As a university student in Vancouver a decade ago, I’d regularly hit up the Warehouse, an ultra-budget pub because they offered an enticing $5 burger or plate of pasta. I went back recently, and when I saw that the same items today run around $12, I felt something between shock and bereavement.
The average wages of Canadians certainly didn’t double. Canadians are earning about $1,300 a week, up roughly a third since 2016. That bump has been swallowed up, as everything has become more expensive — groceries alone have risen just as much. The asking rent on a Vancouver one-bedroom has, just like the burger, more than doubled. I do love to reminisce about the $800/month rent I landed for a two-bedroom back in 2013, split with a roommate. And then, I look at the $3,000 I pay today, and I can only grimace.
