Local Wages Too Low

I live in Fort S.t John, BC, not where I wanted to be.

My husband and I moved to Fort St. John in October 2003, shortly after "My City" almost burned to the ground. People here always ask why. They say "The South is so beautiful!"

Well, it is. It is where I grew up. It is where I learned. I watched "My City" pull together in the most horrific event and it will always be home. I was there when it was all orchards and Marshalls farm wasn't out of place. "The Okanagan is the most beautiful place on earth!"

I was just there for a recent visit and saw the hilltops bare. The houses are going up everywhere!

The problem is the wages. The cost of living is pretty much the same but for the first time in my life, I have money in the bank. The Okanagan is crying for good tradesman and the city is booming, but tradesman still can't seem to get that far ahead.

Unfortunately, I must be here, to make a living, to make a life. Not where I wanted to be. But this is only for now, until I go home to "My City".

-Monique Anderson, Fort St. John, BC