Ottawa
Montreal
Hamilton
Snow Valley
Horseshoe Valley
Moncton
Vancouver
Guelph
Kelowna
Niagara on the Lake
Winnipeg
Kingston
Calgary
Vancouver Island
Sudbury
What in the world is this?
A random list of cities across the country?
Am I just showing off my knowledge of Canadian geography?
Kudos to anybody that read that list above and knew exactly where this was going, since this is a list of places my clients have moved to in the past two years after selling their homes here in Toronto.
I might be forgetting the odd client, and of course, there are a lot of people who have sold their properties in Toronto (usually condos) to relocate to larger and more affordable homes in neighbourhoods in Mississauga, Durham Region, or York Region, but the point is undeniable: a lot of people are moving out of the city.
Of course, a lot of people are moving into the city, and more than are moving out.
But we don’t have the same fascination with those moving to Toronto. It just seems like the natural thing to do.
It’s those who lived here and built lives here, only to move away, that interest us. And many of these folks are Toronto born-and-raised, who have never lived anywhere else.
As wonderful as our city is, some of us daydream about moving out of it.
If somebody here on our team is having one of those days, we might joke around and say, “What would life be like right now if you were a paddle-boat instructor in Fort Myers, Florida?”
What if you just decided to sell your Toronto house, pack up your things (and the kids…) and move to Goose Bay in Newfoundland?
Chris will always joke with me and say, “You can write blogs from anywhere. Move to Boston and start BRB; the Boston Realty Blog!”
I recognize that I’m tied to Toronto forever because of my occupation, but I’m one of those people that remain fascinated, often envious, of those who start new chapters in their lives by moving across the country, or down south, or across the world.
In 2014, my brother Neil moved his family to London, England, which I thought (or hoped?) was a short-term relocation for work that would serve as a means to an end. But here we are, coming up on eight years later, and the Fleming Family roots are firmly planted in the soil of Hampstead Heath. Sometimes, I get emotional just thinking about it.
We all have that friend or family member who moved away, some for a period, and some for good.
If you want to put a positive spin on this, you might remark, “It gives you a reason to travel; a person to visit!”
But in the meantime, our housing “crisis” here in the city of Toronto means that more and more people are looking for opportunities elsewhere, and those that have transferable skills and occupations are certainly leading the charge on that one.
With the average housing price in Toronto checking in at $1,242,793 in January, those who are not already in the housing market are realizing just how impossible it will be to break into, and thus the mind starts to wander, and wonder, “Where else could we lay our heads?”
This past weekend, I caught up on about thirty articles that had accumulated over a very busy week!
One such article was intriguing simply because I had never thought I’d read something like this:
“If You’re Joining The Urban Exodus, Don’t Look To Yukon For A Cheaper Life”
Shari Kulha
The National Post
February 16th, 2022
Yukon, eh?
I think “Yukon” and I think “Yukon Gold” or “Yukon Potatoes.”
Actually, they’re officially called “Yukon Gold Potatoes,” so perhaps my mind is playing tricks on me…
The Yukon was originally a part of the North-Western Territory but obtained its first government in 1895 and officially split from the NWT and became its own territory in 1898.
the 2021 census showed a population of 40,232 people.
With an area of 482,443 square kilometers, that’s one individual for every 11.99 square kilometre. While that sounds like a lot, there’s one person per every 29.57 square kilometre in the Northwest Territories, and one person per every 55.31 square kilometre in Nunavut. Although, Nunavut basically extends to Santa’s Workshop so the comparison isn’t exactly apples to apples…
Although 40,232 people live in the Yukon, 28,201, or 70%, live in the capital of Whitehorse.
The major industry in The Yukon is the mining of lead, silver, gold, asbestos, zinc, and copper.
Manufacturing and hydroelectricity are also large sources of employment and economic output, although tourism is likely second to mining.
I’ll admit, I know nothing about The Yukon other than what I’ve just summarized above.
And yet, to read that article in the National Post this past weekend was fascinating!
From the article:
According to Canada’s 2021 census numbers, Yukon led the country in population growth, increasing by 12.1 per cent since 2016 and bringing its population to 40,232 from 35,874.
So says the federal government, but that figure doesn’t sit quite right with the territorial government.
The Whitehorse Star says the figure is in contrast with the May 2021 figures from the Yukon government, which showed a population of 43,568.
The paper also says there’s discrepancy in Whitehorse’s population, saying local figures have the city at 33,871 people, while the census numbers show 28,201 people.
Yukon chief statistician Gary Brown told the newspaper last week that one major reason for the discrepancy is the spring timing of the census, when many people are out on the land or working in the bush, and don’t have internet service or even mail on a regular basis.
“We’re a small population in a vast geographic area,” Brown told the paper. “There’s usually about a five per cent discrepancy in the numbers.”
Yukon’s population growth was the fastest in the country, more than double the national average of 5.2 per cent, and that growth is amplifying an already longstanding housing shortage, CBC noted.
Manitoba native Marcus Schneider wants to move to Yukon, into a two-bedroom apartment, but is struggling to secure a place.
“I’m finding a lot of places, especially within Whitehorse, that are — on the low end — $2,400 a month without utilities, and they go all the way up to $3,500 for some of the places with a garage,” he told CBC.
That’s around three quarters of his monthly wage.
According to data from 2021, a median two-bedroom apartment commands about $1,300 per month, but there, too, the figures don’t tell an accurate story. Many locals who spoke with CBC said the average price is currently around $2,000, and several recent online rental listings prove the point. One new two-bedroom, 800-sq.-ft. apartment is listed at $1,900 with utilities included, while a two-bedroom apartment in a house is also asking $2,000, with some utilities included.
As for houses, the average sale price of a single detached house in Whitehorse at November 2021 was a record $656,800, an increase of 15.4 per cent over a year.
A 2021 report from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. found housing affordability to be a serious challenge in Yukon, particularly in Whitehorse.
During the pandemic, an exodus of urbanites occurred in most cities across Canada. Some of those people moved to the Yukon, with its outstanding natural beauty and sense of community.
“We see a lot of people that leave from other provinces … come here in the search of de-urbanization,” Whitehorse-based real estate agent Marc Perreault told Radio-Canada in French.
The average sale price for a detached house here in Toronto in January was $1,886,413, so that “record” price of $656,800 in Whitehorse last November seems relatively cheap.
But with a front-page article about an “exodus” to The Yukon, I wanted to dig into real estate prices and property styles there, so this is what I found…
By my count, there are only 152 properties for sale in all of Yukon.
Approximately 125 of those are in Whitehorse and the surrounding area.
A lot of these properties, however, are pre-construction!
Consider the new “Pin Cherry Place” which is pre-selling Phase One units, scheduled for completion in July of 2022:
They might look a little like army barracks, but maybe that’s just not the best artist’s renderings.
Here’s the floor plan, which looks like it was drawn by a very steady hand:
These units are 665 square feet.
Any idea on the price?
$329,900.
That’s $496/sqft, and I have no idea if that’s high or low for The Yukon, but compared to Toronto it’s a pittance!
Now, what can we find of the freehold variety?
How about this:
That’s a 3-bed, 2-bath townhouse, priced at $499,000.
1,673 square feet and built in 2012.
They might have benefitted from some staging…
But I don’t think “staging” is a thing up there.
In any event, $499,000 for a 3-bed, 2-bath, 10-year-old townhouse is affordable, no?
I’m by no means an expert in Whitehorse neighbourhoods, so I don’t know where this location ranks, but if Google Street View is any indication, much of the original housing stock in Whitehorse looks like this:
Perhaps it’s just me, but if I’m moving to Yukon, I’d expect to get something like this:
A log cabin!
Beautiful!
And for only $594,500.
3-bed, 2-bath, built in 1996.
The lot size is 74 x 114, which we would think is an estate here in the city, but I’m sure that’s average up there.
If we head “downtown,” we’ll find more new housing stock.
This was just finished, with a “built-in” date, according to MLS, of 2022:
78 Witch Hazel Drive.
Damn, they have great street names up there!
3-bed, 3-bath, 1,920 square feet and the house is “Super Green,” which I suppose has to do with the environment rather than the paint colour…
The National Post article mentioned that the average sale price in Whitehorse in November was $656,800, but I can’t seem to find many houses with an asking price above that figure. By my count, there are only 24 listings, but most of these are for land. I’m actually only counting 6 proper houses.
So let’s look at one of the few houses that’s actually priced above that $656,800 average.
Here’s one, listed at $789,900 on Neecheach Street:
Look at the houses to the left and to the rear. They’re under construction.
In fact, it seems like this whole neighbourood is under construction…
I suppose this is the new housing stock in Whitehorse and this is what one might expect to pay.
It’s a 4-bed, 3-bath, 2,280 square feet and just completed this year.
So what does a million bucks get you in Whitehorse?
It gets you this:
Nice house, right?
But it’s not the house that’s the draw here.
Where is the house?
Or better yet, what’s behind it?
Check this out:
That’s unbelievable!
It gives “waterfront living” a whole new meaning.
This is a 4,300 square foot, 4-bed, 3-bath house built in 2007.
But that “feature photo” above does the house no justice.
If this were my listing, I’d have used this photo:
Lake, trees, mountains, sky.
All for $999,900, or less, if your Yukon agent can negotiate.
I have a listing coming up next month for a 2-bed, 2-bath condo that my client purchased for $380,000 a decade ago, and for which I think we’ll surpass $1,000,000 in March.
Tough to compare that to a mansion on Army Beach, right?
JF007
at 7:27 am
Nice piece David…how about something on Calgary..and the investment frenzy taking place there..
Steve
at 1:34 pm
You have a photo of my house, I payed 439,000 two years ago. Won’t sell for less then 639,000 this year. Houses here are sold faster then they are built. There is very few amenities here. If you like the city stay in a city. Whitehorse is not a city.
David Fleming
at 3:45 pm
@ Steve
Small world, I’m flattered to have a reader up there!
Good luck with the sale, it sounds like you’ll have no trouble at all moving the house for a record price.
Researching your market has been enlightening. I’m fascinated with markets around the country.
Does new housing stock sell faster than old housing stock? Do buyers object to being in a brand-new development where neighbouring houses are still being built? Something like 212 Neecheah Street looks beautiful but the area is still under construction. But 6 Bellingham Court is a 2016 build and the area looks complete.
We’d love some insight if you’re willing to share!
Steve
at 4:41 pm
You slightly miss understood I am not selling at the moment. Just would not post my house for anything less then 200k more then I bought it. There is one main area in town where houses are being built it is called whistle bend. If you buy there, there is construction you don’t get a choice. It’s not bad a little messy at times. I have not had my street plowed all winter despite paying around $3500 last year in property taxes and can’t park in the street any more. Land is sold on a lottery so if you don’t get picked better luck next year. Basically, if you are looking to buy here expect to pay over asking and have a bidding war. There is 350 families looking for a home and as you noted only 152 listings. I think this answers most of your questions if you have anymore feel free. Oh yeah it was -40 all last month and winter only has 6 hours of sun light. Summer dream tho =)
Joe
at 10:09 pm
Please don’t move to the Yukon, we have enough people here thanks. Especially big city people from Ontario who move here and try to make it like Ontario. Stop ruining it. You are not welcome here.
Steve
at 12:34 am
I was born here almost 40 years ago. My mother almost 60. I’m not moving anywhere, just answering a friendly question. This town was ruined 15 years ago almost now, complaining to bloggers won’t bring it back. Go enjoy the winter Joe.
Ryan
at 11:21 am
I think we have enough of the big city types up here for now…
Francisco Elpelotas
at 7:49 pm
I’ll give you a better one! How about you Toronto people stay where you are and leave us alone? ????
Joe
at 10:09 pm
Agreed
Jeff McAdams
at 3:00 pm
All you city slickers can stay where you’re at. Don’t need more idiots from Ontario here. It’s full.
Daniel
at 3:15 pm
Looks like somebody in The Yukon found David’s blog and is sharing it with the locals!
Jeff McAdams
at 3:59 pm
Well that’s unfortunate for the writer of this article, because nobody in the Yukon will enjoy reading this, that’s for sure!
RPG
at 4:24 pm
Hey Jeff I think you’re missing the point. “The writer of this article” is a Toronto real estate broker who writes about real estate as a hobby. He’s not encouraging Toronto people to move to Whitehorse. He’s just trying to expand the horizons of people who like reading and discussing real estate which is what many of us have been doing on this blog for the last ten years. He’s not going to be concerned with whether people in Whitehorse like seeing this post. We’re just talking real estate shop. Take it easy man. Your town is safe.
Sarah
at 2:50 am
He is precisely telling people to move to the Yukon. It’s so ridiculous. We have so many people, born and raised here who can not afford rent or a house. This article encourages people with money to buy cheaper property, which will only push our housing situation into an even bigger crisis! So inconsiderate of the writer to ruin a small northern community!
Jackie
at 3:36 am
“ And for only $594,500.”. Umm, this is encouraging people to consider it.
Francisco Elpelotas
at 7:50 pm
Yes, I totally agree! We don’t want more of this kind of people! In fact, there are some that should get back where they belong!
Yukoner
at 3:10 pm
That million dollar house you have pictured there sure is a beauty. But look closely at the photo you would have used in a listing. You will see a row of sandbags burried under that snow. They were put there during last year’s record floods. This year we have even more snowpack and are anticipating more severe flooding. Climate change has made most of Yukon’s waterfront properties a flood just waiting to happen.
As for new construction…the Yukon is a series of mountains with small valleys in between. There is almost no developable land left in the Whitehorse area, so with the influx of people and the increasing housing shortage problem, the house I bought for half a million last spring I could sell today for $700,000, only I wouldn’t be able to find a comparable replacement. Housing prices may not yet be at Toronto levels, but they are increasing at a faster rate, and we don’t have as many high wage jobs for people to be able to afford them.
Deborah Mayling
at 3:51 pm
No! Do not move to the Yukon. Leave it alone. BC is already ruined with that mentality. Like the locusts, they moved in. Leave the Yukon alone. Its not for you. Its too cold anyhow, you wont like it. Quit promoting these “gems”.
Joe
at 10:10 pm
Agreed 100%.
Been there, wasn't worth it
at 4:02 pm
I lived in Whitehorse for a few yrs. Now im back in To. Its got fewer amenities than Bracebridge! Nearest Rona, Wendy’s, nightclub and everything else is 2000km away. Not to mention its f****** COLD! Spring and fall last 2 weeks, summer (if you call needing a sweater and pants summer) is 2 months. The rest of the yr is winter. There’s not natural gas so heating costs over $500 a month most of the yr. Food prices are insane and the shelves are always half empty. Its a great place to visit, but living there sucks!
Daniel Buss
at 4:42 pm
ya that,s for sure Qualicum beach
Steve
at 4:45 pm
Hahaha this is a good description of my home. I have lived here going on 37 years.
Don'tgetanyideas
at 4:27 pm
Don’t go insulting people’s professional skills with limited resources if you have not survival skills and think you’re going to try and survive up there. Good luck … Just good luck. Honestly.
Friendly Yukoner
at 6:52 pm
Please stay in Ontario. Do not move here.
Jenn
at 8:09 pm
Lol nobody in their right mind is moving to the Yukon don’t worry! What’s up with these people commenting OMG where are they coming from???
Joe
at 10:11 pm
We are sick of people from Ontario moving here and trying to make it more like Ontario. Plain and simple.
Jennifer
at 12:42 pm
Joe so friendly and welcoming – sounds like a swell place. You can give me a house for free and I won’t live there….probably 99% of people won’t.
Sarah
at 2:53 am
Oh really? That’s why we are in this insane housing crisis?
Yukoner in real city
at 8:48 pm
The writer of this article disgusts me. Classic trona mentality, I hope that you continue to ‘enjoy’ living in the ‘city’ which isn’t a city at all ????????
Craig
at 9:06 pm
Wow look at all these interesting comments. I particularly like all the ones telling people to stay away. How unCanadian and certainly UnYukon like as virtually every person here is from away or a generation removed from it. I’ve been here 30 years. Great place to live if you like winter, 2 weeks of spring and fall, a marginal summer of two months and even then you often need a jacket. Real estate, food etc is all expensive but not unlike other places. If you dont like being cold or don’t do things in the winter you are not going to like it. Oh and my experience is that winter gets longer as I get older.
Cornelius
at 9:34 pm
articles like this are why these shithole houses have gone up $200k in the last 2 years, raising rents and keeping locals out of the market.
But I guess if you think a condo with a view of a sub-arctic Walmart parking lot is worth 800k, be my guest
Yukon Garth
at 10:08 pm
As a long time (36 years) resident of the Yukon, I apologize for some of the comments posted here. Most people who live here are friendly, welcoming and helpful.
The Yukon is not for everyone. There’s no Rona or Wendy’s. But to say there are no services is a stretch.
I was born and raised in rural Ontario, spent 7 years in Toronto (downtown – never north of Bloor, east of Parliament or west of Dufferin.), 4 years in Alberta (split between Calgary and Edmonton) and another 4 years in New Brunswick (split between Fredericton and Moncton) before moving north. I enjoyed my time in each city. I never focused on what the cities did not have. Instead, I took advantage of what it did.
The Yukon is a bit different for housing. It made me smile that you think our prices are low. Most of us complain about the prices. Perspectives! There are few private lot developments. Most is done by the government. The whole subdivision is created and developed by the Yukon government. Lots are then released by a lottery system. You request particular lots. If your name is drawn, and one of the lots you wanted is available, you buy it. If not, next year will come.
The price for serviced lots in Whitehorse are no bargain (from our perspective.) What we consider a small, serviced lot would cost $100,000 to $150,000.
Yes. There’s lots of land in the Yukon. I can walk out my backyard gate and be in the wilderness. Within 10 minutes, I’m away from everything.
But not much of the undeveloped land is privately owned. It’s mostly “crown” land – owned by the government and not very suitable for development.(Most people don’t want to live on snow capped mountains or in the middle of a lake.)
The largest, developable, land owners are the First Nations. Yes. I used the term “own”. First Nations own the land. It’s not a reserve system.
To add some context to the employment scene. By far, public sector services is the main employer in the Yukon. That would include Federal, Territorial, City and First Nations. Most of these jobs are reasonably paid – from $40,000 to over $100,000 per year.
There was a time prices for non housing things was extremely high. We had long transportation routes and limited competition. That has improved dramatically over the past 20 years.
Air flights to Vancouver or Calgary or Edmonton used to cost over $2,500 per person. Competition has driven the price down to around $500 round trip.
For $1,000 in airfare, a couple can fly out to Vancouver, eat a few great meals and go to a concert. We usually try to go out 3 to 4 times a year. We save on our housing but spend on our entertainment.
Joe
at 10:17 pm
We are friendly but those of us who were born here are getting very tired of people moving here and changing it. You only speak for yourself, and I see you moved here from Ontario yourself. We do not need more people here as housing is already ridiculous and getting worse. Come visit sure, but go home after.
A Grant
at 7:10 am
“Those of us born here” are not are many as you would like to believe. Meanwhile, for the most part, those that were born in the Yukon had parents who… moved to the Yukon.
It’s hard to take all these “stay away!” comments seriously when they come from people who are generally one generation away from a city themselves.
Derek
at 10:50 am
I think we need to arrange a TRB Reader exploratory excursion to the Yukon. Maybe we can stay at Joe’s place?
Yukon Garth
at 12:37 pm
Nope. I was raised in Ontario. But I moved here from New Brunswick. After 36 years, I obviously like it here. No need to change things.
You are correct. I speak for myself only. And so do you. I know hundreds of people who were born and raised in the Yukon – including my 2 children. There is a minority subset of these folks who want people to go home. My experience – and only my experience – Most born and raised Yukoners do not share your opinion.
Daniel
at 10:25 pm
Garth you seem like one of the more accommodating and understanding Yukoners posting today so you mind sharing how you came to read this post? I’ve been a blog reader for many years but I don’t think I’ve seen a response like this nor this quickly. I wonder how all these people found it. Thank you.
Yukoner
at 12:37 am
It showed up in my Google News feed. This is not the first time either. I have read a number of your blogs in the past, all of which have been in my news feed.
Yukon Garth
at 12:42 pm
Hi Daniel:
Your blog post was one of the entries on the Google News Feed for me yesterday. Google, of course, customizes their feeds. I probably got it because I live here.
David Fleming
at 2:39 pm
@ Yukon Garth
That’s Daniel. I’m David! 🙂
But thank you for answering his question, and for adding immense value to today’s blog with your contributions. Some readers are dismayed by the nasty comments, but I’m fascinated and excited by the discussion and the first-hand accounts of Yukon life and how many of you came to live there!
Margaret Brady
at 2:15 pm
Yes, showed up in mine too.
Margaret Brady
at 2:10 pm
You are absolutely right! A really fair assessment of what the Yukon is about. We have lived here for 3 years, moving from Ontario to be closer to family who were employed by the Territorial Government. They have since moved to Alberta, but we will never leave. We are a retired couple, both in their 70s. Yes, there are empty shelves in the groceries most weeks but there is a real sense of community here that we have not found elsewhere. It’s cold and the summer is short but that’s ok with us. It’s definitely not for everyone. The landscape is breathtakingly beautiful – Whitehorse is in the Yukon river valley and is surrounded by mountains. We respect the First Nations that share this beautiful place with us. Of the 14 First Nations, only 2 are signatories to the Indian Act. We do have many problems that other cities have – homelessness, opioid overdoses, addictions, etc. There is a lot of work to be done in those areas.
We are happy to call The Yukon home and grateful that it has welcomed us – this is where we will live and die.
Yoyo
at 12:32 am
Wow. Please kindly keep the fuck away from the Yukon.
Wildlife, slow deliveries and frequent outages
at 1:46 am
Whitehorse is called the Wilderness City but it should be called the Wildlife City. It is full of wildlife, including predators. There are lynx, fox, coyotes, wolves and bears in town regularly. In September a bear let itself into my house and tore apart my kitchen. That is when I decided to switch from lever handles to knob handles on my doors.
Unfortunately it takes forever to get things shipped to the Yukon. The locksmith just called me yesterday (5 months later) to let me know that the 6 doorknobs I ordered have arrived and been keyed the same. Amazon Prime is pointless here as it still takes more than 2 weeks to get parcels delivered, and living on the edge of town I cannot order any items that cannot be delivered to a PO Box.
Online shopping is made even more difficult by the slow internet, which suffers frequent outages. When internet is out, everyone switches to their phone data, which overloads the network and stops working too. Not to mention data hardly works at all when it is cloudy. Power outages are also a frequent problem, especially in the winter, so most people have a wood stove to ensure they don’t freeze in the winter. Only the cost of a cord of wood (heaping pickup truck load) has doubled in price in the last 5 years to $500. In our cold climate that doesn’t last long.
Sure, houses here do cost less than in Toronto and come with a bigger lot, but the cost of living is much higher. For anyone who is seriously considering making the move, be prepared to defend yourself (and your pets) against predators, anticipate long wait times for purchases, and live with crappy internet and frequent power outages.
Sarah
at 2:59 am
Not to mention there are so many companies that still refuse to ship to the Yukon! And those that are willing always charge at least double!
hoob
at 8:46 am
I spent some time in Carcross in the 70s so even though I’m in Toronto now, am I allowed to move back to the Yukon? Or all all the soft modern Whitehorse keyboard warriors going to forbid it…
Steve
at 11:49 am
Hahaha, sure you’ll be fine, just lie and say your from Alberta. Not sure why but we don’t seem to look at you twice if you say that.
Deborah Mayling
at 12:50 pm
Good point. Ill take an Ontarian over an Albertan any day! 5:1
Deborah Mayling
at 12:18 pm
Scratch that. 10: 1
hoob
at 3:56 pm
Got that covered, was born in Alberta. I also spent 15 years in rural Quebec.. So with this mixed heritage I’ll either be welcomed as an oddball, or banished to the barrens.
(There did seem to be a lot of Quebecois there, when I last visited in 99..)
Sirgruper
at 9:57 am
Wow. Quite a reaction.
Guess it was the title. Reading whole articles is jejune these days.
Steve
at 11:53 am
Agreed, I feel like I need to apologize for my fellow peers of the Yukon and there behaviour. Was cool to see a picture of my house tho. As one person has pointed out if people are going to move, nothing will stop them.
never posted anything..till now
at 11:05 am
Of course everyone in the yukon is not 100% born and raised. The difference is before when people moved somewhere they ADAPTED to the environment, not showed up to take over and claim it as your own. ( that problem is in a lot of cities now )These comments shared are an attempt to ” protect ” the yukon . Everyone knows housing prices are out of control globally ( even a monkee knows that) . Just dont need anymore advertisements so people can claim and promote these towns theyve “discovered” like its untouched gold rush territory. If people choose to migrate anywhere nothing will stop that ( Kelowna BC for example ) ….its just an attempt to try. Something like that anyhow.?!
But seriously please stay home.. Lol. Its too cold for too long, too many bugs, too far away, shitty internet, highways are too dangerous, and the wildlife might even eat you?! Other than that if that doesnt bother you…. then you are more than welcome!
Jennifer
at 12:46 pm
Some of the worst comments i have read on this blog in a long time. Wow. As if Yukon is some untouched hidden paradise in the world too. newsflash: it’s not.
Kyle
at 1:06 pm
Oh the irony…
I bet if you drew a Venn diagram of the people in Ontario who think the Government should ban foreign buyers because they’re causing prices to rise, and the people from Ontario moving to the Yukon causing prices to rise, there would be some significant overlap.
JF007
at 1:53 pm
By far the nastiest interaction if i have see/read in the last 5-6 years i have been following this blog..as someone mentioned this post is no way asking people to move to Yukon and even if someone gets interested in moving there by reading this post they wouldn’t give a F about the comments being posted to stay out as if someone has exclusive rights to the place..who would have though David would instill such a fear in the very heart of local population…oohh the horror :D..
Jokes aside this lot here is all about discussing real estate, stories, stats, topics you name it David writes about it and we discuss the same..don’t make it out about anything else beyond that please..loved to read some of the nicer posts on what life truly is beyond the picturesqueness of it all..
Chris
at 3:41 am
Housing is a huge fear. As someone who has had to live in my vehicle (with a Yukon Government job), there is a huge fear of the housing crisis getting worse from outsiders coming in who can outbid us. Maybe you haven’t had to live like this?
HML
at 6:06 pm
Interesting parallel between gentrification narratives regarding specific pockets of big cities (Parkdale in Toronto comes to mind) and the comments requesting people keep out of the Yukon before it gets ruined. The idea that established residents of a place (a city, a neighbourhood) have more rights to that place than new residents is just false and problematic in so many ways.
JG
at 7:35 pm
And this here is why I love Canada. You can still feel the love under all the comments about staying away!!
‘Take an Ontarian over an Albertan 5:1’. Lolol
Ray
at 1:54 pm
I am lucky to be married to a born and raised Yukoner so her parents, also born and raised are still there. I have visited numerous times, all seasons and have seriously considered moving there, but cost of housing, cost of living etc has overruled the benefits. Plus, I can visit for substantial periods and go out. We are also an escape to the south for them.
But, I tell you, it is so beautiful up there. Trails, wilderness right outside your door. I was there this fall and went for long walks around the perimeter of Whitehorse and out to Miles Canyon. You cannot beat the feeling. I have seigned myself that time is moving on and we will never move there.
But, don’t let the locals who try to deter you from moving there if that is your desire, you can afford it and you have skills or professions they could use.
Again I am lucky I have connections and have met many great people. However, this trip I noticed that on a trail passing by someone was often met by being ignored where it used to be 100% a smile, nod and often a conversation. I did meet a couple via their dog who were awesome and warned me of bears circulating in an area I planned to visit. They were like everybody used to be up there.
Many of the comments on here from people rudely saying stay away is not what all Yukoners think, but that mood is noticeable.
But you know what…you find that everywhere now.
I tell people where I live to make sure the Yukon is on their bucket list because it is the most beautiful place I have seen and is not overcrowded. So go there. Enjoy it. I listen to peoples stories of their history just like I do when I go to Hawaii. Locals like that. Thank you to the locals that have made my experiences so great.
As for those that are so negative toward visitors or people wanting to move there, ….too bad, you do not enbody the true spirit of the Yukon.
Nicola
at 12:28 am
The Yukon is in the midst of a huge housing crisis, there simply aren’t enough homes to go around so this article is actually pretty irresponsible for encouraging people to purchase property up here.
I know several people who work full time but live in the homeless shelter or in supported housing with their children because they can’t find a rental property. A friend of mine pays over $1000 a month for an unserviced dry cabin around 30 minutes out of town.
Sarah
at 3:06 am
I work full time for the Government in the Yukon and only just, after four years, was able to afford a place to rent this last year. I had been house sitting, camping, and sleeping in my car. I find this article so irresponsible because it’s only going to drive our housing crisis up even more. Anyone who rents or has a place in Toronto can outbeat any of what we can pay for rentals or houses and we who live in the Yukon are going to be completely screwed.
Rachel
at 3:10 am
This article is beyond irresponsible and is contributing to the housing crisis in the north. It breaks my heart to see a photo and description of a house posted that my friend is about to bid on. She and her husband have been saving up for so many years and selling all their belongings to afford the downpayment. And this article promotes it as a steal. It’s so infuriating!!
Karen
at 3:25 am
A new two bedroom apartment for $1900 with utilities included? Where on earth is that place?! I’m paying $2000 for a one bedroom without utilities. $190/month internet, $600 utilities. And I thought that was a steal for Whitehorse! It’s about 60% of my monthly income.
Trish
at 3:33 am
Ooh and Army Beach mansion, or nightmare. One of the hardest hit for the floods last year, and this summer is going to be even worse! This is why it’s for sale. https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6100962