What exactly are 'the hindering professions'?

Interesting article. Generally I agree but would like to know; why do you link to BC Stats population numbers from the phrase "obscene property values"? Perhaps a link to property values would be more valuable.

"If you want to call this home, you’ve gotta be in something like journalism or law—the hindering professions." First, nobody gets into journalism to get rich. Second, whatever disappointments you might have with your chosen line of work, don't condemn the entire field. This should have been in the Views section, not Life.

to Colin: link moved, thanks for the heads up. to Peter: this article is in the Life section because there is a statistical reality being explored here, not just a viewpoint.

Great piece, Bruce. You channel a mean Don DeLillo at the closing. Would be good to see some numbers, although the feeling you depict is, in this native son's opinion, widely felt. To those who'd disagree with Bruce's take? I'd simply ask how long they'd lived here to justify any such counter-claim.

Much to mull over, so perhaps you could clear up a minor distraction. The little village of "Thasis," is actually "Tahsis." The 'h' silent so it is pronounced Ta-sis.

Fixed. Thanks for the insight

what timing! as i was reading this piece gordo`s brother was on cknw lamenting the fact that he had not reno`d his kitchen in 5 years! oh the humanity. i almost puked.

Bruce, I often think, given what we each have done and built and, apparently contemplated, that I have a doppleganger wandering about. I just looked at housing in Saskatoon. $700/month for a whole nice house, 200K for a character, four bedroom in a nice area...Hello... OK. It is -40C and they have stopped picking up garbage for fear the hydralic on the trucks will freeze up...but, hey, why not. The other element of the insanity of Vancouver housing prices is that it really does effect every aspect of Vancouver life. People cannot afford to both live here and have much of a life. Of course, the answer would be to start building a little serious density in the vast under developed areas of the city. Say twice the density of False Creek. And build tall - 40 stories is a silly limit for a real city. And get rid of the antique industrial zoning which has inflicted such blight on so much usable land in Vancouver. And, flatten all those awful one story, thirty years past best before date immediately post WWII buildings along stretches of Streets like Broadway and Kingsway. There is lots of room - but it has to be built not left fallow.

While Vancouver's nice and all, I recently moved away to a tiny village. The pavement staring doesn't happen to me anymore. I feel so free of it all. And the coffee? I just make it in my own kitchen, enjoy it with my neighbours, instead of drinking it in the car, burning my tongue and cursing my inadequate cupholders.

Nice piece (as usual) Bruce.

Peter Tupper wrote: "...First, nobody gets into journalism to get rich. Second, whatever disappointments you might have with your chosen line of work, don't condemn the entire field." Whoa! Twisted knickers alert! Hey Peter, Bruce Grierson writes regularly for the New York Times Magazine, and has received numerous awards for his journalism. Stuff like that makes me fairly certain that he is not too disappointed in the way things have turned out. (I'm also pretty sure the line in question was meant as a self-deprecating reference.) By the way, if I were you, I'd probably refrain from lecturing veteran journalists about what not to expect from a career in journalism (i.e., "riches"). They already know. Regards.

I moved to Tahsis a year and a half ago. I'm a full time writer, and until my birthday last August qualified me for Old Age Pension, I have lived exclusively on royalties from the sale of novels, and poetry. It goes almost without saying that my income is low, and that I am convinced it will only go lower, that cost of living increases will mean what little I do make will not go as far, and that's fine, I knew when I made the choice that I was not going to become rich. I moved to Tahsis because it is as close to Paradise as you're apt to find anywhere in the world today. I did not buy a "house", I bought a very small lot and what I call a "trailer" although some of my neighbours have said this is really a "modular home". I got it fully furnished, complete with a deck and a storage shed, for forty thousand. My writing space is in the living room, in front of a bay window which gives me a view of a gorgeous mountain and a number of what we call "bluffs" (almost anywhere else they'd be considered to be mountains, too.). I am two minutes walk from the river, or from the waterfront. There is no "beach" as such near the village, all those years of Doman's mills has wrecked any hope of beach but already the sea has begun to reclaim what industry trashed, there are more and more fish, prawns,crabs, etc., moving in every day. We do not have a movie theatre, we do not have an art gallery, we do not have any sort of night life which features naked or nearly-naked human bodies writhing to canned music. We have a year-round pub and a couple of summer season pubs, and we have miles of mountain-biking trails, paths and decommissioned logging roads. If a person is so inclined there is all the rock climbing you could ever want. There are decided "downs". It might give you a jolt and make you worry about your kids when you look out and see a black bear happily feasting on the clover in the vacant lot next door. It gives everyone a bit of a shudder when a neighbours dog disappears, probably down the gullet of a cougar. If you want your cat or dog neutred or spayed you have to drive two and a half hours to Campbell River, then drive back with a puking critter in the vehicle. My neighbours live here because they want to live here. They certainly don't live here because of the job opportunities. Most people go sports fishing as often as the weather allows, and are friendly, supportive, and courteous. There aren't many kids in the village, the parents of younger kids for the most part had to leave in search of work when the mills closed. What kids do still live here seem to me to be friendlier than "city kids", and more involved in UNorganized sports,and outdoor fun. This is no place for someone who is looking for a job. But if you're retired, or if you can do your work here and stay in touch via e-mail and internet, if you want to feel perfectly safe heading out into the midnight darkness with your dogs unleashed and the stars bright in the sky, if you think you'd enjoy leaning on the neighbours fence chatting and watching the goldfish in the front-yard pond... if you want a two bedroom modern home for forty thousand (or less), then this place would welcome you. But don't come if you think you need a huge amount of entertainment and distraction. You have to be able to entertain yourself and the biggest distraction is watching the eagles and trumpeter swans. I have never understood why so many low income people are drawn to the city. Everything costs so much more there, and we all know it's no place for kids.

This article echoes something I have been thinking about for a while -- the futility of trying to buy a Vancouver home on a single professional income -- and does a superb job of it. I hope nobody will mind if I contribute my own thoughts on the issue, based on three very different locations: Tokyo, Canmore, and Aurora, Ontario. If Vancouver's real estate is unrealistically high, Tokyo's is sub-orbital. I don't think Tokyo residents really ever even consider owning a home; it would be like a Vancouverite contemplating owning an airliner. And yet Tokyo-ites seem like perfectly normal, well-adjusted people. (Except for that sushi thing) Why do we insist on "owning" real estate? I think it's because of Canmore. A few years ago I was taking the bus from Calgary to Banff -- oh it is done, I assure you -- and we stopped in a small town not far outside Calgary. Obviously it wasn't Canmore, but I can't remember what town it really was, so "Canmore" is what I call it. As we left the highway, I noticed a large ranch-style house on the top of a rise, overlooking vast fields which unquestionably belonged to the homeowner. A large house, lit by sunset, surrounded by its extensive lands. Soon after that trip, I went to Aurora to visit a school friend. He had bought a "house" in a subdevelopment. There were dozens of these houses, each with a two-car garage and a two-metre front yard. They were really quite small, and there was about a metre between each house and its neighbour. Everybody in the development needed two cars because is was so far from anything -- but it was only the combination of large distance and small size that made it (barely) affordable. And the key point was that each house still had a yard. Tiny, unhealthy, burned by two-car exhaust fumes, but there was an undeniable patch of grass out front, and a smaller one out back. So, therefore, it was The Same Thing as the ranch house in Canmore: a house surrounded by its lands. It gave the feeling of being a freeholding landowner: no man's servant, master of all he surveyed, and so forth. What was heartwrenching even at the time was the obvious sense of accomplishment that my friend in Aurora had. He felt that he was on the same ladder as the ranch house -- oh, a lower rung, sure, but definitely The Same Thing. He has been working extremely hard ever since to continue making his payments. His wife has been working hard too. Their son watches a lot of tv. I think that many of us are unthinkingly sharing the same assumption: success in life means being a landowner. That is the realisation I came to in Canmore and Aurora. I'm really grateful that I also went to Tokyo, so that when I realised I probably couldn't ever afford to buy a house, I also realised that I wasn't a failure. But I still don't like sushi.

First, emotionally I couldn't agree more. But - and it's a big "but" - low rent paradise comes at a cost. We lived on Salt Spring for seven years. For five of those years, life was good - my partner had a decent income from a decent series of contracts, and as a free-lance writer, I discovered that "Salt Spring" was magic, when whispered into the ears of editors in Toronto, New York, Tokyo, Berlin...even Seattle. Our house, expensive by SSI standards, was a steal by Vancouver's bloated expectations. We had room to roam, room to keep a very large dog (malemute crossed with a linebacker), and plenty of garden space to share with the visiting deer. A friendly neighbourhood, where potluck parties were a monthly ritual, and neighbours helped neighbours in warm, meaningful ways. Then our personal economy collapsed. The details are too dreary to recount here, but we quickly learned the Island way of things - unless you are financially independent, or have stable, off-island employment, you had best be prepared to work three part-time, minimum wage jobs just to survive. And you had best be prepared to fight tooth and nail for those rare, precious subsistence-level jobs. After two years of struggling to stay afloat, we gave up and returned to the Lower Mainland, where jobs were plentiful, and actually paid enough to cover the rent and food in the same month. Do I miss Salt Spring? Hell, yes. Would I repeat the experiment? Well, I wouldn't buy back the experience, but knowing what I know, I wouldn't do it again. Life in paradise has its dark side - all the cheerful egalitarianism of lunch at the pub on Saturday, and the Celtic music get-togethers on Sundays dissipates into a bitter abyss of economic despair when you have to make a choice between meeting the mortgage payment or paying the dentist, covering the hydro bill this month, or letting it slide in favour of the telephone bill. It's a trade-off between the devil and the deep blue - ultimately, you have to choose the option that best lets you sleep at night.

Right on Bruce! Vancouver is a great city, if you are fabulously rich and you live in a house in the fresh sea-breeze of Point Grey. Otherwise its a spartan lifestyle in a traffic-ghetto apartment surrounded by Vancouver's runaway automobile population, plenty of air pollution, abysmal public transit and no bike lanes. I'm outta here! See ya later former nice city! Winnipeg or someplace here I come!

if you think there are no well paid social service industry sector jobs in Vancouver you should most definately go to the Downtown Eastside. There are more poverty industry jobs going down there than you can poke a stick, or needle, at.

I share your views and, as always, you stated them so well. As one who has spent the past decade in the "helping professions" I am aware that those meaningful jobs have hindered me economically. Even here in utopic Victoria, I think there must be something that I am missing. More and more I think of how one can form what is now called an "intentional community". Bruce, contact me if you want to form that community!

We have reached a time where for many jobs the need for place is no longer as important. One of the more interesting places to live only 3 to 4 hours rom Vancouver is Lillooet. Housing cheap and getting cheaper. Climate is amazing and you can grow almost anything. the views are stunning. And the city is not that far off - my house to downtown Van I can do in three hours. I can leave here at 3:30 pm, drive down to a Canucks game, leave when it is over and be home at 1 am. Long day, but doable. Whistler is closer to me than to most people in the Lower Mainland. And the bears still come into my backyard Good four bedroom house for $130 000 - two bedroom bungalow for $80 000. Loads of interesting and quirky people. Lots of people doing interesting things, a strong sense of community. No need for an intentional community because we are still a community where your neighbours know you.

i think over and above the inflated cost of living here in vancouver, many people have to realize how much they themselves inflate their own costs of living far above what it would reasonably need to be. we live in times of extreme excess, which is very apparent in the city, but is also highly evident when you get to small towns outside the city, in the mountains, or on the islands - what you can also find, if you look for it, is there are people who work maybe two days a week, and that's enough for their bare minimum (a roof and some food), which leaves them plenty of time to persue their own avenues which can possibly turned into a secondary, although unsteady, source of income (ie crafts, teaching yoga, writing, etc...) that can be used for the frivolous things in life - which is pretty much everything outside food + shelter. so you can't afford the new britney spears cd - do you really need it though? if you want it that badly you can wait until you've figured out a way to make extra money outside your part time job that covers the basics and buy it then. that shows that you actually want it, rather than are just taking part in the disposible consumer culture we've been encouraged to live in. this is a step back that's near impossible to take in a city like vancouver, but if you do happen to go live in canmore (canmore proper, not the previously mentioned ranch house) or tahsis or denman island you can really come to realize exactly what's necessity and what's frivolity, and in such a case be able to live on damn near nothing - because you'll be living...not just a marketing statistic.

Dear Bruce, Your article seems to have struck a chord! As one who has moved from an apple orchard by the beach on Gabriola Island to Vancouver's East Side to seek my fame and fortune I can really relate to your observations about Vancouver being a city that belongs to the rich. Its the result of a long line of planning decisions going back to Expo 87, when Vancouver was "discovered" by investors around the world. Then add on the Hong Kong exodus, real estate dealers on city council, Federal cut backs inhousing and there you have it. Kids in the inner city who have never been to the beach. Such a shame. best regards, Elaine Briere

Idealists are cute and funny. Anyway ... Please remember that Tumbler Ridge was created by using the same economic model long sanctioned by the most successful resource extraction companies the world over. The big guys aren't gonna be there unless it's WELL worth it! A little research about the complexities of such agreements consistently show that 'locals' invariably fail to attain the "riches' promised and inevitably fall under company control . (Refer to the corporate biographies of Quintette Coal and Bullmoose Mines.) Then, try to research the legal entities that won construction projects in the Tumbler Ridge area between 1980 and now. Oh? Can't find it?? Neither can I!

Dear Bruce, I totally agree with your article. I left Vancouver after four years because I was so sick of the city and it's bullshit that I just couldn't take it anymore. I've lived in many of the so-called "great neighborhoods" - Yaletown, the West End, Kerrisdale, Kits, Point Grey and Oakridge and never have I experienced such a wide range of rudeness, coldness, and lack of ANY community than in any city in the world! Between 1999-2004, I witnessed Vancouver's Chinese population explode, while watching native Canadians unable to afford even a two-bedroom apartment or house. Vancouver's rents are among the most expensive in the world and the city and provincial government has done nothing to control these rising rents. Vancouver needs rent control. Moreover, I found most of the population to be rude. Although I believe in diversity, I do not understand why Vancouver's Chinese population needs to be over 30 percent and rising, as it is as of mid-2004. The uncontrolled immigration is driving costs up; while driving DOWN the standard of living. Jobs, hard to come by in Vancouver, is driving the 20-40 year-old population OUT of the city. Doesn't Vancouver feel empty these days? Yes! The lack of community, the very poor customer service and the silly, slow public transit system has made Vancouver the butt of jokes in America. This, and the high cost is the reason why tourists are staying away; and two weeks in February 2010 is not going to make the city anymore livable! If one takes a close look - Vancouver and its suburbs are inhabited by new Chinese immigrants who speak little English; stay within their own ethnic group and interact little with Canadians; meanwhile buying up tons of real estate and driving housing costs through the roof. Many of the new Chinese have reversed public school enrollments within their ethnic group at the same time that Anglo-Baby Boomers and their parents retreat into gentrified homes that working professionals - who make things happen - cannot afford to raise their families in. Take a walk through Kerrisdale, Point Grey, Oakridge, etc., and you'll see aging Boomers or Chinese immigrants all over the place; while many native Canadians are forced to leave British Columbia to earn a real living. In less than seven years, Vancouver will not only be virtually half-Chinese populated, but will also look less like a "real city" and more like a combination of a retirement home filled with people who do not relate, nor like one another. For all the building in Yaletown, for instance, fewer younger working professionals can afford to live there or in the West End and have left, for good. The city has a reputation for coldness, a flakiness bordering on the ridiculous and a LAZY "who cares" attitude that even tourists can easily recognize in their short stays in the city. The city government, including the mayor, is out of touch. The provicial government is all-out crazy and the real powers of the city live and operate out of Hong Kong (read China). You can walk through any neighborhood in Vancouver and witness perfect lawns and tidy houses in nice areas, but no people on the streets. People retreat into their homes, with shades drawn all day; while Baby Boomers rent out suites in their homes expecting prospective tenants to pay two-thirds of their mortgage payments! Never have I seen such a city in disarray and I expect that before 2010 arrives, Vancouver will be a city in major trouble; especially AFTER the Winter Games of that year. The real estate bubble in Vancouver WILL pop and when it does the sound will pierce the eardrums! Vancouver is a hostile city to people of class, working people, children, teens, young working adults and families; not to mention to animals and those attempting to make something out of their lives. Now, all those who would rather close their eyes to the truth will tell you that "oh, Vancouver is such a beautiful city" - yes, it is, which does not explain why people are so rude there or depressed year round. There are downtown neighbors who have lived there for many years and barely know who is living next door to them. The city operates out of a state of "fear" - of what? Who knows? Getting to know someone there could be hazardous to your health! The talent, the human capital that has flowed out of Vancouver is staggering! This talent will never return as they plant roots in other places that appreciate "communities" - something the Vancouver powers-that-be flaunt endlessly but know nothing about. In reality, Vancouver, B.C. is not a major city, but a small town pretending to be a city. It lacks a city's sophistication, class, and diversity. Cities in the U.S. are tons more diverse. And that's another thing. Vancouver is always trying to compare itself to the U.S., which has 10 times the population of Canada. Many of the Chinese who relocate to Canada come under the radar and since the mid-1990s have been growing enormous power in Canada as a whole and in Vancouver in particular. This is one of the reasons why real estate prices are among the highest in North America and the main reason why native Canadians cannot afford to buy a home. Vancouver is now a city divided in many areas - it is a red-lined city designed to keep classes of people areas based on economics - which is why inner city Vancouver children can't make it to the beaches of Point Grey. No one wants them there. Go to a beach sometime and watch how the powers-that-be attempt to keep people in their place. Go downtown along Granville and observe how hustlers have to sell drugs to earn a living while the young have nothing to do but beg young Asians shopping along Robson Street. See how the city and provincial governments restrict young people from starting businesses of their own while they encourage Chinese immigrants to open businesses throughout the city. Watch as Chinese landlords take thousands of rental applications with detailed personal information from native Canadians to rent out a rat-hole going for $3,000 a month! Observe the rising tuition in universities, the falling wages, and the piss-poor transit system that makes everyone late for appointments. On and on... Vancouver fails every point where a city is ranked in "livability" but you'll never see the Vancouver Sun or News 1130 Radio tell you the truth. Instead, you'll hear constant propaganda about how "wonderful" things are and how "great" Vancouver is while Americans, who do not visit Vancouver anylonger call it "Hongcouver". The reason is simple - they see what many in Vancouver do not - a string of lies. As for me, I left the city because I did not intend to waste anymore money, or even more importantly - TIME - trying to make something work in a city that DOES NOT WORK.

Wow. I wrote about this very thing yesterday, and someone posted a link to this article in the comments on my blog. http://myworld.q2u.net/archives/002539.html I'm not from round here, but it's interesting to see how locals and imports alike seem to find Vancouver a slightly odd place at times.

In my hometown, Saskatoon, there was a real estate bubble that popped-people discovered that houses in small towns a half hour outside the city were going for unheard of prices-8 to 10 thou (seriously.) so they started moving out there, buying houses. Small towns woke up, got a little greedy, the trend slowed down. Won't happen here in Vancouver, though. Landlords are fully aware of people' need to be here, and capitalize on that. Even if the real-eastate bubble pops, which isn't going to happen for a looong while, the rents and mportgages will still be sky-high. Makes me wonder why I'm still here.

U.S.A. Debt will drive our dollar over the top by next year. Maybe $1.03 U.S. watch interest rates blow-up similiar to the late 70,s....wished I only bought the condo and not the Estate and the Hummer..."DAMM"! Perhaps a bungalow in Logan Lake.

LW, it's a good thing you don't live in Vancouver anymore. The city doesn't need you or your bitter, racist, and negative commentary. Stop playing the blame game, okay?

LW is right on the money. Jenny you call LW racist, bitter, negative but thats BS. You just cant take the truth. Typical of a Vancouverite.