Vancouver is great, we all know that, visitors know that and the rest of the world knows that.
According to a study, the city was ranked as number 1 for the most livable city in the North America. It wasn’t far behind globally either.
But… it was also ranked as one of the unhappiest cities in the world.
We also all know there are certain things the city can improve on. Let’s just say, if there was a way to steal, ahem, implement, things from other cities to ours, there’s a lot we would put on a list.
Here are five of them:
Improving Vancouver
Housing Affordability
This has been an issue for what seems like forever in Vancouver. The city was ranked the second least affordable city in the world. Even “affordable housing” in Vancouver, isn’t all that affordable.
As the city seems to be becoming more and more in favour of the one per cent, this is something any Vancouverite would add to their list.
A higher minimum wage
According to Retail Council of Canada, currently the minimum wage in BC is $12.65 as of June 1st, 2018.
However, that is expected to rise to at least $13.85 on June 1st, 2019 and again to $14.60 on June 1st, 2020. By the time June 1st, 2021 rolls around, the wage will increase to $15.20.
As of right now, Alberta leads all provinces with a minimum wage of $15.00.
Uber
Uber is available in a number of cities around the world. According to their list, it seems like almost all of them.
From Albuquerque to Calgary and even Visakhapatnam in South Asia, all use Uber.
Unfortunately, Vancouver is not on that list, not yet at least, but we wish it was.
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Free (Or More Affordable) Education
Most of us have student debt, we may have it for years, eventually, it might just become a part of us, like a regrettable tattoo.
With how unaffordable the city is and how low the minimum wage is, getting an education can really set you back in the financial department.
So, stealing Norway’s free education system would be nice. The country has one of the best education systems in the world.
“It is a priority to Norwegian authorities to maintain and develop an education system of high quality, which is open to all, regardless of the student’s social and economic background.”
However, the city is also an expensive place to live, especially for students, so they can keep that part.
Better Transit
Transit in Vancouver can be a pain. Missing buses, overcrowding and a lack of affordability are all part of the struggle. If we’re going to steal a transit system, it’s going to be from Hong Kong. According to CNN Travel, Hong Kong’s MTR is praised by travelers.
The system is an “immaculately clean, well-signposted, cheap, regular, convenient system that connects most corners of the city, from the crowded bowels of Wan Chai to the rural(ish) villages of Tai Po.”
The trains run every few minutes, buying a ticket is very simple for visitors and the airport express service super convenient.
Not to mention, there’s also free Wi-Fi in every station, Braille plates for travelers with disabilities, public washrooms, banks and express food outlets, either in many stations or close to them.
There you have it. What would you steal to make Vancouver even better?
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