Bon-vivant

Least Affordable?

The numbers are in! Our lovely city is once again ranked as the third most unaffordable city in the world to live. This is based on the average cost of housing compared to average household income. We are only behind Hong Kong and Sydney, Australia. That is only housing, what about what it cost to live? Hong Kong has very low income tax rates, no income tax on investments, interests and dividends and no sales tax. Things are generally cheaper. Australia do not add sales tax to purchases and tipping is not required or expected. We, on the other hand pay higher income taxes, a sales tax of over 12% on just about all purchases including eating out. There is also sales tax on rent, parking and even dog-grooming. We are also expected to leave a 15 to 20% tip on restaurant bills on top of the sales tax.

But we are only number three in the world. Let’s go to the City and see how they can help us move up. A quote from an article in the Vancouver Sun on the City’s 2018 budget: ” Here is a rundown of the City’s 2018 taxpayer shakedown: Operational spending will be in excess of $1.4 billion (6.2% more than in 2017), a 4.24% property tax increase (jacked up suddenly at the last minute from 3.9% by some political sleight-of-hand), water fees up 6%, sewer up10.4%, and solid waste up 8.5%. All of these increases exceed the current 2% inflation rate in B.C.

The Financial Sustainability Guiding Principles outlined in the 2018 budget point to the responsible fiscal path our city should be on: “Keeping property taxes and fees affordable, living within our means, keeping debt at a manageable level, and maintaining our assets in an appropriate state of repair” — not to mention keeping property taxes and fees affordable and “in line with inflation.”

No, we want to be the most unaffordable in the world. Let’s go for broke and aim for number one……………….. Oh, we are already broke! Thanks Gregor!

I’m Sorry

Trudeau3 If there is one single word that associates with Canadians most, it may be “Sorry”. Canadians are known to apologize over everything. Well, one of the arguably most famous Canadians, Justin Bieber, actually had a hit song titled Sorry. Not to be outdone and in his constant quest to be the most famous Justin from this country, our PM went on to try and out Sorry the rock star in 2017. Yes, he even had a Sorry Tour. His main arsenals are that he can cry on cue putting his drama degree to good use and unfortunately, he can also give away a lot of the country’s money to the people he says Sorry to.

Amongst other things, he said Sorry to the First Nation residential school students followed by a check in the tens of millions of dollars. Then it was the LBGT community. He was Sorry that a Canadian from a family with known terrorists ties, Khadr went off to join ISIS when he was a teenager, killed american soldiers and was jailed. That was worth an award of over 10 million bucks. Three Middle-Eastern Canadians went back to their country, was accused of being spies, jailed and possibly tortured. They got a combined 30 mil. He was also Sorry that he violated the conflict of interest rules, twice. He apologized for so many things that it is hard to keep count. I think he took the crown away from the Biebs as the king of Sorry. His groupies from parliament followed his lead and prompted a bunch of apologies including wasting the tax-payers money to more conflict violation by the Finance Minister. Recent news told that Khadr’s ex-brother-in-law was just released from jail in Afghanistan along with his American wife. Well, that should be worth at least 20 mil., don’t you think. Am I being too cheap? I’m Sorry!

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Mafia, eh!

IMG_20161015_160003 My buddies in Mexico told me that the Cartels there have a choke hold on pretty much everything in their country from running drugs, controlling many lucrative industries to extorsion of small businesses. I told them that NOB (North of the Border) or should I say, NOW (North of the Wall), they are called the Mafia. However, in our part of the world we don’t have the Mafia because we have the Government. Our government controls gambling, liquor distribution and sales, lucrative industries like insurance, they take bribes from developers and allow them to by-pass building regulations, they extort small businesses by having exorbitantly high property taxes and hugh increases in electricity rates. Now, on the verge of Canada legalizing marijuana, the provincial government just announced that they will control the distribution of the supply. They are leaving the retailing of it to the public. Yes, control the part that is sure to make money and leave the street level pushing to the people! Cartel, Mafia, Government, they are all the same, eh! mafia

H O Vhat?

HOV-Sign-Cropped-509x1024 You see lanes that are called HOV on some of the multi-lane highways all over Canada. People from other countries would recognize them as Car Pool Lanes. Here the official name from the government is High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes. Come again!! That is quite a mouthful! Say that three times, fast! Besides, it is not intuitive, you have to think about it for a moment to get the meaning. Why can’t we just called them Car Pool Lanes like everyone else. Oh, I get it, we Canadians have to be different, we can’t just follow the Americans. Not sure how that serves the citizens of this country of which more than half are non native and don’t speak English as their primary language. Plus, all the poor tourists!

When they were first introduced, you had to have three persons, or is that occupants, to use the lanes. Since, most of Canada either rains or snows for the greater part of the year, people would just prefer to jump into their cars in the garage and drive to the underground parking of their work to avoid being outside. Subsequently, the HOV Lanes were way under used. So they lowered the number to two. It was still under used so they allowed motorcycles, with only the rider, to use them as well. Still under used! Ah, our brilliant bureaucrats came up with the idea that electric cars should be allowed to use them as well. This will fill the lanes a bit more and also provide the image that they are pro-environment. Hey, self-drive cars are coming. Maybe you can allow them too. Didn’t you also tell us that in the not too distant future, all cars will be electric. Then everyone can use them. After all, isn’t Inclusion a great Canadian virtue? In the meantime, allow dogs to be counted as occupants in cars. You did call it High Occupancy Vehicles. Ruff, Ruff!

Let’s Squat

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A friend of mine from the doggy park lives with his mommy in the west side of Vancouver in a very nice neighborhood. Unfortunately, the house next to theirs have been neglected for years with many broken windows, dilapidated roof and sidings and overgrown yard. In his block alone there are four similar conditioned houses. This is in an area where houses start at 5 million dollars. Why would people do that – spent that kind of money on a house and not look after it. Most of these owners are from China or Russia and they were laundering their money. That in itself is not against any law at the moment. Canada and especially Vancouver do not have the guts to introduce the law and so far showed feeble attempts and a lack of desire to control this problem. Well, what about my friend and all the other people that have to live next to them? According to statistics, there are over 25,500 empty homes in the city of Vancouver alone. Empty is one thing but un-kept is not so cool.

In Mexico, where I spent part of my year and indeed, in many Central and South American countries they have a way of dealing with this problem. If a house is not occupied and do not look like it’s been kept up for say, six months, someone can actually move into the house. If they then start to improve the house and keeps it up they can eventually legally take-over the house. With the argument that the house was abandoned and with proof of improvement and up-keep, the person can apply to have the title of the house put in his name. It is called Squatter’s Right. How about introducing this to Vancouver?

What a great idea! Hey, with the majority of people thinking that housing is the number one issue in the City, maybe I should run for city council next Spring. I’ll show them how to solve the housing problems ….then I will take care of the traffic …..and then bike lanes …..and ….and

Amused by Mews

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When I walk around my neighborhood, I see a lot of short streets that are not quite streets and not quite alleys. The street signs have a name and then the word Mews. So I guess they are mews. Somehow, they don’t really have anything in common. Some have a courtyard in the middle, some are dead-ended and some allow cars and others don’t. My Daddy was curious too so he consulted his most knowledgeable friend, Google and here is what Mr. Oxford said a mews is ” A row or street of houses or flats that have been converted from stables or built to look like former stables.” Humm, you mean to tell me that all those fancy condo buildings were converted from stables? That sounds like horse puck to me…..hee..hee…hee. I am amused now!!