[Mr.HappySilp]

Originally Posted by Traum

Remember that an absolutely free and completely market-driven economy is a really bad one where massive inequality exists? We are already there in terms of housing, and it is no a place where we want to be. Moreover, housing is not a commodity like many other items in the market. It is one of the few unique items where homes and the foundation of families are built. Without this foundation, the vast majority of people do not and cannot feel secure enough to take root in the society.

What I'm saying is, if you (and esp the government) wants society to build and grow, you have to create, or at least foster, an environment where people can feel secure and stable. Without that stability, people will just feel like migrants or temporary settlers, and you don't build societies that way.

This security do not have to come from private home ownership -- it simply means people needs to be able to afford a home, and use it as a home base where they know they won't have to worry about whether there'll be a roof above their head. If the government so chooses, we can follow the Singaporean model where the bulk of the citizens resides in government-sponsored public housing. Our government is obviously not willing and unable to do that, so the next best thing is for them to at least ensure everyone has a chance to score a reasonably affordable home.

Australia and New Zealand are already / have already taken measures to limit foreign home ownership to protect their own citizens. Last I check, they are still 2 relatively free countries -- although Australia is fast turning into an unofficial Mainland China overseas province.


Just because you are from Hong Kong and that is where your experience base is coming from doesn't make it a good one to reference. It's like someone with a verbally abusive spouse telling another person how his partner is not that bad because the other partner never gets physically abusive. Among developed cities around the world, Hong Kong has one of the highest Gini coefficient and worst housing affordability.


Have you got no concept of why Vancouver is a more favourable place to live than Fort St. John, or even just Kelowna? I don't even know why you are making bullshxt suggestions like that.

More and more people are coming to live and work here. That's a reality. Vancouver is such a tiny tiny city and is filling up. The only way is to expand to area where it is not as populated. We need to expand beyond vacouver. Yea St. John sucks but guess what? If the gov build a nice community there with jobs, cheaper housing some people might consider moving there. Is time to think outside of your little narrow mindset and think long term. One of the main reason housing cost is so high is because there aren't enough land to built on. 2 ways we can do 1. Built more condos and apartments which are are doing. 2. Expand to other areas and that's what we need to do. Why do you think so many young families are moving out to Surrey, Port Moody, Langley? Coz is cheaper to afford a house and raise a family.

Restricting foreign investor you are just going to tank our economy. Many many many jobs rely on them. But hey let's do tank the economy and housing goes down then we can all afford a house.... but wait I don't have a job so I can't get a mortgage. Beside what do you define as foreign investor? There are people with dual citizenship are they foreign investor? What if they work elsewhere use the money they earn and investor into our housing market? You can't really say they are foreign investor since they have Canadian citizenship. Or how about the international students? They have Visa that allows them them stay and study here. Or how about foreign company buying up land to build their headquarters?