Quote:
Originally Posted by NetMapel
The Great Vancouver Exodus: Why I'm almost ready to leave the city
It is a bit of a read and it is an opinion piece from a writer on VanityBuzz, I guess. I'm not going to quote it as it is long and is an interesting read. I think there is a great concern with Vancouver and possibly Canada with regards to brain drain. Young people leaving for greener pasture due to whatever reason. There are definitely legitimate issues to discuss about that in the Vancouver-context due to our high cost of living and stagnant wages. I would love to hear some opinions from fellow SSPers on their thoughts of this.
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I read the article and do not agree with it much at all. The only real complaint I can make about Vancouver is cost of real estate. Even renting in metro Vancouver isn't that unreasonable.
However, I will comment on a few points you made.
"I think there is a great concern with Vancouver and possibly Canada with regards to brain drain. Young people leaving for greener pasture due to whatever reason. There are definitely legitimate issues to discuss about that in the Vancouver-context due to our high cost of living and stagnant wages. "
Yes, there is a huge concern about this and it has a LOT to do with the fact that canada underperforms on much more than just wages.
For starters, find me a country with worse weather, not many exist. People of all ages hate the cold, period. Secondly, Canada is next to the US, arguably the best country in the world for employment opportunities and lifestyle, Canada cannot compete.
Reasons why Canada and not just Vancouver are in serious trouble.
1) our climate, sorry Canada, I know you can't do anything about this but seriously, our weather is a huge deterrent
2) cost of living, not only is our climate terrible, but our cost of living is higher than most of the rest of the west as well
3) housing costs, contrary to popular belief, this isn't just a Vancouver problem. Look at a house in Calgary or Winnipeg for example and compare them with say Denver or Minneapolis, the Canadian cities remain at a high cost disadvantage
4) wages, in Canada our wages are stagnant and below US levels, many young people will flee to the US for better work opportunities
5) Innovation, Canada's best has continued to for generations to flee to the US, taking their innovative ideas with them. Canada is left with a hell of a lot of resources to exploit. Until the dollar dropped below 90 cents, we managed to maintain this talent, but since our dollar has now crashed, that talent will be leaving.
6) Taxes, Canada's tax system is higher than in the US, yes we get universal healthcare out of it, but we have the worlds worst universal healthcare system. The only thing the US performs worse on when it comes to healthcare is accessibility.
Canada is a country with terrible weather bordering the worlds richest most innovative country. Canada is lucky it's a developed country, period, let alone one that can actually innovate and offer competitive wages. If not for our Anglo Advantage and history, we'd easily be a frozen mexico.