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1) do people drive to the US that often to buy "everything"? I know for a fact that Toronto is not within 2 hours drive to anywhere in the US, when you account for the gas cost, time spent at the customs, it is usually not worthwhile. Plus, you get a limit of $200 for trip under 24 hours (anything more than that it requires a night in the US). Not to mention you can't buy service in the US.
This whole we can just buy everything in the US thing is not realistic. How much of your purchase this year actually happened in the US? maybe less than 3%.
2) high wages =!= high prices. Wages in Canada are lower than in the US, but prices are higher. You just refuted yourself.
The median wage is 40% higher in Canada than the USA. Americans don't make more until you adjust the wages in PPP dollars, but that may not even be accurate anymore.
Complete and utter nonsense. Montreal has very expensive rent. Being an unneccessarily large, amalgamated municipality unfairly allows rents in far outlying areas to bring down the total average cost of monthly rent for the city. Australia's major cities are divided into small LGAs, with very few exceptions. You clearly have never even visited Montreal, so I have no idea why you're making ridiculous claims like these.
I'm from Montreal, and I don't think that the rent is particularly expensive. Indeed, much of the cheap apartment stock isn't in the outlying areas where they're actually often pricier, they're cheap in the plethora of old working class triplex neighbourhoods like Verdun, St. Henri and Rosemont which have easy 10-20 minute metro rides to downtown. Definitely by Ontario, BC or Alberta standards they are pretty affordable, especially for bigger apartments with more bedrooms.
I'm from Montreal, and I don't think that the rent is particularly expensive. Indeed, much of the cheap apartment stock isn't in the outlying areas where they're actually often pricier, they're cheap in the plethora of old working class triplex neighbourhoods like Verdun, St. Henri and Rosemont which have easy 10-20 minute metro rides to downtown. Definitely by Ontario, BC or Alberta standards they are pretty affordable, especially for bigger apartments with more bedrooms.
To me, Verdun is an outlying area. Our definitions of "affordable" are clearly far apart. Montreal is less expensive than Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary, but it's nonetheless a city with a high cost of living. I absolutely hate gentrification. It shows the harsh reality of capitalistic greed and its ability to trample on the working class. Gentrification has been destroying Montreal.
The median wage is 40% higher in Canada than the USA. Americans don't make more until you adjust the wages in PPP dollars, but that may not even be accurate anymore.
One is household income one is family income. different thing.
Household Income” is defined as the combined income of everyone living in a residential unit. So, three roommates living together would constitute a “Household”. A family of four living together is also a “Household”, and so is a single person living by himself.
“Family Income” is the combined income of related people in a household. So, a married couple with kids is a “Family”. However, a single person is not a family and three roommates living together is not a family.
To put it short, many "households" not count as "Families". Family income is always higher than household income, sometimes by a lot.
To me, Verdun is an outlying area. Our definitions of "affordable" are clearly far apart. Montreal is less expensive than Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary, but it's nonetheless a city with a high cost of living. I absolutely hate gentrification. It shows the harsh reality of capitalistic greed and its ability to trample on the working class. Gentrification has been destroying Montreal.
what do you expect, people with minimum skills be afford to live in the best neighbourhood of downtown?
Montreal is very affordable. To exclude Verdun just because it is not a central area is ridiculous. When more people want the same thing, that thing gets more expensive and those who can't afford have to settle with something less nice. This is how the entire world works. Poor people will always live in less desirable areas. This is something that will never change in any country.
You are already in a communist mind where everyone should take whatever he needs/wants. Don't ever happen. The world will always function in response to demand and supply, and price is what makes the balance.
Actually, when you say Montreal is a very expensive city, what are you compare with exactly? Expensive is relative. Name a few North American cities (not to mention European) with the same size and importance as Montreal which are "affordable" in your mind?
One is household income one is family income. different thing.
Household Income” is defined as the combined income of everyone living in a residential unit. So, three roommates living together would constitute a “Household”. A family of four living together is also a “Household”, and so is a single person living by himself.
“Family Income” is the combined income of related people in a household. So, a married couple with kids is a “Family”. However, a single person is not a family and three roommates living together is not a family.
To put it short, many "households" not count as "Families". Family income is always higher than household income, sometimes by a lot.
Here is 2009 data for "family" income (the most recent available). As you can see, the "family" income was still lower in the USA than Canada. The difference of course, is that Canadian income is rising, but American income is falling.
Here is 2009 data for "family" income (the most recent available). As you can see, the "family" income was still lower in the USA than Canada. The difference of course, is that Canadian income is rising, but American income is falling.
didn't deny that. In norminal $ terms, Canada has been higher than America in the past few years, partly due to rising CAD and partly due to declining American income.
I just don't think it is anything close to 40% as you mentioned.
Wiki also lists Canada higher than America in terms of household income (35K vs 29k), but Americans beat us in terms of purchasing power, which decides how much you can buy.
Verdun is a bedroom community. Central areas of the city shouldn't be desireable to live in. That's the problem. These areas have always been residences for the working class, and the wealthy only came to these areas for work. Now the rich are jealous that things started have to improve on their own in these areas, and, forced out of their neighbourhoods, the longtime working class residents are back to square one. Things have become so warped nowadays. The average person is becoming more and more greedy and selfish.
Verdun is a bedroom community. Central areas of the city shouldn't be desireable to live in. .
Verdun is hardly a bedroom community. It is no more a bedroom community than Rosemont and St-Michel. Verdun is borderline inner city urban.
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