Emily and I live on Tsartlip in Brentwood Bay. We are raising our kids in the backyard of the same 3/4 acre property that I grew up on. My sister and her husband (my wife’s brother) and their three children live in the house we grew up in. My brother lives in a newly renovated cabin, once called “Eddie’s Shack” and a woman and her young son live in the old cottage that once housed Mt. Newton Indian Sweaters. My two nephews live in the suite above my sister. Yup it is a full house.
Our property is the same age as me. My dad was digging in a double-wide trailer on the lot when I was born. Our family has continuously lived there for the past 43 years. There have been a variety of people who have lived in the various empty rooms, shacks and sheds around the property over the years. Family and friends who needed a place to stay would float through and become a permanent part of the history of this place.
Everyone on their own
It’s fascinating to read in the Vancouver Sun this past weekend a pitch piece on laneway living. It was a very detailed piece craftily featuring several developers, designers, builders and renovators. As the author points out, the culture following the Second World War determined everyone needed their own home. Multi-generational living was frowned upon and living in your mom’s basement was an embarrassment. Former Premier Christy Clark even offered a second mortgage for first-time homebuyers to entice them into the “dream” of homeownership.
Home construction is a critical driver of our economy so it is not surprising that in the past adult children living with their parents would be culturally chastised. The economic activity of everyone striving to own their own home created tremendous wealth and funded a huge amount of the aging infrastructure that now needs to be maintained.
We need each other
But the culture is changing and the idea of multi-generational living is growing in acceptability. As a result many of the early-20th century character homes in Vancouver are being renovated, suited, and with a laneway house built in the backyard. Young couples are moving into the backyard or it’s the parents who live in the garden suite. Either way, they will quickly realize the potential benefits of families living together and supporting each other.
There is far greater demand on social support, infrastructure and the bureaucratic administration of government than the supply of taxes. The overall tax burden is already heavier than people can shoulder. Many of our systems are bursting at the seams. Health, education, ecosystem and habitat, the labour market, and care for the vulnerable people in our society are all terminal. The demand for childcare, eldercare, home care, senior daycare and relief care is outpacing the supply. It isn’t sustainable for each of us to be living in our own little boxes far away from our families. We need each other to look after each other.
Keeping pace
Let’s be honest with each other: we are struggling to keep up. No matter how many million dollar announcements government parachutes into communities, throwing more cash at problems will not solve them. But there is hope that we welcome a change in culture to one where we share more positive attitudes about multi-generational families living together. The people who need the care, are the solution.
When my mom and dad see their grandchildren there is a mutual spark of excitement. They look after each other. My parents provide more experienced guidance than we can and my kids do a better job of inspiring a youthful energy in my parents than I can. We have always told ourselves that “it takes a village to raise a child” but it’s not until we begin to reconnect with each other that we see what we have known on my property on Tsartlip for the nearly a half-century. Living together and caring for each other pays off! And if it becomes a celebrated part of our culture, we will have so many more resources available to support those who are not blessed with the support of a connected family.
Every time I read a blog post you write of things that I have written of before on my blog as well. The way we look at homes is definitely one of them. They are shelter and a place of connection with family, not the modern bigger is better mentality of housing that has become one of the largest forms of consumerism plunging BC residents into debt.
We need to change our perspective and attitudes towards housing and we need to look outside of the box. Smaller homes and larger family units reduce our needs on resources, on the land and as well on infrastructure.
It’s nice to see a breathe of fresh air on this topic from a higher level of government, Cheers Adam.
Great article. I live alone in my home. Recently my adult son came to live with me. Its nice having company as i have serious health issues.
Totally agree with you. Our daughter and and grand daughter are told they can’t live in their 5th wheel trailer that is parked on our property (which is almost 1/2 an acre, [Magic Lake estates, Pender Island) CRD.
Independence is an artifact of high-energy living.
Before the widespread exploitation of fossil sunlight, the tribe, the clan, the village — these were our lives. We were born there, raised there, produced food there, took a spouse there, raised a family there, grew old there, died there.
Then people began digging fire out of the ground. As coal forced men to work in cities, the social unit devolved to the family. You might have three generations in one tenement apartment, going through the cycle of life, but the broader community aspects, such as producing food together, went away.
Then people learned how to move fire through pipes, and the social unit further devolved to the individual as the age of oil blossomed. We have our gym workout community on Monday night, our work community from 9 to 5, our recreational community on the weekend. We have serial monogamous relationships and blended families.
Oil, coal, and natural gas are in permanent, irrevocable decline. Once again, we shall be bound by true community, not by the lonely independence provided by 500 energy slaves.
Thank you Adam,
Social, Ecological, and Economic sustainability are tied together.
Like you said ‘we need each other’. I have lived in co housing and dream of being part of a village again. I am continuously told that I won’t be allowed to build ecologically sustainable housing in a village style within the city. your article gives me hope.
Thanks for what you do
warm regards,
Jacob