Guess which province is the hardest place in Canada to raise a young family

Sound like most of you are talking about Vancouver not British Columbia as a whole. Move up North- no shortage of work and more than resonable housing market. Yes the groceries, and shopping is more expensive but the wages are also much higher. Minimum wage is only heard of if you are straight out of school. Even 7-11 starts off at 14 or 15 an hour with full benefit pkg. Work in one of the coal mines starting at 30+ an hour. Get into the Oil and Gas and you are not likely to work under 50 an hour, plus full benefits - so I say Bullshit to this one!!

Born & raised in BC. The prices in the lower mainland (Vancouver area) are out of sight. You can still get some nice houses & condos in other parts of the province for "normal" prices, but the jobs aren't always there though. What's killing us is the Provincial government we have had in place for the past 11 years. They play to friends and insiders and couldn't give a rat's backside for the average working person. Sad because it really is a beautiful (but expensive) place to live.

BC is a beautiful province, and I miss my family who lives there. But this article is the biggest reason why we live elsewhere.

This will surprise no one who lives in BC except the ones in the Ivory Towers (politicians).

Having lived and raised families for a good number of years in a good number of places in Europe and North America, I must agree, that BC is the most expensive place I've ever lived in. I don't see, how people here even make it without 2 household incomes, unless they belong to the wealthy doctor/lawyer/corporate class. And things aren't getting better here, but rather worse. Let's keep raising municipal taxes, increase water rates, up the utilities, raise sub-standard rents and grocery prices, while wages stay somewhere in 'low down' land. No, honestly, BC is the pitts to live in, and I wish I didn't have to live here with my family and could afford moving to a place, where one can have a life other than perpetual, 7 days a week, work with nothing to show for but struggle and more bills.

Just my two cents worth but I am in my mid forties and when my parents first moved here almost 46 years ago they bought a nice corner lot home in Burnaby for what they thought was a high price of $14,750.00 ! That same home today (yes, it's still there) just sold for $879,000.00 !!! Almost 60 times the price! I can tell you this for a fact, I am not making 60 times the salary that my father was earning in the 60's! And I am not going to put the blame on any group of people as home market gouging seems to trancend all groups. It would be up to our government to start to devalue homes to an affordable level for the average income worker but that is unlikely as there are too many groups such as bankers, tax collectors and real estate brokers who benefit from rediculously high prices. IMHO.

If the statisticians in Canada would survey who lives pay to pay in this country, they would be shocked. It affects all peoples not just the young and young families and in all provinces.
Many after they graduate university can only find part time work with benefits. Older people on fixed incomes really struggle not to meantion those in there 40's and 50's who have been caught up in restructuring and downsizing only to find employment at marginal paying jobs.
And the liberal government here in Ontario plans on subsidizing employers who hire recent immigrants when in fact recent graduates, born in this country, cannot even find full time employment.. Many people are now facing retirement years with no savings whatsoever. Many banked on CPP which pays next to nothing after the government used our monies since the mid sixties.

It is a sham and our goverments, federal and provincial are totally out of touch with reality and the average citizen. That is why the protests going on across the world are vital.
Citizens need to take hold of their governments. Down with the favouratism and political contributions by the rich and big business. Big business should not be allowed to lobby nor should they be allowed to contribute to political campaigns. Lobbyists should not be permitted at any level of government.

There is such a thing as white collar theft. They need to think twice cause "hell" is a "hell of a long time" when the least amongst us are being shafted right left and centre.

Wow, earth shattering news again on Yahoo. I do not live in BC, but have visited twice in the last year for significant amounts of time. If your family is not bringing in well over $100,000 K per year, very tough to make a go. Real estate values are ridiculous, gas prices are among the highest in the country, and there are numerous eco taxes to boot. Beautiful province though if you like driving up and down and around - lol. Needless to say, I am a flatlander and loving it.

BC also has the lowest minimum wage in the entire country, go figure. The government will is to raise it to a whole 10.25 in May of next year, wow. Hell, try living off of 18.00 an hour here, can't be done. I guess I could always move to Fort McMurray, but it's Fort McMurray, yuck!!!!

If you are a regular working person living on the island, you get to be punished even more. How much does it cost now to cross over to the mainland? Over $100 return easy. And what about death taxes and the funeral costs? I can't afford to die in B.C., let alone live there.

My 27 yr old daughter lives in Vancouver and tells me she never wants to return to small town Ontario where she grew up. I can understand that, but have to wonder how she ever expects to afford a house there.

I live in BC and I agree with article. Everything just seems to be getting more costly.

Want to control costs? Do what the Indians and Chinese do, have 3-4 families living in one average sized bungallo, sharing rent/mortage. That's the future of Van and surrounding areas, one big slum like Mumbai.

pretty much everyone in vancouver is struggling; even homeowners are up to their necks in mortgages 500 - 700K loans; work, work, work just to keep up

Metro Vancouver is a great place to live, providing you got in two or more decades ago. It is almost impossible for a young person, single or married, to start out on their own and live half way comfortably. Many still have to rely on mom and dad. That's why I question the mentality of people that when BC Place employees, postal workers, Air Canada flight attendants and others fight to retain what security they have and get a small pay increase, the chattering class yells "crucify them, crucify them". Even worse, our minimum wage had been set 10 years ago, it is the lowest in Canada, and the chattering class still come out and oppose increasing it.

wow go figure

we have a tax happy government that bends over to corporate interests while handing out piles of cash in subsidies and tax cuts leaving the little guy to make up the difference only to have our cost of living raised plus we send way to much of our tax dollars back to Ottawa

spare some change anybody?

GoCanucks and Quark said it perfectly. Too many people NOT living in Canada nor have they contributed to the system, have been buying out properties, which not only robs our own citizens of property ownership, but this is also the cause of the housing prices being so unrealistic and not matching the worth and income levels of citizens. There must be a law that makes it a requirement for people buying properties to be living in Canada or have done so extensively in the past but return as well. And yes, there is still slavery going around but in a quiet way. Canada is like a fake country and is still very much a colony. No wonder most immigrants these days to Canada are from the commonwealth countries. Sadly from lower commonwealth countries.

I was born here in Vancouver and have lived for short periods years ago in Toronto, Lethbridge AB, and Winnipeg. in BC Vancouver Isld and Chilliwack. I believe it is the foreign purchase of pricey homes in Vancouver (mostly on the west side) that has helped raise the prices. However I never expect to be able to afford a home of my own or even a condo.

I lived in Victoria for a few years. The mountains were nice, the ocean as well but you can only look at them for so long. The reality was, Victoria was old money. They called it white Victoria with mostly Irish, Scotish and British people pretty well owning the city. If you weren't from there, they didn't want to do business with you. I remember most young couples having a desperate time getting by there.