Vancouver’s coastal setting and its proximity to the North Shore Mountains, goes some way to explaining why it frequently tops the Economist Intelligence Unit’s worldwide city livability index. Canada’s sixth-largest city, which has a population of 603,000 spread over a small peninsula of 115 sq km, is surrounded by rivers and inlets and boasts 18km of beaches. The excellent transport links and competitive choice of schools also enhance its appeal, especially for the growing number of Chinese people choosing to relocate to the city from mainland China.

Vancouver’s relationship with the Chinese is nothing new. At the turn of the 20th century, migrant labourers were employed to work in the region’s coal mines.

In the 1980s, Hong Kong businessmen capitalised on the city’s cheap land to make multimillion dollar property developments. And today, one quarter of the city’s residents speak Cantonese or Mandarin as their first language.