Vancouver A Good Place to Emigrate To!

Nearly 15,000 jobs lost in Alberta in February

CALGARY (CBC) - Alberta's unemployment rate increased to 6.9 per cent in February, up from 6.6 per cent the month before, according to numbers released Friday by Statistics Canada.

Alberta was the only province in Canada to record a "notable employment loss" in February with a loss of 14,300 full-time and 600 part-time jobs, the national agency said, which marks the second month of job losses in a row.

Thomas Lukaszuk, Alberta's minister of employment and immgration, said the province's numbers are skewed due to population growth.

"Alberta still is doing well compared to other provinces," he said. "So we are still attracting workers looking for work in Alberta. So as the job market may be going up and down a little, we are still attracting people looking for work which translates into higher unemployment rates."

In Alberta, there were gains in the manufacturing and forestry, fishing, mining, oil and gas sectors, which recorded increases of 10,500 and 6,600 jobs respectively. Most of the losses occurred in educational services, wholesale and retail trade and agriculture.

The three-month moving average unemployment rate for February was 7.1 percent for Calgary and 6.8 per cent for Edmonton.

Nationally, the picture was much brighter. Canada gained an additional 60,000 full-time jobs in February, which helped put the unemployment rate at 8.2 per cent, the lowest since April 2009.

Good place but least affordable :(


Vancouver has world's least affordable housing: report

VANCOUVER (CBC) - Vancouver had the world's least affordable housing market last year, according to a report that puts the blame on urban land-use policies designed to prevent sprawl.

The Demographia International report released Monday looked at 272 metropolitan markets in Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Ireland.

Four of the five least affordable cities in Canada were in B.C.: Vancouver, Victoria, Abbotsford and Kelowna. Toronto was the country's fifth least affordable and ranked 57th in the world.

As defined by the report, housing had been affordable in these cities as recently as the late 1990s.

The five most affordable Canadian cities were Thunder Bay and Windsor in Ontario, Moncton, N.B., Saguenay, Que., and Saint John.

The report includes an introduction by Tony Recsei, president of the Australian group, Save Our Suburbs, and calls on governments to allow more housing to be built on the fringes of urban areas.

"There is a view among urban planners that we have got to stop the expanse of the city," said American Wendell Cox, who wrote the report with Hugh Pavletich of New Zealand. "They have a pejorative term sprawl. It is a synonym, as far as they're concerned, for sin.

"It is very difficult to develop new housing on the fringe. Fringe housing on cheap land has been the secret of the expansion of home ownership," he said.

The authors made their rankings by taking the median residential house values from the third quarter of 2009 and dividing it by median annual gross household incomes. The four categories include severely unaffordable, seriously unaffordable, moderately unaffordable and affordable.

Only Vancouver and Toronto fell into the severely unaffordable market in Canada. Montreal, Edmonton and Calgary are classified as being seriously unaffordable, and Winnipeg crept from affordable to moderately unaffordable.

The most affordable major market in Canada was Ottawa.

Brent Gilmour, acting CEO of the Canadian Urban Institute, said the report oversimplifies other factors that affect housing affordability, such as regional real estate markets and economic conditions.

The report also fails to include the financial, social and environmental benefits of "smart" urban planning. They include lower infrastructure costs, reducing the need for long commutes and cities designed for people who don't or can't drive cars, he said.

"You have to look at the quality of life in a neighbourhood. The ability to walk, to bicycle. Are there parks and recreational facilities that are nearby?" Gilmour said from Toronto. "This study doesn't take into consideration any of those things."

Gilmour said major Canadian cities look at the return on investment when planning new residential areas. Conventional planning based on large subdivision blocks that require more roads, more sewers and more lighting have long-term costs that may not be reflected in the price of a house.

wendypoh said:

Good place but least affordable :(


Vancouver has world's least affordable housing: report


The report includes an introduction by Tony Recsei, president of the Australian group, Save Our Suburbs, and calls on governments to allow more housing to be built on the fringes of urban areas.

"There is a view among urban planners that we have got to stop the expanse of the city," said American Wendell Cox, who wrote the report with Hugh Pavletich of New Zealand. "They have a pejorative term sprawl. It is a synonym, as far as they're concerned, for sin.

"It is very difficult to develop new housing on the fringe. Fringe housing on cheap land has been the secret of the expansion of home ownership," he said.

The authors made their rankings by taking the median residential house values from the third quarter of 2009 and dividing it by median annual gross household incomes. The four categories include severely unaffordable, seriously unaffordable, moderately unaffordable and affordable.

Only Vancouver and Toronto fell into the severely unaffordable market in Canada. Montreal, Edmonton and Calgary are classified as being seriously unaffordable, and Winnipeg crept from affordable to moderately unaffordable.

The most affordable major market in Canada was Ottawa.

Brent Gilmour, acting CEO of the Canadian Urban Institute, said the report oversimplifies other factors that affect housing affordability, such as regional real estate markets and economic conditions.

The report also fails to include the financial, social and environmental benefits of "smart" urban planning. They include lower infrastructure costs, reducing the need for long commutes and cities designed for people who don't or can't drive cars, he said.

"You have to look at the quality of life in a neighbourhood. The ability to walk, to bicycle. Are there parks and recreational facilities that are nearby?" Gilmour said from Toronto. "This study doesn't take into consideration any of those things."

Gilmour said major Canadian cities look at the return on investment when planning new residential areas. Conventional planning based on large subdivision blocks that require more roads, more sewers and more lighting have long-term costs that may not be reflected in the price of a house.

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Seems like someone in Penang trying to make comments about real estate price in Pasir Ris. But i agreed that vancouver is v. V. expensive rbc report on housing will show that almost 70% of incomes goes into paying mortgage. After the passing of Winter Games, you will see prices going back to normal (ie lower).

Asychee said:

After the passing of Winter Games, you will see prices going back to normal (ie lower).

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No such thing. I live right here in Vancouver, property prices have skyrocketed and is not ever going down.

The only truth in what you say about going back to normal is the rental housing in selected downtown Vancouver areas and Whistler where rental rates go as high as $2000 for the 2-weeks of Olympics. Other parts of Metro Vancouver is not affected by the Olympics.

Even the normal rates for rental housing is still expensive, $1200 for a one-bedroom in an older building. If the building is new, rates go as high as $1800 for a one-bedroom, that's not even Yaletown or Kits.

Now people, what does a fellow who live in Edmonton knows about Vancouver? Don't get con. Come prepared that Vancouver is expensive :(

wendypoh said:

No such thing. I live right here in Vancouver, property prices have skyrocketed and is not ever going down.

The only truth in what you say about going back to normal is the rental housing in selected downtown Vancouver areas and Whistler where rental rates go as high as $2000 for the 2-weeks of Olympics. Other parts of Metro Vancouver is not affected by the Olympics.

Even the normal rates for rental housing is still expensive, $1200 for a one-bedroom in an older building. If the building is new, rates go as high as $1800 for a one-bedroom, that's not even Yaletown or Kits.

Now people, what does a fellow who live in Edmonton knows about Vancouver? Don't get con. Come prepared that Vancouver is expensive :(

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You live in Vancouver? You have been spamming about the megaquake that will hit Vancouver very soon. And, you continue to live
in Vancouver. It's time to see the doctor.

Hock said:

You live in Vancouver? You have been spamming about the megaquake that will hit Vancouver very soon. And, you continue to live
in Vancouver. It's time to see the doctor.

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I've been reporting about megaquakes in Vancouver as a service to Singaporeans to inform them about the dangers of settling in Vancouver.

The sooner I can get transferred out of Vancouver, I'll be on safer ground

wendypoh said:

No such thing. I live right here in Vancouver, property prices have skyrocketed and is not ever going down.

The only truth in what you say about going back to normal is the rental housing in selected downtown Vancouver areas and Whistler where rental rates go as high as $2000 for the 2-weeks of Olympics. Other parts of Metro Vancouver is not affected by the Olympics.

Even the normal rates for rental housing is still expensive, $1200 for a one-bedroom in an older building. If the building is new, rates go as high as $1800 for a one-bedroom, that's not even Yaletown or Kits.

Now people, what does a fellow who live in Edmonton knows about Vancouver? Don't get con. Come prepared that Vancouver is expensive :(

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Aunty, I never dispute that Vancouver is expensive leh. I am "O" level nia but that does not mean tat i can make a living as a real estate investor - all real estate markets swings like a pendulum (except Sg - Govt leasehold all the HDB Flat). Currently, with the Olympic over, u see after the implementation of the HST/gst combine. Prices will come down one - i am positioning to capture the bargains.

Good luck on your transfer since you are so disgruntle. Staying in Vancouver does not make you an expert in Real Estate - it is actively taking action rather than sitting behind the keyboard that you will learn more and take action.

Asychee said:

I am "O" level nia but that does not mean tat i can make a living as a real estate investor

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OMG, you beat me flat huh.. I thot I hv a Diploma & in real estate - a very freaking big deal.. Haha.. i've met a true warrior !

wendypoh said:

I've been reporting about megaquakes in Vancouver as a service to Singaporeans to inform them about the dangers of settling in Vancouver.

The sooner I can get transferred out of Vancouver, I'll be on safer ground

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I thought you worked for the PAP

Must be alot of Sporeans leaving, Can't really blame them if they haven't got jobs in Spore

axe168 said:

OMG, you beat me flat huh.. I thot I hv a Diploma & in real estate - a very freaking big deal.. Haha.. i've met a true warrior !

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Dont say like that, i am a very slow learner - in fact so slow that the teachers think that i am dumb always put me in the slowest class in the grade. In fact, kena retain 1 year in sec 3 somemore.

I am slow learner - that is y i disect all the info and slowly understand them. For migration to Canada. I am so slow that i spent all the waiting time (3.5 years :o)to understand and draft out a road map on what to do.

I understand 1 point that Migrate to a new country - have to land at the beach head that is most suitable to your SWOT and work your way inland just like Sammyboy. If sitting behind a keyboard bitching about a place is bad and tell all to stay away is doing everybody a service. Then i think that helping 40 singaporean to land -pick up from airport, get their health card, buy houses, find job is really pushing them into the fire eh.

I suggest that this WENDYPOH stand up and be counted and take action rather than NATO.

To: WENDYPOH is you feel offended, i am truly sorry - i just stating a opinion. I gathered a list of almost 300 people some of them is just more suitable to go to place like vancouver or stay in the surrounding area than Edmonoton.

Good place or not, you decide. Not only you need to deal with earthquakes, expensive housing, high unemployment, you also need to watch out for white supremacist!

This one is in Calgary