Tim Collins/B次元官网网址 staff

One of the most readily identifiable consequences of the dearth of affordable housing on the peninsula may be the number of help wanted signs in the windows of local businesses, according to Central Saanich Councillor Alicia Holman.

B次元官网网址淲e want to have a community in which service personnel and others in the lower and middle income levels can still live in the community in which they work. Right now, thatB次元官网网址檚 often not the case,B次元官网网址� said Holman.

The 2015/16 Saanich Peninsula Affordable Housing Needs Assessment showed 44 per cent of renter households on the Saanich Peninsula are spending more than 30 per cent of household income on shelter costs and 20 per cent are spending in excess of 50 per cent of household income on shelter costs. Those numbers mean there are nearly 4,000 individuals and families on the peninsula that require better access to affordable housing.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 one of the things that first motivated me to run for council and I recall that, when I was first elected, I got a call from an elderly woman who was aware of my advocacy for affordable housing. She was very emotional and said that I might be her angel,B次元官网网址� recounted Holman.

B次元官网网址淪he told me how there were lots of times when she had to make the choice between paying her rent or buying food or a bus pass. That should never be the case.B次元官网网址�

Mayor Ryan Windsor agrees, but acknowledged that the question of affordable housing is a complex issue without any easy fixes.

B次元官网网址淲e are involved in the Regional Housing Trust Fund of the CRD and, although there have been no projects in Central Saanich, the overall issue is still being addressed,B次元官网网址� said Windsor.

He said that, on a local level, Central Saanich Council is doing what it can to improve the housing situation, having recently approved a 40-unit project by the Greater Victoria Housing Society (GVHS) for low rental housing. He added that the municipality remains open to more applications from the society and others to create even more affordable housing opportunities.

B次元官网网址淚 can tell you that we feel welcome in the (Central Saanich) community and are hoping to be able to bring forward more projects to council for future projects. We also recognize that we have a responsibility to bring forward good projects and to be sensitive to existing community residents who may be resistant to the idea of more densified housing,B次元官网网址� said Kaye Melliship, executive director of the GVHS.

B次元官网网址淚f we develop a good reputation in the community, itB次元官网网址檚 far more likely that other developers will be looking for us to partner in housing initiatives,B次元官网网址� she said, adding that the society is already in discussions with another developer that may be interested in partnering on an additional 90 unit complex, 40 of which would be operated by the GVHS.

Windsor also pointed to the recent re-zoning approval for Marigold Development, located on Lochside Drive. That proposal, while not rent controlled housing, will add approximately 240 additional housing units to the inventory in Central Saanich.

B次元官网网址淭he truth is that, if you want to have a healthy community you need a situation where people can live in the same community where they work. ThatB次元官网网址檚 why, I think, the merchants in Brentwood Bay were very supportive of our development. It was for exactly that reason,B次元官网网址� said Melliship.

Central Saanich has called for a one-time tri-municipal meeting of the Saanich Peninsula mayors and councils to be held in September where the issue of affordable housing will be further discussed with a view to developing a coordinated approach to the issue.