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Should We Tax and/or Limit Foreign Real Estate Purchases?

My experience of Ontario is limited- worked there, Toronto, Niagara Falls, St. Catherines, about 30 years ago when you couldn't buy a job out west. I liked the Niagara Peninsula but you can have my share of Toronto. I'm guessing that by now it's one big city from Hamilton to Toronto.
The thought gives me the willies. Takes me about 6-7 hours and three ferries to get to Vancouver, dreading it all the way. I can't imagine what it's like to live in that (southern Ontario) kind of population density.

It pretty much is and you have to go to Hamilton to find affordable property.
 
That is actually probably old people trying to escape the winter, they are called snowbirds.

I am well versed in the term "snowbirds". The Phoenix metro area grows from approx. 2.5 mil. to a bit over 4 mil. every winter.

Are they living there or is it investments?

A lot of Canadians buy property in the south for summer residences, Arizona is big because of the dry climate, ex smokers need that

Oh I'm certain a very large majority of them are winter residents. The point is they have driven property values up pretty good.
 
My experience of Ontario is limited- worked there, Toronto, Niagara Falls, St. Catherines, about 30 years ago when you couldn't buy a job out west. I liked the Niagara Peninsula but you can have my share of Toronto. I'm guessing that by now it's one big city from Hamilton to Toronto.
The thought gives me the willies. Takes me about 6-7 hours and three ferries to get to Vancouver, dreading it all the way. I can't imagine what it's like to live in that (southern Ontario) kind of population density.



The drivers are insane!

The Queen Elizabeth Parkway running down the north side of the escarpment from Fort Erie is the most dangers [due to drivers] in the world. With family in Kitchener/Waterloo and in the Buffalo area I take it many times. More than once I have seen deliberate accidents. Ontario drivers cannot tolerate anyone in front of them on the outside "Passing" lane....so when it's bumper to bumper then try to ram you from behind to get you to move over where there is no room to move.
Driving in Toronto is the worst of any city, at least Montreal has some nice stuff to look at while everyone ignores the law, but Toronto, is sectioned because of a 16 lane freeway right through the gut of the city. It has a great skyline and photographs well on Lake Erie. But like Montreal, it's become a dump.

At least Vancouver is free of expressways. But as has been pointed out, its such a ****ty place to live property values are the highest in all the Americas because we're so unpopular and such a **** can of a city everyone wants to live here.
 
I am well versed in the term "snowbirds". The Phoenix metro area grows from approx. 2.5 mil. to a bit over 4 mil. every winter.

Oh I'm certain a very large majority of them are winter residents. The point is they have driven property values up pretty good.

Now imagine if they bought the property then just did not live in them. That is our problem.
 
Now imagine if they bought the property then just did not live in them. That is our problem.

One good thing about it here in the summer is tee times are much easier to get. :2razz:
 
I am just saying the math checks out, I am not saying anything bad about it. Vancouver is the epicentre for this activity, I even might even want to live in Vancouver at some point.

Got a million or two? That's what it takes to buy a house in Vancouver now.
But you don't have to go too far out to find something the average person can afford.
 
At least Vancouver is free of expressways. But as has been pointed out, its such a ****ty place to live property values are the highest in all the Americas because we're so unpopular and such a **** can of a city everyone wants to live here.

People do want to live in Vancouver, myself included, but are being driven away by high property prices driven by foreign buyers. All I was doing was pointing out the demographics and the math checks out.
 
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Got a million or two? That's what it takes to buy a house in Vancouver now.
But you don't have to go too far out to find something the average person can afford.

Well I am yet to start my career so I will be renting apartments anyways, hopefully by the time I want a house the market has either cooled or crashed.
 
Sounds like you guys are having your own "divided country" argument.

Canada is regional, for sure. It's such a long way from anywhere to anywhere else, for one thing. Out here, on the west coast, we're looking across the water to Asia, not over our shoulders to Toronto. Even Albertans look west more than east. Hell, half the farmers on the Prairies retire to the Okanagan in BC. The ones that don't go to Arizona, that is.
 
Let's see populations of the metro areas involved:
Golden Horseshoe - 9 million
Montreal - 4 million
Ottawa - 1.5ish million
For a total of 14.5 million in those metro areas

We need 17.5 million to get half. We need only another 3 million which I imagine can garnered from other cities and towns.
Wow!

Ottawa's really grown!

It used to be a (relatively) small backwater.
 
I think I would. The fact still remains that half of the population lives in Montreal and Southern Ontario.

He's playing the game that west coasters do to discourage more people from coming here, that's all. You'll be doing the same, six months after you move.
 
Canada is regional, for sure. It's such a long way from anywhere to anywhere else, for one thing. Out here, on the west coast, we're looking across the water to Asia, not over our shoulders to Toronto. Even Albertans look west more than east. Hell, half the farmers on the Prairies retire to the Okanagan in BC. The ones that don't go to Arizona, that is.

Well, I get to check out Victoria on July 1. Looking forward to it.
 
Well, I get to check out Victoria on July 1. Looking forward to it.

You'll love it, such a pretty little town. A lot going on there for a town that size, too.
 
I guess what he's trying to say is that the 7 million people who live in Vancouver, the two million people in Alberta and the one and a half million across the north aren't REAL Canadians.

In my opinion it simply reflects ignorance and stupidity and part of the uniformed Canada bashing Americans go through to make themselves feel better about a divided and dying country.
I believe the poster in question is a Montrealer, FL.
 
Got a million or two? That's what it takes to buy a house in Vancouver now.
But you don't have to go too far out to find something the average person can afford.



Released yesterday. Price of a detached two bedroom home on what we call a half lot: $1,800,000.00. The interview subject opined that that price would likely be a 'knockdown'.

A couple I know just spent $925,500 for a 620 sq ft one bedroom with a sliver of a view of Burrard inlet.
 
I guess what he's trying to say is that the 7 million people who live in Vancouver, the two million people in Alberta and the one and a half million across the north aren't REAL Canadians.

In my opinion it simply reflects ignorance and stupidity and part of the uniformed Canada bashing Americans go through to make themselves feel better about a divided and dying country.

Carjosse is in Canada, therefore he's not an American bashing Canada. In the spirit of staying with the thread, Canada just doesn't make sense for most Americans to earn a living. I certainly hope they don't lay down some stupid nationwide real estate tax in case I want to get a retirement house in a place like Flin Flon, MB or coastal Labrador. I find the maps and posts quite useful. I don't want to be around 7 million people in Vancouver nor 9 million people in the "Golden Horseshoe". Montreal doesn't seem too agitated for such a big city. It's a shame his map came off as a slight. For we Americans who know Canada well, I think the draw is finding places were you don't get hassled by lots of people nor the government. My experience has been that it's easy to wander around without needing to spend much time asking for permission. The Canada presented by Les Stroud is every bit as much "Canada" as Parliament Hill or Victoria, BC.
 
Wow!

Ottawa's really grown!

It used to be a (relatively) small backwater.

Well Ottawa-Gatineau it is mostly government workers but Ottawa has a growing tech industry as well.
 
Well Ottawa-Gatineau it is mostly government workers but Ottawa has a growing tech industry as well.
As an aside, there used to be some discrepancy in liquor laws between Ottawa & Hull. On weekends when the bars closed in the earlier locale, a virtual parade would take place across the bridge to the other side!

No idea if this still occurs.
 
As an aside, there used to be some discrepancy in liquor laws between Ottawa & Hull. On weekends when the bars closed in the earlier locale, a virtual parade would take place across the bridge to the other side!

No idea if this still occurs.

To my knowledge it still does.
 
I think I would. The fact still remains that half of the population lives in Montreal and Southern Ontario.



OK you win..

You have no idea what it's like here. Easterners, especially Torontians don't do well here. Most I know who have come here leave in the first two years. Unless you are high tech, a server in the hospitality industry or in construction jobs are scarce, in fact not available at all for Millenials. You will pay [right now] $1.31 per litre and we have a 5/7 sales tax system. Property taxes are the highest in the nation, driving up rental costs. Officially Vancouver has had a '0' Vacancy rate since the late 1970's. A one bedroom in the city will start around $900 for anything livable, or you go to the suburbs and commute... whole other story.

There are no expressways within city limits. Sky Train covers a good potion of the area but is expensive and packed during rush hour. And as Vancouver has been waging war on the internal combustion engine for 50 years, all arteries have traffic signals ate EVERY intersection. Everyone jaywalks. As well, cultural differences come into play, as some new Chinese have never driven before and most are still learning. Indians are professional drivers who, with a big friendly smile, cut you off routinely will talking on their hands free cellphone. Cycles rule, there are something like $250 million in bike lanes, and even then they use arteries. Add some Americans, and European tourists 12 months of the year and you can see it takes a special kind of zen to do that all the time.

We live outside, take long coffee breaks and get done what needs getting done on rainy days. Just about everyone smokes pot and everyone everywhere jay walks...there is virtually NO police intervention in such pettiness. And we are polite. You may not see it, but I do when I am east, you guys are rude. You stand out in Vancouver because of it.

You cannot make friends here. Seriously. We are friendly, open, always helpful, but it is the hardest city in the world in which to make friends quickly. It has been said "Vancouver is the greatest party no one gets invited to."

If you are open, easy going a non-smoker and not terribly career oriented, you might do OK. But, most I have seen figure all that is too high a price to pay for natural beauty.
 
OK you win..

You have no idea what it's like here. Easterners, especially Torontians don't do well here. Most I know who have come here leave in the first two years. Unless you are high tech, a server in the hospitality industry or in construction jobs are scarce, in fact not available at all for Millenials. You will pay [right now] $1.31 per litre and we have a 5/7 sales tax system. Property taxes are the highest in the nation, driving up rental costs. Officially Vancouver has had a '0' Vacancy rate since the late 1970's. A one bedroom in the city will start around $900 for anything livable, or you go to the suburbs and commute... whole other story.

There are no expressways within city limits. Sky Train covers a good potion of the area but is expensive and packed during rush hour. And as Vancouver has been waging war on the internal combustion engine for 50 years, all arteries have traffic signals ate EVERY intersection. Everyone jaywalks. As well, cultural differences come into play, as some new Chinese have never driven before and most are still learning. Indians are professional drivers who, with a big friendly smile, cut you off routinely will talking on their hands free cellphone. Cycles rule, there are something like $250 million in bike lanes, and even then they use arteries. Add some Americans, and European tourists 12 months of the year and you can see it takes a special kind of zen to do that all the time.

We live outside, take long coffee breaks and get done what needs getting done on rainy days. Just about everyone smokes pot and everyone everywhere jay walks...there is virtually NO police intervention in such pettiness. And we are polite. You may not see it, but I do when I am east, you guys are rude. You stand out in Vancouver because of it.

You cannot make friends here. Seriously. We are friendly, open, always helpful, but it is the hardest city in the world in which to make friends quickly. It has been said "Vancouver is the greatest party no one gets invited to."

If you are open, easy going a non-smoker and not terribly career oriented, you might do OK. But, most I have seen figure all that is too high a price to pay for natural beauty.

Why would a cutting edge high tech person who could get hired almost anywhere want to come to Vancouver, BC? If people are fleeing California because high prices and taxes make salaries evaporate, wouldn't Vancouver be even worse?

Just out of curiousity, when you refer to Eastern Canadians being rude, was that your experience in Atlantic Canada as well? I was rather impressed with Newfie Hospitality.
 
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OK you win..

You have no idea what it's like here. Easterners, especially Torontians don't do well here. Most I know who have come here leave in the first two years. Unless you are high tech, a server in the hospitality industry or in construction jobs are scarce, in fact not available at all for Millenials. You will pay [right now] $1.31 per litre and we have a 5/7 sales tax system. Property taxes are the highest in the nation, driving up rental costs. Officially Vancouver has had a '0' Vacancy rate since the late 1970's. A one bedroom in the city will start around $900 for anything livable, or you go to the suburbs and commute... whole other story.

There are no expressways within city limits. Sky Train covers a good potion of the area but is expensive and packed during rush hour. And as Vancouver has been waging war on the internal combustion engine for 50 years, all arteries have traffic signals ate EVERY intersection. Everyone jaywalks. As well, cultural differences come into play, as some new Chinese have never driven before and most are still learning. Indians are professional drivers who, with a big friendly smile, cut you off routinely will talking on their hands free cellphone. Cycles rule, there are something like $250 million in bike lanes, and even then they use arteries. Add some Americans, and European tourists 12 months of the year and you can see it takes a special kind of zen to do that all the time.

We live outside, take long coffee breaks and get done what needs getting done on rainy days. Just about everyone smokes pot and everyone everywhere jay walks...there is virtually NO police intervention in such pettiness. And we are polite. You may not see it, but I do when I am east, you guys are rude. You stand out in Vancouver because of it.

You cannot make friends here. Seriously. We are friendly, open, always helpful, but it is the hardest city in the world in which to make friends quickly. It has been said "Vancouver is the greatest party no one gets invited to."

If you are open, easy going a non-smoker and not terribly career oriented, you might do OK. But, most I have seen figure all that is too high a price to pay for natural beauty.

I will fit in, my degree is in information systems and data analysis, a high tech job, at least partly. 900$ is less than what I pay now for rent. I despise cars and commuting culture, I feel it is a complete drain on society. I highly value work-life balance and I like the rain, as long as it is not the kind that can soak through even my rain coat. I also already know people who live there.
 
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