dbd33

I’m in Vancouver again visiting my daughter who loves it here and thinks she’ll stay for the foreseeable. The beauty of the mountains and the fascination of her job are enough for her. I don’t like it at all. If cold and damp was ok with me I’d choose Ireland or Newfoundland and be in a sociable place. I've been here a couple of days and already I've had enough of everyone having a consumptive cough.Things I’ve heard on this trip that I didn’t know and throw out here for debate follow (I’m not going to rehash the points from my earlier Vancouver threads except that it remains the city that diversity forgot).

• Absurdly low property tax rates are a cause of resentment.
• There’s a social polarisation between homeowners and renters and one cannot earn enough here to achieve social mobility from one class to the other.
• As a consequence of the above there’s a reverse snobbery whereby couples who would be affluent in other cities (two lawyers, two doctors, combinations thereof) shun homeowners as they’re deemed to live in another world “people think that because they’re teachers they’re of the people but, if their house is worth eight million dollars, they no longer belong”.
• There’s the reverse tension “at a recent town hall meeting someone said, ‘I’ve rented in Point Grey for 15 years, it’s my neighbourhood too’ and someone shouted ‘you don’t own it’ and there was applause for the shouter.
• The school system allows parents to choose any school, there’s no catchment area arrangement, so one can live next to a school and yet be obliged to have one’s children bussed to a far one. False Creek Elementary is an example of a school populated by children from away at the expense of the local children.
• Unusually for Canada the social divide means that private schooling is a popular option and the public schools are something of a dumping ground dealing with a disproportionate population of ESL and otherwise troublesome students. Essentially the school system is more American than Canadian and one should be prepared to pay for schooling.

Cold, damp, a rentier class, an impoverished class, everyone pallid. Dickensian would be my word.

scrubbedexpat091

Pretty much spot on.

I am not a fan of Vancouver, only here for the healthcare is what I say, if I could access my healthcare needs elsewhere we would not be here.

9 months of crappy weather for 3 months of mostly tolerable weather, not a very good pay off.

I like many see this place as Borecouver or no fun city, unless you really love the outdoors, not much else to do really.

And the congestion and poorly designed signal lights and roadway make getting around this place a pain, so much time wasted in traffic.

dbd33

The daughter and her husband bicycle everywhere. She says it's hostile environment for cyclists but then so is everywhere.

scrubbedexpat091

Can be I imagine, that's why I went with a gas powered scooter (when I had it) , never had any issues with other drivers on a scooter... gas powered scooter was faster too, and minimal cost, insurance and gas total 70/month so worth it for the speed vs a bike, plus I didn't want to ride a bike 30km a day when starting work at 4am.

Some of the issues are caused by cyclists themselves such as not following the rules of the road like stopping at stop signs and red lights, even riding on sidewalks then yelling at pedestrians to get out of the way. Some pretty radical crazy cyclists here.

Atlantic Xpat

All too believable, but, surely so goes it in many cities where house price inflation drives home ownership beyond the means of even the well paid working joe without a few hundred k in deposit? So one would expect similar conversations in Toronto no?

caretaker

That's a good point, the ethnic communities don't seem to mix it up too much. I'll assume you covered it being socially awkward in earlier posts somewhere, that's my main negative impression but I've always put it down to myself not being used to big cities, (though I've visited several and spent the most time in Vancouver).
Jsmith, you're the only person I've ever known to say Boringcouver, ever. There are dismal things and disgusting things and dangerous things and inconvenient things out there for everyone. I know several people there that took years before they found a nice place at a decent price. Also the struggle to make enough money is a common thing. Being bored, however, is a personal thing. There's no Disneyland or free aquarium or a lot of other things there but no place has it all. I dread to hear what you'd say about Regina! Yet a lot of people like it here. My unsolicited advice for the day is to try going out and taking some pictures for us; anything that catches your eye, or things you don't like, or things you do like. Any time you're out and about. I have a friend in Vancouver who is a photographer, among other things, and he spends a lot of time walking and taking pictures and I suspect he finds it therapeutic.

dbd33

I think the arithmetic is different "This household is among the top few percent in the city in terms of earned income but earned income can't put you in a position to buy". I suppose they could scrape up a deposit of half a million, borrow a million, and buy a flat but those are London numbers. You don't need that much in Toronto. In London, of course, there's the possibility of making a serious salary, Here people work "New York hours for Ottawa money",

dbd33

Outdoor pictures are tricky in the rain.

This is from the, not free, aquarium:

beckiwoo

caretaker

Oh sure, I just popped out and took one. This is the spot where the old men on the section gang (younger than I am now) taught us how to cut a rail with a hammer and chisel back in 1976.

rivingtonpike

i would take issue at private school making kids into entitled brats. Many of us make conscious decisions to sacrifice holidays or a car upgrade to educate our kids the best way we can. As a family we have made a commitment to educate our kids the best way we can and if that means making sacrifices on snowboarding or holidaying, then so be it; entitled doesn't even enter into it.

scrubbedexpat091

I got spoiled by growing up in So. California more to do their then anywhere I can think of in North America.



I am more suited to places like this.

BristolUK

Does Steven Spielberg know you stole his idea from Schindler's List with that red piece of clothing?

beckiwoo

scrubbedexpat091

Vancouver would be more tolerable if not for the housing crises and I would venture it was a nice city to live in the past when it was more down to earth, San Francisco was the same, it used to be a nice place to live.