Canadians are crowdfunding to pay their bills
Cost of Living

Canadians are crowdfunding to pay their bills

B2Upper-intermediateJune 13, 202627 min
  • Interview
  • Business & money

Thousands of Canadians have launched GoFundMe campaigns this year, asking for help with everyday expenses. But, as more of us struggle with the cost of living, is crowdfunding the best way to keep up? Also, just how much does it cost small towns to maintain giant roadside attractions? And we ask: what does the rise of Elon Musk, the world's first trillionaire, say about capitalism in the 21st century? Paul Haavardsrud speaks to Quinn Slobodian, co-author of Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed.

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Sentence 9 of 12 · 1:06

What's his equivalent of the $5 day

?

Is Elon giving anything back?

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B2 · Upper-intermediate

Comfortable if you already follow TV news

A1 34%A2 41%B1 15%B2 9%C1 2%
  • 89% of the words are B1 or easier.
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  • 132 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.

Transcript

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0:37

Elon Musk's net worth, nearly a trillion dollars, is staggering. It's rich like we haven't seen before. And what he does with that wealth is also different from the tycoons we used to know. He is making things cheaper than they had been before.

0:52

He has lowered the cost of putting mass into orbit by over 90 percent, created a new consumer or EV sector that basically didn't exist before. But what's he giving back? What's his equivalent of the $5 day

1:06

or the collective bargaining agreement? Is Elon giving anything back? Or is he just swimming around in a giant vat of money like Scrooge McDuck?

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