Ya that is how it seems to be..... Just about everyone I ask has had rates increase even if they drove another year without an at-fault accident or aggravating factors such as a DUI, numerous tickets etc.

This is despite claims and an onslaught of irritating commercials speaking of the contrary.

I am absolutely baffled how a monopoly can hemorrhage money like this as well. Even if there is double dipping going on (it was proven there has been in the past) I don't see how it can amount for the staggering losses. I am going to get a dash cam for sure now.

The funny thing is collisions/claims have decreased sharply since COVID. obviously there is less overall driving being done. Despite this no rebates have been given out. I would imagine you are correct and the pattern of using ICBC as a slush fund is going to continue. It has been exposed before, but that is not going to stop it from happening again.

Clearly ethics have long been thrown out the window. An entire generation is going to be priced out of driving. Not even worth it with these rates. Maybe that is the only way to deal with congestion... Our infrastructure is failing to keep up as is. If rates became reasonable you would see a huge spike in vehicle traffic and the commute would go to complete shit.

This post was edited by Killingyouall on May 29 2020 05:46pm

It wouldn't be as much of an issue if we could plan our cities accordingly so the average layperson could live a carless life. If you have kids you pretty much have to buy a single-family home because they stopped building affordable 1000+ sqft condos and rentals like 40 years ago so you only get stuff that size in townhomes/detached homes out in the suburbs. Like, the west side of Vancouver (Dunbar, Kerrisadale, etc.) has actually LOST people despite the growth in population in the region and housing crunch. Density only ever goes up right next to busy streets and downtown, and sometimes there's actually a loss of density because the new condos come at the cost of old rentals (has happened a lot in Burnaby). Many of the new places are there for international students and AirBnBs, anyways.

You need a car but you get wrecked by ICBC and gas prices if you have one, but if you ditch it expect to pay out of your ass in housing... it's incredible how many middle and even upper-income friends I have who still have roommates or live with their parents. I prefer to go carless and splurge in rent because fuck it, I'm not buying shit in BC anyways and once I'm mid-career I will look for jobs in the US because the pay is a joke relative to CoL.

This post was edited by Hizkuntza on May 29 2020 06:23pm

Hit the nail on the head.... It is absolutely brutal.

I moved to Pocco So I could get a condo of decent size. nearly a 1300 sq 2 bedroom. Pretty much a non existent layout in Vancouver even if you have lots of money.

Much more common as you said to have condos that size built in suburbs decades ago. I am not much for flash, so I don't care if this place is outdated. Now you have 4xx sf studio apartments and so called 2 bedroom + den units that only have ~ 750 sf. Ya right that is not 2 bedroom + den.... get fucked.

Dunbar/Kerrisdale is seeing a drastic change. So many local businesses dying as rents and property taxes skyrocket. The morons in charge of city planning figure commercial space should be taxed based on maximum potential. If someone has an older one story commercial building on a neighborhood street and it is zoned to be up to three story multi-use they

will be taxed based upon the air above their old building. Ludicrous.

Gas prices right now are only low due to a complete collapse of oil. Even at ~ 1.10 a litre we are still getting gouged. Most of this is taxes and the carbon tax has gone up again. This will show itself once things get back to 'normal'.

Another slap is having to pay more on insurance if you have to drive further than 15km to work. If you are better off, chances are you will get cheaper insurance because you can actually afford to live where you work.

Failing that, as you said, you will pay insanely high rent to live in an area that does not require a vehicle, such as downtown Vancouver.

Cant help but feel the deck is stacked and I am one of the lucky ones.... Lived at home for years, saved money, had help with down payment and even with all those advantages I had to move further away.

I have no clue how people do it without help while staying in Vancouver.

This place is just so damn beautiful as I look out from my balcony with a fresh sky and tree-lined balconies in the distance. That is the pull that keeps me here.

This post was edited by Killingyouall on May 29 2020 07:25pm

I ended up getting out of Vancouver due to career choices, but the situation in Victoria isn't much better. Shit's overpriced as fuck here as well. Rent in walkable neighborhoods is comparable to Burnaby or DT Richmond, with the areas popular with retirees being as bad as DT Vancouver. Because of a chronic supply shortage and demand from visitors secondary suites are actually pretty unaffordable unless it's an old piece of shit. You'll only save on rent if you live where the addicts go OD. That said, the COVID-19 situation is making people owning furnished properties hurt here so my plan is to shamelessly haggle nice units until someone breaks. Would like to get out of my 400 sqft bachelor LOL

I want to eventually settle back in Vancouver, Victoria's collective ego is way too fucking big for the size of the city. Gotta have a nice fuckin' piggy bank before doing it, though.


This post was edited by Hizkuntza on May 29 2020 08:09pm

No shame in that at all lol.

Honestly it is such shit. There are so many factors weighing against you in this province you need to do what you can to improve your life.



I lived in Richmond for 20 years...... Moved to Van in 2010.

I barely recognize it anymore. Sometimes I get into areas in Richmond that are so different I get lost and have no clue wtf is going on haha. My friend lives in some Ghetto looking (by comparison) apartment behind Richmond centre. The place is so old their is a sign that says Lulu Island apartments haha.

The building has since been surrounded and dwarfed by larger towers. I have no clue how the apartment blocks have not been demolished yet lol. It is one of the few places left in Richmond that offer reasonable rent. Vacancies are so rare the most likely way to get into a unit is if someone dies.



I knew Victoria was getting expensive but that seems beyond out of wack for what Victoria is. Don't get me wrong I don't mind Victoria, but I can't see how you it can have a cost of living comparable to Richmond or Burnaby because those places are expensive as shit.


Perhaps the retiree situation is a primary factor as you have stated. It is not uncommon for older folks to sell their detached home in the lower mainland and purchase a downsized property on the Island for some perceived peace and quiet.

This post was edited by Killingyouall on May 29 2020 08:30pm

Kind of shitty but look at firearms/ammo/similar companies during times of civil u rest like these, they make big jumps most of the time

meanwhile in canada were banning a bunch of guns

Victoria wasn't always like this, looking at the data and older ads. The explosion in real estate here was basically what happened in Vancouver except lagged 1-2 years. Lots of people "fled" the mainland for lower prices but they quickly overwhelmed the existing supply, East Van-ish neighborhoods like Fernwood and Victoria West saw real estate there pretty much double in value within 5 years. It's also a HUGE cruise ship and international student destination nowadays so AirBnB and foreign students have displaced a ton of long-term rentals.

There are some areas of town that are preferred by retirees like James Bay, Oak Bay and Songhees - real estate in those areas have always been priced accordingly. But now everywhere that didn't build up supply is overpriced as shit. Downtown is actually cheaper than a lot of neighborhoods despite so many new condos/rentals, and also because it can be a bit of a shithole at times, although it's nothing you wouldn't experience in Yaletown or Gastown There's also Langford where condos have been built nonstop for like 15 years, saw some decent things there in my price range. If my job survives the incoming apocalypse I'd buy a townhome there. It's kinda like the Surrey of the island but it's only 14 km away from DT Victoria and there's plenty of transit out of there.


I went to high school in Burnaby but I spent a lot of time in Vancouver and Richmond as well... yeah they've really built up the Richmond Center area, I like how goofy it looks with the height restrictions. South Richmond is also changing a lot, 5th with 99 is all new stuff while they're building a lot in Stevenson. For some reason they're still letting people use farmland for McMansions with grossly oversized backyards tho, makes a weird contrast to be in farmland one block and suddenly be surrounded by new condos the next one. And across most neighborhoods single family homes have been or are being town down for new bigger ones.




being unable to take the ferry to the mainland is killing me lol.

This post was edited by Hizkuntza on May 29 2020 10:28pm

Richmond is the wild west of municipalities lol.

It is common for trees to be cut down that are 'protected'. Developers will take huge fines to clear the entire area to put down a 4000+ sf house on a 70's style Richmond special home single family occupancy lot. It pales in comparison to the purchase price so they could care less.

Massive 8 ft stone walls are also put up. Sometimes they get taken down for building violations, sometimes they survive. Nobody seems to give a shit. the AGR changed some rules in Richmond in terms of dwelling size but the damage is already done.

Honestly I would move to Saltspring Island with my brother into an oldschool rugged property but there is not enough work out there to make it worth my while despite the beauty and attitude there.


I think these conditions are just a small, albeit accurate scope of the human condition when I think of it. No fucks given about sustainability. Just a dick swinging contest.

I don't get it. I'm not trying to impress anyone. Grateful for the friends and family I have. Wish it was that simple for those who seem to need to break the rules and destroy the neighborhood just to satisfy their existence. It is a real shame in my opinion.

Moving to Victoria is what made me feel hopeless about sustainability tbh. I made the comment earlier about the city's ego and it's at its worse when it comes to that topic. Funny how it links to some of my complaints about the city.

The BC Green base aren't the people trying to live low-footprint lifestyles. It's the suburbanites living in grossly oversized properties or 55+ condos who think - or lie to others about their beliefs - that keeping the wheels of time from turning equals environmentalism. At its core it's just NIMBYism dressed in a way that's palatable for BC politics, no different from a "fuck you I got mine" mentality. They don't give a shit about density, transit, affordability, consumerism, vegetarianism or just about anything that needs to be done to slow the rate at which we're destroying the planet for ourselves. It's about gobbling up as much land and resources for themselves, and showing their fangs whenever *gasp* other people dare live and do things near them.

Unfortunately anywhere that becomes valuable from an investment perspective gets "ruined" so to speak. The Gulf Islands, from a living perspective, are largely retirement communities. The Sunshine Coast is the same shit nowadays. Even the Cowichan Valley and Nanaimo areas are getting into "entry level investment" territory. Realistically, you'd be looking at a mill or mining town to come anywhere close to the experience you're looking for. Not many of those left in the BC coast nowadays, though. Makes you think about those Prince George ads on Translink vehicles...