Why I had to leave home.

Why I had to leave home.

The cost of rent, it's that simple.

Excessively high rental costs in Canada are the cause of untold misery for many. There have been governments of all different parties provincially, Conservative (under various names) Liberal and NDP. But it's not due solely to provincial governments, it's a systemic problem right across Canada which includes the Federal Government.

Speculators, market manipulators, foreign buyers with deep pockets, mortgage brokers and banks are all in the business of making a profit. There is nothing wrong with any business seeking profit for their investments and stakeholders. There is, however, a difference with housing as there is a difference in healthcare. They are both human rights. Once profit becomes the sole motivator the masses, the population, us, lose big-time.

When a new government is elected provincially they all try to control their out-of-control markets by thinking deep inside-the-box. I don't know how people 40 years younger than I am can be so stuck in the past. Why they can't see the world has changed sine the 1970s. In lame attempts to moderate the real estate market, they apply taxes (aka tariffs) in the hope that that will change the closed shop that is the real estate development business.

Governments tend to play the long game. Using scenarios that play out over 20 or 30 years is irrelevant to someone who has an expected expiry date of 10 years, actuarially speaking. Politicians love big ticket projects. They are, to use one infamous conservative quote “Sexy” when compared to the mundane support programs which tend to be quick and easy (sort of) solutions and will only get one story in the mainstream media, then are forgotten by the public at large.

Speculator's taxes, vacancy taxes and the like become part of the cost of doing business so sale and rental prices need to rise to offset those costs, and they have. It reminds me of Trump's foolish tariffs on Chinese goods and Canadian raw materials. Canada and China did not pay for those added tariffs, the American consumer did. It's the same thing in Canada in rental rates. Speculators and large market investors don't pay the added cost of these taxes, the renter and individual buyer pays the extra costs via manipulated markets and loopholes.

Me: I would be sitting happily in Victoria BC right now had I had enough income to live in what was, for Victoria, a reasonably priced apartment but, I didn't make the grade. It was a small studio (bachelor) unit in a high rise on a high floor facing over Victoria harbour, the city and the mountains to the north east. My travels over my years have put me in smaller, less equipped places than that apartment so it was completely acceptable. The view nearly brought tears to my eyes. Spectacular, calming, stunning and other superlative words come to mind. I have simple needs at this point in my life, approaching my mid 70s (75 in 2023.) Access to services such as grocery stores, medical, drug stores, etc. maybe a nice burger joint nearby but, above all is 'view' I need to see the world, it is one of the few joys left in my life. I have that where I am now but, I'll explain more on that in a moment.

A little background on this story: I had sent detailed information about me, my income and my references to the property management company who listed that high-rise in an attempt to be pre-approved for any unit I might apply for. I had had multiple disappointments elsewhere and wanted to avoid more of that. The rejections were beginning to feel soul crushing.

A few days later I got an email from someone at that management company informing me that an apartment in the desired building was coming available. There was a description of the unit, it's location in the building and it's rent of $950 a month, low for that location in Victoria. But, even at that, the rent was a little high relative to my income. I have learned to be frugal. I don't smoke, rarely go out to bars and restaurants, and always seek my daily life needs in the bargain bin. 

I went to the building and asked the onsite super to see the place. After the aforementioned tearing up at the view I responded to the email that I would love to rent that unit. A day later in another email, I was told that my application had been rejected. What? Why? They had offered it to me, I didn't seek out that apartment – what went wrong, I asked in another email. I checked with my references, none had been called. Then I received a 3rd short email, from a different email address, it just said I did not meet the income requirement. Even with *SAFER (a BC housing subsidy) that rent equaled 50% of my income. I was devastated, absolutely devastated.

Now, with my soul completely crushed I looked at my remaining options in Victoria. There were a grand total of zero units available that would put me in that magical 30% qualifying income bracket. In my case I would need a rental rate of $570 a month. You can't rent a Harper sized broom closet in BC for that. I had spent nearly 5 years on the subsidized housing list and was told I was lucky I was on the 3rd tier of that priority list instead of the 4th tier. I could never quite understand how not being offered a geared to income dwelling from a 3rd tier position was better than not being offered a geared to income dwelling from the 4th tier. A conundrum. 

I gave up. I could no longer afford to live in my country of birth and the province of my choice. The game, for me, in Canada, was over. I had one alternative. I'd spent a lot of my time, since retirement, in South East Asia. I could do that because I downsized my life to two suitcases and a shoulder bag. I stayed 6 months each year in a long stay hotel in Victoria (that used to be reasonably priced) so I wouldn't have to pay rent when out of the country. I did the same in Asia. The significantly lower cost of living there offset travel costs and the higher cost of living in Canada. But I'm old now and the 30+ hours of travel time worn me down. Add the new reality of our COVID infected world and the travel option completely disappears.

So now, I find myself in a rented waterfront condo in Thailand (I arrived before the world locked down) which has successfully contained the coronavirus. I pay $360 a month rent and have a view that elicits the words “Gorgeous, just gorgeous.” every single day. I also have no disposable income (entertainment/clothing) because the Government of Canada stopped my Guaranteed Income Supplement after 6 months out of the country so I cannot associate with my peers and when those shoes wear out...? I am the cheap Charlie you may have heard about, the guy who never, ever tips, it's not what I want to do, it just is what it is. I also have no healthcare insurance, so life for me is always on the edge, one costly illness and I'm done, in real severe life-threatening terms.

But I'd sooner take that chance than be forced to live in a pitifully under serviced basement apartment in BC that has a bar fridge, a two burner hotplate, a low ceiling and a 12” high basement window looking out at the bottom of a car parked in the driveway. That's not life.

There is a simple fix for this. 30% my income + Provincial/Federal Housing Subsidy = average rental rates in the city I live in. Building new buildings sounds 'sexy' but I'll be long dead before I move up any waiting list that was designed to fit in a world that has long since passed. I've been forced from my home, Canada, for the profit and lifestyle of others, and governments at all levels have failed to protect people like me.

In-the-end, I want to come home, but I just can't afford to.

*Shelter Aid For Elderly Renters (SAFER) - https://www.bchousing.org/housing-assistance/rental-assistance/SAFER

**I keep a balance of $800 in my Canadian bank account while I keep 2,500฿ (about $100 CAD) in my Thai account. My life security on $900.00