4 ms·

> “It’s the Valley-or-bust mentality that breaks the ecosystem and really hurts Canada,” Gomez said. Canadian pride isn't enough to keep a company in Canada. T

> “It’s the Valley-or-bust mentality that breaks the ecosystem and really hurts Canada,” Gomez said. Canadian pride isn't enough to keep a company in Canada. There are real and significant economic incentives to move elsewhere. That said, it's disappointing that YC no longer supports Canadian companies.

PostOnce 9mo ago
Economic incentives are only one of the many incentives weighing on the scales. There are others.
- garbawarb 9mo ago
  Like which?
  - ooooppppppp 9mo ago
    Attractiveness to talent? Fairly senior dev, US citizen here (20 years experience). After what I've seen this past year, but more the past month, I will work for peanuts for a path to citizenship in Canada. US in 5 years is not a place I want to be, looking into all options and very serious.
    - jleyank 9mo ago
      If you have skills in one of the many categories, and with 20 years in tech you should, get the offer. Once armed with an offer from a Canadian company you can handle the visa at the border. For Quebec-based companies you have to have a handle on French but for the rest of Canada it's a skills and education based system for getting permanent residency.
      - Joel_Mckay 9mo ago
        The wage difference for IT workers is often 3:1 or higher in the US economy, as Canada has 1/10th the population with higher ratios of university alumni. Starting a business in the USA is often far more lucrative, but people usually still incorporate in both countries for tax and liability reasons. Things like the Canadian youth tax-credits also mean anyone over 28 gets pushed down the list for entry-level positions. The US is far easier to find a reasonable job, and the cultural tradition of entrepreneurship is far better. =3
    - garbawarb 9mo ago
      The lifestyle difference is real but the income difference is enough to sway most people to the US. If Canada can close the gap on that I'd say it can become an even more attractive place for global tech talent than the US because of its overall better livability.
      - Roscius 9mo ago
        Live in Canada and work remotely into the US. Been doing it for the last 6 years...
        Joel_Mckay 9mo ago
        Or be a digital nomad in a tropical paradise, and avoid the 46% income-tax rate. Depends how secure your position is I guess... =3
        newlifehelp 9mo ago
        It's not just about the tax rate; make sure you properly understand the residency requirements and where your tax domicile will actually be. Many "digital nomad" visas still have an income threshold or require proof of foreign income, so double-check the fine print. When you're ready to seriously explore options, NewLife.Help (https://newlife.help https://newlife.help) has a solid Move Planner and an excellent cost-of-living comparison tool that can help you weigh different paradises against each other.
        Joel_Mckay 9mo ago
        Canada taxes on residency, and not citizenship. The number of days in the country directly affects your tax obligations. If you are a dual US/Canadian citizen, than you may still be expected to file a US return or face fines. Similarly, if your business sells products or services to US customers there are transactional and fiscal state-specific grace levels than can trip tax obligations. Best of luck =3
        garbawarb 9mo ago
    - anon291 9mo ago
      It is difficult to take anyone worried about the US seriously when their solution to protect themselves is to move to Canada. Not saying anyone's right or wrong but the idea that, should America go psycho, Canada would somehow be okay is a pipe dream. Canada is essentially an outpost of the United States. Yes, I have Canadian family (even old stock "Loyalist" Canadian family) and they all feel the same way. People need to be real. If you actually want to be able to declare independence from America you'd need citizenship in a country with actual nuclear capability. France, the UK, China, etc
      - oooopppppppp 9mo ago
        It's a step improvement: It gets you over the border to a comparable place while being close enough to family for now. The risk of "borders are secure now, nobody gets to leave" is non-zero in the US' future. The way political litmus tests are affecting civil rights here is scary as hell too. On the military angle, I'd much rather live in a country without nukes. But I'm willing to kick the nuclear blackmail risk can down the road, my own government's threats are way more immediate.
        anon291 9mo ago
        > borders are secure now, nobody gets to leave This is honestly insane. > On the military angle, I'd much rather live in a country without nukes. That's because the majority of the typical American with these views is extremely privileged and has never actually had to live in a country without nukes. Ukraine is the future of countries without nukes -- forced to choose between great powers or made into buffer zones without any prospects. It's all so tiresome really.
      - mlrtime 9mo ago
        Let them have their opinion, the number is so small it's meaningless. People have been saying they are moving to Canada for decades due to whatever recent events, statistics say otherwise.
        anon291 9mo ago
tptacek 9mo ago
Presumably it continues to support them the same way it supports 386 companies headquartered in Europe, 218 in South Asia, 217 in Latin America, 106 in Southeast Asia, 87 in Africa, 71 in MENA, 23 in East Asia, and 14 in Oceania, all locales where you previously had to do a flipped company structure to participate in YC.
kdazzle 9mo ago
[flagged]
- RobRivera 9mo ago
  [flagged]
  - jonway 9mo ago
    Well he got mad about the Canadian version of “A letter to our colleagues” and then endlessly harped on that in social media. Like, years and years later he got a board review, but it’s not like a “some stuff I tweeted” or some “opinions shared on social media”, it was trading on his professional credentials to ply a self-help business scheme among other stuff iirc
  - greazy 9mo ago
    You are equating government audits with social media outrage. One is not like the other.
    - RobRivera 9mo ago
      Fair enough
  - SirSavary 9mo ago
    Yes, because when you hold credentials granted by a board of professionals that require you to sign a code of ethics, using those credentials to amplify your personal opinions comes with accountability. To be specific: telling people "you're free to leave at any point" when they express concerns about humanity's impact on the planet is the kind of thing psychology boards take issue with, particularly when it comes from someone with a large platform and professional credentials in mental health.
- jojobas 9mo ago
  [flagged]
- mrtksn 9mo ago
am3141 9mo ago
Well it’s the USA / Valley pride what built that ecosystem there. It wasn’t always like that even in the US. A long time ago, the US congress had to pass a law to incorporate a company. It went from there to whats its now because of that pride. We want that pride here in Canada to build our own ecosystem.

PostOnce 9mo ago

Economic incentives are only one of the many incentives weighing on the scales. There are others.

garbawarb 9mo ago
Like which?
- ooooppppppp 9mo ago
  Attractiveness to talent? Fairly senior dev, US citizen here (20 years experience). After what I've seen this past year, but more the past month, I will work for peanuts for a path to citizenship in Canada. US in 5 years is not a place I want to be, looking into all options and very serious.
  - jleyank 9mo ago
    If you have skills in one of the many categories, and with 20 years in tech you should, get the offer. Once armed with an offer from a Canadian company you can handle the visa at the border. For Quebec-based companies you have to have a handle on French but for the rest of Canada it's a skills and education based system for getting permanent residency.
    - Joel_Mckay 9mo ago
      The wage difference for IT workers is often 3:1 or higher in the US economy, as Canada has 1/10th the population with higher ratios of university alumni. Starting a business in the USA is often far more lucrative, but people usually still incorporate in both countries for tax and liability reasons. Things like the Canadian youth tax-credits also mean anyone over 28 gets pushed down the list for entry-level positions. The US is far easier to find a reasonable job, and the cultural tradition of entrepreneurship is far better. =3
  - garbawarb 9mo ago
    The lifestyle difference is real but the income difference is enough to sway most people to the US. If Canada can close the gap on that I'd say it can become an even more attractive place for global tech talent than the US because of its overall better livability.
    - Roscius 9mo ago
      Live in Canada and work remotely into the US. Been doing it for the last 6 years...
      - Joel_Mckay 9mo ago
        Or be a digital nomad in a tropical paradise, and avoid the 46% income-tax rate. Depends how secure your position is I guess... =3
        newlifehelp 9mo ago
        It's not just about the tax rate; make sure you properly understand the residency requirements and where your tax domicile will actually be. Many "digital nomad" visas still have an income threshold or require proof of foreign income, so double-check the fine print. When you're ready to seriously explore options, NewLife.Help (https://newlife.help https://newlife.help) has a solid Move Planner and an excellent cost-of-living comparison tool that can help you weigh different paradises against each other.
        Joel_Mckay 9mo ago
        Canada taxes on residency, and not citizenship. The number of days in the country directly affects your tax obligations. If you are a dual US/Canadian citizen, than you may still be expected to file a US return or face fines. Similarly, if your business sells products or services to US customers there are transactional and fiscal state-specific grace levels than can trip tax obligations. Best of luck =3
      - garbawarb 9mo ago
  - anon291 9mo ago
    It is difficult to take anyone worried about the US seriously when their solution to protect themselves is to move to Canada. Not saying anyone's right or wrong but the idea that, should America go psycho, Canada would somehow be okay is a pipe dream. Canada is essentially an outpost of the United States. Yes, I have Canadian family (even old stock "Loyalist" Canadian family) and they all feel the same way. People need to be real. If you actually want to be able to declare independence from America you'd need citizenship in a country with actual nuclear capability. France, the UK, China, etc
    - oooopppppppp 9mo ago
      It's a step improvement: It gets you over the border to a comparable place while being close enough to family for now. The risk of "borders are secure now, nobody gets to leave" is non-zero in the US' future. The way political litmus tests are affecting civil rights here is scary as hell too. On the military angle, I'd much rather live in a country without nukes. But I'm willing to kick the nuclear blackmail risk can down the road, my own government's threats are way more immediate.
      - anon291 9mo ago
        > borders are secure now, nobody gets to leave This is honestly insane. > On the military angle, I'd much rather live in a country without nukes. That's because the majority of the typical American with these views is extremely privileged and has never actually had to live in a country without nukes. Ukraine is the future of countries without nukes -- forced to choose between great powers or made into buffer zones without any prospects. It's all so tiresome really.
    - mlrtime 9mo ago
      Let them have their opinion, the number is so small it's meaningless. People have been saying they are moving to Canada for decades due to whatever recent events, statistics say otherwise.
      - anon291 9mo ago

tptacek 9mo ago

Presumably it continues to support them the same way it supports 386 companies headquartered in Europe, 218 in South Asia, 217 in Latin America, 106 in Southeast Asia, 87 in Africa, 71 in MENA, 23 in East Asia, and 14 in Oceania, all locales where you previously had to do a flipped company structure to participate in YC.

kdazzle 9mo ago

[flagged]

RobRivera 9mo ago
[flagged]
- jonway 9mo ago
  Well he got mad about the Canadian version of “A letter to our colleagues” and then endlessly harped on that in social media. Like, years and years later he got a board review, but it’s not like a “some stuff I tweeted” or some “opinions shared on social media”, it was trading on his professional credentials to ply a self-help business scheme among other stuff iirc
- greazy 9mo ago
  You are equating government audits with social media outrage. One is not like the other.
  - RobRivera 9mo ago
    Fair enough
- SirSavary 9mo ago
  Yes, because when you hold credentials granted by a board of professionals that require you to sign a code of ethics, using those credentials to amplify your personal opinions comes with accountability. To be specific: telling people "you're free to leave at any point" when they express concerns about humanity's impact on the planet is the kind of thing psychology boards take issue with, particularly when it comes from someone with a large platform and professional credentials in mental health.
jojobas 9mo ago
[flagged]
mrtksn 9mo ago

am3141 9mo ago

Well it’s the USA / Valley pride what built that ecosystem there. It wasn’t always like that even in the US. A long time ago, the US congress had to pass a law to incorporate a company. It went from there to whats its now because of that pride. We want that pride here in Canada to build our own ecosystem.