Vancouver's housing affordability crisis has been well-documented in television, web and newspaper circuits, but has mostly eluded the big screen. Award-winning filmmaker Charles Wilkinson is changing that with his eye-opening documentary Vancouver: No Fixed Address, which will be presented once again to Toronto audiences over the next week, following four captivating screenings as part of the 2017 Hot Docs Festival. 

Vancouver: No Fixed Address, image courtesy of Hot Docs

The film references Vancouver's dubious distinction as the third least affordable housing market in the world. As condominium prices and rents soar, human rights leaders are trying to stomp out homelessness and economic inequality. Charles Wilkinson explores the root factors of the crisis and examines the issue through a personal lens, a narrative expressed through the individuals at the mercy of the housing market.

The film hits theatres at a particularly relevant time in Toronto's modern history, with property values far exceeding the growth in wages. Fuelled by low interest rates, high immigration, a strong job market, and restricted land use, housing prices have skyrocketed in recent years, and catapulted Toronto near the top of North America's most expensive cities.