CBC Radio host Paul Vasey is heading back to Windsor, after only two years hosting the Victoria CBC Radio One morning show, saying Victoria is just too expensive to live in.
“We just can’t afford to stay,” he told a local newspaper. “When we came out, we had a house in Windsor that didn’t sell, so we rented, and by the time it finally sold things had gone crazy here. At my age, I don’t want a $400,000 mortgage, especially when I can get a bigger house in Windsor for $200,000.” The original plan was for his daughter and son to move out from Ontario also, “but it’s just prohibitive to live here, and we don’t want be far from the kids,” both of whom are expecting babies this fall with their spouses. “It’s scuppered our plans.”
Vasey replaced David Grierson, who died suddenly of a heart attack at 49.
Vasey hosted the morning show in Windsor for nearly two decades. He’s already found a house in his old town — near a ball park, Tim Hortons and golf course. “That’s the triangulation,” he laughed.
Gregor Craigie, previously Nelson bureau chief and legislative reporter for the CBC, will debut as the next On the Island host on August 7.
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At that rate he wouldn’t have lasted 6 months in Vancouver.
2nd last paragraph, 1st sentence says “decards” instead of “decades.” Come on.
Hey Tod. Whoever “stranger” is, well sadly some of use need to put other down to feel better about ourselves. I see it all the time in the schoolyard where I work. A sad virtue of humanity. I love “Inside the CBC” and I don’t have connections whatsover with the netwrok, except of course for enjoying all it has to offer. Please keep up the great work.
chris
Hell of a lousy way to end up leaving a job, in any case. I hope Mr. Vasey and his family find a comfortable solution to this problem and soon.
Isn’t Gregor Craigie a rock star in the Kooteneys?
As someone who move around with my vocation I find it interesting that neither Mr. Vasey or CBC spent time BEFORE the move to outline the cost of living differences. I know I have declined moves because of cost of living differences. Doing it beforehand would save a lot of grief for everyone.
wow… I can’t imagine expecting and adult child to move along with a parent.
If he thinks it is expensive to live in Victoria, try the Denver, Colorado area.
After I retired from radio and television in Denver we had to move because we could no longer afford to live there.
It is a serious problem not only for media people, but anyone who is not a gazillionaire finding a home one can afford in any of the most desirable places.
For employers, be they media or any other, it is a problem finding workers to come to high living expense areas if they are not in a position to pay mega bucks.
Who will pay for the move back to Windsor - the Vasey family or the CBC?
Too bad the rest of us urban employees of the CBC can’t bail on the costly places we need to live in.
I know that for a very similar job I’d be doing in the regions, my housing costs would be half.
Some CBC senior management type in the before-time once suggested that postings in ‘expensive’ cities like Toronto and Vancouver come equipped with an additional cost of living percentage step-up on base salary. Of course it went nowhere (amidst cries of ‘is work in Vcr or To more valuable than elsewhere?). But tis hard to think of a CBC station city that wouldn’t qualify now.
With the possible exception of Windsor.
There is more to this than what meats the aye! If Mr Vasey can’t afford to live in Victoria, how can he possibly afford to live triangulately in Windsor… Doesn’t Victoria have a baseball park, a Tim or two, and several excellent golf courses? He can live cheaply in Winnipeg or Regina. What’s the story????
John: Read the full item again — Mr. Vasey’s main problem is the cost of real estate (insanely high in Victoria). Add to that the fact that for whatever reason, groceries are about 10-12 % more on Vancouver Island compared to Toronto (based on a short stay I had on the Island last summer). Some other goods & services were cheaper than here, but on the whole the basics (other than beer) were more money.
The wife and I were dreaming of moving out there, to a more reasonably priced spot than Victoria, but the cost of living is definitely higher and put a big damper on the plan for us.
To beatree and Urban Wonk — help me figure out why the Ceeb can’t decentralize and let more of us work remotely / virutally more of the time . . . could save the corp a lot of money PLUS let people live where they can afford to live.
I work in Toronto, many of my co-workers live in Hamilton and other cheaper-to-live-in suburbs. At present, I live a 30 min commute away… hoping to not have to increase that commute time if/when I buy a house/condo.
The real story is that Paul reported continuously on the homeless/ drug related social problems plaguing Victoria. The political forces in Victoria wanted him out. They like the Victoria based Black Press folks who control all the media in BC and are intertwined with the current political powers. If you want a story, check out the Black Press machine that nobody knows about and how it is gobbling up every small/ mid size town newspaper in the country.
Paul did an excellent job in bringing peoples’ attention to the social ills of Victoria and had he been in Russia he would have been assassinated.
Yup, Paul has been the renegade all right. And has kept people awake and alert where ever he’s been. Am so glad he and his family will be back to Windsor. Along with his fabulous writing style. Will be doing the happy dance here on the beach in Leamington. I had no idea how gorgeous Essex County is til I moved back after being “away” Yaye Paul!