Host Stephen Quinn explores the housing crisis and role foreign investment played in B.C.
Today CBC Vancouver launches a new original podcast, hosted by CBC Radio One’s Stephen Quinn, that explores the role of foreign investment in the housing affordability crisis and the divisive effects it is having in our city and our province. SOLD! captures the emotional charge of the crisis and its effect on culture, community and civic life.
Host Stephen Quinn brings his conflicted feelings of love for a city with the deep frustration of what it is becoming due to the crisis. “Like everyone in Vancouver, I have conversations about housing and what’s happening to this city every single day. And not just in interviews for The Early Edition, but with my friends, my neighbours, complete strangers,” says Quinn. “People are mad. People are confused.This podcast acknowledges these feelings to help pave the way for a productive discussion of how to get out of this mess, rather than who is to blame.”
“There are many angles to the housing and real estate story in Vancouver,” says Shiral Tobin, Director, Journalism and Programming, CBC British Columbia. “SOLD! speaks to the issue of foreign ownership because somewhere along the way, home investment went from the single largest individual purchase someone makes to an international commodity and a quick flip investment, which has had a very real impact on life in this city and its people.”
“In some cases, the debate has unfairly cast blame on the local Chinese Canadian community,” Tobin adds. “We hope that by having this necessary, and sometimes awkward, conversation that we can shed light on the facts and bridge the divide the affordability crisis is having in our community.”
SOLD! Features six episodes and can be found on cbc.ca/podcasts, Apple Podcasts and other podcast streaming services.
Episode 1 - The Break-up: A story of greed, race and love that goes to the heart of the fight over foreign capital in housing. The backdrop is Vancouver’s real estate boom as we shine a light on the impact the affordability crisis is having on our relationship with our city.
Episode 2 - The Race Card: The conversation should be focused on the flow of foreign capital. But has it become an attack on immigrants? Politicians and developers cynically conflate the issue while Chinese Canadians experience the tension.
Episode 3 - History: Foreign investment in Vancouver real estate isn't new. We explore the history of foreign money in the market.
Episode 4 - Selling B.C.: How politicians, realtors, and developers marketed British Columbia to the world. They wanted us to be a 'world class' destination for investors. Now we are. Was it a mistake to woo international money into the Vancouver market?
Episode 5 - Dirty Money: Casinos. Corruption. Money Laundering. Loan Sharking. Fraud and fentanyl. The tentacles of illicit foreign funds reach deep into the heart of Vancouver’s housing market.
Episode 6 - ‘Winning?’: Could foreign investment in B.C. real estate be good for the people who live and work here? Beyond the wealth accumulated by fortunate home owners can the windfall generated by a booming housing industry benefit us all?
For more information on SOLD! go to cbc.ca/bc. To further the conversation, CBC Vancouver will host a public forum on foreign investment in B.C. real estate in partnership with Fairchild Radio on May 9 at Brighouse United Church in Richmond, B.C. from 7:30pm - 9:00pm. It will air live on CBC Radio One.
-30-
About CBC/Radio-Canada:
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
Media Contact:
Jennifer Rhyne
Manager, Communications, Marketing & Brand
CBC British Columbia
Email: jennifer.rhyne@cbc.ca
Phone: (604) 662-6696
Cell: (604) 379-6570
