Letters to the editor
Housing costs not the only factor |
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To the editor:
Our Mayor, Walter Gray, would like to debunk the myth that Kelowna is not one of the most expensive places to live in Canada, however, in the Castanet article he only refers specifically to the housing market.
Although the housing market in Kelowna may be comparable to cities such as Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Thunder Bay and Victoria, Mr. Gray has not factored in the employment rate, wages, and the cost of gas and food.
All of these items together make Kelowna a costlier place to live.
In the other cities (listed above) there are more career/job opportunities as a higher income level while the cost of amenities such as food, gas, car insurance (thank you ICBC) are lower than they are here.
My husband has taken a job in Alberta in order for us to afford to continuing living in Kelowna, which is a choice we made because we love Kelowna and it was better than having to move.
We do not have an expensive lifestyle, we just live like a normal middle income family.
He was amazed when he came back at the cost of food and gas here, not to mention our wonderful 12% tax (HST) compared to the 5% GST in Alberta.
Alberta has the one of the lowest (if not the lowest) unemployment rates in Canada and one of the highest hourly/salary rates for jobs/careers in the Canada.
If Mr. Gray would like to accurately debunk this myth, I suggest that he factors in all cost of living expenses, not just the cost of housing, property taxes, and power.
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Posted:
Oct 27, 2012 / 5:00 am Story# 82434 / Contributed |
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