‘How was your trip with your sister?’ Camp wanted to know when I sat down at our usual table. The holiday crowds seem to have thinned out noticeably. 

            ‘We had a fun time driving around our beautiful little corner of the universe but one aspect of it has me troubled. Every resort we stayed at is owned by the Chinese.’

            ‘Doesn’t surprise me. Both B.C. and the Canadian government have been wooing Chinese investment. Money is everything.’

            ‘Yeah, I think you’re right. I did some digging and came up with some astounding facts. Here is a little tidbit from way back in 2015. Chinese homebuyers accounted for nearly one-third of Vancouver’s real estate market during 2015, spending approximately $9.6 billion of the $29 billion of total real estate sales, according to a study by the National Bank of Canada.’ 

            ‘The dragons go abroad. Part of Xi’s Belt and Road project. Apparently they are not the best landlords either.’

            ‘Not in my personal experience. The Harrisson Hotsprings Resort used to be our favorite get away for eagle watching during the salmon runs, for birthdays and bringing our European visitors there. Nowadays it’s run by an unhappy skeleton crew, many of them old timers who have been working there for decades. ‘We’ve had a measly 40c raise in the past 4 years and I cannot wait to retire,’ one tired old server told us. Potential new employees find better paying jobs just across the street at the pub. The latest owner is Aldesta Hotel Group which is owned by Guo Qing Zhang which in turn is owned by Saliance Global Holding, registered in Vancouver. Aldesta also just acquired Fairmont Hotsprings Resort and are a potential bidder for the Pacific Sands Beach Resort in Tofino. They also own Poet’s Cove Resort on Pender Island.Those are just a few of the Dragons acquisitions in B.C.’

            ‘You’re trying to tell me that these Chinese owners run these resorts based on minimum investment and maximum profit. No wage increases, no capital investment. Sounds like the ultimate capitalist mentality. Coming from communist China.’

            ‘We also stayed at the Painter’s Lodge in Campbell River. Same story. The owner, also owns Lake Okanagan Resort in Kelowna as well as April Point Resort on Quadra Island. In each case the registered office is in Richmond and its director is Xiao Dong Liu.’

            ‘The moral of the story is: If you want to stay at a Chinese resort, just come to British Columbia. I take it you won’t be going back.’

‘I’m glad our pub is still locally owned.,’ I said.

We both sipped our beers, watching the gulls circling the harbour.

‘How do you feel now with all the company gone?’ Camp asked.

‘Glad and sad. Sad that the party is over and glad that we have our space back.’

Our usual server Vicky was also missing. Instead, Rosy, our Irish server from way back was heading up the service. She didn’t have the same 6^th sense as Vicky and we had to wave several times before she answered our call for more of the same.

‘You two guys need to order two pints each at once. Saves you the agony of waiting for a refill,’ she said.

‘Happy to have you back,’ I said. ‘Long time no see.’

‘Yeah, I had to look after my mom and then there was Covid and now Vicky is cutting back her shifts to concentrate on her studies. I’m happy you two are still holding down the fort. Not much has changed in here.’

‘We like it that way. We need some things that we can rely on while the whole world around us is changing,’ Camp said.