Nice to know you visited my former city. They just passed the HST for only 2 provinces: BC and Ontario (Toronto). That city loves to whine about the Americans but they allow this monstrosity to pass.
I’ve been living in Van for the last couple of years for work, and I am returning to the US at the end of the month. Cannot wait. I think Vancouver would be a nice place to visit, but it’s an incredibly expensive, boring, and narrow-minded place to live. It reminds me of one of those large, soulless suburbs you see so often in the US.