4 ms·

The average wage in Canada is $50k. The median family income is $76k. That's before taxes and living expenses. If you can drop nearly three times the entire me

by vacri 9y ago

The average wage in Canada is $50k. The median family income is $76k. That's before taxes and living expenses. If you can drop nearly three times the entire median family income per year for half a decade on renovations alone, you're not 'cash-strapped'.

Para2016 9y ago
They borrowed heavily. Are you really getting upset over "cash-strapped"? How about you just look up the definition of this phrase?
- epmaybe 9y ago
  I think that colloquially we consider "cash-strapped" to mean significantly lower on funds than the authors were. You're not cash strapped if you have borrowed; by definition you are no longer low on funds. A minor point in the article, regardless. On the actual content of the article: Is the housing market really this bad in Canada? My SO has been pushing for us to consider moving there (Toronto, Vancouver) after school but the more I learn the more I am content living somewhere with a low cost of living. Another thing that does bother me: This seems like classic gentrification. Is there some fund in Toronto that goes towards the lower income/homeless folk who get displaced by these sorts of situations?
  - cdegroot 9y ago
    I moved from Europe, so I probably have a mildly more communist view ;-), but I'm appalled by Toronto's city government inability to do what I'd call table stakes beyond picking up the garbage - public transport and public housing. Neither seems to be going anywhere, and I have no clue whether it's finance ("we will not raise property taxes" is often heard), unions that frustrate everything, incompetent leadership or just outright lack of experience in running a metropolis. I love Toronto, but it sure has its share of big city problems. Housing market wise: expect to be in the CA$750k-1m range for something that doesn't suck bad. Given the weak dollar, that's not a huge amount of money for a major city but it's rapidly rising. Myself, I'm moving to a chalet with some acres of forest shortly, 2hrs from the city, but then I can work from home almost 100%. Toronto is a great place to live, but yeah - check your housing budget before moving here.

by vacri 9y ago

Para2016 9y ago

They borrowed heavily. Are you really getting upset over "cash-strapped"? How about you just look up the definition of this phrase?

epmaybe 9y ago
I think that colloquially we consider "cash-strapped" to mean significantly lower on funds than the authors were. You're not cash strapped if you have borrowed; by definition you are no longer low on funds. A minor point in the article, regardless. On the actual content of the article: Is the housing market really this bad in Canada? My SO has been pushing for us to consider moving there (Toronto, Vancouver) after school but the more I learn the more I am content living somewhere with a low cost of living. Another thing that does bother me: This seems like classic gentrification. Is there some fund in Toronto that goes towards the lower income/homeless folk who get displaced by these sorts of situations?
- cdegroot 9y ago
  I moved from Europe, so I probably have a mildly more communist view ;-), but I'm appalled by Toronto's city government inability to do what I'd call table stakes beyond picking up the garbage - public transport and public housing. Neither seems to be going anywhere, and I have no clue whether it's finance ("we will not raise property taxes" is often heard), unions that frustrate everything, incompetent leadership or just outright lack of experience in running a metropolis. I love Toronto, but it sure has its share of big city problems. Housing market wise: expect to be in the CA$750k-1m range for something that doesn't suck bad. Given the weak dollar, that's not a huge amount of money for a major city but it's rapidly rising. Myself, I'm moving to a chalet with some acres of forest shortly, 2hrs from the city, but then I can work from home almost 100%. Toronto is a great place to live, but yeah - check your housing budget before moving here.