Our daily travels around the world

🇨🇦 Most foreigners in Canada are now banned from purchasing homes for the next two years. The new law, which was approved by Canada’s Parliament in April and took effect on Jan. 1, carves out exceptions for international students, refugee claimants, and people with temporary work permits. Officials said the legislation is intended to discourage buyers from looking at homes as investments or commodities. Average housing prices in Canada have increased by 48% since 2013, and currently sit at ~$567,000 USD.

🇮🇳 The Indian state of Assam successfully eliminated rhino poaching in 2022. Assam contains nearly 75% of the world’s entire population of greater one-horned rhinos (aka Indian rhinos), with ~2,900 specimens statewide. But poaching has become a serious concern in recent years, as rhino horns are both seen as a status symbol and used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. In June 2021, Assam’s government established a 22-member task force and deployed armed commandos as part of a new anti-poaching initiative. And it worked – no rhinos were poached last calendar year for the first time in over two decades.

🇯🇵 Japan is offering families $7,500 per child to move away from the Tokyo area. The incentive, which comes into effect in April, marks a dramatic rise from the previous relocation fee of ~$2,300 per child. Lawmakers said the move is designed to draw people away from Tokyo – the world’s largest city with 37+ million residents in its metro area – and encourage them to move to other parts of the country where local populations are shrinking.