New data says Vancouver has the blues

Good morning,

Big things we’re working on over here at the Lookout — we’re planning a new food newsletter dedicated to covering the under-reported restaurants, with real reviews and not just the same old “best of” lists. 

If this interests you, we’d love to hear your ideas for what we should cover. Over 300 people have completed it and we’re hoping have 500 by Friday! You can take the short survey here.

And with that, let’s get to the newsletter.

— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity Lookout editor

WEATHER

Wednesday: 7 🌡️ 6 | 🌧️

Thursday: 9 🌡️ 3 | 🌧️

Friday: 8 🌡️ 3 | 🌤️

LOOKING AHEAD

Straight from the throne: The province’s Throne Speech was light on details, as they usually are until the budget drops later this week, but the government did hint at more protections for renters, such as requiring landlords to communicate with the Residential Tenancy Branch before an eviction takes place. [Vancouver Sun]

Weather warming: Vancouver could be in for a warmer period this week, with highs up to around nine on Thursday. But be warned, there may be snow next week. [CityNews]

Sales up: Realtors believe that after a worse-than-expected last half of 2023, the housing market this year in Vancouver may be on the upswing. Great news for those looking to sell, bad news for those looking to buy. [Globe and Mail]

HEALTH

New data says Vancouver has the blues

What happened: A new study is shedding light on something I’m sure many of you readers have felt — while Vancouver has a lot going for it, people in the city feel more depressed than other places in Canada, according to the Vancouver Sun. 

Background: The Canadian Social Survey from StatsCan collects different data to understand social issues and how they change across Canada on a quarter-to-quarter basis.

Vancouver: A few key trends appear in the report. Vancouver residents had a lower sense of belonging to the community than the rest of BC, lower life satisfaction and poorer mental health. Similar trends were observed in Toronto, except for quality of life, which was lower in Vancouver. 

Cost of living appears to be a major concern, with 27 percent of households across Canada reporting that it was difficult or very difficult to meet their financial needs in 2023, up from 19 percent in 2021. Vancouver residents spend 30 percent of their take-home income on home costs. 

• The youth aren’t alright: Other research has shown that younger people are struggling with mental health problems, according to CBC. That’s borne out in the StatsCan data as well.

Digging deeper. Across Canada, one of the biggest differences in responses between homeowners and renters was when it comes to “difficulty meeting financial needs.” There was a 15 percentage point difference between homeowners and renters, with 38 percent of renters struggling, compared to 23 percent of homeowners. 

Other interesting data: We love looking at data, so the Lookout reviewed some data outside of the key reports shared by StatsCan, and have summarized the findings below:

• 18 percent of 15-24-year-olds are more likely to say they always or often feel alone, compared to a national average of 13 percent;

• Quebec is an outlier with 62 percent rating a high life satisfaction compared to 48 percent in BC;

• Life satisfaction in urban areas is worse than rural areas, with only 50 percent rating a high life satisfaction versus 61 percent in rural areas; 

• And, urban areas have a lower sense of community connection at 45 percent compared to 55 percent in rural areas.

What it means: The most expensive city in the most expensive province in Canada has worse quality of life indicators, I wonder if there’s a connection…? It’s clear that people’s material concerns impact a host of feelings about their happiness and health, and those who are more financially stable feel better about most things.

• What also stood out in the data was Quebec’s increased sense of positivity and connection compared to the rest of Canada. A study done by the Institut du Québec showed that Montreal ranked first in terms of quality of life compared to every other major similar-sized North American city, with poverty, inequality and housing costs all ranking at the top. Montreal is more affordable according to the Victoria Transit Policy Institute paper (again, it seems to come back costs).

What Vancouver can learn: These are just my thoughts, but I think Vancouver can learn a few things from this study. If the cost of living is increasingly outside of the city or province’s control, then addressing other mental health issues like loneliness should be accomplished through city design that fosters more connection, like buildings that promote community, more public spaces, affordable community amenities and more free events, just to name a few.

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VANCOUVER NUMBERS

📉 3%: The inflation rate for BC during January. The two previous months were 3.2 percent in November and 3.4 percent in December. The national rate was down 0.5 percent, to 2.9. It’s a sign that inflation is cooling, which could impact interest rates. [PRPeak]

🏒 2: The Canucks losing streak in their last two games, including a rough 10-7 loss against the Wild. Is it time to jump off the bandwagon?

📔 $3 million: The amount of money a book collector in North Vancouver sold a book for. The book was printed in 1555 (yes, that’s the correct date) from Andreas Vesalius’ work on anatomy. [Vancouver Sun]

HOUSING

BC Builds $2 billion boon

What happened: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, alongside Premier David Eby and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim were on hand yesterday to announce that the federal government was contributing $2 billion in funding towards the BC Builds program, according to CityNews.

Background: BC Builds was announced last week by the provincial government, with the goal of quickly building housing projects for middle-income earners, according to CBC. The program will build rental homes on under-used public land and launched with $2 billion in low-interest loans from the province and $950 million in funding. It also serves as a partnership between municipalities, First Nations and non-profit groups. 

Numbers: The federal government believes the additional money, in the form of low-cost loans, will create 8,000 rental units, according to the Globe and Mail. The shorter timeframe to build the projects, with a goal of 18 months, is much faster than the usual mult-year timeframe for other projects. 

Why it matters: As much as some people may want to blame Vancouver for the housing crisis — and they certainly share in the blame — solving it in Vancouver will take resources and policy changes at the provincial and federal level. These types of rentals are especially important given Vancouver’s extremely costly rental market. 

• Middle-income earners tend to bear a huge brunt of the squeeze, with many programs existing for lower-income renters, and, well, more well-off people being able to afford higher-cost rentals.

DREAM HOME

This is quite the 1,291 square foot three-bedroom, two-bathroom townhome for sale. The layout is positively lovely, with a large kitchen space, a massive main bedroom and not one, not two but three patios of differing sizes. It’s also somewhat secluded.

It’s not cheap, but I’d say it’s reasonably priced for Vancouver. 

THE AGENDA

📛 If you're reading this while on the Granville Street Bridge, don’t look down, because it may be less sturdy than you think… I kid (mostly) but the city has filed a lawsuit against three construction companies demanding they pay up for problems with the bridge, including corrosion, poor sealing, structural weakening of the steel and degradation. The city also took to the media yesterday to clarify the bridge is indeed safe (whew). [CTV]

👮 Police are looking for a Vancouver man who hit an RCMP officer before allegedly fleeing the scene on Saturday. The 57-year-old man was already subject to  a province-wide warrant for his arrest. [CTV]

💰️ Rental subsidies for low-income people aren’t being spent, and what is spent isn’t enough to cover housing costs in the province. Advocates say the application criteria is too rigid, with only 30,000 households benefiting compared to the target of 40,000, with $32 million of that money not being spent. [Vancouver Sun]

🛌 If you have friends visiting for the World Cup, they may soon be asking to bunk up. Destination Vancouver says there’s a serious hotel shortage facing World Cup attendees in 2026, while the province says there are 1,000 new units being developed in Vancouver. [CBC]

🛫 My literal nightmare is a door flying open while flying, and this person tried to do this on a flight between Vancouver and Toronto. Luckily the doors do not open in the air. The person was taken into custody after the flight diverted to Winnipeg. [Global News]

🪧 An anti-India and pro-Khalistan protest took to the streets outside the Indian consulate on Saturday to protest the killing of Dardeep Singh Nijjar who the Indian government allegedly killed. [CityNews]

What sort of restaurants should we discover for you?

That’s the question we’re asking readers like you. Should we write about popular places, or immigrant/family-run restaurants that don’t get enough attention?

We’re launching a new food newsletter and we need your help to shape what places we review. Take a moment to complete our short survey now.

ARTS

Theatre

Every Brilliant Thing about a life worth living, at the BMO Theatre Centre, is getting rave reviews, and is on now until March 3. [Stir]

There’s still time to catch Juliet: A Revenge Comedy at the Cultch Historic Theatre until Friday, a new look at an old classic. [Stir]

Music

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will be performing at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Aug. 13 and 14, playing music from their album as well as other country legends. [Straight]

The Sister Jazz Orchestra, featuring Vancouver’s top female jazz musicians, will perform on International Women’s Day, March 8, at the Kay Meek Arts Centre.

Movies 

VIFF has two series on at the moment — KDocsFF, Metro Vancouver’s premier social justice film festival, and Black History Month, with lesser-known and more popular films like Sorry to Bother You, which I highly recommend.

Until tomorrow you can still catch movies from Cinematheque’s series Witnessing Change: Ukrainian Cinema in a Time of Turmoil, as well as a series of films from Jacques Rivete and Edward Yang. 

Art

The ancestral tattoo practices of Indigenous peoples will be featured at the Museum of Vancouver this March. [Straight]

The Vancouver Art Gallery has revealed their 2024 exhibit of events, including one on posters, artists who made magazines, a monochrome journey, artist Firelei Báez, and much more

Famous drag star RuPaul will be hosting an event for their memoir at the Commodore on April 16. [Straight]

PHOTO OF THE DAY

I spotted these lovely shots on Reddit of the PNE and thought they were worth sharing. fi

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Here’s a great story about the sea lions in Coal Harbour. [Globe and Mail]

• Speaking of animals, the Greater Vancouver Zoo is trying to mate two red pandas, after the male fathered red panda cubs last year. [CTV]

• Prince Harry and Meghan spent time on Friday meeting with Invictus Games athletes. [Global]

• Rugby Sevens takes place Friday to Sunday, with the best teams from around the world participating. [CityNews]

• Here’s some good news — there are 708 new physicians working in family practices in BC over the past year! [Vancouver is Awesome]

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VANCOUVER GUESSER

We’re doing another SkyTrain Station today, showcasing some that just don’t get the love they deserve. 

Can you name this spot? Reply with the correct answer and your name to be featured in the newsletter.