Why we fight: Squeezed from Coast to Coast

First in a series of stories about why we're part of Generation Squeeze

To wrap up this year and keep us inspired in 2024, we’re going to start sharing some personal reflections from our leadership team about why we joined Gen Squeeze’s quest for generational fairness. First off, we bring you the story of Jennifer Fox, a founding member, advisor and manager of our X and Facebook channels.

We hope this series might also inspire you to share your story about how generational unfairness touches your life and the lives of those you love.

Jennifer Fox: Squeezed from Coast to Coast

I joined Generation Squeeze as a founding member in that post-2010 Olympics haze when we all still had hope in a Canada that works for all generations. My 30^th birthday spurred reflection on the idea that hard work pays off:

“Study hard. Get good grades and go to grad school. Buy a home, save for retirement, and raise a family.”

And when that doesn’t work?

“You just need to save a little longer.” 

What’s worse was the prevailing advice echoed by Canadian media at the time: “Spend less on avocado toast and lattes”. 

A decade ago, young Canadians’ financial struggles were seen as personal failures. Dr. Paul Kershaw and the Generation Squeeze Lab at the University of British Columbia were the first voices I heard swimming against that tide with a different narrative: That young Canadians face a disproportionately large squeeze for time and money compared to the generation that came before them. Dr. Kershaw’s growing body of research showed how government budgets and policies were neglecting Canada’s younger generations. It attracted a good crew of us founding members, and many of us are still here over a decade later, celebrating our wins and advocating for change.

In the early days, the canary in the coal mine was singing loudly in Vancouver. Housing was quickly becoming unaffordable, and the Occupy Movement was in full swing. That groundswell of people power inspired Gen Squeeze’s goal: Gain the momentum needed to influence the world of politics. And we did! We hosted community town halls and I was given the task of co-organizing Vancouver’s very first rally for affordable housing in 2015 with Eveline Xia, the creator of the hashtag #donthave1million. Partner organizations joined in to amplify the canary’s song and to demand transparency in government housing data. Gen Squeeze memberships were growing – but sadly, I had already reached my breaking point. 

When it became clear to me that retirement savings and family planning were well out of reach, I left Vancouver for the more affordable east coast – but not before writing a dear john letter for The Province that went viral. The open comments reflected a society divided, many still unaware that the deck had been stacked against young Canadians.

In the wake of my departure, a foreign buyer’s tax came into effect in Vancouver. Three years later came the country’s first speculation and vacancy taxes, then came regulations for short term rentals. These were all part of the solutions Gen Squeeze had proposed for dialing down harmful housing demand. But for me it was too little, too late. 

In Halifax I got a great job and was elected president of a housing co-op, but the canary in the coal mine was still singing to an empty room. I spoke regularly of Gen Squeeze to MPs, MLAs and a packed city council chamber. I warned of the approaching housing crisis, like a visitor from the future having time traveled, but I saw no urgency from our politicians. It was painful to watch a city make the same mistakes Vancouver had, and worse to know there were data to facilitate better policy choices. 

Enter a perfect storm of skyrocketing home prices, my unwillingness to compromise on becoming a mother, and the COVID-19 pandemic. My mother moved in, and we needed more space. We got pushed out of Halifax and into rural New Brunswick where we bought a home and now feel grateful for what we have: our apple trees, a view of the Wolastoq river, work from home. But our multi-generational household is far from easy. It was not a goal any of us had. It is an adaptation we made because our cities, provinces and our country are choosing not to support the generation raising children the same way they have long supported our elders. 

With rising inflation, a warming planet and growing political division, I am anxious for our family and our country.  I am not alone. The canary is now long dead, and struggle is the new norm for young Canadians. (Editor’s note: False alarm! THE CANARY IS NOT DEAD! She’s just taking a well-deserved rest, so we’ll keep singing for her for awhile.)

I’m still a member of Generation Squeeze because there is still so much work left to be done, and so much hope that crisis will spur citizen engagement on generational fairness. Political bravery is badly needed to right the ship before it’s too late for my son’s generation as well.

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Jennifer is a founding member of the Association for Generational Equity (our national non-profit). She began her career as a teacher where she became increasingly concerned about the growing vulnerabilities she saw in her young students and their families. Switching careers to policy development and public health research, Jennifer worked for BC First Nations organizations and then joined the Generation Squeeze lab over a decade ago. Her work at UBC focused on knowledge translation and grant writing. She continues to work and volunteer in the intersections of education, health research, social justice and community development. You can chat with her on Generation Squeeze's Facebook and X/Twitter accounts, which she currently manages.