Vancouver Magazine
The Best Thing I Ate All Week: Beaucoup Bakery’s Pistachio Raspberry Cake
Live Spot Prawns Are Only Here for a Month—and You Can Try Them at This Festival
Cupcake Thief Breaks Into Vancouver Bakery, Cleans Up Glass, Takes Selfies and Leaves
Succession Is Over: Now It’s Time To Watch the Greatest Show About Wine Ever Made
Our 2023 Sommelier of the Year Franco Michienzi of Elisa Steakhouse Shares His Top Wine Picks
We’ve Scored a Major Discount for VanMag Readers at the Best Wine Festival in Town
Meet OneSpace, the East Vancouver Co-working Space That Offers On-site Childcare
What You Missed at the VMO 2022/23 Season Finale Concert
Protected: Visit the Joint Replacement Center of Scottsdale
Wellness in Whistler-Your Ultimate Early Summer Retreat
Local Summer Getaway: 3 Beautiful Okanagan Farm Tours
Local Summer Getaway: Golfing at Alberta’s Crowsnest Pass
The Latest in Cutting-Edge Kitchen Appliances
7 Spring-y Shopping Picks, From a Lightweight Jacket to a Fresh Face Cleanser
Is There a Distinctly “Vancouver” Watch?
Moving sucks in the best of times. This past year? There’d better be good reason to do it. Here’s why these Vancouverites made the effort.
Name Amanda MitchellMoved from An illegal suite off Commercial Drive ($1,150/month)Moved to A new apartment a dozen or so blocks south (just under $2,000/month)
“I could overlook my old place’s quirks until the pandemic hit. When I switched to working from home, the lack of soundproofing became very apparent. There was a nice older man who lived downstairs who loved music and played it all the time. With my work I often facilitate large meetings, and it was anxiety-inducing to have to wonder if Jim Morrison was going to start singing ‘Riders on the Storm’ in the middle of a meeting. I also wanted a place that was dog-friendly. All in all it was a very good decision, even if it is massively more expensive than my old place.”
Name Lindsay and Callan MacKinlay Moved from A 2 bed + den in Burnaby ($1,850/month)Moved to A 3-bedroom townhouse, also in Burnaby ($2,800/month mortgage)
“We found out we were pregnant during the pandemic. While we would have been able to make our previous apartment work in terms of space, we started looking more earnestly at other places with more square footage in which to grow our family. We saw that interest rates were pretty good, and thought that maybe this was a bit of an achievable opportunity to be able to get into the ownership market.”
Name Lisa Storey and Andrew MorganMoved from A studio apartment in Amsterdam ($2,870/month)Moved to A 2-bedroom apartment in the West End ($3,000/month)
“My partner and I were British expats in the Netherlands and wanted a new adventure. We were watching Canada from afar, and the night the borders closed we were devastated. But at the same time we thought: Canada’s doing exactly the right thing. My partner and I both had jobs secured in Vancouver, so we were able to submit our work permits and got put on a waiting list. It took five months to get approved.”
Name Perri LinklaterMoved from Perri’s childhood home in East Van ($0/month)Moved to An apartment in New West ($1,500/month)
“I was living with my parents, and my original plan was to save for the first half of 2020 and move in with my partner—who lived alone—in July. But then the pandemic happened, and James and I had to think about whether we were going to quarantine together or apart. We decided that for our mental health’s sake it would be best for me to move in so that nobody would have to live completely alone while the province was shut down. I definitely had a period of grief because I was leaving my childhood home, and a family cat that we’ve had for 12 years. I went two weeks without a cat—and then we adopted two.”
Name Kelsey Uyeyama and Troy BritnellMoved from A condo in PoCo ($465,000 value)Moved to A detached home in West Kelowna ($630,000 value)
“We were originally looking at townhouses in Port Coquitlam, but we knew that we eventually wanted to buy a house in West Kelowna, where my family is. There were a lot of houses on the market in Kelowna, and they were selling really quickly—I didn’t want to miss that boat. But I also knew I didn’t want to quit my job in pediatrics… so I decided to make the commute, because I think it’s worth it. So we own a house in Kelowna, but I still go to work in Vancouver.”
Name Haley Cameron and Nick HnatiwMoved from 1 room in a shared 2-bedroom in Fairview ($1,000/month each room)Moved to A 2-bedroom in Fairview ($2,750/month)
“My partner and I met in November 2019, and we ended up spending way more time together—in a way more emotionally intense time—sooner than you typically would in a relationship. Neither of our home office setups were ideal, and it became clear very quickly that the best-case scenario was going to be that we each had a dedicated work space. We decided to just rip the bandage off and give living together a shot. The pandemic definitely changed what we were looking for in an apartment—it was really a matter of where we could comfortably be for the majority of our time.”
Name Adam ChotemMoved from A sublet in Fairview ($1,000/month)Moved to An apartment downtown ($689,000 value)
“My mom and I had been looking for an apartment to buy together as an investment property for her, and a first mortgage for me. The building was built in the ’50s so we wanted to renovate it, which was sort of an ongoing battle with the strata manager. I had to pay the contractor a COVID oversight fee, so it was an extra $750 for security… I figured for that price I would be able to book elevators easily and it would make the renovation easier. But in reality, it actually made things harder to plan.”