Canadian PR

[exSINgaporean]

Thanks for the "noise".....hear you loud and clear.

You can email Ms Sims below to ask her about the sustainablilty of our CPP.

You said there are financial planners who are advising people to save on their own. Well I am doing the same BUT I must tell my client the support of the OAS and CPP and not lead them with fear so that they "over save" though me .....I ended up gaining more commission and the do not have a life ot live.

Sometime it is good to save but I tell my clients along the journey to retirement they must also have some extra money to enjoy the beautiful country of Canada and the world.....play with their kids and grandchildren, smell the air, just relax....not having the fear that you will be dirt poor because the Canadian govt MIGHT run out of money.

Honestly I have more faith in the Canadian govt than Lee Kuan Yew's YES men. Here we are transparent and once your account is transparent, there are lots of check-and-balances. Our CPP did went negative for minus 1.5% but at least we did not buy into BoA at the peak and sell the stocks at the bottom like someone's daughter-in-law......lots more eg.

So thanks for the "noise" to warn us again.

.......................................................................................................

Long-term sustainability

The CPP Fund is sustainable for the next 75 years, according to the most recent projection by the Chief Actuary of Canada. The report indicates that CPP contributions are expected to exceed annual benefits paid until 2021, providing an 11-year period before a portion of the investment income from the CPPIB will be needed to help pay pensions.

Asset Mix

•Equities represented 53.9% of the investment portfolio or $69.9 billion. That amount consisted of 40.8% public equities valued at $52.9 billion and 13.1% private equities valued at $17.0 billion.

•Fixed income, which includes bonds, money market securities, other debt and debt financing liabilities, represented 32.0% or $41.5 billion.

•Inflation-sensitive assets represented 14.1% or $18.3 billion. Of those assets,

◦o 6.1% consisted of real estate valued at $7.9 billion
◦o 4.7% was infrastructure assets valued at $6.1 billion
◦o 3.3% was inflation-linked bonds valued at $4.3 billion.

CPP Investment Board

The CPP Investment Board is a professional investment management organization that invests the funds not needed by the Canada Pension Plan to pay current benefits on behalf of 17 million Canadian contributors and beneficiaries. In order to build a diversified portfolio of CPP assets, the CPP Investment Board invests in public equities, private equities, real estate, inflation-linked bonds, infrastructure and fixed income instruments. Headquartered in Toronto, with offices in London and Hong Kong, the CPP Investment Board is governed and managed independently of the Canada Pension Plan and at arm's length from governments. At June 30, 2010, the CPP Fund totaled $129.7 billion. For more information about the CPP Investment Board, please visit www.cppib.ca.



For further information contact:
Linda Sims
Director, Media Relations
(416) 868-8695
[email protected]

 

[exSINgaporean]

Why don't you write letters to editors to newspapers or TV stations instead of this forum??? Aren't you tired of hearing those politically correct version? You know... when caught, those women were victims, forced into sex slavery etc etc

You should also suggest that I walk nake in downtown Edmonton to draw the attention of the TV and press to save our fellow innocent men.

Which TV station would be so free to respond? Have you written to them before? I had on many occassions on Human Rights issues and their reponse is..........................................................

........................................................

........................................................

 

[exSINgaporean]

I give you something to think about.

Dr. Sun Yik San spent most of this time overseas but he was the main figure who united the Han Chinese to overthrow the Manchurians.

You can easily be the Dr. Sun of Singapore.

Think about it. All you need to do is next year 2011 you hlep tow (yes just 2) doctors or medical specialists to immigrate to Edmonton or Canada on the whole. Just 2 and stop there. You will do all your best to network fo rthem, show them the options, ...do all you can to help them to succeed....you yourslef could be back to the medical field but just choose to work a 3 or 4 days week.

You only request to them to repay you is a year later, they EACH inturn help two other doctors from Singapore to immigrate to Edmonton.

Wow, BY 2020, your very first step will bring PAP on its keens ....1000 doctors leaving in just ONE year along. And 2021 ti will be 2,000! This is a system pattern which they see it coming and doubling each year.

OK, you might think this is absurb, how can so many doctors immigrating in just one year. Then how about "medical profession" per se.....medical specialists, family doctors, nurses, phamacists, dental tecnicians, denturists, RN, emergency ward maintainance technicians, radiology.....1,000 is possible right....even 5,000 is possible.

Just imagine if just 100 family doctors in the private and polyclinics leaving in a year, that is about 1/3 of the medical school students. That is as good as doctors on strike. But then next year there will be 200 then 400 doctors.

If we can have 1,000 of you smart people in Alberta, then there will be at least double the number smart and well-behave children in our province.

Alberta's gain is Singapore's lost.....it all starts fro you rmagic TWO.

Give it a thought.

 

[nayr69sg]

Huh? Manai wu eng?

Aiyah forget it lah. I didn't come all the way across to the other side of the world to think about how to destroy Singapore lah.

Forget about Singapore liao. Concentrate on improving myself here in Edmonton. I wish Singapore and all Singaporeans all the best. Honestly I wish them well. I made my choice but it doesn't make my choice THE CORRECT choice for everyone.

There is no right or wrong. Everyone can choose what they want.

I speak to friends in Singapore about migration and they come up with 101 reasons why I am nuts to migrate and why staying in Singapore is "more smart". Then you have those who migrated and come up with 101 reasons why leaving Singapore is "more smart". Years back I made a decision not to have a maid. When anyone talked to me or my wife about "maid problems" and we said "we don't have a maid", they would go "WHAT?!!! How you cope like that?" And we reply oh we do our own housework, wash clothes, fold clothes, iron clothes, clean house, clean toilet..." And they would laugh at us "Doctor clean toilet? Don't be crazy lah" Then the 101 reasons why it makes more sense to have a maid in Singapore than not to have a maid. Again....justify what they are doing. It's almost as if everyone has to be doing it, and if someone isn't then there is a risk that it could be the wrong thing.......dunno lah....

Aiyah everyone just wants to justify that what they are doing is the best.

There is no better or as a Minister says "betterest". Just different choices for different people.

With regard to the healthcare system in Singapore I would say it is excellent for the people/patients. Really excellent. Affordable and convenient, efficient and of good enough standard. Foreigners who visit Singapore always say it is amazing they can see the doctor so fast, get their medicines fast and it costs less than an arm and leg without insurance. My only gripe was that despite all this the people in Singapore are not grateful and continue to attack and hate doctors. Very sad.

I am basically a non confrontational type of person who believes that the most destructive force in our world is misunderstanding between human beings. Love thy neighbour as you would love yourself. We gain nothing by inflicting pain and suffering on others. But it has become such that in Singapore you have to be fierce and aggressive otherwise you get sidelined and ignored. I don't like a society where in order to get proper service I have to behave like an asshole.

Why so hung up on Singapore? I left Singapore to get away from the brown stuff there. Not to bring it all here with me.

 

[fishbuff]

hey doc, ask u a quick question.. in your opinion, is there a prevalence of psychological disorders among singaporeans?

 

[neddy]

hey doc, ask u a quick question.. in your opinion, is there a prevalence of psychological disorders among singaporeans?

Hey,

You do not need to ask a doctor that, I can answer. Psychosis is pretty common among Singaporeans, esp the elites.

Every time a quitter like me talk about Singapore, my relatives go into psychotic episodes.

What are the manifestations of Psychotic Episodes?

1. Believing something is there that actually is not there - eg my CPF money is still there.

2.Believing something is true that couldn't possibly be true - eg Singapore is a happy place to live in.

3. Communication problem - no idea what they are mumbling about. As if they are waiting for a saviour to help them when the govt couldn't.

4. Irrational fear, eg if I speak out against PAP, I will suffer like Dr Chee.

Eg. They tell me, if Singapore allow dual citizenships, they will not be loyal to Singapore. THIS IS CLEARLY a Psychotic Episode.
It is precisely that humans should be given this sovereignty choice because even for citizens, they will run away as refugees. A permanent resident may stay on to fight. At the end of the day, we ask ourselves whether is the country worth defending? If it is, even Americans will join in the fun.

A lot of other issues arise from dual citizenships eg FT not having to serve NS. But they all arise out of false assumption of Dual citizenship and loyalty.

Alas! Dinner time.
Just a fun way to look at this. Apologies to medical doctors.

 

[nayr69sg]

Not all psychological disorders are psychotic medical conditions.

Psychotic disorders are the most serious and involve hallucinations etc.

Stress related disorders eg anxiety is prevalent in Singapore as with other major cities.

I think it is more of the general way in which Singapore service administrators run the system.

If you reward bad behavior then you get more of it. And in Singapore they reward bad behaviour. Just ask those guys that train SIA staff.

Personally I feel it is wrong to go that route. Stick to your principles

 

[pohchuan]

My take is that there are many mental health problem in Singapore. The stress of life due to lack of options. For example, if you are a degree holder, you are expected to be productive and to work the stressful high end job, and you are expected to earn high wages and spent it on high property prices and dinings. So if you want to just do the menial job as you have enough of the stressful life, you are not allowed the option to do so. This is because the society at large in Singapore will not accept your decision and your relatives and friends will ask you why are you leaving the high paying job...Are you fired from your job?

So, a lot of people in Singapore is living their stressful lives not because they want to, but they are expected to. This is a country where their only assets are people, is it any wonder that the govt would want to maximise output from its only resource and minimise its spending on the same only resource. You see lots of people working till late nights (maximise output) and at the same time getting pittance salary (no minimum wage, minimise spending).

The burden on individual is too great to bear, and this lead to mental problem at large.

 

[Leongsam]

So, a lot of people in Singapore is living their stressful lives not because they want to, but they are expected to.

Each individual has the option of living life according to their own rules and expectations.

People who allow others to impose expectations on them are idiots.

 

[neddy]

Each individual has the option of living life according to their own rules and expectations.

People who allow others to impose expectations on them are idiots.

The Singapore I remember is that if people do not live to certain expectations of others, these people will suffer society-added stress, esp through ridicule and deliberate discrimination. Of course, after a while, these people are ignored - but not for long.

It is also a kind of dumb-down society that envy those who try to stick their heads out too much. The society will hammer that fellow down until he is obediently level-headed - esp in the workplace and in politics.

Has things changed?

 

[Leongsam]

esp through ridicule and deliberate discrimination. Of course, after a while, these people are ignored - but not for long.

When I lived in Singapore, I took public transport despite the fact that I could well afford a car. I was "ridiculed" for not owning a set of fancy wheels.

However, I chose to ignore the "ridicule" and suffered no stress whatsoever simply because I was not bothered by what others said and thought. I was more interested in planning for my early retirement and wasting money paying astronomical sinkie prices was not in my game plan

Anyone can do the same. It's all in the mind.

 

[nayr69sg]

With regard to people in Singapore working like mad.....

I thought about this problem before. Well this is the reason why Singapore is successful. Hardworking resources.

If the people were lazy and not so productive, then Singapore would not be so successful.

A government that is more relaxed and pro family etc.....then Singapore's economy is not so good.....people earn less money....raise taxes to support programs.....

Singaporeans will complain also. They will find something to complain about.

So in the end the problem is Singapore is too tiny and has NO RESOURCES except for hardworking people.

It is just like when you start a company with no money but a couple of hardworking partners. Then many years later, the company only got hardworking people and some cash. If all relack jack use up the cash then how?

Not like got some major assets like that. Property in Singapore is valuable because the people are hardworking in the service sectors.

 

[neddy]

With regard to people in Singapore working like mad.....

I thought about this problem before. Well this is the reason why Singapore is successful. Hardworking resources.

If the people were lazy and not so productive, then Singapore would not be so successful.

Singapore has one of the highest GDP, after HK and Japan, even before independence.
The reason why Singapore, and the other 3 asian tiger economies succeed, are timing (no China around), lower cost for multinationals and luck (friendly external environment when the west are caught with union power, high cost due to US-Europe currency wars and the infamous cold war)

 

[nayr69sg]

Singapore has one of the highest GDP, after HK and Japan, even before independence.
The reason why Singapore, and the other 3 asian tiger economies succeed, are timing (no China around), lower cost for multinationals and luck (friendly external environment when the west are caught with union power, high cost due to US-Europe currency wars and the infamous cold war)

Well yeah but without a hardworking nation of people you will get nowhere with Singapore. Look at our neighbors. Why just the Asian tigers and not the whole of ASEAN?

 

[neddy]

Well yeah but without a hardworking nation of people you will get nowhere with Singapore. Look at our neighbors. Why just the Asian tigers and not the whole of ASEAN?

Yes, hardworking people too. This chief factor that also stand out if we factor in the different races in Singapore.

Remind me of hardworking live-in Chinese workers in the Great Factory of China.
Apple iPhone manufactures for US$25 in Foxconn suicide-happy factories.

After awhile, everyone want a better deal.

 

[pohchuan]

With regard to people in Singapore working like mad.....

I thought about this problem before. Well this is the reason why Singapore is successful. Hardworking resources.

If the people were lazy and not so productive, then Singapore would not be so successful.

A government that is more relaxed and pro family etc.....then Singapore's economy is not so good.....people earn less money....raise taxes to support programs.....

Singaporeans will complain also. They will find something to complain about.

So in the end the problem is Singapore is too tiny and has NO RESOURCES except for hardworking people.

It is just like when you start a company with no money but a couple of hardworking partners. Then many years later, the company only got hardworking people and some cash. If all relack jack use up the cash then how?

Not like got some major assets like that. Property in Singapore is valuable because the people are hardworking in the service sectors.

I have thought of the same thing too. You see, as a society, the Singapore system is good because it makes the country rich, but for an individual, the system is lousy as the system expects a lot of sacrifice from an individual and the system sucks the life out of a person.

So what is the best way forward?

We know singapore can be rich but at the same time the system forced its citizen to work hard at all cost, this include physical and mental stress plus unhealthy lifestyle and dictatorial system that punished the less hard working etc. Even the school system is pointing towards such stressful lifestyle with examination and extra curricular activities all thrown in to acclimatise the students for the stessful environment when they enter the workforce.

One way is to give yourself an option to leave the country and to experience less stressful lifestyle overseas. And at the same time staying engage with Singapore through investment and assets accumulation. This is a simple solution of placing oneself away from the oppressive and stressful expectation of the country placed upon an individual, but at the same time still riding on the collective success of the country.

I am not sure if anyone understand what I am trying to convey. Essentially, my suggestion is to stay away physically from Singapore (to avoid being oppressed) but watching it closely from afar through direct investment in the country success. Or in other words, let the suckers who remain in Singapore work hard and make Singapore successful, we reap the success indirectly through direct investment in Singapore while staying away from the hardlife in that country.

 

[pohchuan]

Each individual has the option of living life according to their own rules and expectations.

People who allow others to impose expectations on them are idiots.

In Singapore, due to its small size, it is easy for those hell bent on imposing their values upon others to close all gates and leave you with no option.

I think many Singapore are stressed out not because they choose to, but they have no other options due to circumstances or they may face barricades erected by those who want to impose their expectation on them.

I think we should be kinder to these stressed out people as they are the victims instead of branding them as idiots. Not everyone has the gift of intelligence.

 

[nayr69sg]

In Singapore, due to its small size, it is easy for those hell bent on imposing their values upon others to close all gates and leave you with no option.

I think many Singapore are stressed out not because they choose to, but they have no other options due to circumstances or they may face barricades erected by those who want to impose their expectation on them.

I think we should be kinder to these stressed out people as they are the victims instead of branding them as idiots. Not everyone has the gift of intelligence.

I don't call anyone idiots. But as I mentioned before everyone is free to do what they want to do. It's just the price they are not willing to pay.

There is no such thing as "no option".

Hence Singaporeans who are stressed out have a choice to be less stressed. It's just that the price is too much for them to pay. So they choose to be stressed as they are because by changing their lives they think they will be MORE stressed.

As a doctor I have spoken to many of these people and find that their minds are all closed to options. They want miracles. Presented to them on a platter with no effort whatsoever on their part. Sorry but there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

Singapore is not really a country. It is a company. And the people are all employees. That's how it is run. Once you have accepted that wholeheartedly then you start to be able to use the relationship to its full advantage. I would liken citizens as employees signed with a lifetime contract that is harder to break while FTs have shorter contracts. Pros and cons.

 

[pohchuan]

Singapore is not really a country. It is a company. And the people are all employees. That's how it is run. Once you have accepted that wholeheartedly then you start to be able to use the relationship to its full advantage. I would liken citizens as employees signed with a lifetime contract that is harder to break while FTs have shorter contracts. Pros and cons.

As mentioned rightly, Singapore citizens is like an employee with a lifetime contract that is harder to break as compared to FT. For some citizen they cant even break the contract as they can not leave the country due to various reason, one of which is the lack of higher qualification for them to apply for PR elsewhere. So these people have NO OPTION but to remain in Singapore. As for FT, they can have the option to leave the country and back to their own.

I think there are always some people who has no choice but to remain yet wanting to leave badly. These are the trapped souls, and life in Singapore is not kind to them. There are of course others who choose to remain stupidly despite the oppression, and also some others who thinks that it is all right to forced their view on others. And for those who can see the idiosyncrasies of the Singapore system, they would plan their exits from Singapore.

 

[nayr69sg]

NO OPTION?

Can't get PR offshore means no option?

I see many mexicans and Filipinos on work permit here. Work a few years in laborer type jobs later can apply for PR.

There is NO SUCH THING AS NO OPTION.

Not willing to pay the price. Want to leave singapore can just don't expect everything tone way and presented on a platter.

Even those political prisoners can be released if they renounce their allegiances. But
They CHOOSE to fight on and not give in.

No right or wrong just free to choose. But be prepared to pay the price.