Disgusted by Vancouver’s staggering rent prices, many are choosing to live in a van or pickup truck to save money and get more out of life.
“I could have tried to find myself an apartment, but I don’t want all my pension and my money to go there. Here, I have everything I need,” explains Brian Whittingham, met in his RV that he parked in a parking lot in Vancouver.
For the 71-year-old, who has lived mainly by odd jobs, his life in a motor vehicle began when he was evicted from his home in 1986. Vancouver was then hosting Expo 86 and his building was destroyed to build a tower, says the one who lives on a pension of less than $1,300 a month.
He’s been living in his old Slumber Queen Toyota for nearly as long, parking it mostly at Spanish Banks Beach, which gives him a great view of downtown Vancouver.
Savings
Like him, Derek MacDonald, 53, chose to live in his vehicle to enjoy life rather than put his savings in housing.
This 50-year-old, who works part-time at the golf course as a bartender, usually arrives around 5:30 p.m. in the parking lot and tries to dodge the tickets as the constables pass (see other text).
“I could work more, but I don’t want to work just to pay for my apartment,” says the Calgary native who has been living in his van for nearly a year.
Every month, his life in his Roadtrek 190 van costs him around $1,000, he estimates.
“It’s much cheaper than an apartment in Vancouver,” he adds, explaining that he takes his showers in his gym and takes advantage of public places like bookstores to download his films and series.
More and more
And they are far from the only ones. In several corners of the metropolis of British Columbia or in the nearby suburbs, often out of sight, you can come across converted vans or motorhomes in which citizens have taken up residence.
“More and more people are doing this. Here, I see a bit of everything: people who choose to live in a van, others who do it to save money to buy something, others who have no choice, “explains Mr. Whittingham watching his neighbors park nearby.
To see the market prices today, the septuagenarian suspects that he will surely never be able to leave his house on wheels.
“The prices are completely crazy… It’s no longer possible to find accommodation,” he says.
Not always easy to live in your RV
People who live in their vehicles suffer almost daily anguish from the stunts they are forced to perform to avoid tickets or manage to manage to live within their budget.
“We are always ready to start and leave on the fly in case the rangers arrive and want to give us tickets. Sometimes they leave us alone, sometimes they are more annoying,” says Derek MacDonald, 53.
Every evening, when Spanish Banks Beach empties of onlookers who have come to enjoy the fresh Pacific air, there are only dozens of people living in their motor vehicles or cars in the parking lots that line Vancouver Bay.
Forbidden at night
But the parking lots close at 10 p.m., when the guards start making their rounds asking everyone to leave. Because in Vancouver, it is forbidden to park a large vehicle in the street or park lots between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Cars are also subject to the ban in parking lots.
“Right now, I’m lucky, I’ve complained so much that they don’t come to bother me anymore. Finding a place to spend the night at that time can be stressful! Some guards are real tyrants who don’t understand that we have nowhere to go,” laments Brian Whittingham, 71, who has lived in his motor vehicle for more than 30 years.
Arrive in the middle of the night
So to avoid the fear of being asked to leave or receiving a fine, most of those who live in their vehicles arrive after the passage of the guards.
“They want to avoid a fine that they cannot afford to pay. For most people here, every penny counts,” says MacDonald.
But what worries above all is that at 1er April, parking lots at Spanish Banks Beach become paid.
“I won’t have a choice to leave or pay hundreds of dollars to stay. I don’t know where I’m going to be able to go,” he worries.