Canadians not keen on Charles as king

Majority of Canadians oppose the idea of King Charles as head of state. A majority (54 percent) of Canadians don’t want to see the Prince of Wales succeed his mother as monarch. Antipathy toward Charles is highest among baby boomers, at 60 percent for those aged 55 to 64. And doing away the monarchy is statistically split, 43 percent were in favor of abolishing the monarchy in Canada upon the death of the current Queen, compared to 40 percent who were opposed.

The breakdown of Charles’s first marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales damaged his reputation but improved a bit with his increased philanthropy and vocal environmentalism. Charles is still overshadowed by his mom, the Queen and there are rumors that he will be bypassed by the popular Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The former Kate Middleton breathed new life into the Royal Family’s image since her marriage to Prince William.

Another negative factor for Charles is marriage to his mistress, a divorcee who is not loved by many. Canadians can only wish but changes in the Canadian constitution will take time and the approval of 10 provinces, representing 50 percent of the country’s population is needed.

Sky-high rents

Many Vancouverites rent and don’t own their homes. Home ownership is out of reach for locals and skyrocketing prices affect the city’s renters who are squeezed by high cost and there’s limited supply or near-zero vacancy rent. Vacancy rates are similarly high in other Metro Vancouver municipalities. Competition for rental units is fierce. Many renters specify – no parties, no pets, no drugs, good credit, very clean. Poor millennials! Also sad for new immigrants who have no credit and employment history.

A recent report showed that rental rates in the city have outpaced salary increases by nearly double. Affordability is definitely a major problem at the moment. Hopefully, the City of Vancouver’s Rental Program will essentially soften the problem by constructing affordable homes with the help of the Cooperative Housing Federation with four sites owned by the city.

Meanwhile, the healthy performance of British Columbia’s hotel industry is helping to offset losses in Western Canada’s hotel market caused by weak oil and gas prices. For example, there is a major drop in per-room revenue in Calgary for the first quarter of 2016.

Toronto and Vancouver are experiencing high room rates and high occupancy figures. Revenue per available room rose 16 percent in Vancouver and nine percent in Toronto. Metro Vancouver demand for hotel rooms is very strong, 70 percent to 80 percent room occupancy. And the price for a hotel room is also climbing. It is difficult to book a room in Vancouver during the peak summer season.

In the world of real estate, the number of foreign purchases in Metro Vancouver’s housing market is twice as high as previously thought.

The figures showed that about 10 percent or more of the total value of residences bought was by foreign citizens in a fiveweek period recently. The highest number in the region was Richmond where 19.5 percent of the value of all residential purchases were by foreign citizens.

To curtail more purchases from foreign citizens, a new tax was created by the government. And there’s an overwhelming majority of Lower Mainland residents who believe the government made the right decision of imposing a 15 percent foreign buyer tax. And almost majority support the move to give local governments the power to tax owners who leave their properties vacant. Many believe foreigners investing in the local market are responsible for the region’s housing problems. To summarize the major reasons, they are:

Very rich people investing in the real estate market, not to live in them.

Condos and houses being left empty by investor-owners for a long period of time.

Lack of quick government action on the housing problem.

Call of small communities to tourists

If you’re Vancouver bound this summer, please don’t get stuck in the city, reserve at least three days to discover, experience coastal living and many places off the radar like Vancouver Island.

Let me recommend Comox Valley. It is quietly nestled between Beaufort Mountains and the Straight of Georgia in supernatural British Columbia.

The valley is a place of tranquil beaches, fertile farmlands, luxurious forests, seafood bounty and has an extraordinary food culture. The natural coastal paradise attracts painters, composers, writers, potters and other bohemian types.

It has the largest seafood festival on Canada’s West Coast region and has one of the few year-round farmer’s market in Canada. Local chefs take pride in choosing locally grown food in their menu. The surrounding ocean waters produce the most shellfish in the province and the most oysters in Canada. The area is known worldwide as the world’s salmon fishing capital.

Offshores are the islands of Denman and Hornby. The captivating Comox Valley is home to the municipalities of Courtenay, Comox and Cumberland.

The valley is an outdoor adventure wonderland, offering an abundance of camping, hiking and eco-tourism experiences. It offers some of the world’s highest density and most accessible places to see whales, a variety of marine mammals and orcas (killer whales) in their natural habitat.

Here’s a bit of trivia, Cumberland’s Chinatown was the largest Chinese settlement north of San Francisco, California by 1917. There you have it, the island beckons you and hopefully you will do something about it.