It's not hard to notice that public sentiment in Canada toward immigration has shifted dramatically over the past few years. When I tweet something positive about immigration, I know full well that the comments will be overwhelmingly negative and searing (mind you, it's Twitter).

But this isn't just the case on social media. A 2025 survey by the Environics Institute and TMU showed that the majority of Canadians believe there's simply too much immigration. And a more recent survey by Research Co. found that almost half of Canadians — a number that is up 9% since July 2025 — believe immigration is having a mostly negative effect on the country.

While I can appreciate where this is coming from, I think it's important to keep in mind that immigrants in Canada account for approximately one-third of all business owners with paid staff. They help create jobs. And they represent the majority of business owners when it comes to sectors like restaurants, grocery stores, and truck transportation. In sectors like "computer systems design and services" it's roughly 50/50 between immigrants and Canadian-born citizens.

Some of Canada's most notable companies and brands have also been founded by immigrants: Shopify, BlackBerry, Aldo, Magna, Hakim Optical, Molson Brewery, and many others. And in the US, it is reported that at least 59 of the top 100 highest-valued unicorn startups have a foreign-born founder! So, I am of the strong opinion that Canada benefits enormously when the best and brightest choose to come to our country in search of opportunity. It boosts prosperity for everyone.

But let's consider three objections that I have heard.

The first is that immigration is good, but we stopped attracting the best and brightest. Fine; if that's the case, we should better optimize for attracting the world's top talent. Let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

The second is that it's important to first stop the best and brightest who are already here from leaving. And I would agree that this is critical. The "brain drain" needs to be stemmed. But at the same time, these do not need to be mutually exclusive activities. In fact, it may be best to think of it as solving the same problem: increasing opportunities for everyone both attracts and retains talent.

Lastly, I hear some people talk about "cultural continuity." The argument is that economic prosperity isn't everything. We need to also think about our national identity and the value of our local customs. I believe wholeheartedly in a strong Canadian identity. I'm profoundly proud to be Canadian. But what, specifically, must be continued? What should be allowed to change?

Let's consider my favourite city in the world, Toronto.

For roughly a hundred years, Toronto was an intolerant and primarily Anglo-Protestant city. Should that still be the case today in the name of "continuity"? If so, it's likely I wouldn't have been born here. I was raised Catholic, I went to a French-speaking school, and my ethnic background is primarily Irish, French, and Chinese (via South America).

Would the Protestants of Toronto have accepted my kind? It's unlikely on three accounts. Catholics were a problem. A French school would have been viewed as a rebellious political statement. And the Chinese Exclusion Act may have precluded my bloodline before I was born. A little discontinuity has been good for me — and others.

Photo by Richard Hong on Unsplash

Hotels are an important city-building tool. Let me give you an example. Each year, Conde Nast Traveler publishes a list of the best places to visit right now. Here's the 2025 list. If you scroll through it, one of the 25 places you'll find is Marseille. And if you look at the first picture, you'll find a hotel/restaurant called Tuba Club.

Long-time readers of this blog will know that I'm a big fan of Marseille and that, back in 2021, Neat B and I stayed at this hotel. In fact, the whole reason we even decided to stop in the city for the first time was so that we could check out this exact place. It opened the summer before and I had seen it written up somewhere.

I can also tell you that if you flip through Monocle's new handbook about France and go to the hotel section, you will likewise find Tuba Club. The place is seemingly everywhere and now has a loyal following.

But here's the important thing: it only has 5 rooms! And the room we stayed in was best accessed via a window and a large rock outcropping beside it. There's no way this place would meet code anywhere in Canada. But boy was it cool. And because we loved the experience so much, we decided to go back to Marseille the following summer and check out more of the city. It didn't disappoint.

Now I tell people and write blog posts about how much I love Marseille. And it all started with 5 non-code-compliant rooms perched on a bunch of rocks in a sleepy fishing port on the south end of the city. A great hotel can help you build your city.

We've spoken about Vitalik Buterin before.

He is the inventor of the Ethereum blockchain, and its most prominent figure. He also happens to have grown up in Toronto. He went to the University of Waterloo. So when I wrote this post back in 2021, I asked: Why the hell is nobody talking about this? Why are we not celebrating the fact that our great city helped birth one of the most important technologies of our time? You couldn't ask for a better economic development story. Well, I guess the answer is twofold. Crypto isn't mainstream. Even back in 2021 when things were frothy it wasn't. And, we're awful at promoting and driving a global brand for our city. Both of these things need to change. So if you're interested in learning more about Vitalik and Ethereum, you should check out this new movie (trailer) called Vitalik: An Ethereum Story. To watch it, go to ethereumfilm.xyz and mint the NFT for $20. You'll then be able to stream it. I haven't done this yet, but I'll be doing it very soon. All of the proceeds from the NFT sales will go toward getting a more mainstream distribution deal.

So by watching, you're helping.

Update: I watched it. It’s great.

It's not hard to notice that public sentiment in Canada toward immigration has shifted dramatically over the past few years. When I tweet something positive about immigration, I know full well that the comments will be overwhelmingly negative and searing (mind you, it's Twitter).

But this isn't just the case on social media. A 2025 survey by the Environics Institute and TMU showed that the majority of Canadians believe there's simply too much immigration. And a more recent survey by Research Co. found that almost half of Canadians — a number that is up 9% since July 2025 — believe immigration is having a mostly negative effect on the country.

While I can appreciate where this is coming from, I think it's important to keep in mind that immigrants in Canada account for approximately one-third of all business owners with paid staff. They help create jobs. And they represent the majority of business owners when it comes to sectors like restaurants, grocery stores, and truck transportation. In sectors like "computer systems design and services" it's roughly 50/50 between immigrants and Canadian-born citizens.

Some of Canada's most notable companies and brands have also been founded by immigrants: Shopify, BlackBerry, Aldo, Magna, Hakim Optical, Molson Brewery, and many others. And in the US, it is reported that at least 59 of the top 100 highest-valued unicorn startups have a foreign-born founder! So, I am of the strong opinion that Canada benefits enormously when the best and brightest choose to come to our country in search of opportunity. It boosts prosperity for everyone.

But let's consider three objections that I have heard.

The first is that immigration is good, but we stopped attracting the best and brightest. Fine; if that's the case, we should better optimize for attracting the world's top talent. Let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

The second is that it's important to first stop the best and brightest who are already here from leaving. And I would agree that this is critical. The "brain drain" needs to be stemmed. But at the same time, these do not need to be mutually exclusive activities. In fact, it may be best to think of it as solving the same problem: increasing opportunities for everyone both attracts and retains talent.

Lastly, I hear some people talk about "cultural continuity." The argument is that economic prosperity isn't everything. We need to also think about our national identity and the value of our local customs. I believe wholeheartedly in a strong Canadian identity. I'm profoundly proud to be Canadian. But what, specifically, must be continued? What should be allowed to change?

Let's consider my favourite city in the world, Toronto.

For roughly a hundred years, Toronto was an intolerant and primarily Anglo-Protestant city. Should that still be the case today in the name of "continuity"? If so, it's likely I wouldn't have been born here. I was raised Catholic, I went to a French-speaking school, and my ethnic background is primarily Irish, French, and Chinese (via South America).

Would the Protestants of Toronto have accepted my kind? It's unlikely on three accounts. Catholics were a problem. A French school would have been viewed as a rebellious political statement. And the Chinese Exclusion Act may have precluded my bloodline before I was born. A little discontinuity has been good for me — and others.

Photo by Richard Hong on Unsplash

Hotels are an important city-building tool. Let me give you an example. Each year, Conde Nast Traveler publishes a list of the best places to visit right now. Here's the 2025 list. If you scroll through it, one of the 25 places you'll find is Marseille. And if you look at the first picture, you'll find a hotel/restaurant called Tuba Club.

Long-time readers of this blog will know that I'm a big fan of Marseille and that, back in 2021, Neat B and I stayed at this hotel. In fact, the whole reason we even decided to stop in the city for the first time was so that we could check out this exact place. It opened the summer before and I had seen it written up somewhere.

I can also tell you that if you flip through Monocle's new handbook about France and go to the hotel section, you will likewise find Tuba Club. The place is seemingly everywhere and now has a loyal following.

But here's the important thing: it only has 5 rooms! And the room we stayed in was best accessed via a window and a large rock outcropping beside it. There's no way this place would meet code anywhere in Canada. But boy was it cool. And because we loved the experience so much, we decided to go back to Marseille the following summer and check out more of the city. It didn't disappoint.

Now I tell people and write blog posts about how much I love Marseille. And it all started with 5 non-code-compliant rooms perched on a bunch of rocks in a sleepy fishing port on the south end of the city. A great hotel can help you build your city.

We've spoken about Vitalik Buterin before.

He is the inventor of the Ethereum blockchain, and its most prominent figure. He also happens to have grown up in Toronto. He went to the University of Waterloo. So when I wrote this post back in 2021, I asked: Why the hell is nobody talking about this? Why are we not celebrating the fact that our great city helped birth one of the most important technologies of our time? You couldn't ask for a better economic development story. Well, I guess the answer is twofold. Crypto isn't mainstream. Even back in 2021 when things were frothy it wasn't. And, we're awful at promoting and driving a global brand for our city. Both of these things need to change. So if you're interested in learning more about Vitalik and Ethereum, you should check out this new movie (trailer) called Vitalik: An Ethereum Story. To watch it, go to ethereumfilm.xyz and mint the NFT for $20. You'll then be able to stream it. I haven't done this yet, but I'll be doing it very soon. All of the proceeds from the NFT sales will go toward getting a more mainstream distribution deal.

So by watching, you're helping.

Update: I watched it. It’s great.