A video from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario has sparked widespread outrage and heated online discussion after showing a snow-covered neighborhood littered with piles of trash bags. Although the video did not specify who was responsible, many on social media were quick to point the finger at Indian international students, leading to heightened criticism of migrants, particularly from India.
A 25-second video, originally uploaded on TikTok and later shared on X (formerly Twitter), captures a man expressing frustration over the state of his once-charming neighborhood. As the camera pans over the trash-filled area, the man declares, “This is the neighborhood I grew up in. It used to be a lovely neighborhood. It used to be a good place to live.” He describes the scene as “simply disgusting”.
The video includes onscreen text blaming “international students” for illegally dumping garbage in the area.
The post drew a wave of responses, many directly targeting Indian immigrants.
One user commented, “You import Indians, you become India. Greetings, Canada. ” Another wrote, “This is normal for Indian people. They are used to living in sh*t. A third user added, “It's their culture to be dirty.”
Some users drew comparisons to conditions in India, with one commenting, “Surprised? Look at Delhi.” Others expressed dismay at the changes in their neighbourhoods. “Everywhere is the same. My neighbors sold their house; Now there are 10 students living there and it’s chaotic,” one commenter shared. Another lamented, “What used to be so beautiful scenery is all destroyed.”
Amid the deluge of vitriol, a handful of users countered the anti-India rhetoric. One user noted, “As long as I've been alive I've seen white people do this to indigenous peoples' lands. You are all just racists.” Another pointed out possible shortcomings in city services, asking, “Does the city seem slow with their pickup services?”
The incident highlights a growing trend of blaming immigrants, especially Indians, for various problems in Canada. Earlier, a Canadian citizen alleged that Indian women were going to Canada to give birth to their children and get their citizenship. Sharing his personal experience, he said that when his niece was in the hospital's maternity ward, a nurse noted that it was “full of foreign Indian women” who had come to Canada to deliver their babies.
The man further alleged that the woman would return to India with her Canadian-born children, then use their citizenship to immigrate back and sponsor their families. He wrote in X, “Canadian hospitals don't turn anyone away, so they admit all these foreign Indian women and fill most of the wards completely. Of course, I bet they get a bill for the birth because they don't have Canadian health care, but how do they collect? You see, they fly back to India with their child after using our healthcare system.