Vancouver, Love It or Hate It

Acho que existem outras questões além da chuva conforme o link para o artigo. Não conheço outras cidades no Canadá portanto não posso dizer muito a respeito. How do you feel about it?

der doppelgänger

Jennifer Fox: Goodbye Vancouver, you should go and love yourself

I’ve been involved in an abusive relationship for the past eight years and I’m finally breaking free.
I fell in love with Vancouver back in the 1990s, when it was a city of SkullSkates and hippies. I moved here in 2009 before the glass-condo boom had really taken off.

Since then I’ve had lots of good reasons to break up with the city I once loved — precarious work, low wages, unaffordable housing, the city’s terrible dating scene and social isolation. But then again, it’s not uncommon for the abused to ignore the signs. We struggle until we can’t struggle anymore. And then we move.

Yes, I’m breaking up with you Vancouver and moving back to the east coast.

I feel exactly like Justin Bieber, “My mama don’t like you and she likes everyone. And I never like to admit that I was wrong. I’ve been so caught up in my job, I didn’t see what’s going on.”

True. I’ve been caught up in my job and believing that if I just worked a little harder things would get easier.

It’s time to admit that I was wrong. I have three university degrees, exceptional experience and a broad skill set, yet I’ve had to make do with five different contract positions over eight years.

Sure, I managed to pay rent on a 380-square-foot apartment and eat takeout sushi once in while, but I definitely haven’t saved for retirement or been able to afford to give birth yet. I’ve spent most of my 30s on the west coast (land of economic opportunities?) while I watched my friends on the east coast (with less education than me) buy four-bedroom houses and multiple cars.

Sure, they shovel snow, but they also run across the street to borrow sugar from the neighbours. They trade gardening tips with the elders living next door. Their children play in the backyard. They are happy and connected.

In Vancouver I’m lucky to get a hello in an elevator.

You’ve disappointed a lot of people, Vancouver, and the smart ones have already left. There has been a net loss of 25- to 44-year-olds from Vancouver in recent years — more than 1,000 of those folks every year since 2012.

Meanwhile, the poor ones can’t afford to leave — 31.5 per cent of single adults in Vancouver are living in poverty.

And the ones like me? Expect a Dear John letter from them soon, too, because they’re barely hanging on. Even high-profile tech companies like Hootsuite can no longer recruit qualified people.
So, goodbye, Vancouver. You have lost a politically engaged citizen and a Big Sisters volunteer. You have lost a social-justice advocate and a caring neighbour.

I’m leaving because I can’t afford to live here anymore. I can’t afford to pay rent and utilities that increase every year when my salary does not. I can’t afford to wait 23 years — the average time it takes to save for a down payment — for a home in this city.
I can’t afford to delay having children any longer. I can’t afford the time it takes me to commute or the extreme effort it takes to make friends in a city of growing isolation and disconnection.

And no, it’s not me. It’s you.

Your people and politicians have failed me. You can throw some blame on your older brother, the province, too.

All provincial parties have remained silent on plans to fix the broken housing market. B.C. now has the lowest minimum wage and highest child poverty rates in the country. That really makes those braggy “The Best Place on Earth” licence plates come alive!

But you’ve got lots to be proud of, after all. B.C.’s economy outpaced all other provinces this year. And with house prices accelerating 24.5 per cent last year, congratulations Vancouver, you are now the top-performing luxury real estate market in the world.

I can tell you’re delighted. You look in the mirror, fix your beautiful hair and call yourself one of the “most livable cities” on the planet — maybe even “The Greenest City.”

But those of us who are leaving know the truth. And in the wise words of the Biebs, “If you like the way you look that much, maybe you should go and love yourself.”

Jennifer Fox is a founding member of the Association for Generational Equity and co-ordinates Generation Squeeze social media activities at gensqueeze.ca. She’s moving to Halifax.

PadMapper - Todos Os Seus Problemas Acabaram!

Está procurando um local para morar? Tem dúvidas se fica perto ou longe da escola das crianças ou do trabalho? Ou quer um local próximo ao metrô? Está cansado de ficar cruzando informações do Craigslist, Kijiji com Google Maps e de ficar criando custom maps com um monte de listinhas em paralelo?

Pois seus problemas acabaram. Conheça o PadMapper. Não vou ficar aqui explicando muito como funciona. É melhor que veja com seus próprios olhos.

Utilize os vários filtros disponíveis para diminuir as opções de acordo com suas preferências, tais como valores mínimos/máximos, número de quartos, banheiros, palavras chave (i.e.: furnished). Uma vez clicada em uma opção, voce pode colocar nos favoritos e ele apresenta a variação do valor do imóvel comparado com anúncios similares na mesma região. Coloque um endereço como referência, coloque a distância (i.e.: 10 minutos a pé) e é adicionado um overlay em verde do ponto de referência até a distância desejada. Daí voce consegue ver quais são as opções disponíveis dentro dessa área. Voce ainda pode fazer map overlay dos crime stats, walkscore e neighborhoods (somente selected locations nos EUA, tente NY, LA, etc).

Creio que para quem pensa em imigrar ou simplesmente mudar de casa, essa ferramenta é de grande ajuda.

Der Doppelgänger

Best Places to live in Greater Vancouver

Best Places to live in Greater Vancouver
Feb 16, 2007

This is a poll of 650 homeowners throughout the lower mainland of British Columbia conducted between January 23 and February 10, 2007. "Liveability" is based on these types of criteria: amenities in the region, real estate prices, cost of living, restaurants, convenience, transportation, community planning, liklihood of staying in the region, public safety, government (taxes),


#1-Port Moody/Anmore/Belcarra 6,500 +< 7,000 pts.
#2- White Rock 6,000 +< 6,500 pts.
#3- West Vancouver 5,500 +< 6,000 pts.
#4- Port Coquitlam 5,000 +<5,500 pts.
#5- Richmond 5,000 +< 5,500 pts.
#6- Coquitlam 5,000 +< 5,500
#7- Surrey 5,000+< 5,550 pts.
#8- Langley 4,500 +< 5,000 pts.
#9- North Vancouver 4,500 +< 5,000
#10- New Westminster 4,500 +< 5,000
#11- Vancouver City 4,500 +< 5,000
#12- Burnaby 4,500 +< 5,000

Commentary-

Port Moody/Anmore/Belcarra This area of the lower mainland is ROBBINS ranked #1. Homeowners in this survey were on average the oldest (49) and were more likely to have committed to staying the region. Anmore Belcarra could probably use a coffee bistro or Starbucks of their own, but if you are willing to pay 1 to 1.5 million for your home without a guarantee of street lights or finished roads, there must be something to like. Port Moody is a meca of new retirement with tremendous old city charm, and modern living accommodations, Port Moody/Anmore/Belcarra has 'it' all going for it. Despite some contention over transportation issues for this region, residents have one of the highest rates of self-employed/lower rates of travel to and from work with help to ameliorate the aforementioned problems at least in the minds of respondents.

White Rock- Like PM/Anmore/Belcarra, White Rock has water, beaches in fact. High end homes aren't cheap here but residents don't care, they have it all. Homeowners in this poll are more inclined to be working nearer to home.

West Vancouver- The average age of our homeowners in West Vancouver was lower than we had expected (47). This could be because many respondents who we suspected were older did not want to take our survey which may have skewed the age, or perhaps there are more younger people with the kind of income which can afford the prices of these homes. West Vancouver has it all, the ocean, nearness to Whistler, and downtown Vancouver.

Port Coquitlam- This area of the northeast sector has 'snuck up' on everyone as a top place to live in the Greater Vancouver region. A well organized city hall, quaint small town feel in the city centre, lots of amenities, good schools, and reasonably affordable housing makes Port Coquitlam a desirable destination for homeowners.

Richmond Tsawwassen- Richmond Tsawwassen has it all, amenities galore, wonderful shopping, (fairly) reasonable real estate prices (for Vancouver), close to the ocean, a major airport and now rapid transit.
Coquitlam- Coquitlam is really a fabulous place to live with excellent shopping and amenities. close to Port Moody/Belcarra/Anmore beaches and the ocean, there are all types of styles of accommodation from million dollar homes to real cool areas of older homes. Plenty of parks and recreation, Coquitlam is on the move.

Surrey- Canada's largest municipality (area) Surrey has really come a long way in the past few years. Great parks, art and an interesting mixture of culture, it has everything anyone would want and reasonable prices. Travel over the bridge(s) brings Surrey's ranking down somewhat (as it does other cities and municipalities with greater dependence on bridge travel).

Langley- this is a fabulous place to live with plenty of amenities, great sports and recreation (tremendous support in the community). Langley Township responses ranked as high as an area in the region and anyone who has been there would be able to understand why the residents love it so much. Transportation development will make Langley the place to live in the coming years.

North Vancouver- This has got to be the place of all places to live. It isn't easy to buy a home here, and many of our respondents were younger with a good average income (home) but not as high as its sister city West Vancouver. The bridges can be frustrating for residents here who appear to travel these almost as frequently as the folks in Surrey.

New Westminster- Imagine being able to purchase a penthouse condominium on the water in Greater Vancouver for under $500,000. New Westminster really has it going on if you like a mixture of old, and funky. You can lease business space for unbelievable rates, and purchase an older beautiful home for an excellent price. For my money the best real estate values in the lower mainland are in New Westminster.

Vancouver- Vancouver is a fabulous city. Great restaurants, the ocean, Kitsilano, Stanley Park, everything you can imagine is right here, but it isn't cheap and prices aren't going to go down. Vancouver's rankings for public safety, policing and transportation (fears about transportation elsewhere as well) have brought down the overall score for Vancouver.

Burnaby- Burnaby has amazing parks and the people living here are quite happy to pay their taxes to ensure the city remains one of the most beautiful in the region. Complaints ranged mostly about transportation and creeping undesirables in some traditional areas such as the heights, but particularly in south Burnaby.