No way those numbers are right. At least not in Toronto. I'm a back end dev with under 5 years experience and you couldn't get me to set the clock on your microwave for $53k.
I've been making more than double the median wage in my city for the last 20 years or so.
All the anecdotes still seem to point to software engineers making more than double in the US. I would love to return to Canada some day, but I'm not likely to do so until the numbers I see people post online start beginning with at least a 2 or 3.
And you have 20 years experience? If you are good, you could be making 4x this in the Bay Area. Or more,
In the larger cities, salaries have really gone up in the last few years.