dbd33

But why would you do that? You could live like that in London, or Bolton, or Londonderry and have access to cheap cheese and family members to babysit. Emigration has to offer more of something and, if you're emigrating to Canada, it has to offer more stuff, as you're plainly not moving for the culture.

not2old

"Culture & cheese" you said, hang on a minute

Could it be to get away from the relatives, overcrowded small minded UK, the likes of 'Benefits Street, The Royle Family' or Shameless'

If for no other reason 'it's to get away from the relatives'

withabix

He must have been a scouser....

spouse of scouse

No, he was Australian. My 2nd (current) husband is scouse, and he's the hardest working, kindest and most wonderful person I've ever met. Makes me laugh as well!

scilly

OH had a private pension through his work, and the administrators made some wise investments in the 70s and 80s so that is the source.

My own income is well below the poverty line ............... OAS and CPP don't pay a lot!

You missed out (and so did I!!)......

regular servicing and maintenance on a 10 year old Subaru,

ca $1200-1400 annually on gas bills (mainly around town these days),

electricity (about $1500 a year) and natural gas (ca $900 annually) charges for heating and lighting a small house

food (averages $100/week for ca $5000 a year),


the odd bottle from the liquor store,

donations, etc etc ..............


We take as low a draw as we can manage from the pension fund as it has to last us, and we're squirrelling away as much as we can in the eventuality that one or both of us needs care ................ it is very expensive here to get into a decent care home or to get extra help at home over and above what the province's plan thinks is needed.

It all depends on us, with no other family here except our one child and nieces and nephew with their own lives to live.

spouse of scouse

grrrrr. What's with the sweeping generalisations crap about the UK? How can an entire nation be 'small minded'?

not2old

scilly @ post #35, forgive me if my previous post was a knock or prying, it wasn't mean't to be, nor was it probing a response

It goes to show that even on a modest retirement income or what would seem higher than average for a senior retired couple - Canada is not a cheap place to live.

To add, the Government of Canada does not take care of its seniors either - so save save save for your old age, because even getting the max old age pension + the maximum GIS top up, it amounts to approx $1440/mth/person senior retired couple.

See if folks in any major centre in Canada could live on that

Maybe in a small city New Brunswick, definitely not in the Toronto GTA or the greater Vancouver area

.

not2old

I said what I said cos that is my impression, which could be totally incorrect

Maybe for those that live in small minded Britain that want to get out & emigrate

As a side note...

Well, the chancellor sure as hell showed them with his latest budget, didn't he. Next is Brexit & the 'sinking ship'

Did you read what Osborne pay is from his latest venture, not bad eh!

Osborne to earn £650,000 a year advising US financial firm - BBC News

scilly

not2old ....................

that's OK


I truly despair for many seniors here in BC ........................

Homeowners get a "grant" from the BC government on their primary residence set against the annual city tax bill. I think it reduces the bill by about $300. Seniors over 65 get a similar but slightly larger "grant". This applies to all houses under a certain assessed value, and then the amount diminishes for higher assessments.

The aim has always been to reduce the cost for homeowners and seniors.

Christie Clark's government last year raised the base cap to $1.2 million, with both grants disappearing by $1.4 million.

This year the cap has been raised to $1.6 million, again diminished to zero within about $200,000

That sounds good, doesn't it??


BUT most of the houses are now assessed at more than $1.8 million ................ which means that homeowners and seniors are not getting any help to pay the continually increasing city taxes.

Now, think of what that means to a senior on the basic OAS and CPP, with GAIN??


There are a lot of them around!! I have 2 neighbours both over 80, both on limited incomes, and both of them have houses that are valued at $2 million or more ................. and this is in one of the cheaper neighbourhoods on the west side of Vancouver.


The government's solution???

Use the programme that allows seniors to defer paying city taxes until the house is sold ........... with interest accumulating of course!


I almost weep when I look at prices of houses in many other places in Canada!


Now, I know that many people will say "but you're sitting on wealth". Yes ............. seniors and long-time residents in Vancouver are sitting on wealth. But what we do if we sell?? Where can any of this group of people buy, or go?

It's like what used to be said about Cheshire farmers (and I suppose about farmers in many areas) ................ land rich, cash poor!

scilly

Re small-minded Britain ...........

You and I both emigrated at around the same time .............. it will soon be 50 years since we left the UK, 49 since we came to Canada ...................


and Britain was small-minded in those days


and TBH, I haven't noticed that much difference in many people on our visits back!

Relatives and friends have driven us crazy on more than one visit to them with their small-minded views of the world, and yes, racist and sexist comments. Many of them have truly not been interested in anything outside their own little circle.


Now, the same thing may be found by emigrants from other countries when they return home. I don't know, all I know is what life has taught me.

muffback

Hi, I have lived in north van for nearly 5 years. I love being near the trails and the mountains but I hate the current housing situation in this city. The rental market has went insane in the past year. You are looking at $3,000+ a month for a 3 bed. Look on Craigslist - you will be shocked. We are getting kicked out of current place as the owner just sold it. We have been looking for another rental for a few months. Finding anywhere decent to rent for a reasonable price is near impossible. A lot of housing is aging garbage that even the poorest people in the UK wouldn't live in. (I know, I grew up on a council estate in west coast of Scotland). I can honestly say it is starting to raise some serious questions why we live in this city? Having a good education and job have no correlation to where you live. Many of our friends have left the north shore: one couple went to Kelowna, another back to Ireland (they just got hacked off with it- they didn't earn great money and wound up staying in crappy condos or in a third of a house), and few left for the usual lower mainland destinations: Langley and Maple Ridge (they don't really like it and the commute from Langley to downtown is terrible). One of my mates said unless you are earning $100k+ forget Vancouver- I utterly concur with that. This is just not a town for orphans and widows. I feel that we are approaching a crossroads with 3 choices- 1. Continue to pay a lot for a small rental property. Get kicked out every few years as owner sells (second time for us). This will become an issue when our child starts school 2. Become a mortgage slave. I could buy something but prefer not to at these ridiculous prices 3. Just leave. The final option looking more appealing as time goes on.

Engineer_abroad

I know you acknowledge it in the post but many of the younger generation living in Vancouver don't get anything like the home owners grant and many view it as a tax break for people with million dollar assets.

What first time buyers have been offered is the opportunity to take out a second mortgage from the government to help fund buying a house because the government allowed house prices to explode

Whilst I agree many seniors are asset rich and cash poor the majority of the younger generation are cash and asset poor and are subsidizing the homeowner grants through general income taxation.

The solution of course is for the Liberal government and the city of Vancouver to actual make an effort to bring house prices down to sustainable levels.

Danny B

First time buyers who choose to live in the lower mainland Vancouver area need to realise that they will *probably* never own a house, and that it is perfectly OK to rent.

Home ownership in North America is much more of a cultural phenomenon than it is in other parts of the world.

There is nothing wrong with renting a house, it seems to be drilled into people that you must get on the property ladder at whatever cost. We should stop encouraging home ownership. Maybe this will lower the prices in a decade or so.

Engineer_abroad

I absolutely agree with you, but, this means there needs to be a fundamental shift in government policy in relation to the following:

1) Retirement for the current younger generation who will lack ownership of a property to reduce their living costs so that they can live from their pension incomes. The current retirement provision is based on the huge assumption that people will own a home and be rent/mortgage free in retirement. This is compounded by asking the current younger generation to pay additional taxation to fund the shortcomings of the current pension system which only reduces their ability to invest in retirement savings. Without a fundamental change in government policy and strategy this issue will only grow experientially with each new generation.

2) Increased rights for renters so that they are protected against issue like renovictions. Look at the long term rental system in France.

3) Increased building of affordable housing, including densification of areas of the city previous set aside for single family homes. This should help reduce the low vacancy rates that lead to spiraling rent. Of course this would also reduce house prices and allow more to buy so it is cyclical system. The issue is how you assist the generations caught out at peak rather than ignoring them.

not2old

On the house prices which vary Province to province, town to town

Since those of us posting on BE are mainly Brit ex-pats, have you looked at what you get dollar to pound price comparisons in a similar town/city in the UK?

.