BCBUSINESS.CA MARCH 2016 BCBUSINESS 11
Talk to
Us Now
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
W H AT YOU SA ID
feedback
Follow the Money
Jacob Parry's look at real estate transactions
in Vancouver's Shaughnessy neighbour-
hood ("Who Lives on Angus Drive?" January
2016) prompted an intense Reddit discussion
about foreign ownership. Some feel that
anyone who buys a house pays property
and transfer taxes, and if they live here
they spend on luxury cars and restaurants,
so why should they pay income tax on
money made elsewhere: "As long as it
makes its way here eventually, it's a net
gain for Canada."
Others point out that foreign investors
would have to spend hugely to make up for
the lack of income tax revenues—and mean-
while, they bid up prices on real estate,
making it hard for actual working wage
earners to live here. Chimed in another:
"The real issue isn't the people buying these
properties; it's our local governments' rules
and banking regulations... Don't hate the
player, hate the game."
W ork- Li f e Balance
While a big hit with many readers,
not everybody loved this year's Best
Cities for Work package (January
2016). Kim Stroshin wrote that
many people move to Squamish
(ranked No. 4) because they have
been priced out of Lower Mainland
housing but commute to Vancouver
or Whistler. "There are not many
jobs in Squamish to be had," says
Stroshin. "To imply that Squamish
is one of the best cities for jobs is
outrageous and false reporting."
Vancouver didn't rank too highly
on our list (No. 17), but it remains a
popular place to live and work—
albeit with major caveats. Wrote
one reader: "I live in Vancouver, and
my commute is a 10-minute walk.
That said, I pay roughly the
GDP of
Tajikistan every month in order to
live in a shoebox."
Language issues in Richmond took a new twist
recently with a human rights complaint about strata
meetings conducted solely in Mandarin and the City
of Richmond looking to hire someone to encourage
businesses to include English on their signs. Between
January 5 and 11, we received 119 responses to the
question: Should English (or French) be the
universal language of business or should we
take a more laissez-faire approach?
Poll of the Month
LET THE MARKET DECIDE:
businesses should be
free to operate
in any language
PERSUASION
BEATS
LEGISLATION:
the City of
Richmond's
approach is best
THE
MAJORITY
RULES:
business
should be
conducted
in one of
Canada's
official
languages
#BCAMAvision
This year's Vision Conference promises to be an interactive
experience, jam packed with thought-provoking content
that is sure to disrupt the status quo.
Don't miss out!
VISION 2016
Date: March 31, 2016
Location: Hyatt Regency Vancouver
63.87%
(76 votes)
26.89%
(32 votes)
9.24%
(11 votes)
