Derek 2.0

And even more people move to Mogadishu.......

Your're an accountant, can you properly do someones taxes without knowing their income?

No, dissonance is pointing to growth rates in a discussion over tax rates. And there are plenty of cities in the third world with even higher growth rates......Mogadishu is clearly a better place to raise a family than Vancouver.........and better taxes rates than Seattle too boot!!! Ahhh.....nope.

It doesn't have to make sense........as I said, there are plenty of Canadians that were making all sorts of money that don't now, I'm sure they are complaining and worried about all sorts of things.

And that is my point.......there are cities in the third world growing faster than Vancouver, but that doesn't equate to a better quality of life, lower taxes or ones money going further, namely for a upper-middle income family......... A two income family living in Seattle will pay less for a home, pay less in taxes and pay less in cost of living. No, birth rates..........and it doesn't cement your point that a middle class family in Vancouver is better off than a middle class family in Seattle. Simply put, your Vancouver family will be over leveraged, on a over valued home, in a jurisdiction where they will pay more in taxes and more for cost of living expenses........

Of course. I'm not sure I understand this statement...... Oh I have, in my case (again I'm not speaking to hitops), I've been living Canada/US/Australian investment, employment and taxes for over 20 years.......... putting a form of nouveau patriotism over the ability to make money (and keep more of it) is an unstable emotional reaction.....in my opinion. Again, you're basing this on an unclear starting point......hitops could very well be unemployed/underemployed, and taking a job driving a city bus could translate into a 100-150% increase in income....that is the unknown variable, and since its unknown, suggesting he is a liar is unfounded......

Did he address said claims? Do as you may, but I'm not going to continue defending a person I don't know, from another person that I don't know, that is playing Ahab to a gold fish on an internet forum......... From hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee~

The dissonance is coming from you.......you're the one pointing to the shining beacon that is Vancouver for the "middle class", better than Seattle, because of growth rates........I'm sure there are cities in India or China with even greater growth rates, hence they must be better than Vancouver

I get that, but your starting point is based on him currently earning over 200K......I don't know that he said he was. I'm not changing any subject (we're clearly still discussing this), I'm pointing out your personal evaluation of hitops is based on as much dissonances as you purport him to be using......correct me if I'm wrong, but do you know hitops on a personal level? If not, to suggest you know his personal circumstances, or that he is bullshitting, is devoid of factual evidence........as such, you're just launching into baseless personal attacks of his character, and as far as I've seen, he's yet to engage in any such aggression towards you.

No, they are the majority, my point.......the others, the middle income Canadians, are over leveraged on over valued property. From a rich guy in Hong Kong.....because they can't afford to purchase their own house. By all means, relate your past commutes in Vancouver.........West Side or downtown core to Westwood Plateau at 3:30pm..... now go I never said they were.

And they do.

Yes there was, both in the 90s and the late 70s and early 80s.........As I said, Canadian emigration to the United States, like its economy, is cyclical.

Are over 50% of the homes in your town being bought by millionaires from Hong Kong? Does a new one room condo in the downtown core in your community cost upwards of half a million dollars? Rich people........outside of the ghetto in East Vancouver (and even then I doubt it), any detached home is approaching $1 million+.......A house in Point Grey, near UBC,, you'd be looking at $3 million plus for a tear down. Sure, its a big city.....but the office towers in the downtown core don't fill themselves, and that is a typical commute in the city on a good day in rush hour from the downtown core, and longer if coming from the Westside....If my wife was coming from UBC or Children's Hospital, add another 45 minutes...

I don't know how you can claim that. I don't know hitops, but I do know there are plenty of former high wage earners (and many more middle income earners) that are now either unemployed or underemployed, and there is a considerable advantage in terms of both tax savings and an increase in purchasing power in the United States versus Canada....that is fact.

I just cited my claim, that Vancouver is fueled by immigration and foreign money.........middle income families and refugees aren't buying homes in Kitts and Point Grey..... How many young Canadians do you know that have $50000+ for a down payment for a (crappy) house......a crappy townhouse in Surrey or Richmond will cost nearly half a million............and no, a two hour daily (driving) commute is a conservative estimate, from Downtown to Coquitlam/North Delta/Surrey....Fraser Valley is probably pushing 3 hours.

Did the OP quantify he was currently employed? I never said the decline was solely the fault of Provincial or Federal Governments...... Why is the United States the largest destination for Canadian emigrates?

Rework your variables to include an out of work engineer or IT worker, that made ~$250000 in the O&G sector, and is now living off the last of his savings and severance package......... and can now make the same money in the United States.

Ahh, yes it is.....and it is an unsustainable house of cards.........contrasted with the far more sustainable growth in Seattle, based off of something real. A middle income family can still afford to purchase a detached home in greater Seattle, in Vancouver, unless you have a rich uncle from Hong Kong, you're buying a house in the Valley and spending ~2 hours+ in traffic a day. The only person? The edge of the Abyss is the Canadian real estate market.......what do you think is going to happen to the market once those thousands of out of work O&G workers EI benefits, buy-outs and savings run out in the months ahead?

I told you, foreign ownership.......that is not moving the goal posts, but fact. Vancouver is one of the most expensive places on the planet to purchase real estate, and is hardly representative of middle income Canadians. And because investors don't see Canada as a good investment opportunity.......quite the opposite, edge of the abyss is more apt.

Such as? And what is the average income of said people? Then why is the Canadian dollar tanking in comparison?

Because most Canadians wouldn't garner an advantage moving to the United States, because they get "free stuff" in Canada.

That's the point........I want less of my wealth to be redistributed by Government and what I get to keep, I want to spend less on the cost of living, and that is a major motivation for many Canadians to move to the United States.......

Not at all, you're the one citing Vancouver as an example of affordability. You don't consider the United States a "civilization"? Some how, the Americans are managing with lower taxes and lower costs of living....

Do you pay nearly 50% of your income?

How so? Its cheaper to feed and cloth children in the United States.