Re: Peninsula chamber official calls for better housing options (Nov. 25).
In 2014, when many were calling for an affordable housing policy in North Saanich that would ensure the three proposed B次元官网网址渁ffordableB次元官网网址� higher density developments would actually be affordable, the then-president of the chamber argued against an affordable housing policy, saying the time taken to pass it would slow down the creation of affordable housing.
Not surprisingly, without it, we got no housing that could be classified affordable from those projects. In fact, EaglehurstB次元官网网址檚 units, built on farmland and initially B次元官网网址渟oldB次元官网网址� to council by the developerB次元官网网址檚 agent at $425,000, actually entered the market between $800,000 and $1,200,000. If the chamber had put their weight behind an affordable housing policy then, perhaps weB次元官网网址檇 have nearly 200 more affordable units in North Saanich now. Does Mr. Smith, who also urges speed and no bureaucracy, believe things would be any different this time around?
A recent Douglas Todd article in the Vancouver Sun quotes UBC urban planner Patrick Condon as warning: B次元官网网址渋tB次元官网网址檚 not possible to build oneB次元官网网址檚 way out of an affordability crisis, in which prices are punishingly disconnected from wagesB次元官网网址p-zoning, on its own, mostly just spikes land values and brings windfall profits to landowners.B次元官网网址� He believes politicians should only upzone on condition developers provide affordable housing for people with average incomes.
The article cites other measures likely to achieve affordability, including tightened mortgage rules as in New Zealand, and Prime Minister Justin TrudeauB次元官网网址檚 as-yet-unfulfilled promise to restrict or ban housing purchases by B次元官网网址渘on-resident, non-Canadians.B次元官网网址� In addition, investors and speculators are B次元官网网址渟uperheating the housing industryB次元官网网址� people who already own more than one dwelling have become the largest buying cohort in OntarioB次元官网网址� speculation on housing as a commodity, rather than as shelter, has led to mass hoarding B次元官网网址� [with] one-tenth of [CanadaB次元官网网址檚] supply not even being used.B次元官网网址�
It seems these are better measures to explore if affordability really is the goal.
Bernadette Greene
North Saanich
