Yeah as much as I support density, there is no doubt apartment condo are bad words in Canada. By any and every metric, owning a SFH is the standard, anything less is almost seen as failure.
We see this so much in Calgary. There is very little desire to live downtown. Anyone with a wife and kids is generally seen as insane or unsuccessful if they live in a condo/apartment near/in the core, as opposed to a detached home in the burbs.
It is not unlike public transit. Being middle aged and using public transit is often seen as being lower status or a sign of lack of wealth. I know a number of people who would never take transit under any circumstances because that's for poor people and single mothers.
Not to mention the fact that condo living is a form of communal living which requires people from different units to work together for the benefit of the whole building. This is very unlike modern Canadians. As we've seen with COVID it is all about individualism nowadays.
Even inner city duplexes or townhouses lack the large yard and full privacy that many people place a high value on when house shopping.
My only hope is that sky high house prices, lack of inventory, focus on density and sustainability etc are key factors to millennials and future generations of home buyers. That way we can slowly see a shift to the death of the suburbs. But I'm not holding my breath.
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