Local legends disclose little-known facts, share varying perspectives, and profile the people who keep Vancouver’s heart beating at this panel event centred on the city we call home. We’ve all heard that Vancouver is one of North America’s most expensive cities, but Steve Burgess offers his philosophy for living well on a budget, along with localized practical tips, in Cheapskate in Lotusland. Journalist Christopher Cheung’s Very Vancouver takes us beneath the surface of the “city of glass,” revealing how real families, businesses, and individuals are making a home in this beautiful and challenging place. Justin McElroy offers a different take in Searching for the Best Place on Earth: seeking a fresh vantage point, he visited fifty-two countries in fifty-two weeks to see how Vancouver truly compares on the world stage. Moderated by Sam Wiebe, the author of Shot in Vancouver, a history of Vancouver’s film industry.
Presented in partnership with the Magazine Association of BC.
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Event Participants:
STEVE BURGESS is a writer and broadcaster whose honours include two Canadian National Magazine awards. Burgess is a contributing editor of The Tyee and an award-winning documentary director. He is also the author of Reservations: The Pleasures and Perils of Travel (2024), which was longlisted for the Leacock Medal. He lives in Vancouver, BC.
CHRISTOPHER CHEUNG is the author of Under the White Gaze: Solving the Problem of Race and Representation in Canadian Journalism and the new book Very Vancouver. He has worked as a reporter at The Tyee, Metro, and the Vancouver Courier and has received two Webster Awards, BC’s top journalism prize. He was born and raised in Vancouver, where he still lives.
JUSTIN MCELROY is an award-winning journalist and municipal affairs reporter. Known for his keen insights, he has covered local politics across BC for CBC News since 2015. In 2024, he took a year off to visit 52 countries in 52 weeks, exploring what makes a city “world-class” through the eyes of a first-time globetrotter. McElroy lives in Vancouver, BC.
SAM WIEBE is the author of the bestselling Ocean Drive (2024), as well as the Wakeland novels, one of the most authentic and acclaimed detective series in Canada, including Sunset and Jericho (2023) and The Last Exile (2025). His work has won the Crime Writers of Canada award, and been shortlisted for the Edgar, and City of Vancouver book prizes. Wiebe lives in New Westminster, BC.
