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> Since David Eby overrode the strata no-rental rules, it ended up increasing cases of squatters, petty theft, drug labs and brothels. This does not include what a retired VPD officer describes as an "Amazon of drug labs and brothels" throughout vancouver high rise. I mean Vice reporters were even reporting on it years ago.

David Eby has been premier since October 2022, strata property act happened soon after in November. Maybe, just maybe, the squatters, petty theft, drug labs and brothels aren't a result of the strata changes. Certainly not the ones that Vice reporters reported on years ago.

> feel entitled

It's funny how the people who sling this as an insult so often have a literal deed/title and are pursuing policy that pumps its value to the detriment of others.

It is a mistake to blame the high cost of housing on market forces. It is largely the product of local housing policy. It is a choice.

I think it’s both. Housing policy can help or hurt but overall many places in the world have stuggled to keep housing prices affordable.

> stuggled to keep housing prices affordable.

The political system does not strive for affordability, it strives to make housing a good investment. Unaffordability is just the inevitable consequence.

Expensive housing is almost entirely an Anglo nation problem. If you don't restrict infill development you won't have this issue.

Housing is extremely expensive in China as well. It’s one of the main barriers to Chinese yuppies having the three kids their government wants them to.

Isn't China having a real estate overproduction crisis right now? There can be different problems in different places, I mean, it's a big country, but that's mostly the opposite problem.

The hukou system also can't help - you can stop immigration to an expensive city but presumably you also stop emigration to a cheaper one.

China has overproduction in undesirable places. Desirable places are still expensive.

Local housing policy only sets housing costs explicitly if they override market forces e.g. via rent control. There are plenty of examples of how the market responds to this type of intervention, by not building more supply, letting existing supply fall into disrepair and constricting uncontrolled supply, resulting in much higher market rate.

In general, housing policy affects supply, and market forces decide the prices. Notably increasing supply doesn't always lower prices as demand is elastic.

They override market forces explicitly with zoning rules that forbid building more housing. The ability to produce more supply in response to demand is the market at work. That’s why everyone who complains that rent control distorts the market can be ignored unless they are also complaining about zoning, building codes and permit processes.

I think you meant inelastic demand. Housing would fall under that category where supply does not impact price, which is my point.

Home prices in Canada and US have been climbing at insane rates pretty much everywhere, including rural areas. People in cities tend to ignore market force because they’re only focused on their city.

Building more housing (of all kinds) == cheaper housing. Sorry but it really is that simple.

you are assuming (incorrectly) that housing demand is elastic.

Or, alternatively, less people/demand.

Of all the bad racist NIMBY rants, this is definitely one of them

I do not own a home so I can't be a NIMBY. If you understood remotely what is taking place here in the Western world, you wouldn't be saying this.

Instead what you should be describing is a inverse colonialism in the West where NIMBYs are the benefactors treating everybody like serfs. Those NIMBYs were blue collar workers in the 70s, 80s who bought when homes cost next to nothing, and now oppressing everybody.

Be careful when you throw around accusations of racism just because somebody has a different view that you can't even offer a rebuttal on. I take it you didn't even read about my sliding income rental proposal in the other comment.

I know this because you logged in after 3 months just to write some half assed comment without offering anything insightful. This is why there is so much stagnation, people like you simply brush off anything they don't understand (because they can't even pay attention if its not a short video format) as racism.

Sure thing bud

Houses there are a luxury, you would need to be a multimillionaire to buy something there. Also, most of Vancouver is zoned for sfh, check a zoning map. Your entire comment can be summarized as: Build buildings-> more rentals -> lower price -> lower income can afford it -> poor people are criminals.

I lived there for 2 years, and a local tech salary was barely enough to afford living in downtown/near downtown renting an apartment.

Incorrect. There are affordable homes outside city of Vancouver. Vancouver itself is now rezoning for multistory units and converting shed into housing.

Building more supply when you have inelastic demand is unrealistic and will do nothing to the price. As I've said it is the banking relationships of those multimillion dollar homes that is fueling this speculative bubble from locals + foreigners. The only way to attack this problem is to start from the root. Banks are incentivized to give HELOC because many Canadian retirees are relying on it for their livelihood and why would banks kick their own bee hive.

If you lived here for 2 years then you would know where False Creek is and why building 20,000 units around one of the most expensive area is NOT going to result in trickle down effect like most are claiming.

I'm suggesting rental controls that is on a sliding scale based on income NOT based on how long you lived in Vancouver which is what a certain political elements are trying to pull.

If somebody is making 60k/year they are not going to own homes period and its irresponsible to give them that insane leverage without auditing. Somebody making 600k/year should own homes because the sliding scale model would make their rental expensive.

Your other point conflating low income as criminals is another attempt to shove words in my mouth. I said these rental units attract criminal elements not that poor people are committing crimes (as you wrongfully assumed). If you lived here you would know these are kids from upper middle class joining gangs and becoming drug dealers. I don't have an answer to why that is. Could be the result of pluralnational dynamics creating isolated disenfranchised second gen.

If you wish to have a worthy discussion that will yield new insights I'm all ears but so far all I've seen people attacking me, they are purposefully infatuated with their own fixed (incorrect) workings of supply & demand (elastic) to a highly inelastic demand market.

You could have saved a lot of time by just saying "fuck poor people"

You misunderstood me because you didn't read what I wrote carefully but I don't care to convince you of your biases. I don't have time for this BS anymore.

Listen my neighbour just died. He was a struggling renter. I'm deeply saddened by this and everybody struggling. I know its even harder to leave behind what's familiar but it's not going to get better but the longer you stay in a financially strapped situation and waiting for a bailout from the government the more you suffer. This is why I'm telling people to forget about this miserable city and look elsewhere as I am.

The Canadian government is taking 60% of my income. Why isn't it being used to alleviate this situation?! My sadness is turning into anger and disappointment.

> The Canadian government is taking 60% of my income.

The top tax bracket is 33% in Canada. You should fire whoever's doing your taxes.

That's for federal income tax. In BC the top provincial income tax bracket is 20.5%, so a total 53.5%. I assume the person is also including property tax, EI, MSP premiums or other vaguely government related payments, or rounding up pretty generously to get to 60%.

This is like the tech bro version of: private investors buying properties is inflating property prices.

The problem is blue collar people, which is a new one to me.