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Old 06-26-2022, 01:56 PM   #1
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Default BC Lags Behind Other Provinces in Life Satisfaction

I've lived for 6+ years in each of Ontario, BC and Alberta and not surprised about these results.

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-...e-satisfaction

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The marketing professional had lived in Toronto, as well as other big cities. When she got to Vancouver, she assumed it would be easy to make new besties. “I was completely mistaken. It was really difficult to make friends, and really lonely.”

She almost returned to Ontario after her first long, rainy winter here, but seeing all the people gathered at Kits beach on the first nice day in May gave her a burst of hope. It was shortlived. “People don’t mingle here.”
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Old 06-26-2022, 03:15 PM   #2
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I'm not surprised either, the worst time of my life was in Vancouver.
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Old 06-26-2022, 03:42 PM   #3
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Yep, not really a friendly city. Kind of fake friendly, but insincere and shallow. Culturally I would say Vancouver is the worst city I've lived in.
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Old 06-26-2022, 03:47 PM   #4
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Not just Vancouver. This place is elitist AF. Even the hobos have cliques.
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Old 06-26-2022, 03:52 PM   #5
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I moved away from Vancouver for 20 years and then moved back in 2019, and it is not even the same place any more. It was always cliquey and somewhat pretentious, but now it has basically become a dick waving competition for the wealthy where the wealthy have a disdain and disgust for anyone middle class or lower. The city has become too expensive for the average person to take advantage of most of the things it has to offer.
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Old 06-26-2022, 03:53 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by dammage79 View Post
Not just Vancouver. This place is elitist AF. Even the hobos have cliques.
This is 'Peak Vancouver.'
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Old 06-26-2022, 03:54 PM   #7
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Anecdotal, but I've been in Vancouver now for over 10 straight years and the majority of my friends here now are the ones I made from 20 years ago when I first lived in the city. Haven't made many new friends my second time around in the city, but age could be a factor. My ex is from small town Ontario and has lived here for 6 years and shares the experiences mentioned in the article. She is considering moving out to eastern Canada (NFLD), it's been so bad.

I don't have any explanation for why this experience is so common to hear out here. It was incredibly easy in Toronto to meet people and with my work requiring me to travel to different cities, I've even made new friends in Calgary while working there for 3 months years ago that I still keep in touch with and meet with for dinner/lunch whenever we happen to be in the same city.
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Old 06-26-2022, 04:03 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction View Post
I moved away from Vancouver for 20 years and then moved back in 2019, and it is not even the same place any more. It was always cliquey and somewhat pretentious, but now it has basically become a dick waving competition for the wealthy where the wealthy have a disdain and disgust for anyone middle class or lower. The city has become too expensive for the average person to take advantage of most of the things it has to offer.
I had the same feeling of being really struck by it when moving back after many years away. Makes me glad I left for so long. It's pretty uninspiring.
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Old 06-26-2022, 04:05 PM   #9
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Last time I was camping in BC, we had a fire in a beautiful spot overlooking the ocean. The lady next to us was on her own, so we invited her over. She spent over an hour telling us, as Albertans, how we had destroyed BC, her life, the planet.

We just let her tucker herself out, poor little thing, but good grief.
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Old 06-26-2022, 05:09 PM   #10
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Social cliquiness is one thing, but there are other factors too (cost of living, climate, eco-extremism). In particular, omitting cost of living from the article is either negligence or malice.
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Old 06-26-2022, 05:20 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by Harry Lime View Post
Last time I was camping in BC, we had a fire in a beautiful spot overlooking the ocean. The lady next to us was on her own, so we invited her over. She spent over an hour telling us, as Albertans, how we had destroyed BC, her life, the planet.

We just let her tucker herself out, poor little thing, but good grief.
yeah the anti albertanism is pretty ridiculous. when I first moved here I had a room mate from great Britain and one day he started complaining about Albertans. I just asked him wtf he knows about anything. it turns out it was nothing.
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Old 06-26-2022, 09:36 PM   #12
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I’ve had a few down to earth friends move out there and come back. Same story they can’t stand the people despite best hopes to stay going in. The only people I know that went and stayed are were basically what is described here, but felt Calgary was super uncool and took off to be themselves out there. They love it.

I know there was disagreement in another thread but Vancouver’s culture of asshattery permeates into everything. The food scene included. Its just a very full of itself city, which is hollow and frankly lonely.

I am also amazed because I so wanted to move out there after college. Then I stuck around here and weather aside love it move as time goes on.
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Old 06-27-2022, 06:31 AM   #13
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Vancouver is kind of a soulless city as others have said I also know people that moved out there and moved back within a couple of years because the people there are so abrasive. It's not like Alberta fares much better in the study. I feel Calgary has changed a lot over the decades and isn't as friendly or fun as it used to be. The city can't build anything without mouthbreathers complaining about taxes and it seems like everyone is resigned to living life on the hamster wheel.

No surprise the Maritimes are high as smaller communities are more close-knit.
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Old 06-27-2022, 10:33 AM   #14
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Vancouver is kind of a soulless city as others have said I also know people that moved out there and moved back within a couple of years because the people there are so abrasive. It's not like Alberta fares much better in the study. I feel Calgary has changed a lot over the decades and isn't as friendly or fun as it used to be. The city can't build anything without mouthbreathers complaining about taxes and it seems like everyone is resigned to living life on the hamster wheel.

No surprise the Maritimes are high as smaller communities are more close-knit.
I have learned that for me it's either live in a mega-city or live in a small town. I'm not a fan of mid-sized cities. Give me a minimum of 8 million neighbours or a maximum of 50 thousand neighbours. If a place can't be full-on cosmopolitan, then I want it to be small, close-knit, friendly and simple.
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Old 06-27-2022, 10:41 AM   #15
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It is weird that reported life satisfaction is lowest in Canada’s major cities, and yet those cities keep growing and growing, and we’re resigned to them being the drivers of our economy where all ambitious young people should relocate to. Maybe our public policy should be geared towards keeping people in the communities where they’re happiest.
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Old 06-27-2022, 10:45 AM   #16
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It is weird that reported life satisfaction is lowest in Canada’s major cities, and yet those cities keep growing and growing, and we’re resigned to them being the drivers of our economy where all ambitious young people should relocate to. Maybe our public policy should be geared towards keeping people in the communities where they’re happiest.
The great opportunity of remote work.
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Old 06-27-2022, 01:38 PM   #17
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It is weird that reported life satisfaction is lowest in Canada’s major cities, and yet those cities keep growing and growing, and we’re resigned to them being the drivers of our economy where all ambitious young people should relocate to. Maybe our public policy should be geared towards keeping people in the communities where they’re happiest.
Happiness is relative to expectations. For individuals choosing to live in a big city, they're expecting it to positive for them (or would not make that choice). If you put the same individuals into a rural environment, they would likely be less happy. There are self-selection biases at play here - satisfied people stay put. Unsatisfied people look for more, but they don't always get it.
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Old 06-27-2022, 04:00 PM   #18
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Also, if you plan to move to Canada, you hear about Vancouver, not the magic of Stettler.
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Old 06-27-2022, 04:08 PM   #19
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Also, if you plan to move to Canada, you hear about Vancouver, not the magic of Stettler.
A major issue is moving to a city that already has an established community similar to the one your are from. Toronto and Vancouver (and to a lesser extent Montreal) have the most to offer there. In Vancouver that does seem to add to the fractured-ness and social isolation of the city, as there are cultural enclaves that stick entirely to themselves and tens of thousands of people that don't speak English. That being said, it also adds to the diversity of the city. A bit of double edged sword.
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Old 06-27-2022, 04:22 PM   #20
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A major issue is moving to a city that already has an established community similar to the one your are from. Toronto and Vancouver (and to a lesser extent Montreal) have the most to offer there. In Vancouver that does seem to add to the fractured-ness and social isolation of the city, as there are cultural enclaves that stick entirely to themselves and tens of thousands of people that don't speak English. That being said, it also adds to the diversity of the city. A bit of double edged sword.
Vancouver's diversity is pretty overrated.

49% of the population is European, about 45% Asian (23% East Asian, 22% South Asian), with Middle Eastern, Latino, African, and Indigenous filling it out. People of European origin are mostly from colonial stock (English, Irish, Scottish, and French). Not that those groups don't have diversity within them, but compared to other places in Canada, it doesn't seem as diverse to me.

That is for the whole Metro Vancouver area. If we are just talking about Vancouver proper, it could be different. You definitely get a lot of separation though with enclaves and ethnic ghettoization. Some countries actually limit where people can settle to avoid ethnic and racial ghettoization. Not saying Canada should go that way, but self-imposed segregation can create some issues when it comes to truly being a diverse society.
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