As Trump looms over Canadian elections, affordability a key factor | Business and Economy News [Video]

Vancouver, Canada – When Leslie Macfarlane found out she and her husband were being evicted from a mobile home park in a Vancouver suburb last year, she said she felt “absolute rage” – then fear.

Her home was set to be demolished as part of a huge low-rise apartment complex redevelopment.

The 67-year-old retiree knew how difficult it would be to find rental housing in the notoriously expensive Lower Mainland region. She predicted correctly: Her housing hunt proved futile.

“We couldn’t afford anything,” Macfarlane told Al Jazeera.

The couple’s housing costs would have almost tripled, rocketing from about $1,100 to $3,000 for an apartment with half the space. The pair decided to move out of the city and back to Macfarlane’s hometown of Gibsons, a small coastal community in British Columbia.

“I remember when I was raising my children, if you had a job, you could afford a place to rent. It may not be a great place to rent, but …