bcbusiness.ca MAy 2015 BCBusiness 11
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While a loonie that has dropped in
value is luring Americans north–by
December 2014, trips from the U.S. into
Canada were up 4.7 per cent over the
previous year according to Statistics
Canada–it is having the opposite effect
on many Canadians. Between March
2 and March 10, we received 114
responses to an online poll that asked:
Will a lower Canadian dollar influence
your vacation plans this year?
Poll of the Month
T he C os t o f V o t ing No
Overpriced or Underpaid?
In this March's real estate issue, we looked at the question
of affordability from a number of angles. In "The Afford-
ability Debate: Part One," Jim Sutherland argued that
Vancouver's affordability problem isn't high housing costs
but stagnant incomes.
Readers felt that both are a problem. Steven Forth agreed
that we need to find ways to increase incomes but said we
also need more housing options—co-ops, work-live studios,
shared-resource spaces and other things we have not yet
thought of. D. Mercer suggested, "perhaps a little social
responsibility with wages and some better policy with home
taxation and purchase could help to at least keep us all from
drowning in so much housing," while Andy Young noted
that Vancouver's low wages and high real estate costs explain
why many educated 30-somethings move elsewhere.
Erik Weimer felt that in addition to stagnant incomes,
foreign investors are a problem. He would like to see restric-
tions on foreign ownership and a tax on empty homes: "Van-
couverites actually want to live/work in this beautiful city
and contribute to it. Let's allow that to happen." Herman
Thind's take, on the other hand, is that there is a housing
bubble due to artificially low rates and a one per cent
GST
drop: "Home prices in Van should normalize like they did in
the early 80s... Conditions are right for it."
CORRECTION: "My Kingdom for a House" on page 55 of the
March issue incorrectly referred to
CMHC as the Canadian Mortgage
and Housing Commission. The correct name is Canada Mortgage
and Housing Corporation.
Trevor Melanson's transit
referendum story, based
on a report from C.D. Howe
and Clean Energy Canada
("If the No side wins, it'll
cost Vancouver billions:
C.D. Howe," BCBusiness.
ca/manufacturing-trans-
port), elicited predictable
responses from naysayers.
Among the representa-
tive comments: "These
people asking for more
money to burn without any
accountability are simply
untrustworthy. It has noth-
ing to do with the impact
on the infrastructure";
while Joseph Jones (@
jonesj) tweeted, "Because
the yes side 'won' the 2010
Olympics plebiscite, it cost
Vancouver billions...." With
a different take, however,
Claire Young (@
Claire_deLu) wrote: "The
hidden costs of voting No
in the Transit referendum:
They're big."
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E M A I L bcb@canadawide.com W E B S I T E BCBusiness.ca
T W I T T E R @BCBusiness F A C E B O O K BCBusiness
Please include your daytime phone number and city of residence. Letters may be
edited for brevity, clarity and taste.
Yes
nO
not at all
35.09%
(40 votes)
I think I'll avoid
the U.S.
64.91%
(74 votes)
