BC Lags Behind Other Provinces in Life Satisfaction

[opendoor]

Originally Posted by blankall

Agreed. 1000 people is a pretty meaningless number when the provinces have a combined population of about 11,000,000 with many transitory people in both provinces to start with.

Anecdotally, I do think people are less likely to settle down in BC, as the cost of raising a family is very prohibitive. I'd like to see stats on it, but, from what I've observed, many people aged 20-35ish move to BC but then many people 35+ move out to settle down in more affordable pastures. While in Alberta, many people 20-30 move out, but often come back, and more people 30+ move to Alberta from BC.

I think that's partly right (particularly people moving to Alberta with young kids), but based on the data BC's biggest gains over the last 5 years have been working age people. About 85% of total net migration in BC over that period has been people aged 25-59, while their 60+ net migration numbers are negative.

Whereas for Alberta, that working-age cohort has only represented about 48% of net migration and they've gained almost 12,000 seniors through migration (equivalent to 1.5% of the senior population).

Based on that data, it seems like BC attracts working age people of all ages (each 5-year age cohort in that group has had positive net migration) but has seniors leaving to retire in cheaper locations. While Alberta attracts working age people with kids and seniors to some extent. The senior part is actually a bit surprising to me. If BC had flat net migration of seniors over the last 5 years, their 65+ population would be about 2% larger than it is.

[accord1999]

Originally Posted by blankall

Anecdotally, I do think people are less likely to settle down in BC, as the cost of raising a family is very prohibitive. I'd like to see stats on it, but, from what I've observed, many people aged 20-35ish move to BC but then many people 35+ move out to settle down in more affordable pastures. While in Alberta, many people 20-30 move out, but often come back, and more people 30+ move to Alberta from BC.

This data is a bit old now as it's based on the 2016 Census but the findings then was that all cities attract young people, but almost every city loses population in the >30 age range (when considering only non international migrants)... except Calgary which sees especially high inter-provincial gains in the 20-40 age range.


https://doodles.mountainmath.ca/post...oss-migration/


To be fair, while Calgary is clearly the #1 choice for the prime family raising age cohorts willing to make a big move, most migration is from the expensive city cores to nearby suburbs/exurbs with lower cost of housing.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by opendoor

Whereas for Alberta, that working-age cohort has only represented about 48% of net migration and they've gained almost 12,000 seniors through migration (equivalent to 1.5% of the senior population).

That is surprising at first blush. But then I think about my parents’ neighbours - they moved to Calgary from Ontario when they retired 7 years ago. I guess cashing in on an 800k house to buy a 500k one is a good way to plump up the retirement savings - or give the kids a living inheritance.

[blender]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

This story about City Hall in Kamloops is wild

https://thetyee.ca/News/2025/10/08/M...aign=editorial

This warning at the top of story made it seem there would be a lot more swearing than what I found, slightly disappointed by that
[Content warning: This story contains far more swearing than you would expect in an article about municipal governance.]

It's a bizarre #### show, but as mentioned at the end of the article, the city continues on.
I remember being at a sizable all-candidates forum before the election and when Hamer-Jackson got up to speak his piece I had no idea who he was, and he was obviously nervous and self-conscious in front of a well-connected and well-heeled group of the city's top business people. He bumbled some nonsense and I disregarded it as just another municipal fringe candidate.
A few days later he was mayor.

Hopefully he will be a memory soon, never to be heard from again.

[Winsor_Pilates]

We see a lot of people selling in BC and moving to Alberta; it's definitely cost of living (housing) driven.
Some come back if they can't handle the winters, but many stay.

I'd be lying to say I haven't even considered it myself. The cost difference of raising a family in Vancouver vs Calgary is insane.

[puffnstuff]

Originally Posted by blender

It's a bizarre #### show, but as mentioned at the end of the article, the city continues on.
I remember being at a sizable all-candidates forum before the election and when Hamer-Jackson got up to speak his piece I had no idea who he was, and he was obviously nervous and self-conscious in front of a well-connected and well-heeled group of the city's top business people. He bumbled some nonsense and I disregarded it as just another municipal fringe candidate.
A few days later he was mayor.

Hopefully he will be a memory soon, never to be heard from again.

I was trying to think of a comparable for him...i kinda settled on Boris Johnson, but either of the Ford brothers would probably work as well.

[Winsor_Pilates]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...wall-9.6935370

3 random stabbings on the Yaletown seawall this morning.

Suspect still at large; probably best to stay off the seawall or DT streets in general right now; though the stabbings were this morning.
Non life threatening injuries for the 3 victims thankfully.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...wall-9.6935370

3 random stabbings on the Yaletown seawall this morning.

Suspect still at large; probably best to stay off the seawall or DT streets in general right now; though the stabbings were this morning.
Non life threatening injuries for the 3 victims thankfully.

The city keeps bragging that violent crime is down. The violent crime that's down must be things like robberies, gang violence, domestics, etc..

I have a hard time believing this random violent street crime is down. Anecdotally it seems to be happening very frequently.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by blankall

The city keeps bragging that violent crime is down. The violent crime that's down must be things like robberies, gang violence, domestics, etc..

I have a hard time believing this random violent street crime is down. Anecdotally it seems to be happening very frequently.

No it is massively reduced, take it from someone that works in the field, 20 years ago a random stabbing by a woman that no one died from (or was even seriously hurt it appears) wouldn't even make the news

[chemgear]

Wasn't the BC Attorney General begging the federal government to regulate machetes with all the amateur lumberjacking that was happening on the streets recently? Last year maybe?