Juno News - April 11, 2024


Is this Canada or India？ Exploring Brampton, Ontario


Episode Stats

Length

15 minutes

Words per Minute

179.7574

Word Count

2,712

Sentence Count

212

Misogynist Sentences

1

Hate Speech Sentences

20


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 It's like a mini India.
00:00:01.780 There are too many in this year.
00:00:03.700 We're Canadian, we're multicultural, but come on.
00:00:06.800 If we're going to their country, we would have to adapt to their culture, right?
00:00:12.360 They should do the same thing here.
00:00:13.800 I do feel like I'm a stranger in my own country.
00:00:23.120 One of the most obvious consequences of the federal government's diehard commitment to
00:00:27.500 mass immigration would be the creation of ethnic enclaves, cities and towns across the country
00:00:32.380 that don't look very Canadian and don't feel very Canadian.
00:00:36.300 But one of the most infamous examples of that in our country is Brampton here in the GTA.
00:00:41.080 Let me just take you through some of the most recent demographic data that we have available
00:00:44.940 about Brampton from the 2021 census.
00:00:47.120 Now, keep in mind, Canada's population has spiked since 2021, and the majority of immigrants
00:00:52.260 who come to Canada come to Ontario.
00:00:54.080 And it appears that Brampton is where most of them happen to end up.
00:00:57.760 The 2021 census data shows that Brampton is more than 80% visible minority.
00:01:02.980 That means it's more than 80% non-white.
00:01:05.300 Well, you break that data down even further, you start to figure out where everyone who lives
00:01:09.400 in Brampton comes from.
00:01:11.160 The top ethnic origin in the Brampton 2021 census data is India, unsurprisingly.
00:01:16.640 180,300 people who live in Brampton come from India.
00:01:21.260 The second happens to be Punjabi.
00:01:24.140 Why they are separated into different categories, I'm not quite sure, but 57,000.
00:01:28.800 After that, it is Sikh at 43,940.
00:01:32.600 Then you get Canadian born at 40,000.
00:01:35.200 If you keep going further, you see that Hindu and Pakistani both come in right around 26,000.
00:01:41.460 Now, what's most remarkable about Brampton's demographic data is that from 2016 to 2021,
00:01:47.140 Brampton lost 6,000 people who were originally born in Canada.
00:01:53.080 That's not the percentage of them declining.
00:01:55.420 That's people who have actually left Brampton.
00:01:57.700 Meanwhile, in that same period of time, Brampton's foreign born population increased to 343,690,
00:02:05.980 an increase of 11.3% compared to the decrease of 2.16% of Canadian born residents in Brampton.
00:02:14.120 Non-permanent residents who live in Brampton in 2016 went from 9,000 to 40,000.
00:02:20.360 Again, that's just from 2016 to 2021.
00:02:22.960 And we know, of course, that Canada's temporary immigration has spiked in the same period of time.
00:02:28.420 So this data, it's safe to say, is quite out of date.
00:02:31.420 But even still, that tells you a lot about the makeup of Brampton.
00:02:34.860 That tells you a lot about the makeup of this ethnic enclave.
00:02:37.000 So we're here to try and figure out if Brampton really deserves its reputation as one of the most infamous ethnic enclaves in Canada.
00:02:44.620 We're going to explore the city, take a look around, and see what we can find in Brampton for ourselves.
00:03:07.000 You've been here for how many years?
00:03:09.240 15 years on this side of town and 5 years on this side of town.
00:03:12.020 Wow, and so you must have seen it change quite a lot.
00:03:14.080 Well, yeah, the other side's modern, but it's a nice modern.
00:03:16.240 They're turning this into an ugly kind of modern.
00:03:18.240 I think it was called Flower Town.
00:03:19.980 Now it's called Bangladesh.
00:03:21.440 So I'm in such a minority, it isn't funny.
00:03:23.920 You look everywhere you look, you're the same thing.
00:03:26.120 It's people.
00:03:26.940 Why do they keep coming in?
00:03:28.040 My place is getting torn down for a parking lot.
00:03:30.060 My apartment I've been in, I've been in it for 4 or 5 years.
00:03:32.720 Well, that was fascinating.
00:03:34.020 We're here in downtown Brampton.
00:03:35.080 We just spoke with a man who says he's been here for 15 to 20 years.
00:03:38.960 He says the city has completely changed since when he first seen it.
00:03:42.700 The demographics are so noticeable that it's almost hard for him to bear.
00:03:47.500 He also said something very interesting, which is that they're tearing down apartment buildings
00:03:51.720 where he says the majority of Canadians actually live, and they're replacing them with parking lots.
00:03:57.820 They're replacing them probably with larger high-rise buildings to make way for more people coming into this country.
00:04:03.420 It does say something very strange about what's going on here,
00:04:06.880 which is you have Canadians who feel like a minority in this city who've been here for a long time,
00:04:12.400 and now they're being kicked out of their rental apartments to make way for parking lots and other things.
00:04:17.120 That's just the first person we've actually spoken to here in Brampton in the downtown area,
00:04:21.260 and I can imagine that we might hear some very similar things,
00:04:24.600 but we don't just want to speak to people who have been here for a long time.
00:04:28.600 We also want to speak to people who are new to this city and what they make of living in this city
00:04:32.720 and what they think about the reputation it has across the country.
00:04:35.820 How long have you guys been here for?
00:04:37.500 One year.
00:04:38.460 Okay, one year.
00:04:39.980 Did you guys know, one of the things that a lot of Canadians think about Brampton is that it's very Indian.
00:04:44.580 There are a lot of Indian people who live here.
00:04:45.860 All Punjabis.
00:04:46.760 Yeah, did you guys know that before you came to Brampton?
00:04:50.620 Yeah.
00:04:51.200 Yeah.
00:04:51.380 We know very well.
00:04:52.120 Is it known back in India that Brampton is like that?
00:04:55.420 Yeah.
00:04:56.140 That's why we come here.
00:04:57.240 Yeah.
00:04:57.940 Because there are a lot of fallout opportunities.
00:05:01.100 Yeah.
00:05:01.280 That's why Indians come here.
00:05:03.000 We're doing a video about Brampton.
00:05:04.220 We're just asking people if they like living in this city and what they think about it.
00:05:07.780 Oh, that's nice.
00:05:09.780 Well, I mean, it's a pretty decent place.
00:05:12.960 Then again, it's like a mini India in short.
00:05:15.820 You would see a lot of Indian people going around.
00:05:17.900 Yeah.
00:05:18.160 If you just go around, you'll see Indian people.
00:05:20.200 Yeah.
00:05:21.340 Yeah, it's pretty intense.
00:05:22.540 We're asking people what they think.
00:05:23.820 It feels more like an Indian city than it does like a Canadian city, right?
00:05:27.180 It does.
00:05:27.780 It does.
00:05:28.180 You think that maybe there are too many Indian people in Brampton?
00:05:30.540 Because they say that the demographics are pretty intense.
00:05:33.060 They do.
00:05:33.580 Yeah.
00:05:33.940 There are too many Indians.
00:05:34.900 Yeah.
00:05:35.960 Racing ones up.
00:05:37.400 That's what they call it.
00:05:38.380 That's what they call it.
00:05:39.000 That's what they call it.
00:05:39.380 That's what they call it.
00:05:40.000 So the crime's bad, right?
00:05:41.020 You're up here and it feeds everyone, right?
00:05:43.160 Every weekend, every day.
00:05:45.500 Fight.
00:05:46.180 All of the time.
00:05:47.400 The fight?
00:05:48.020 All the time.
00:05:48.380 All the time.
00:05:49.400 Really?
00:05:49.900 And homeless fighting the homeless.
00:05:51.040 Why?
00:05:51.560 He knows that himself, right?
00:05:52.860 Yep.
00:05:53.380 Not the racism that you worry about.
00:05:56.060 It's the people that have nothing you've got to worry about.
00:05:59.320 You've got more than they've got, they're going to take it over.
00:06:01.480 Wow.
00:06:02.080 You know, $10 a year, you'll get robbed.
00:06:05.320 It's really bad.
00:06:06.520 That's bad.
00:06:07.660 Wow.
00:06:08.120 What a contrast you just saw there.
00:06:09.680 In one shot, you had new immigrants to Canada who say that, in their opinion, they're from
00:06:17.440 India.
00:06:17.900 They say that Brampton has too many Indians in the city.
00:06:19.880 And then, as we're talking to them about that, you've got Canadians who come here, through
00:06:24.540 the shot, who say that the city is full of crime, it's dangerous, it's a place that's
00:06:30.260 worse than they imagined it to be, and it's gotten much worse over a period of time.
00:06:33.880 And what a stark contrast you can see just in that one interaction about what this city
00:06:38.740 is really like, because I've got to tell you, it's just, it's strange to walk around
00:06:42.420 here and seeing what appears to be poor, homeless, white people, and a very large influx
00:06:51.480 of newly landed immigrants, all specifically from India.
00:06:54.440 And it's not just me saying that, it's the Indians themselves who have said that themselves.
00:06:59.300 And it's not just me saying that, it's the Indians themselves who are saying that.
00:07:02.380 Very strange.
00:07:03.880 Well, we've been tipped off by more than one person who we've spoken to, that the dangerous
00:07:09.160 part of Brampton is this way.
00:07:11.840 It's heading north out of downtown toward the park, where there's a lot of tents and a lot
00:07:18.380 of homeless people.
00:07:19.540 In fact, it's right behind this 7-Eleven, apparently.
00:07:22.900 And I just have to say again, the contrast is shocking, really.
00:07:27.880 A large number of white people who are homeless, poor, drug-addicted, who are homeless, poor,
00:07:32.380 drug-addicted, who complain about the state of the city, not due to the demographics, but
00:07:37.540 actually due to the crime and due to the economic situation in this city.
00:07:42.160 And then, basically, every immigrant we've spoken to who lives in Brampton, they've all
00:07:47.620 said the same thing.
00:07:48.660 They're from India, and they say there's too many Indians who live in this city.
00:07:51.880 It's a fascinating contrast to witness.
00:07:54.960 Do you think the immigration situation in Brampton has played a role in some of the downturn
00:08:01.200 that's faced by a lot of people here?
00:08:02.540 Yeah, we don't want to be racist, but you know what?
00:08:07.400 We're, what do you want to call it, invaded.
00:08:12.920 That's actually, that's how the topic was a little ancient.
00:08:15.940 Oh, yeah?
00:08:16.340 You just spoke, you spoke about that a few hours ago?
00:08:18.260 Yeah.
00:08:18.540 Just now.
00:08:19.200 Yeah.
00:08:19.800 It's like an ant and a sugar, you know.
00:08:23.880 And you're feeling invaded?
00:08:25.380 Yes.
00:08:26.100 Wow.
00:08:26.400 It's out of control.
00:08:29.600 Yeah.
00:08:30.300 I mean, every which way you go, it's this, that, and you can't even listen to yourself
00:08:36.060 anymore because they're talking their own language.
00:08:38.560 We're Canadian, we love everybody.
00:08:40.480 We're Canadian, we're multicultural, but come on.
00:08:43.400 But I remember Brampton when only this side was here.
00:08:48.260 Really?
00:08:48.820 Yeah.
00:08:49.200 So you've been here for quite a while.
00:08:50.280 Yeah.
00:08:50.600 It has gone down, but most of the rift raft, I hate to say it, they're all dead now.
00:08:59.620 Really?
00:08:59.960 So, like, I don't know.
00:09:00.960 Is that because, is that because of drugs and fentanyl?
00:09:03.960 Yeah.
00:09:04.420 It's getting into the country and it's killing people, and that's what the sad part of Brampton
00:09:09.440 is.
00:09:10.040 Yeah, well.
00:09:10.580 No housing.
00:09:12.040 Yeah.
00:09:12.420 Not enough shelters.
00:09:14.000 And yet, we've seen that the population of Brampton continues to increase at an incredible
00:09:18.080 pace.
00:09:18.440 It's not really, it's not Canadian people that are producing.
00:09:24.900 Right.
00:09:25.160 I'm not being disrespectful.
00:09:27.620 Of course.
00:09:28.660 Of course.
00:09:29.120 I'm just saying that most people in Canada have one or two kids, but so many newcomers have
00:09:38.400 come.
00:09:38.720 They, they all populate us.
00:09:43.180 Yeah.
00:09:43.680 So I do feel like it's, I'm a stranger in my own country.
00:09:47.680 You know, but I like my street.
00:09:52.040 We have very good neighbors.
00:09:54.660 We have very nice parks in Brampton, which I like, for riding bikes and walking, hiking,
00:10:02.620 whatever.
00:10:02.960 But something that I don't like, and my neighbors don't like, and a lot of people don't like,
00:10:12.300 it's too, the immigration, it's too much.
00:10:15.520 Has it really gotten noticeably worse over the past few years?
00:10:19.740 Oh yes, because on my street, someone sold their house, and then you ended up with one
00:10:28.160 fell house, and they live 15 in the house, you know, and then they're not very clean.
00:10:36.220 And then the garbage are all over the place, and we have to talk to them, these clean up
00:10:42.000 the property, and they're very nice.
00:10:45.200 I'm French, but I speak English, I don't speak French.
00:10:50.320 Right.
00:10:50.940 Right?
00:10:51.500 Yeah.
00:10:52.000 And they should do the same thing.
00:10:53.460 And the thing is, they should adopt our culture.
00:10:56.980 They, they choose to come here, choose to get, what's called, the culture, you know?
00:11:02.080 Yeah.
00:11:02.360 If we're going to their country, we will have to adapt to their culture, right?
00:11:08.620 They should do the same thing here, but here it's like, uh, people, you know?
00:11:13.640 There's too many immigrants in this town.
00:11:16.240 I mean, the immigrants in Duquesne come here and still everywhere else.
00:11:21.380 And why, why do you think they all choose to live in Brampton?
00:11:25.100 Because there ain't no temple in Timmins.
00:11:28.480 All right, folks, well, that wraps up our field trip to Brampton, of all places.
00:11:32.200 It's not your typical field trip location, but it was well worth the trip because we
00:11:35.600 got to witness and got to see firsthand what this city actually looks like, what this ethnic
00:11:40.980 enclave looks like.
00:11:42.280 Besides the data, what is life like every single day?
00:11:45.600 Our field trip started off with a trip to the Hindu temple where we got to see the famous
00:11:51.220 monkey man statue, the Hanuman statue.
00:11:53.940 That was quite the sight to behold.
00:11:55.420 And then, of course, we also went to check out some very ornate, very large Sikh temples
00:12:00.940 as well.
00:12:01.800 The Gurdwaras in the area.
00:12:03.600 We got to see one.
00:12:04.360 It was quite the sight itself.
00:12:06.020 But then we went to downtown to start talking with some locals, started asking people what
00:12:10.100 they make of living in Brampton, if Brampton feels like a Canadian city to them, and the
00:12:13.900 change that Brampton has gone through over the past few years.
00:12:17.000 The 2021 census data tells us that the overwhelming majority of foreign-born people who live in
00:12:23.440 Brampton come from India.
00:12:25.340 And it lives up to that.
00:12:27.080 It certainly looks that way.
00:12:28.280 It really does feel like a mini-India.
00:12:31.460 The census data also says that Brampton, as of 2021, was 81% non-white.
00:12:38.140 And I think it lived up to that, if not even more, from what we saw in this just short few
00:12:43.380 hours.
00:12:43.820 But there was one thing that really struck me, and that was the contrast in this city,
00:12:48.240 the living standards in this city, for people who have come to this country, come to this
00:12:52.660 city, just a few months ago even, for some, as we spoke to, and even just a few years ago
00:12:57.720 for others, most of whom were international students studying at international colleges
00:13:01.680 here in Brampton.
00:13:02.820 And then, for people who have been living in this city for many years, since the 80s,
00:13:07.980 since the 70s for some.
00:13:09.540 Now, what really surprised me, and what you don't hear about in the news when it comes
00:13:13.520 to Brampton, is the sheer amount of drug use and homelessness that the Canadian population
00:13:20.000 are faced with here.
00:13:21.520 We went underneath a tunnel, and it was as if we went into a completely different city.
00:13:25.260 We didn't see any Indian people there.
00:13:27.100 What we did see, however, were very large numbers of white Canadians who were homeless,
00:13:32.860 addicted to drugs, and relying on a church to provide them with some assistance, hopefully
00:13:38.100 let them heal and get better.
00:13:39.360 That was not something that I was expecting to see here.
00:13:41.800 However, when we spoke to people, that's what they told us life was like in Brampton.
00:13:45.020 It was not just an ethnic enclave, but in fact, it was a place where there is an unbelievable
00:13:50.820 amount of newcomers to this city, people who are bringing their own culture, and that's
00:13:54.900 fine.
00:13:55.720 But in fact, it's the Canadian-born population who are struggling the most, and whose lives
00:14:00.680 have only gotten worse.
00:14:01.760 Funny you don't hear about that whenever we hear about Brampton.
00:14:04.840 Now, we did get to speak to locals.
00:14:06.240 They obviously said that Brampton is taking in too many immigrants, that life here is
00:14:11.020 not that great.
00:14:12.360 Some were optimistic, but the majority were not, and the majority had noted that the city
00:14:17.040 had changed rapidly since their time living here.
00:14:20.040 We also managed to speak with a lot of immigrants who live in Brampton, and actually, they themselves
00:14:25.560 said, in one case, that there were too many Indians in Brampton.
00:14:29.060 So if they're saying that, then maybe there's something to it.
00:14:31.860 Nonetheless, I have to tell you, this is really something to behold, because the population
00:14:35.960 does not mix in Brampton.
00:14:37.720 The demographic change is very noticeable, and one group of people who live in Brampton
00:14:43.460 seem to be doing pretty well.
00:14:45.600 They seem to be studying, getting diplomas, living fine.
00:14:49.980 Another group in Brampton, however, don't seem to be living so well.
00:14:53.000 And that was something that I think people should really start to consider when they think
00:14:56.380 about this city.
00:14:56.960 All right, well, that's going to do it for us for our coverage here in Brampton.
00:15:00.980 Thank you so much for tuning in.
00:15:02.440 My name is Harrison Faulkner, and this is Ratioed.