Jump to content
The Official Site of the Vancouver Canucks
Canucks Community

Welcome to Vancouver losers (Macleans Magazine article)


Violator

Recommended Posts

3 hours ago, Ronaldoescobar said:

SCF 1982 / 1994 / 2011? ;)

 

Also didnt Vancouver place something like 109th (tied with Toronto) on least affordable cities in the world (I beleive Calgary and Edm were in the 150s)... So a lot of those cities that people say are much better than Vancouver are also much more expensive. The million dollars spent on the condo in Vancouver may get you 1/4 of a property the same size in Hong Kong or Tokyo and if youre lucky you may get a place half the size in London or New York. 

OK I get all that. But why 'loser'? Living in an expensive city doesn't make you a 'loser'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Hugor Hill said:

OK I get all that. But why 'loser'? Living in an expensive city doesn't make you a 'loser'.

No clue aside from jealousy I would assume... It must really be hard to see Vancouver each and every single year being ranked ahead of ones city in best/most desirable places to live. 

 

Now for the backlash..... ;P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Ronaldoescobar said:

SCF 1982 / 1994 / 2011? ;)

 

Also didnt Vancouver place something like 109th (tied with Toronto) on least affordable cities in the world (I beleive Calgary and Edm were in the 150s)... So a lot of those cities that people say are much better than Vancouver are also much more expensive. The million dollars spent on the condo in Vancouver may get you 1/4 of a property the same size in Hong Kong or Tokyo and if youre lucky you may get a place half the size in London or New York. 

To be fair... Tokyo is like the only part of Japan that's over priced.  

Osaka has like almost 10 million people and for 400k CAD, you can easily get a house that's probably around the size of a typical "Vancouver Special".  Not out in the boonies either... just 30 minutes away from the main shopping/business district.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Lancaster said:

To be fair... Tokyo is like the only part of Japan that's over priced.  

Osaka has like almost 10 million people and for 400k CAD, you can easily get a house that's probably around the size of a typical "Vancouver Special".  Not out in the boonies either... just 30 minutes away from the main shopping/business district.  

Even places like NYC, Tokyo, and London get cheaper once you get into the burbs. Places about 45min drive from the city centres are relatively affordable. The GVA property in places like Port Coquitlam is insanely expensive for what you are getting. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Lancaster said:

To be fair... Tokyo is like the only part of Japan that's over priced.  

Osaka has like almost 10 million people and for 400k CAD, you can easily get a house that's probably around the size of a typical "Vancouver Special".  Not out in the boonies either... just 30 minutes away from the main shopping/business district.  

Excellent! Japan is a beautiful country I must say. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, PhillipBlunt said:

Very, very true. I've lived here for a very long time, and compared to other world cities, Vancouver is really nothing special. The natural setting it's in is nice, but not mutually exclusive to it, and as a metropolitan area, it's nowhere near Rome, London, New York, Chicago, Toronto, Paris, and the like. It's very limited. 

Could you clarify?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, ReggieBush said:

Could you clarify?

Clarify what? That Vancouver is limited? Certainly. Compared to those other cities, Vancouver is a middling city with far less history, and even when it does amass history, half of the time, it's unceremoniously torn down to make way for the future. 

 

It's infrastructure is poorly thought out and outdated. 

 

The aforementioned cities have cultivated culture and history over far more time, but have still realized that history is important. Vancouver's claim to fame is the mountains and the ocean. Various other cities around the world also exist by both, yet somehow Vancouver gloms onto that as a defining point. 

 

It's a medium sized, run of the mill city. Nothing spectacular or awe-inspiring about it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, PhillipBlunt said:

Clarify what? That Vancouver is limited? Certainly. Compared to those other cities, Vancouver is a middling city with far less history, and even when it does amass history, half of the time, it's unceremoniously torn down to make way for the future. 

 

It's infrastructure is poorly thought out and outdated. 

 

The aforementioned cities have cultivated culture and history over far more time, but have still realized that history is important. Vancouver's claim to fame is the mountains and the ocean. Various other cities around the world also exist by both, yet somehow Vancouver gloms onto that as a defining point. 

 

It's a medium sized, run of the mill city. Nothing spectacular or awe-inspiring about it. 

I think you are severely undervaluing Vancouver.

 

Lets look at it this way.

 

What Vancouver has going for it.

 

1. The natural landscape, what major city has Mountains overlooking ocean?

2. Mild climate, It doesn't get to cold or hot here.

3. Crime rate, in particular, violent crimes. We do pretty well in that category

4. Public health care, not perfect and is a country wide thing, but it is a pull factor to the city

5. Clean Air

6. Clean Water, drinkable tap water is best in the world

7. Not overly busy.

8. Diversity, and the emphasis on it

9. Very sustainable and green city

10.  Outdoor activities.

 

What it struggles with or doesn't have.

 

1. Infrastructure is meh, not great, not awful

2. Business/commerce/finance sector isn't huge. However it is on the up and up

 

Find me a city in the world that offers what Vancouver does, in addition to having or being a business center

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, kingofsurrey said:

Montreal is clearly the top city in Canada to live when you factor in liveability and price....

 

Overrated according to one of my best friends. Good place to spend a weekend, not an overly fantastic place to live

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, kingofsurrey said:

Montreal is clearly the top city in Canada to live when you factor in liveability and price....

 

 

3 hours ago, Hugor Hill said:

If given the opportunity, I would love to have a shot at living there just to see what its like.

 

47 minutes ago, ReggieBush said:

Overrated according to one of my best friends. Good place to spend a weekend, not an overly fantastic place to live

I've actually lived in Montréal before (2000-2004).  Like anywhere else in the world, it has it's pluses and minuses.

 

On the surface, it seemed comparatively inexpensive, compared to Vancouver and Toronto but at the same time, wages were also corresponding lower so really, it was a wash in terms of cost-of-living.

 

The weather there is pretty awful.  It's not just the winters and the snow that people, especially hockey fans, associate with Montreal; that's actually nowhere near as bad as their summers, which are more than uncomfortably hot and humid.

 

Language is a big deal there.  Employment opportunities are limited unless you're bilingual--doesn't matter what kind of job you're looking for.  When I first got there, I only spoke English; when I left I was decent at speaking French.  That said, having not spoken French since leaving, I'm probably lousy at it now.  And yes, 'school-taught' French is only partially useful; it's not the same as everyday spoken French, especially if the people you're dealing with are using the local "joual" dialect.

 

I'll also say that socially, your options are limited as well if you don't speak French, either.  It's not because francophones will be hostile towards you if you're anglophone only, but if you're among people who are bilingual francophones, they'll speak French to each other by default unless they're talking to you specifically, even if those people are your friends and acquaintances.  And most of the local English-only Montrealers are actually worse bigots than the francophones are reputed to be, so that's not really a crowd most reasonable people would want to socialize with (especially if you're a non-white like me).

 

And it's true that the women in Montréal are among the most beautiful in the world.  I can't explain why--it didn't matter what social class or what they did for a living or even what ethnicity they were--there's something about the women there that's different than anywhere else I've been.  Maybe it's the way they carry themselves or something.

 

Perhaps the craziest practical thing about is renting an apartment--the system they have is just... nonsensical, to put it politely.  All rental units are leased by the year and what's more insane is that by law, every lease begins/expires on the same day, July 1st, infamously known in Montreal as "Moving Day".  So if you want to move to Montréal and it's not July 1st, you have to find someone who's in a lease and wants to get out by subletting their place to you.  Worse, if you already live there and want to change apartments on Moving Day, you have to compete with literally everyone else in the city who's moving, not just for the vacancies themselves, but also booking moving companies (or rental vehicles, if you're going to try and move your stuff yourself).  And of course, traffic is ridiculous on Moving Day.

 

On the whole, living in Montréal was an interesting experience that I don't regret trying and a helluva lot better than living in Toronto (which I have also done).  People there are genuinely friendlier and nicer there than Toronto (and TBH, here in Vancouver).  I'd disagree with the notion that it's only worth spending a weekend there--the place does have a genuine vibe that you need to spend an extended period of time there to really get.  But that said, it's not an easy place to try and live in, either.

 

So why did I come back to Lower Mainland?  Because for all of it's flaws that people point out, the fact is that this is the place I call home and as I've gotten older, I've come to realize how important being at home means to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Undrafted said:

 

I'll also say that socially, your options are limited as well if you don't speak French, either.  It's not because francophones will be hostile towards you if you're anglophone only, but if you're among people who are bilingual francophones, they'll speak French to each other by default unless they're talking to you specifically, even if those people are your friends and acquaintances.  And most of the local English-only Montrealers are actually worse bigots than the francophones are reputed to be, so that's not really a crowd most reasonable people would want to socialize with (especially if you're a non-white like me).

 

Ah. For those who don't know, that's what it's like being an immigrant.

 

Yes if it wasn't for the language - job barrier, I would definitely give Montreal a shot. I'm still a bachelor haha!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, kingofsurrey said:

Montreal is clearly the top city in Canada to live when you factor in liveability and price....

 

Was far, far, far better before the fascist language police went Klingon on everyone.  Or actually we might need some of that in Richmond.:lol:  (I'm joking of course).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Hugor Hill said:

Ah. For those who don't know, that's what it's like being an immigrant.

 

Yes if it wasn't for the language - job barrier, I would definitely give Montreal a shot. I'm still a bachelor haha!!

Well, I will say one thing about the language thing: if you're motivated, you can learn the language pretty quick.  There were things like language exchange clubs when I was there, but there's a maxim that states the best and fastest way to learn French in Montreal is to get a francophone girlfriend (or boyfriend, depending on your gender/orientation).  I can say from experience that's actually true.

 

Watching French TV can help, too (once you've got the basics down, at least).  I've forgotten a lot of what I learned since I haven't spoken French since I left, but my comprehension is still good enough that I can kinda keep up and understand when watching hockey on RDS.  Mind you, when I was learning French, one of the first things I made a point of learning was hockey terminology :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/29/2018 at 8:26 PM, ReggieBush said:

I think you are severely undervaluing Vancouver.

 

Lets look at it this way.

 

What Vancouver has going for it.

 

1. The natural landscape, what major city has Mountains overlooking ocean?

2. Mild climate, It doesn't get to cold or hot here.

3. Crime rate, in particular, violent crimes. We do pretty well in that category

4. Public health care, not perfect and is a country wide thing, but it is a pull factor to the city

5. Clean Air

6. Clean Water, drinkable tap water is best in the world

7. Not overly busy.

8. Diversity, and the emphasis on it

9. Very sustainable and green city

10.  Outdoor activities.

 

What it struggles with or doesn't have.

 

1. Infrastructure is meh, not great, not awful

2. Business/commerce/finance sector isn't huge. However it is on the up and up

 

Find me a city in the world that offers what Vancouver does, in addition to having or being a business center

Most of these places have similar qualities

Vienna, Copenhagen, Salzburg, Prague, Geneva, Budapest, Madrid, Stockholm, San Fran, Ljubljana, Buenos Aires etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2018-06-29 at 6:26 PM, ReggieBush said:

I think you are severely undervaluing Vancouver.

 

Lets look at it this way.

 

What Vancouver has going for it.

 

1. The natural landscape, what major city has Mountains overlooking ocean?

2. Mild climate, It doesn't get to cold or hot here.

3. Crime rate, in particular, violent crimes. We do pretty well in that category

4. Public health care, not perfect and is a country wide thing, but it is a pull factor to the city

5. Clean Air

6. Clean Water, drinkable tap water is best in the world

7. Not overly busy.

8. Diversity, and the emphasis on it

9. Very sustainable and green city

10.  Outdoor activities.

 

What it struggles with or doesn't have.

 

1. Infrastructure is meh, not great, not awful

2. Business/commerce/finance sector isn't huge. However it is on the up and up

 

Find me a city in the world that offers what Vancouver does, in addition to having or being a business center

I could do a longer list of why Vancouver sucks. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...