It sucks that your stuff got stolen and the person who took it is a a**hole but this is your fault for just leaving your bag outside. I'm surprised people are so naive. There's lots of great/nice places in the world (Canada included) by they can't really stop petty crooks from being born within their borders, or immigrating here (if they don't know they're a criminal).

Yeah, never leave valuables unattended. I've left a binder with notes when I went out for lunch (who in their right mind would still notes?) and they were taken.

It's too bad that you learned the hard way. At McMaster, people tend to be a little bit more considerate, I left my cellphone at the library once and had it returned. I've found cellphones and mp3 players and have always returned them.

Once you get off-campus, things may not be the same.

Originally Posted by rickmeister

Before you go lose your faith in Canadians, remember that McMaster is a very, VERY multicultural university and whoever stole from you wasn't necessarily Canadian. Bad people are everywhere...

really? really?

blaming it on immigrants? jesus f-ing christ.


and yes there are bad people everywhere, regardless whether they're canadians or immigrants.

Originally Posted by TTHX

really? really?

blaming it on immigrants? jesus f-ing christ.


and yes there are bad people everywhere, regardless whether they're canadians or immigrants.

He wasn't blaming it on immigrants, he was stating that there's a possibility that it wasn't a Canadian because the thread starter seems adament that it was a Canadian who committed the crime. Way to misread.

Originally Posted by TTHX

really? really?

blaming it on immigrants? jesus f-ing christ.


and yes there are bad people everywhere, regardless whether they're canadians or immigrants.

I think I made it clear in my post that I'm an immigrant myself....

What I am saying is that the original poster is claiming that she's about to lose faith in Canadians because she thought it was such a nice place blah blah. What I'm saying is that whoever stole her bag wasn't necessarily Canadian. I thought I made it clear that my stance is that there's bad people in every country, and there's no reason to lose faith in Canadians specifically.

Like others have said, just don't leave valuables alone. I don't think that means that Canada is an un-ideal place, it just means that you never know when an a-hole is around. I'd say that the majority of Canadians aren't thiefs, but that doesn't mean that thiefs don't live here.

Guys, calm down. I think everyone is just misunderstanding each other. Human beings wherever they live have a bunch of losers who like to deprive others of what is theirs in one way or another.

Its a sad truth we all have to deal with. But im sure our unfortunate friend has learnt that he/she shudn't trust anyone with their belongings if you dont know them.
Period!

- Abhi

On the bright side, you will know to never leave valuables alone again. There are bad people EVERYWHERE in Hamilton. My friend left her blackberry beind the counter at our work and it was stolen. Like huzaifa47 mentioned, that was a crime of oppurtunity. However, my native Hamilton friends and I have all experienced crimes that weren't even based on an oppurtunity.

For example, my friend was held at knife point getting off a bus and had his iPod stolen. I've been jumped by a gang here as well in the middle of the day on a busy street.

So even during the day and in a nice public place like Westdale, never trust anyone. I don't think Canada is as bad as other places, but we're not perfect.

Originally Posted by jachill

On the bright side, you will know to never leave valuables alone again. There are bad people EVERYWHERE in Hamilton. My friend left her blackberry beind the counter at our work and it was stolen. Like huzaifa47 mentioned, that was a crime of oppurtunity. However, my native Hamilton friends and I have all experienced crimes that weren't even based on an oppurtunity.

For example, my friend was held at knife point getting off a bus and had his iPod stolen. I've been jumped by a gang here as well in the middle of the day on a busy street.

So even during the day and in a nice public place like Westdale, never trust anyone. I don't think Canada is as bad as other places, but we're not perfect.

Wow you actually got jumped in middle of the day on a busy street. Time to keep my iphone in my pocket and hold my bag tight.

Originally Posted by jachill

For example, my friend was held at knife point getting off a bus and had his iPod stolen. I've been jumped by a gang here as well in the middle of the day on a busy street.

where was this ?

it probably happened for a reason

where was this ?

My friend was robbed in getting off a bus somewhere near Stoney Creek (I know wtf, not even downtown). I got jumped (completely randomly and for NO reason by the way) on Upper Ottawa, on the mountain - also not downtown.

Maybe it's just my luck. lol

But ya, I make sure to keep my iPhone deep in my pockets.

Originally Posted by jachill

My friend was robbed in getting off a bus somewhere near Stoney Creek (I know wtf, not even downtown). I got jumped (completely randomly and for NO reason by the way) on Upper Ottawa, on the mountain - also not downtown.

Maybe it's just my luck. lol

But ya, I make sure to keep my iPhone deep in my pockets.

Did you fight back?

Like others have said, never leave your valuables unattended. This goes for every single place in the world - not just Canada.

And this has nothing to do with "the truth about Canada and McMaster". People get robbed all over the world. Canada's crime rate isn't as high as many other countries.

It sucks that you were robbed. But please don't make this about Canada being a bad place to live. I've lived in Canada (Hamilton, no less!) for 21 years and I've never encountered this kind of thing. But to be fair, that's probably because I would never leave anything of mine unattended.

Also, I don't think blaming the guards was a good idea. I think by "guard", you mean security. I REALLY doubt they took your stuff. It's just not their job to watch random bags on the street. Plus, if you were going into a pub, why not just take your bag with you? Thinking it would be safe on the street for an hour or more is very naive.

Sorry. I'm not trying to be rude. But being from another country isn't really an excuse for this kind of thing. There is crime everywhere. Even if your hometown was perfect with no crime at all, you should know that not everywhere in the world will be the same.

Originally Posted by Goce

Did you fight back?

I hope not!
No iPod or cellphone or any amount of money is worth risking your life for. :(