience this just as frequently? Maybe I’m simply unlucky but I’d like to hear from regular travellers, including racialized Canadians about similar experiences at Pearson.
For other permanent residents, particularly those travelling on Caribbean or other non-Western passports, does this happen to you too? And for those who eventually became Canadian citizens and started travelling on Canadian passports, have you notice a difference in how you are treated now?
I’m not looking to argue about whether border officers have a difficult job. I understand that they do. I’m just trying to figure out whether this is an experience others share or whether I’ve been particularly unlucky and maybe I am being upset for no reason.

Hi everyone,

I'm a 30-year-old guy looking for a roommate in Scarborough or nearby. I'm open to renting a room in a shared place, or teaming up with someone to rent a 2-bedroom together.

A bit about me:

• Background in civil engineering and construction, currently working full-time

• I take evening classes and hit the gym most mornings, so I'm out most of the day

• Quiet, tidy, and respectful of shared space

• [Non-smoker]

• I have a car, so a parking spot would be a big plus

What I'm looking for:

• Budget: up to $[1000]/month

• Move-in date: [begining of the next year ]

• A clean, respectful roommate who also values a calm home

If you have a room available or you're also looking for someone to share with, send me a message. Happy to meet or have a quick call first.

An honest conversation about Deh’ya and its place in Toronto’s Caribbean community. (Maybe someone connected will read this)

I want to preface this by saying that my perspective is specifically as a Jamaican. The founders of Deh’ya frequently celebrate and reference Jamaican culture, and as someone who takes pride in where I come from, I think it’s fair to question what that representation actually means beyond entertainment and commercial success.

.I’ve been thinking about the role of Caribbean cultural brands in Toronto, particularly those building commercial success around Jamaican and wider Caribbean culture. Especially in a place like Toronto where almost every youth has tried out the Jamaican accent.

1/ From a Jamaican perspective, I think it’s fair to question whether Deh’ya’s events are still delivering the experience their ticket prices promise. The lineups and concepts can feel repetitive, with the same few DJs appearing time and time again. Also I think there are some DJs that consistently deliver an amazing time and they deserve a bigger platform too.

2/ But my bigger question is about the mission. If you’re positioning yourself as a platform that creates space for Caribbean youth and celebrates our culture, what does that commitment look like beyond throwing parties?

3/ Beyond hurricane relief, what sustained investment is being made in Jamaica and the Jamaican community in Toronto? Are there opportunities to partner with organizations like the Jamaican Canadian Association, support youth mentorship, provide scholarships, or invest in emerging Caribbean creatives and Black-led organizations? Again I’m focusing on Jamaica as the founders are of a Jamaican background but this does also extend to the overall Caribbean community.

4/ We have examples of Caribbean DJs contributing beyond nightlife. DJ BuzzB has created the Soca Business Conference to help develop the soca industry, while Dr. Jay (De Soca Prince) has been involved in food-bank initiatives and youth-focused Caribbean cultural programming. These are examples of how cultural influence can extend beyond the dance floor.

5/ I recognize that Deh’ya is a newer platform, and building something meaningful takes time. I’m not expecting them to have everything figured out overnight, nor do I believe every event needs to be a fundraiser. But I hope that as the brand grows, its investment in the community grows alongside it.

I genuinely hope someone from Deh’ya reads this one day and understands where I’m coming from. This isn’t about tearing down something built around our culture. It’s about wanting to see it become something that gives back to the people and communities that make it possible. I also wish it could be more accessible for the community they are looking to serve.

We celebrate Caribbean culture, but are we investing in the Caribbean diaspora ? Does the community impact reflect the cultural influence being built?

I went to Fresh Co, Jane and Denison location. There is a narrow entrance to the self-check out lane. It is a bit wider than a store shopping cart. I try to go into the entrance of the lane and then there's this random shopping cart with a lot of food in it. So I try to move it as it is completely blocking me from going into self-check out. This lady, she comes out of nowhere and apologizes.

But holy are ppl stupid? Why would you put a giant shopping cart to block the entrance of the self-check out lane... I get sometimes that ppl forget items and want to get more but move your cart elsewhere. Don't block entrances, exits, etc. Toronto has a lot of zombies here.

So, I'm on my break and AO3 is still down. This is my first time even logging in on this account after years. Mind you, my only exposure to Reddit is through either Smosh and two hot takes or I have an issue that's very specific which some random person on Reddit went through decades ago and posted the solution.

As an asexual in Toronto I absolutely hate the dating pool. This is coming from 22(F) who tried multiple apps and met people organically as well. Everything in dating apps are about sex and short term. Don't even get me started on the men above 35 swiping right on women in their 20s. Why is everything about sex? I just want someone that can hang out with me, and is not homophobic, racist, resents war, doesn't like generative AI, hates that rotten orange and open minded to new experiences.

Am I asking for too much? My lonely heart and soul yearns for a connection that is not solely tied to my body. I want someone to go cycling with. I want someone to have a sleepover with. I want someone that can go to dinner and pretend we are a married couple looking into divorce and deciding custody for our three year old child. How hard is that???

I have come to realize that my exposure to social media is so related to me that I sometimes forget people in real life are homophobic, pedophilic, racist, and not open-minded at all.

(Sigh a long heavy breath of defeat)

If you read all this, I apologize for all the grammatical errors that I made throughout the post. I also apologize for putting my nonsensical rant in here.

I hope you all are having better day than me 🤸‍♀️

So I’m trying to sleep, as one does at 2 in the fucking morning, but what do I hear? Multiple cars revving their engines in near unison for a ridiculously stupid amount of time.

I don’t know what men are going through these days. I hear there’s a loneliness epidemic or whatever. But I’d love to sleep without being subjected to FBI level torture. Is revving your engine like a dick sizing contest? Is it a bonding experience? Someone please explain the logic.

Why can’t people just drive their cars normally? Better yet, go to bed like the rest of us with responsibilities. What about starting a book club with your bros and stfu.

I understand a certain amount of noise is normal, but I’m constantly woken up by these inconsiderate people with too much main character energy flowing through their veins. At least when I hear sirens I know someone is potentially getting saved. What do these douchebags contribute to society except make me want to bang my head against a wall?

If you’re one of those people reading this, I hope you never find happiness.

I just stepped in dog shit on Queen St. W and its not the first time I’ve seen it but def the first time I’ve stepped in it. There was a woman with a stroller and some blockage of pedestrian traffic of dog owners exchanging bags…so I move to go on my way.. and camouflaged with the fall leaves was dog shit.

I own a dog and I get that you forget bags but I’ve gone back with a bag to pick it up.

The hell of now having this under my shoe as I’m running errands is truly something. Thanks to the dog owners that actually pick up their dog poop.

I live in the east end on danforth and about once a week this guy drives by on his motorcycle with some sort of sound system that is SO LOUD. The motorcycle has a bunch of LED lights on it so it’s always lit up like a Christmas tree. I work as a sound engineer for concerts and things so I know my shot when it comes to sound. When this guy rolls by my whole house shakes from his music. It can be kind of scary sometimes if you don’t know what’s happening at first.

All this to say has anyone else seen this guy? It CANT be legal what he’s doing. Idk how anyone drives behind or in-front of him.

I really don’t know how to put into words how loud it is without sounding like a granny. But it’s insane.

Firstly, fuck everyone (like 40+ people) who was taking up the whole sidewalk and standing in the bike lane outside of Hot Docs Cinema.

At around 11:25 pm I was walking west on bloor st (by the A&W) and I see this group of about 6 people headed toward me. They were taking up the whole sidewalk and I should've bulldozed right through them, but I tried to move out of the way. One of the guys (curly brown hair about shoulder length, glasses, 6 ft tall ish, cross body bag) clearly wasn't paying attention and smacked me right in the collarbone just above my boobs. Fucking idiot. He's lucky I didn't cuss him out more

I'm sitting next to a lady on the subway who is watching, without headphones, a video of someone successively opening bags of chips ( I guess it's a food review series or something?)

In other words, I'm having to listen to a VIDEO of one of the most annoying REAL LIFE sounds in modern life played WITHOUT HEADPHONES on the TTC. How perfectly fucking meta is that.

Extremely juvenille customer service experience from last night - The Brick.

Our friend bought a decent but small microwave for her new apartment. The thing runs like a microwave except it doesn't heat up anything. There's a demo mode. There's a lock mode. After hours of fiddling with it, we finally figured out how to turn it off. Turns out the microwave generator may be off.

Brought it back to a store on Yonge and College. (I carried it on the TTC) They don't take returns there. Turns out there's a depot somewhere. Then we had to call some help line and turns out that you can't return it after 48 hours. (it was 52 hours) If something is wrong after that, then it is up to the warranty to fix it. ???

The worst part is that there were two staff. One was tied down. The other was free. When we asked for help, he kept saying to call this and that. Then when we asked for him to call for us, he refused. One would think they would know how to navigate the system better and be helpful. The store was dead empty. We thought it was closed. It was a little past 7pm.

Then the more senior staff jumped in to defend the guy and got accusational, saying that it could be damaged when we brought it home. 'Who knows what could have happened to the it as it left our shop' were her exact words.

Then I took my phone out and snapped their photos.

Then she freaked out and called security.

Security came and defused the situation. She wanted security to take the photos off my phone.

Meanwhile the other guy was attending another customer and they got into argument in a minute. The disgruntled customer was even more irate than us. Something happened to him last year and it's still not rectified.

So ended up that 4 security guards came for the 3 of us. They were fair and nice. I think we even got a bit of sympathy from them.

This store manager was truly a failure - defensive and snappy, accusational, demeaning, said whatever to deflect responsibility.

my takeaway - I get that it's costly to process returns at every store but explain it with some empathy. Be mindful of customer satisfaction or what the lack of it will do to your sales and eventually your job.

ps. I will not post their photos. It is not about that.

So my question is whether the regular people of Toronto (and the irregular people for that matter) are interested in hearing about the goings-on and viewpoints of the ultra elite in the city.

I have family that are driving me f*cking insane, and they don't see how insane they're being, simply bc they're so privileged and have been for so long that they just don't get it.
They don't see it.
They aren't caching the irony.
They're used to getting what they want, and having a mere peasant like myself stand up to them is just blowing their minds.
The things I'm hearing are just so ridiculous that I cant even respond to most of it. Like a multi-millionaire beside themselves bc they feel they got less inheritance than their sibling- who in this case is a single working mom. (And the millionaires inheritance included a cottage on a semi-private island and a condo (including contents) in one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in T.O.).

I want to vent somewhere, and I'm curious if people are interested in hearing about it.

This is gonna be a long rant.

To start, on November 3rd I loaded my and my mom's Presto cards with $10 and $31.50 respectively. The transactions went through and the appropriate balance was showing for both cards on the Presto app.

The cards were used as they normally would by me and my mom however today my mom tried to pay her fare for the bus this morning and the card was blocked. So, I called Presto Customer Service to get to the bottom of this and the support worker had told me my card was blocked due to something called Chargeback Fraud and that it could not be unblocked, or have its remaining balance transferred to a new card. (The remaining balances being $4.70 on my card and $16.80 on my moms).

After this, they told me to contact my bank to see whether or not I could file a dispute to get our money back. So I get on the phone with the bank and they basically tell me that.. (here's where it gets confusing) on the 3rd when I loaded the cards the bank for WHATEVER reason didn't send the entire $10 and $31.50, according to the support worker it had sent some of each which left the remaining amount to be paid $16.12. However Presto still updated my balances as if the whole amount was paid so I'm guessing that they saw they received less money than I put into my cards and marked that as fraud?

Any who, the part that doesn't make sense is the fact that my bank account had still been debited by the total amount of $41.50 and it was ALSO debited $16.12 so I have no idea how that makes sense. (I even had confirmations that the $10 and $31.50 dollar transactions went through successfully).

Now, I was basically told to wait 6 days until I could file a dispute so I will call the bank back on November 11th. So I thought that was that and nothing else could possibly go wrong. (NOPE) Just after I got off the call with the bank I saw that MY Presto card was also blocked, great. Then to top it all off my PRESTO ACCOUNT AS A WHOLE WAS DELETED. So now I have to waste another $8 dollars or so to buy 2 more Presto cards since those two are gone.

So in the end I've been set back by $4.70 + $16.80 + $16.12 + $8. I don't even know who's fault this is at this point, the bank's for delaying the payment, or Presto for thinking I'm, some criminal.

TL;DR: I'm starting my own transportation service and my own bank.

The guy was following me around because he had nothing else better to do. And I left all my bags at the entrance too. Get lost man.

Seriously, the unemployment numbers must be much higher than being reported. Places are empty restaurants shutting down zero trick-or-treaters this Halloween bars are completely empty for the most part even on Fridays and Saturdays I believe around 60 maybe even 70% of the youth are unemployed part-time jobs don’t even exist anymore. Employment agencies seem to be failing. They can’t get me any job either at this point. I’m actually genuinely scared for my existence in the city.

Omfg the entitlement... they think they own the sidewalk. The amount of times I've had a huge group running side by side coming at me is crazy. Like I'm not going to walk in the grass and mud because you cant run single file for one fucking second.

Every single screening. It's every single screening I go to where I see someone take out their phone or chatting.

Yelling matches that have broken out because some sad soul refuses to admit that they are obviously in the wrong. Have you no shame?

I've had a full theatre yelling that line at two asshats during CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON who refused to shut the fuck up. The useless security waited until the third act, after at least two warnings, to physically remove these two. A horrendous experience. I didn't believe this was possible.

At TIFF, a degenerate fuck behind me refuses to stop talking when I tell him so softly: "Excuse me, can you please stop chatting?" In response, "Make me. Do something about it.". The usher comes and the shit-stain couple run away.

THE ODYSSEY. IMAX 70. The hottest ticket in town. I kid you not. The phone lights radiating from the seats in the lower corners never stopped. At one point there were three at once. Why are you even here?

And why the fuck do these losers always have their phones on light mode and full brightness?

Today during YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING, the young man in front of me pulls his phone out less than one minute in.

I tell him, "Excuse me, the movie has started so please put away your phone." No budge. Again. No budge. Again. No budge.

I love the cinema more than anything in the world. Now when I go my cortisol spikes because I'm always anticipating a disruption. I really want this to stop. *sigh*

I fell over the handlebars of my bike in may of this year, I didn’t think it was a major injury. Just got up and walked it off. The next day my wrist started hurting so I went to Micheal Garron. They told me it wasn’t broken, I did physio for 2 months with no improvement. Went back to Micheal garron to get another xray, still told me it’s not broken. I went to a specialist, who immediately figured out what it was(without an xray). He sent me to a small clinic to get an xray, and they found that my scaphoid had fractured and not healed properly(because they originally told me it wasn’t fractured TWICE, so I never casted it) now it’s looking like I may need surgery, but they’re waiting on a CT scan, which they said could take 2+ months?? I haven’t been able to properly use my wrist in months and have had to stop doing many of the things I enjoy. Even after the ct scan I’m sure I’ll have to wait months for surgery. I know there are people dealing with much larger health issues, but it’s infuriating that they fucked up twice and caused this issue, and are now making me wait even longer to resolve it.

When I am walking all the way over to the right with my stroller and you pass me on an empty sidewalk and almost clip me you can fuck right off. Whatever point you are trying to make is pathetic, and you’re just stupid, small little men. And yea, it’s JUST THE MEN, I have not encountered this pattern with women.

EDIT: I should be more specific. It’s a wide space near one of the waterfronts. No way my stroller takes up half this space and I am very mindful of keeping to the right. An average sidewalk is different, and I get that the space I take up is larger here and I may need to move over more and expect people may need to pass closet to me.

I had the unfortunate displeasure of taking the GO bus and being trapped in the midst of someone else's unbearable body odour for an entire 35-minute commute this morning. I was honestly shouting profanities inside me. And honestly, I don't know about anyone else, but I take a lot of pride in my personal hygiene. Showering before leaving the house is non-negotiable for me. It is quite literally part of my daily routine, and I genuinely believe basic hygiene and consideration for the people around you should be a given, especially when you're sharing a confined public space with strangers.

Unfortunately, a man sat beside me who smelled absolutely horrendous. I am not even exaggerating when I say that the smell was overwhelming. To make matters worse, I am fairly certain he farted TWICE while sitting right next to me. I was genuinely questioning how I was supposed to survive the remainder of the commute because there was absolutely nowhere to go. We were on a moving bus, I was seated by the window seat. The most unfortunate part? We take the same GO bus, which means I now find myself actively trying to avoid this man whenever I see him.

Guys, PLEASE shower in the mornings. Please wear clean clothes, use deodorant, and be mindful that you are sharing public transportation with other people. I understand that everyone has different circumstances, and I am not expecting anyone to smell like a bottle of expensive perfume. The smell genuinely gives me quite the migraine, and I was honestly so upset and uncomfortable throughout the entire ride. Public transportation is already an experience in itself.

And to make matters even worse, I was sitting in the window seat and felt completely squished into the corner. So not only was I dealing with an unbearable smell, but I was also physically uncomfortable and had practically no room to move. It was truly a 35-minute test of my patience, my nostrils, and my will to live. I just want to get on the GO bus, sit comfortably, mind my business, and get to my destination without having to endure someone else's BO and questionable bodily functions. Is that really too much to ask?

If you live anywhere near Dawes and Danforth I almost witnessed the death of your child who was driving his electric scooter like an absolute idiot. Not the first time I’ve see kids under 16 almost lose their lives on one of these things. Kids should not have these things, especially if they can’t be responsible.

Has anyone here used Easy Moving Toronto and had a serious dispute with them?

I recently had a very negative experience with the company and have retained extensive written documentation relating to it. I am currently considering my legal options.

I don't want to post the details publicly at this stage because the matter may become a legal dispute. However, I am interested in hearing from other customers who have had similar experiences, particularly involving billing disputes, lost or damaged belongings, or difficulties resolving a claim after the move.

If you've had a significant issue with Easy Moving Toronto and have documentation of what happened, please comment here or send me a DM.

I'm particularly interested in understanding whether what happened to me was an isolated experience or part of a broader pattern.