She always knew her salary wouldn’t be high but didn’t aspire to be rich. What she didn’t realize was that she would struggle to afford basic things like shelter and food

“It feels like I’ve been working harder and harder and sliding backwards down the scale,” she says.

Making $50k in a small town and still “scraping by” is scary. Maybe I’m just old, but I’d hoped that kind of income would be enough for some kind of comfort.

  • JasSmith@sh.itjust.works
    713·
    1 year ago

    Canada grew by one million people last year. House prices and rent are going to keep going up at insane levels as long as the policy remains extremely high immigration. This is basic supply and demand. Let us hope that people vote for change.

    • karlhungus@lemmy.ca
      114·
      1 year ago

      For this to be true all immigrants would have to be wealthy enough to be able to scoop up all supply of homes in Canada. This just can’t be the case considering the refugee status of many immigrants.

      A complex problem like this has significant other factors including speculation, reduction of public housing, inflation.

      We should welcome more people, and continue our Canadian values of supporting those in need through out the world. Learn some compassion for your fellow human beings, or go to Florida, where you can be surrounded by like minded people.

      • JasSmith@sh.itjust.works
        2·
        1 year ago

        For this to be true all immigrants would have to be wealthy enough to be able to scoop up all supply of homes in Canada.

        No, it would require them to rent houses. Investors buy all the houses because they can reliably rent them. If they couldn’t, their business case would be completely different. They wouldn’t be buying houses, and they certainly wouldn’t be paying so much.

        Further to this, so many renters places upwards pressure on rent prices.

        Then we have to accept that some consequential proportion of immigrants do indeed buy houses, and place upward pressure on house prices.

        We agree it’s a complex system, but I do not agree with your implied argument that supply and demand doesn’t exist for housing in Canada. Clearly it does, and higher demand increases both rent and housing prices.

        • karlhungus@lemmy.ca
          1·
          1 year ago

          your implied argument that supply and demand doesn’t exist for housing in Canada

          Not sure how you could figure this was at all implied. What was implied was that you are hateful of people not like you, and essentially making the “they took our jerbs” argument but for houses.

      • rbesfe@lemmy.ca
        21·
        1 year ago

        The vast majority of immigrants to Canada (~84% from 2016-2021 according to statcan) were not admitted as refugees