ADAM OLSEN -- Let's be honest with each other; no matter how many million-dollar announcements government parachutes into communities, throwing more cash at problems will not solve them

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 home buyers to entice them into the "dream" of home-ownership.

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.