Thorsten Heins is now a Canadian citizen

By Adam Zeis on 7 Mar 2013 04:25 pm

BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins celebrated the release of the new CrackBerry in a better way than most of us - by becoming a Canadian citizen. In a small ceremony that took place in Kitchener yesterday, Heins was one of many who were granted Canadian citizenship. He is now a dual citizen of both Germany and Canada. In addition to being able to now truly say he's Canadian, he can also take advantage of universal health care and all the Poutine he can handle (ok, anyone can have Poutine but it's more fun when you're Canadian).

If you want to send a quick congrats along you can do so in the forums. And don't forget to check out our new, totally awesome Thorsten Heins topic page for everything you need to know (and more!) about BlackBerry's CEO.

Topics: Thorsten Heins Editorial

Adam Zeis 3023 (articles) 2789 (forum posts)

110 comments

feldmen01 Mar 7, 2013 at 4:25 pm

How nice

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birdman_38 Mar 8, 2013 at 7:38 pm

Welcome to Canada, eh?

BlackJack-21 Mar 7, 2013 at 4:31 pm

Congrats!

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AngryEdmontonian Mar 7, 2013 at 4:33 pm

Congrats TH!

Proud to have you among us!

Adam, on the Health care, that's probably why he kept the German citizeship, they don't have 5 year wait times for a broken finger

123berryaddicted Mar 7, 2013 at 5:30 pm

Funny. Neither do we (Canadian). The wait times are grossly over exaggerated. If it's an emergency then you'll be taken care of, I have numerous elderly friends who have had none problem. Like I said, it's grossly over exaggerated, our health system is in fine shape. (says I) lol

ekafara Mar 7, 2013 at 6:35 pm

Weird. That 3 year wait list I was on to see the shoulder specialist doesn't seem exaggerated...

123berryaddicted Mar 7, 2013 at 8:17 pm

I don't personally know anyone who has had t wait like that to see any kind of specialist... If it's not an injury or painful, the waits can be a little longer, but I've never seen over a year. and I've seen A LOT of injuries and needs for specialists... it's always been fairly quick. Heck, for that matter, even the cases I know of that were not ot emergency or in pain, we're in to see the specialist in under a year. I keep wanting to actually know someone personally like your self who had a wait like that... but in the hundreds or even thousands of people I know, not a one. but what do I know. Each to their own experience. Maybe you need to move to Alberta ;)

CanAm89 Mar 7, 2013 at 8:43 pm

A lot of it depends on where you are, as well. I've had multiple deaths in my family from being put on wait lists to see specialists for everything from lupus, to cancer, to rare heart diseases, etc. in BC.

The Canadian system is great, just don't get anything serious or you might wind up waiting to your death.

machoman1337 Mar 8, 2013 at 12:08 pm

Keep in mind Canada's population and geography. European countries are far more densely populated. Each hospital and clinic there would be able to employ more staff and serve more people than the average hospital/clinic in Canada because there are more taxpayers per square kilometer to fund it. Generally, major cities in Canada are going to have much better health care than small towns in the middle of nowhere.

Wait times aren't exaggerated. They just aren't going to be experienced by everyone. Yes, I believe no one should have to wait, but things won't improve without more funding for health care. Perhaps we should start cutting politician salaries and shifting those savings onto health care...

Richie Rich1 Mar 7, 2013 at 6:09 pm

Serious?!
I literally broke my finger yesterday... went in today, got it x-rayed today and is under treatment now. No wait time. Not sure where you got 5 years from, but its sure not where im at (Calgary)

AngryEdmontonian Mar 8, 2013 at 8:59 am

Fred Horne, is that you? You just make an account to retort some sarcasm?

tomtomtom Mar 7, 2013 at 4:33 pm

Watch out, the taxman can now come after you =P

machoman1337 Mar 8, 2013 at 12:12 pm

The taxman already goes after all residents working here, even those who are neither citizens nor permanent residents.

If Thor decides to move back to Germany in the future, he's safe from the Canadian taxman as long as he doesn't maintain an address in his name here. German taxes are much higher though!

lawguyman Mar 7, 2013 at 4:34 pm

I don't get dual citizenship. Pick one.

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00stryder Mar 7, 2013 at 4:39 pm

I'm a dual citizen, best of both worlds! Plus, nowadays most of the Western countries are cool with each other, so it's not a big deal to be a citizen of two countries. There are certain limitations though.

imcurved Mar 7, 2013 at 6:42 pm

I think Thorsten should keep his dual citizenship just like the BlackBerry10, one for work and one for play.

jafrul Mar 7, 2013 at 7:39 pm

LOL... Blackberry balance at its best... In the CEO himself..

machoman1337 Mar 8, 2013 at 11:57 am

Same here... my old country didn't permit multiple citizenship either, but I have no regrets about giving up my former nationality because Canada is much better :)

jojo beaconsfield Mar 7, 2013 at 4:36 pm

welcome to canada where PASTA IS PASTA

00stryder Mar 7, 2013 at 4:38 pm

CrackBerry took my news tip AND featured my forum post in a top post?! My life is now complete :D

Congrats again Mr. Heins!

Kevin Michaluk Mar 7, 2013 at 5:08 pm

Congrats!!! Glad we could complete your life!

00stryder Mar 7, 2013 at 5:48 pm

CrackBerry... You. Complete. Me.

feldmen01 Mar 7, 2013 at 6:13 pm

You had me at hello.

sris Mar 7, 2013 at 4:38 pm

Fantastic.

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greatwiseone Mar 7, 2013 at 4:40 pm

He gets healthcare if he's a resident. Doesn't matter if he's a citizen or not :)

Berry_10 Mar 7, 2013 at 4:40 pm

Congratulations Thorsten!

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quophi Mar 7, 2013 at 4:42 pm

Congrats

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themyk Mar 7, 2013 at 4:44 pm

Congrats Thor!

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huntwitme Mar 7, 2013 at 4:46 pm

I want to be a Canadian Citizen too. Congrat to Thorsten Heins you have made me Proud to be a Blackberry owner. God Bless you Plenty.

Badabaeng Mar 7, 2013 at 4:50 pm

Warum auch nicht :)

Congratulations!

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felixlives Mar 7, 2013 at 4:52 pm

Thor is awesome, I really think he's going to get BlackBerry back on track

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SkaterGuy2k Mar 7, 2013 at 4:52 pm

Congratulations :)

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fbloise Mar 7, 2013 at 5:00 pm

Can some Canadian girl marry me so I can be Canadian too?? LOL... btw, I'm from the UK ;)

GeneralHerzog Mar 7, 2013 at 6:04 pm

Given that WE are YOUR subjects, come on over. Brings some shrimp chips from Marks & Spencer with ya.

r0v3rT3N Mar 7, 2013 at 5:01 pm

ADAM, you should know better.
Us Canadians have more than poutine...
We also have bacon and maple syrup!

wilderr Mar 7, 2013 at 5:47 pm

don't forget the peameal :-)

GeneralHerzog Mar 7, 2013 at 6:00 pm

What aboot Ketchup Chips? I could certainly enjoy 80 different flavours of Apple Jacks though.

dalight13 Mar 8, 2013 at 2:32 am

True, but poutine will always stay the best meal EVER

charliechan Mar 8, 2013 at 1:14 pm

Bacon with maple syrup drizzled on it is the best!

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Kevin Michaluk Mar 7, 2013 at 5:08 pm

Now T.H. needs to make a visit to Winnipeg and eat some perogies.

charliechan Mar 8, 2013 at 1:17 pm

I'm Chinese with many Ukrainian friends who have grand parents that have adopted me because of my mass perogy consumption. Then again I love dim sum, it's pretty much the same.

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ejaazidris Mar 7, 2013 at 5:09 pm

Congrats Thorsten! Keep up the good work!

bungaboy Mar 7, 2013 at 5:17 pm

Congratulations Thorsten Heins. Good on you.

I have dual citizenship as well. Cape Breton and Canada. LoL

Chopper110 Mar 7, 2013 at 5:18 pm

Why would Canada want him after he has wrecked BB10?

Spawn12 Mar 7, 2013 at 5:23 pm

Lol here come the trolls lol. How has he destroyed BB10 exactly??.

Glad to have Thor as a fellow Canadian, I have both Canadian and British citizenship.

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Chopper110 Mar 10, 2013 at 4:45 am

Troll!!! Sort yourself out!

TH said BB10 is ready! Far from it, i'm not going in to detail, read the Z10 Hub, it's full of flaws, cant even sync with Outlook.

Thats how its serewed up!!

BruvvaPete2 Mar 10, 2013 at 6:23 pm

Stfu troll. You're such a buffoon. Who let this troll out of its cage?

mnc76 Mar 7, 2013 at 5:53 pm

? ...wuhhh?

CanAm89 Mar 7, 2013 at 8:45 pm

Lol. With Basilie or Laziridis the question would be "What's BB10?"

hemodad Mar 7, 2013 at 5:21 pm

Congrats! Thanks for bringing BB10 to life!

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trynacu2 Mar 7, 2013 at 5:25 pm

What a fantastic way of saying, "I am here for the long run."

Zach Gilbert Mar 7, 2013 at 5:34 pm

Couldn't agree more with your comment.

00stryder Mar 7, 2013 at 5:46 pm

Mr Gill Mar 7, 2013 at 5:31 pm

Glad to have him!

rdcphotocalgary Mar 7, 2013 at 5:32 pm

Congrats! TH

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el_excelsior Mar 7, 2013 at 5:33 pm

Congrats Mr. Heins!

ralfyguy Mar 7, 2013 at 5:34 pm

I am a German citizen living in the US since 13 years. How did he do that, because the Germans don't accept dual citizenship. They told me either American or German.

AngryEdmontonian Mar 7, 2013 at 5:40 pm

They make exeptions for super heroes.

BBOttawa Mar 7, 2013 at 5:44 pm

He's probably good buds with Angela Merkel :)

lotuslanderz Mar 8, 2013 at 3:44 am

Ha Ha. That's probably it :-).
Congrats to Mr. Heins, eh.

Tenkawa Mar 7, 2013 at 5:57 pm

It is the US side which has problems with dual citizenship unless you are born to it.

Canada has no requirement to give up citizenship.

eg: I'm dual UK/CAN. My son is US/CAN (by Birth) and wife is US/CAN (US->CAN). If I went to the US and went for citizenship, I would lose my UK.

machoman1337 Mar 8, 2013 at 11:43 am

The US has never had problems with dual citizenship, at least not since WW2. They just don't encourage it, that's all. Canada has also been very liberal with citizenship laws since the 1970s.

Whether you have to give up your old nationality if you naturalize in Canada or the US is entirely up to the old country's laws. In Thor's case, Germany just requires permission to retain German nationality if such an event occurs and he seems to have got that permission.

Read up on German nationality law on wikipedia. Native-born Germans don't lose German nationality if they naturalize in another EU country. If they naturalize outside the EU, and that country permits multiple citizenship, they just need permission and that may or may not be granted depending on circumstances.

Weeniemeenie Mar 7, 2013 at 5:44 pm

Ich bin ein Berliner, eh?

wilderr Mar 7, 2013 at 5:45 pm

Eh bud...welcome to Canada

ralfyguy Mar 7, 2013 at 5:47 pm

I just checked on my German Embassy's web page and it states that if a geman national applies for a foreign nationality, he automatically renounces his German citizenship.
I would like to apply for American citizenship also, but I will not renounce my German nationality.
I'm glad he did it, don't get me wrong, but I don't understand how he did it, because German law prevents it.

Weeniemeenie Mar 7, 2013 at 6:06 pm

Apparently you can apply for a permit to maintain your German citizenship if you demonstrate that keeping it would be beneficial to you, this is called Beibehaltungsbenehmigung.

More at this link: http://www.canada.diplo.de/Vertretung/kanada/de/02/staatsangehoerigkeit/...

canderson85 Mar 7, 2013 at 5:49 pm

Permanent Residents also have health care.

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CJH_ Mar 7, 2013 at 5:50 pm

This is fantastic news.

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mnc76 Mar 7, 2013 at 5:51 pm

Congratulations Thorsten! :)

James Falconer Mar 7, 2013 at 5:54 pm

I wonder if Thor can skate?

Jimberry Storm Mar 7, 2013 at 5:54 pm

Congratulations Thor......waeght to goo ehh.....ye hoser.....lol

Weeniemeenie Mar 7, 2013 at 6:14 pm

I'd vote for Thorsten being made Onkel Heins at the next Kitchener's Oktoberfest.

backberry z10 Mar 7, 2013 at 6:19 pm

Good for him he deserves it for keeping Canadian tech relevant blackberry 10 is the best period. Posted via my newly upgraded zed10 on Bell (actually northern tel mobility)

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tjodalv Mar 7, 2013 at 6:42 pm

Congrats Thor!

Thank you for having a job and contributing to the system.

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jvictor77 Mar 7, 2013 at 6:51 pm

I have been legally resident for 12 years. I have not given up on my British citizenship because At the time I was advised that it was not recommended to have dual citizenship. Anyway congratulations Thor!

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machoman1337 Mar 8, 2013 at 11:48 am

There's no reason not to become a Canadian citizen if you have EU nationality. If taxes are a concern, Canada does not tax citizens living outside the country if those citizens don't maintain a Canadian residence in their name.

If anything, naturalizing as a Canadian citizen makes it MUCH easier to enter the US, especially for day trips by land. During the four years I was a permanent resident without citizenship, I always had to exit the car and spend a few hours in the immigration building when driving across the border. After naturalizing, I can simply flash my Canadian passport and drive past the booth without any trouble.

But the ultimate reason to get Canadian citizenship is that you can truly feel you belong here :)

PostMortem Mar 7, 2013 at 7:03 pm

That's awesome!
On a side note, you can tell Kevin is excited about CrackBerry10 and the CB10 app. He's been really active with the comments!

Or maybe he's just so awesome with the BB10 keyboard that he has extra time to comment.

When is our Podcast coming... been waiting (patiently).

ptmh Mar 7, 2013 at 7:08 pm

Congratulations.

Brickleberry Mar 7, 2013 at 7:23 pm

Congrats. We are happy to have you. It's amazing how much talent in pouring into Canada.

ewakil12 Mar 7, 2013 at 7:34 pm

Congrats Thor! Thanks for being an awesome CEO!

Staaleh Mar 7, 2013 at 7:34 pm

Do not need to be a Canadian citizen to access health services in Canada; even refugee claimants who do not actually have any status in the country access health care in Canada.

Only difference between a Permanent Resident and a Citizen is the ability to hold a Canadian passport, run for office and vote.

Thor for PM?

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thatplaybookguy Mar 7, 2013 at 7:51 pm

Thor for PM, way better than Harper!!!!

Graheem Mar 7, 2013 at 7:57 pm

+10

dalight13 Mar 8, 2013 at 2:34 am

Not really hard to beat...

BruvvaPete2 Mar 10, 2013 at 6:26 pm

Lol... ouch

thatplaybookguy Mar 7, 2013 at 7:50 pm

Im going to write a song for him and record a video and do one third in english, one third in french and one third in german. Welcome to Canada Thor. We need people like You here!! and by people like you, I mean smart people.

Graheem Mar 7, 2013 at 7:57 pm

Congrats, and welcome, Thorsten!

gowhitesox Mar 7, 2013 at 8:18 pm

Awesome!

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not biased Mar 7, 2013 at 9:00 pm

Just saw him ön the business news. Btw just out from ten Day hospital statistik för ruptured appendix
And sepsis. I was evaluated within five minutes, cat scanned, and operated ön within a couple of hours.
Grateful for the lite saving measures and our health system. As a side note, the government may be soon
Permitting commonwealth passports as well as European Union work permits for us all.

gordo51 Mar 7, 2013 at 9:15 pm

Congratulations Mr. Heins for becoming a citizen of one of the greatest countries on our planet. I wish you and BlackBerry great success in the future

RIM99 Mar 7, 2013 at 9:47 pm

Welcome to the True, North Strong and Free! We are glad too have you as a part of our small (population) but amazing Country... Rooting for BlackBerry's continued rebirth and success!

red2wu Mar 7, 2013 at 9:53 pm

Congratulations Thorsten!!!

green_ember Mar 7, 2013 at 10:43 pm

As long as he doesn't try to buy a hockey team now, we'll bee fine! lol

GjDub Mar 7, 2013 at 11:29 pm

Har!

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Rasec Blanca Mar 7, 2013 at 10:49 pm

Congrats! Doing a great job at Blackberry.

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GjDub Mar 7, 2013 at 11:28 pm

Congrats! Give that man a hockey stick and a jug o beer lol

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kozmo68 Mar 7, 2013 at 11:29 pm

Congratulations Thor, thanks for pulling BB10 together and making it happen.

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Cap_172R Mar 7, 2013 at 11:56 pm

Great news! Congrats Mr. Heins!!

atribecalledx Mar 8, 2013 at 12:44 am

Congrats Thor!

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joshua_sx1 Mar 8, 2013 at 12:54 am

Germany shouldn't give up guys like him... in fact with his talents, they should keep and convince him to use his talents and skills to help Germany economy e.g. reviving Siemens...

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