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Why it will be impossible to Live in BC by 2020 ! - GET OUT OF VANCVOUVER NOW !

2,706 views · Published 4 January 2017 · 8:00 · Indexed 12 November 2026

Channel: Mike Martins · 2017 · News & Politics

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YouTubers, Mike Martins here. This one is especially for British Columbians, because 2017 is beginning with a long list of increases that could hit people directly in the wallet.

I'm going through some of the things British Columbians are being told they'll be paying more for this year, and when you start adding everything together, the bigger question becomes: how much more can the average working person absorb?

First up is housing and property taxes. Vancouver has approved its new Empty Homes Tax, targeting non-principal residences that remain unoccupied for at least six months of the year. I'm also discussing Vancouver's property-tax increase, including the additional funding being directed toward frontline services responding to the fentanyl overdose crisis.

Then there's driving.

According to the information I'm discussing in this video, ICBC basic insurance rates are increasing 4.9%. I also tell the story of my recent accident after hitting black ice and sliding into a parked vehicle, and question the condition of Vancouver's roads during the winter.

Then we've got the utilities: BC Hydro, natural gas, and other household expenses. Add BC Ferries fares and potentially higher Vancouver parking-meter rates, and we're talking about increases coming from multiple directions.

I'm also watching gasoline closely. Oil prices collapsed dramatically, but consumers didn't necessarily see gasoline fall proportionately. Now oil is beginning to move upward again, and I'm asking what that could mean at the pump.

And that's where this becomes bigger than any single bill.

If electricity goes up, insurance goes up, property taxes go up, gasoline goes up, tuition goes up and borrowing becomes more expensive — what happens to wages?

Businesses have expenses too. If their operating costs and labour expenses increase, eventually some of those costs could be passed along to customers through higher prices.

That's the discussion in this video.

What's increasing where you live in 2017? Electricity? Rent? Insurance? Property taxes? Food? Gasoline?

Comment below and tell me what you're seeing.

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