Skip to content

EDITORIAL: Tale of 2 West Vans

The snapshot of West Vancouver provided by the Vital Signs report is at its heart a concerning one. To be sure, the report points to many positives about the municipality. But if this were a medical report, it would call for some hasty intervention.
pic

The snapshot of West Vancouver provided by the Vital Signs report is at its heart a concerning one. To be sure, the report points to many positives about the municipality. But if this were a medical report, it would call for some hasty intervention.

It’s a tale of haves and have nots who are growing further apart in their experience of the community.

On the “have” side of the ledger, more households than ever have incomes over $100,000. And that’s with only half of residents in the labour force. On the flip side, there are more people than ever on waiting lists for subsidized housing, and 14 per cent of households are in “dire housing circumstances.” And there’s not a lot of middle class left in between.

Young families and middle income earners are increasingly absent from the picture, because they can’t afford to live in West Vancouver.

Their absence comes at a cost, with everyone from firefighters, teachers and municipal workers commuting in from elsewhere.

Recruiting workers willing to make that commute is increasingly a challenge.

West Vancouver is also rapidly aging. As the population shifts from active younger seniors to more dependent older ones, the question of who will take care of them will likely grow more urgent as well – family members who don’t live in the community? Paid caregivers who don’t live here either?

The issues pointed to in the report aren’t unique to West Vancouver, just more pronounced and more imminent.

In that respect the community’s problems – and our political response to them  – could be the canary in the coal mine.

What are your thoughts? Send us a letter via email by clicking here or post a comment below.