Some ethnic groups live in more crowded Canadian homes

July 27, 2023

By Vancouver Sun |

It’s common for Filipino immigrants to share bedrooms with relatives and friends when they arrive in Canada, says community leader Ted Alcuitas.

Since many Filipino immigrants come to Canada without much money, and many start out in the service industry, a belief is embedded in Filipino culture that “if you have no housing, we will house you,” says Alcuitas, a B.C. writer and publisher.

While it’s not unusual for many Filipinos to share bedrooms, Alcuitas said there is nothing monolithic about the 960,000 people of Filipino origin now in Canada. They experience a wide range of housing options, with their dwellings often becoming more roomy the longer they’re in the country.

Alcuitas was offering a Filipino perspective on a new Statistics Canada census report, titled Housing suitability by visible minority and immigrant status, that describes the sharply contrasting housing conditions of different groups in Canada.