Van City - How two UBC students circumvent Vancouver's high rental costs

The Canadian housing crisis affects people of all ages, and in this video, two young international students from Italy show us their innovative and cost effective housing solution that allows them to study Forestry at UBC in Vancouver, B.C., – a city known for its high rents.
#inflation #britishcolumbia #costofliving #pricedout

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CREDITS:
Joel Lee-Dodek - friend & musician
Jonah Lee-McNamee - Director & Editor
Derek Kwan - Producer
Shiun Okada - Director of Photography
Alessio Brandolese - student & van camper
Paolo Ferronato - student & van camper

[fishernate]

I was forced to move into a van in Toronto a few months into the pandemic after losing my job (and home) at a hotel that closed when they shut everything down. Although I had no choice, in the end I’m happy to have discovered van life. I’m grateful that I have a home that I’m not paying through the nose for every month. I’m 43 years old and I’ve paid over $300, 000 in rent in my life. I refuse to pay another dime even if it means homelessness. My biggest issue with van life by far is not having a place to park where l feel safe and have access to power, water, and other basic necessities like an address that mail can be sent to. It’s undeniable that our housing market has gotten out of control and in the year and a half that I’ve been living in the van I’ve met dozens of people forced to live in vehicles. Toronto (and Vancouver for that matter) try to pretend that they are progressive when all they do is target us. I park on skid row in Toronto and we were recently the target of a completely false smear campaign article written by the CBC the day before police came and tried to drive us all out of the area. I have a 20 year career in real estate prior to the hotel industry and I have actual legitimate ideas to build homes for homeless people that will be profitable for investors. I have gone to banks, brokers, venture capitalists, investors, low income housing providers, heck I even went to a psychic to try to get a name of a rich person that wanted to do a good deed. As soon as people with money hear “homeless” they shut down. It’s rather remarkable. If the CBC really wanted to help the poor they could push our politicians into finding us with a safe place to park instead of lying about us so the police can target us without justification.

[ChristianTatonetti]

I spent a couple years in Victoria living in my 1977 VW van. I could not have been able to study there otherwise. To the millions of people who drove by me at night on Dallas Road and let me sleep in peace: thank you.

[Lucile-qg]

Living life to the fullest. These guys will grow old and have amazing stories for their grandkids

[chiplanger]

This story hides an uglier reality that most camper dwellers in Vancouver, and there are possibly hundreds parked around the lower mainland, are seniors or transient workers, not students. And camping on city streets is illegal - these students could be fined repetitively or have their home impounded. This news piece sort of celebrates insecure housing access in a city desperately in need of affordable housing for workers. While my sister's decade old lease is $1400/m similar units in her building are over $3000, to illustrate the issue a bit more.

[esparda]

What a well-made film. I was expecting to feel sad and depressed but it gave me a feeling of contentment instead.

[sunsetfoxx]

That’s great! I’m happy for them. I love van life, it’s so like camp, and trendy!

The problem for me is when this type of lifestyle is promoted as normality to our toxically over-priced housing crisis and inability to properly manage these issues on city council level and even provincial government. Watching Vancouver and other cities to destroy affordable housing in order to create “more housing” ended up being more housing for money laundering and rich people and no housing for the rest.
$3-4000 a month for an apartment?that’s not “affordable”.

We need real solutions, someone’s parents shouldn’t be living in a van because they can’t find housing under $1200.
Let’s resolve real issues

[unaffiliatedwealth]

This was one ot the better stories reported that I've seen since having both lived and kept up-to-date with the news in the city of Vancouver. Nice job guys!

[cherobinson]

I lived on that beach for a summer. Spanish banks 2011. Had showers 24/7 fresh coffee at 7 am and I’d pick up the nites beer cans strewn across the beach as a way to eat for the day. It got me off hard drugs and back on track in life. Way more deeper story than this and way more I had to overcome than this story Yet? It’s not Cute? So…

[leahtoddcreative]

This was so awesome! I would love to see more content like this. The mini documentary style was so character focused and so well done. How awesome are these Italian guys making gourmet pasta and bread in this camper van and turning everything into a positive experience. Congratulations Jonah- you killed it on this project!!! 🙏🏻🔥🔥👍🏻

[gordonwood]

In the suburbs of Vancouver (my area) houses are going for 1.8M and up. Condos $700K.
Rent is 1K and up for a very small place. "Affordable" rentals are being built with rent starting abount 2K.
There are hundreds, if not thousands of people living like this. People with good jobs/careers.
It is beyond insane.
People come up with inventive ways to live and the city cracks down. Buy a boat and live in False Creek, city takes over management and runs you out. Live in a camper van and the city tries to impose street parking fees for everyone. Then they wonder why people take over entire parks.

[BlanketBCSociety]

Loved this short doc. Would like a full feature on this same subject and look more closely at how more and more folks are moving to “Van City” life due to the unaffordable pricing in Vancouver. Well done Doc debut Jonah!

[maryrankin]

Awesome kids making the best of it. My neice is sharing a condo at UBC with four others and they each pay 950.00 per month. Someone is collecting the big bucks. I am in awe of these two. God Bless and best of luck in your studies.

[MS-gdpx]

I wish it was possible to bottle these guys positive outlook cause I'd buy it. Gas is well over $2 on average now so these guys are probably feeling that extra struggle right now.

[SiobhanWaldock]

This piece should win some kind of award. It was such a beautiful look into these people's lives, it almost seemed to good to be real!

[NessaGhouliful]

Don't worry dudes, even people born and raised in Vancouver can't cover the high rent.

[nottheone]

I don't know if its just because they're Italian but they make van life look fun and charming. great job guys! the idea that you need to live inside 4 walls is outdated. I love the resourcefulness, while also disagreeing with the out-of-this-stratosphere housing costs. everyone should be able to come here, study, live, work, etc and afford housing. if you can't, these two illustrate a perfect acceptable alternative.

[sandyb]

you both seem very happy n that's what counts. as a kid I grew up in Vancouver. I had to kids n in the early 1980.s moved out of Vancouver to buy a house. I cant believe the rent or cost of homes now yikes. glad you planned your lifestyle smartly

[garys]

These guys are finding the beauty in life and their situation. Much respect.

[GigiNKD]

Awesome! Love these two guys and their upbeat attitude! And they sure know how to cook delicious meals!

[thebroughamshow]

It is so wrong that our house prices and apt price s so high. We got so much land