Pursuits
In North America's Costliest City, Rich Chinese Take the Blame
- Vancouver voters look for political fix in Canadian election
- Coping with affordability crisis means roommates over families
Vancouver
Photographer: David Nunuk/Getty Images/All Canada Photos via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
James Hankle, a 50-something software engineer sporting blue jeans and a Green Party T-shirt, is explaining his fix for Vancouver’s runaway property prices when he’s interrupted by an eavesdropping passerby: “Stop allowing people from China to buy our houses and leave them vacant,” she says and walks away.
Despite British Columbia’s aversion to pipelines and affection for pot, housing affordability has pushed both aside as the number one issue raised by area residents in the run-up to Canada’s election this month. It’s not completely surprising given that Vancouver has become North America’s most expensive city.