>I believe that your inflated housing costs are due to the influx of Hong Kong folks over the past several years. Most that left were not exactly poverty stricken, which is why they could afford to leave. With their move to British Columbia being a prime haven (I believe that Canada put out the welcome mat for the $$ but I don't really know), it's not surprising that housing skyrocketed.

This is amazingly insightful. If it was not for Hong Kong immigration BC would have suffered an economic recession like the rest of Canada in the early 90's. There was an investment program, it went something like this:
- invest $250,000 in a business
- employ at least 2 Canadian citizens

The only downside is that housing prices went through the roof. They were already high since Vancouver has the most moderate climate in Canada.

Where did you learn all this?