I would agree it is hard to compare Vancouver to those cities. What i meant to say (I also forgot to identify myself) was that Vancouver is similar in the way that all of those cities are the “beautiful-but-you-make-less-money-than-another-city” kind of place.

However,now that I think about it, Brighton is cheaper than London, Nice cheaper than Paris, Venice cheaper than Milan, etc.

Ironically, Vancouver is more expensive than anywhere else in Canada!

I really don’t want to come back, as it is just too expensive. When you consider that if you are a worker with children (as i am), you spend most of your time in an office, commuting and just dealing with your family. Not a lot of spare time for “skiing in the morning and windsurfing in the afternoon.”

so it would be easier to bare 6 months of harsh winter just so you don’t have to feel so poor on $150k per year.

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I think you forget this place is dark and wet for half the year.

Also, there is no cultural intensity here. More like a cultural vacuum

I’ve never been to these other cities, but I find it a bit much to compare Vancouver to Brighton, Nice, Berlin, Venice and Geneva.

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With respect to wages and wage growth, Vancouver has the same problem as cities like Brighton, Nice, Berlin, Venice and Geneva.

they’re all nice places to live, but they in their respective countries, none of them are the place to go to make money or focus on a career (London,Paris,Frankfurt,Milan,Zurich in those countries). You can go there as a maverick, self-employed, business owner or if you are independently wealthy.

Because the lifestyles there are enjoyable (ocean,lake, cultural intensity) people will accept lower wages just to “enjoy” being there.

however, most people in cities are employees. And most small business in cities need large business for their services.

If these big companies don’t exist, then it is difficult for the employee or small business owner to make the same living as in a larger city.

However, due to the “nice” factor, the cost of living is as high or higher than the big city, without the wages.

I am sure half of London workers would ditch the dull grey days to move to Brighton if they could make the same wage.

On my last trip to Vancouver, I realised that, compared to a commercially focused city, it is just a big resort and retirement community, with a disporportionately large services industry.

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Why go through the stress of attracting world class businesses here that pay good wages when we already have world class condo towers with some very fine hotels?

You see, we just import the high wage earnings, if only for three days at a time.

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I once had a boss who gained most of his experience in L.A. and New York. He told me that Vancouver workers lack the drive and commitment to hard work that he’s seen in those cities. I think Vancouver has that top talent but because the salary situation is so dire, many throw in the towel and refuse to give it their all. There comes a point where it isn’t worth it to put in 100% when the company is only willing to pay you 60%.

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Kinda like Fox News and Rush Limbaugh blaming the liberal media for the US recession (in order to ensure a Dem in the Oval Office). Couldn’t be wacked fundamentals, could it? Some people never learn…

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I must admit I don’t understand you obsessed Rob Chipman anti-fans. His position on the market has been pretty consistent – the market changes. Should he start espousing extreme viewpoints that he doesn’t personally believe in?

PS: Coco & VHB, I’ll give you double the nothing he’s offering you to contribute to this site! (although I suspect since you’ve both run blogs that if you want to post you’ll do it yourself).

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You mean Michael Randalblowhard? Typical troll. When gold was going up, he loved to come here and brag about how smart and successful he was. Now that gold is tanking, he’s disappeared. The same thing will happen to krrish and the other RE bulls. Once VanRE tanks, they will disappear also. We’ll miss you krrish!!

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Today is a new day though. Talent pool is shrinking up rapidly (wage-earners can’t afford to stay or are demanding more than they ever have) & since the dollar has hovered at par, we’ve lost the competitive operations advantage. I predict that business will move elsewhere….it doesn’t make sense that companies will take the hit on the bottom line to stay here.

Lots of smugness on the radio yesterday laughing at Ottawa’s #1 place in that Moneysense article but if I had to bet, smaller towns will win the next round as gen-x (et al) try to raise a family. I call it the “tire swing” quotient Nothing new. Same old song, but we somehow forget the tune….

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If you need a good laugh visit Rob’s blog.

Its right out of a WWF script, Rob is defending his honor, and that of the Vancouver press, he is also extending an olive branch to the prodigal son/daughter COCO / and VHB

And has offered them a place by his right side where they can be guest posters.

Perhaps it has become necessary for a public televised inquiry to get to the bottom of this,
It’s of historic and national importance that this matter or Rob not been fully quoted in the Vancouver Sun be cleared up before any other official business can be conducted.

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I am sure you did not pick up the right graph here i got it for your eyes only
http://www.kitco.com/LFgif/au3650nyb.gif

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commiserations, but I very much doubt it will turn around any time soon. as you know the film/tv industry was hammered by the writer’s strike and the dollar, and why would the americans send work back here for the new season since the whole rationale (ie: cheaper due to the $ difference) has vapourized?

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Current Gold Prices – have a look at the 5 year graph, though it obviously hasn’t been updated yet since it looks like the dip is at ~$880.

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