It’s perfectly clear to anyone paying attention that we have a housing crisis in Vancouver today — a crisis that has been with us for quite some time and is only continuing to get much worse. But the only thing more troubling than the crisis itself is the lack of leadership and complete absence of…
Category: affordable housing
Empty home tax: All sizzle, no steak
At long last Mayor Robertson has announced a tax to encourage owners of empty residential properties in Vancouver to put these on the rental market. This would be great news if the plan had been well thought out and actually had the impact it was expected to have. But as has been the case with…
A silver lining to Victoria’s tent city
Many of us concerned about the crisis of homelessness have watched with interest as homeless people in Victoria started living on the lawn in front of the courthouse last year. As their numbers grew, so did the pressure on the provincial government to offer meaningful solutions — not just overnight shelters but real accommodations. In…
Empty homeless promises now painfully true
Tuesday the numbers from the annual homeless count were released. The headlines say it all: “Record number of homeless on Vancouver streets“. For those of us who genuinely believe there is absolutely no excuse for homelessness in any society, let alone a society as rich as ours, the numbers were not just bad, they were…
Arbutus Corridor: Making housing out of thin air
At long last there is some very significant progress on the Arbutus Corridor. Just last week the City of Vancouver and CP Rail, the owner of the land, reached an agreement. CP will sell this 9-km rail corridor, stretching from Marpole to south False Creek, to the city for $55 million. Many years ago the…
My two bits’ worth on housing matters
This week I’ve literally got two bits for you on our BC housing situation. Here’s the first bit: There’s been lots in the news lately about making housing more affordable but, I’m sad to say, very little about this news is of substance. At the end of the day, the crisis of homelessness will be…
Renewal and hope: the best wishes of the season
As the days get shorter and we move toward winter solstice and the shortest day of the year, I always look forward with great excitement to the day we turn the corner. At long last, we are now at the point when we can officially celebrate that the days are once again getting longer! For…