Look Who it Was Random video

They Tried to buy me Out ! I’m Staying Independent!

951 views · Published 12 October 2016 · 9:20 · Indexed 16 October 2026

Channel: Mike Martins · 2016 · People & Blogs

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After months of covering the Vancouver housing crisis here on the Mike Martins Channel, I was contacted by a major mainstream media organization asking whether I would be interested in discussing the housing crisis and potentially participating in a multi-part series.

I turned the offer down.

In this video, I explain why. For me, this housing series has always been about talking directly to viewers, getting outside with a camera, looking at what is happening on the streets, comparing housing prices around the world, and allowing people from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States and elsewhere to contribute their own experiences.

I don't want somebody else deciding which housing stories I can cover or what I can say about them. I want this channel to remain independent.

The bigger issue is what I'm increasingly seeing as an international housing affordability crisis. Vancouver may be the city I'm documenting firsthand, but viewers are telling me similar stories from Sydney, London and other expensive international cities. People who work, save money and pay taxes are finding themselves unable—or unwilling—to pay extraordinary prices simply to establish a home and put down roots.

I also discuss something that I believe deserves a much larger conversation: should access to adequate housing be considered a basic human right?

This isn't just about today's buyers and sellers. It's about what kind of housing market we're leaving to the next generation.

That's why I'm going to continue documenting Vancouver housing, walking the streets, comparing prices, reading your comments and following this story for as long as there is something worth reporting.

So tell me below: Would you have taken the mainstream media offer, or would you have stayed independent?

Subscribe and follow the Vancouver Housing Crisis series as it continues.

#affordablehousing   #HumanRightToHousing #mainstreammedia  #independentmedia  #citizenjournalism  #canadianrealestate  #mikemartins   #MikeMartinsChannel

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