Metro Vancouver does some great reports (and a lousy job in publicizing them.) Fortunately, there’s Durning, who draws attention to this:
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The Metro Vancouver Housing and Transportation Cost Burden Study (H+T Study) presents a new way of looking at housing affordability in the region.
Typically, housing is considered affordable if a household is spending less than 30% of pre-tax income on it. However, housing and transportation choices are closely linked and represent the two largest expenditures for many working households. Intuitively, people understand that there is a trade-off between housing costs and transportation costs and that as they move to more suburban locations to achieve more affordable housing, their transportation costs will increase.
For the first time in this region, the H+T Study quantifies transportation costs and combines them with housing costs to provide a more complete picture of affordability for working households.
It’s a very readable report. And here are the critical illustrations (click to enlarge, or go here):
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Combined average annual transit and auto costs for working households:
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Combined costs for renter households:
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Combined costs for households with mortgages:
Another two bite the dust.
Two TransLink top planners were fired yesterday. Frances Bula suggests that they weren’t excited about the Broadway subway and that, just like the $400,000.00 Ian Jarvis mess there will be massive severance packages – again!
$190,000.00 per year.
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/public-sector-salaries/basic.html?appSession=786506357659568
$172,000.00 per year.
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/public-sector-salaries/basic.html?appSession=593506357876969&RecordID=425053&PageID=3&PrevPageID=2&cpipage=1&CPIsortType=&CPIorderBy=&cbCurrentRecordPosition=1
Actually, what Frances wrote was that there was speculation about one of them not being a fan of the Broadway subway, but that she didn’t buy that as a reason, as it didn’t make sense. You only quoted the speculation, not her opinion, and you falsely attributed it to her.
Do you have information that any severance package is over and above a contractual requirement?
Not yet. Do you?
I will quote Frances, just to be sure to not imply. She didn’t say she didn’t buy that reason, as you falsely stated, she said she’s not sure it’s plausible.
“remaining staff have been told that new people will be hired for those $180,000-a-year jobs, meaning that TransLink will likely be paying both hefty severance and a new set of hefty salaries.
Intrigue, intrigue.”
The typical rent cost in Surrey including utilities is $946 per month? This seems low to me.