Since leaving Aurora, ON, six years ago to go to college in Vancouver, BC, Riley Cunningham, 23, has moved around the city five times.
“I didn’t realize how expensive it is to live here,” he told Global News on Sunday.
Most of the places Cunningham has found have been too expensive or have had problems.
Read more: Here’s What It Takes to Buy a Home in Canada’s “Overwhelming” Real Estate Market
Since moving to Vancouver, Cunningham has lived in two basements, one without windows or a closet and one without a kitchen or utility room. Another apartment had spiders.
“It simply came to our notice then. There is this stereotype that young people, especially students, love to party and can create a mess, ”he said.
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Now looking for another new job, Cunningham is a waiter on two jobs six days a week and still struggles to save money, especially with the student debt approaching.
“I’m trying to look very carefully, plan my next move and hope it doesn’t ruin me financially,” he said. “I hope I can stay in the city that I love and that doesn’t take away from me.”
2:01 Adhesive Clash: Tackling Rising Cost of Inflation in Canada Adhesive Clash: Tackling Rising Cost of Inflation in Canada – May 12, 2022
Across Canada, cities large and small have become inaccessible to young people, according to the recent Real Youth Affordability Index.
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Young people in Canada between the ages of 15 and 29 have been hardest hit by the pandemic and are more likely to work in the service industry, with an average deficit of $ 750 a month living in cities, according to a report, presented by RBC Future. Launch. This is the average amount lost by young residents living in Canadian cities each month.
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And their salaries are not up to date with the cost of living. Even when young people are not working full time, two-thirds of Canadian cities are still not affordable, according to the index.
“Affordability shouldn’t just be about the basic necessities for survival,” says Claire Patterson of Youthful Cities. “Affordability should also include the ability to pay for things that contribute to the vitality of a person’s life when they are able to move forward and achieve those key milestones that we consider a sign of success. In today’s Canadian cities , opportunities to thrive are simply not equally accessible to all young people. “
Real estate agents like Kelly Caldwell in Guelph, ON, have seen how difficult it is for young people to live in Canadian cities.
“There are some ways it’s difficult,” he told Global News. “I think the first thing is just inventory. It always seems like we have a shortage of good rental properties.”
“I don’t know many free cities where there are a lot of rentals. It’s just the opposite,” Caldwell said.
Another hurdle is cost.
Read more: Bank of Canada raises key interest rate by 50 basis points for the second time in a row
“The real cost of rent has skyrocketed,” Caldwell said. “Especially for young people, if they’re even thinking about owning a home or trying to save for a down payment, it seems pretty out of reach.”
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Nancy Worth, an associate professor of geography at the University of Waterloo, has seen the same challenges in Canadian cities.
“I’m hearing it from a lot of different young people, especially how many there are, but also the lack of stock,” Worth told Global News.
In cities like Halifax, Nova Scotia, young people have an average deficit of just over $ 1,290 a month. In Toronto, the average deficit is $ 1,121 a month.
In Quebec City, meanwhile, the average deficit is well below $ 314.50 a month.
Experts like Caldwell warn young people to properly present themselves as a tenant when applying to live somewhere.
“You have to sell yourself to be above the crowd because a lot of people won’t,” he said. “A lot of people will just launch an app.”
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