86 VANMAG.COM MAY 2017Reid, meanwhile, has done
more than contemplate. “Being
able to send our child to daycare [in
Vancouver] was like this magical
dream that we’d likely never be
able to turn into a reality,” she says.
When she relocated to Ottawa,
within two months she was able to
interview six daycares that could
take her child. “I could choose
one that I really liked, rather than
just choosing one that had a space
available,” she says. She might
miss the beauty of Vancouver, but
she has no regrets about leaving.
It’s been a little over a year since
our own family left Vancouver. We
landed safely in the Comox Valley,
close enough to see the mainland,
but far enough away that it feels
like a different world entirely—the
town smells like a campfire when
the weather is cold, and you can’t
leave your garbage can outside
because it attracts bears.
We’ve been lucky. I was able
to keep the same job I had when
we left Vancouver, working out of
an office here on the Island. It’s
enough to keep us afloat while
my wife finds a foothold with her
career. We found multiple child
care options within the first few
months for a fraction of what we’d
been paying in Vancouver. We
found a daycare that our daughter
loves. We haven’t undone the
financial damage Vancouver
inflicted on us, but we have
stability again.
Still, I can’t help but feel
displaced. I wanted Vancouver to
work. At least there’s some comfort
in knowing that we weren’t the first
family to go through this. Sadly,
we’re also far from the last.
Right before I sat down to write
the conclusion to this article, my
phone buzzed with an email from
friends in Vancouver. They’ve lived
in the city for a decade and recently
found out they’re expecting their
first child. Like clockwork: they’re
putting their condo up for sale and
starting to plan their move.ADULTS ONLYThank you to our 2017 Restaurant
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