Squamish has one of the lowest rental vacancies in B.C. and with the population expected to climb rapidly, housing is a hot topic in the upcoming provincial election on May 9.
Some longtime residents are opting to leave because it’s too expensive to purchase a home and others are having a difficult time affording rent.
What can be done? The Chief asked the five candidates running in our West Vancouver-Sea to Sky riding.
It is a difficult supply and demand issue, said Jordan Sturdy, BC Liberal MLA for the riding, with transportation and housing tied together with affordability.
“For us, particularly, it’s been the vulnerable populations that are taking the focus,” he said.
The province has put in $1 billion toward affordable housing to create rental, seniors and shelter assistance programs and property tax transit exemptions for first-time buyers, along with renovation tax credits to encourage building secondary suites, Sturdy explained.
It is a big-picture issue, he said, using Whistler as a working example because they set a policy objective.
Since Squamish’s population is expected to double in the next 20 years, all three levels of government need to ensure a diversity of economic activity, Sturdy said.
“It’s a real challenge in a highly desirable location,” he explained, adding the province would “support the municipality in increasing density.”
Michelle Livaja, the BC NDP candidate for the riding, said the intensity of growth pressure was a surprise.
“My big things are homes and jobs. I want to see everyone properly housed in a home they like and able to work where they want to work,” she said.
The District of Squamish needs to have a clear idea about where they want to go, she said. “There’s always going to be conflict between those who want more development and those who don’t.”
The NDP is offering 114,000 new units around the province. Taking the pressure off in Metro Vancouver will help tremendously, Livaja said.
Green Party candidate, Dana Taylor, said affordability is an issue up and down the coast, with service industry workers in Whistler and young families in Squamish “getting pushed around the most.”
The party is committed to creating reliable affordable housing and looking at the needs of those with disabilities or areas of direct assistance.
“The lead has to come from the local area,” Taylor said. “The one exception is crisis or emergency housing pressures in the area where the province should act with municipal governments.”
Temporary housing and conversations with the federal government about alternatives like co-housing are options, he added.
“We need to set aside land,” Taylor explained. “Building takes time,” he said, adding this is why temporary solutions are essential. These can even work in conjunction with existing applications, he added, because innovation brings forward solutions.
According to Independent candidate Tristan Galbraith, affordability and housing is a widely-diversified, perplexing challenge.
The current government hasn’t helped affordability, he said. In fact, perhaps, it has made it worse because farmers are struggling and the cost of living keeps rising, he added.
“On May 9, don’t subside to another four years,” Galbraith said.
“Most importantly, we are not working together with our warmer, more hospitable communities [to better address seasonal jobs],” he added, mentioning communities like Lillooet, Kamloops and Kelowna as examples.
“One policy we will initiate when elected is to help small businesses with Internet services, savings accounts and investments,” he said. “More importantly is to immediately raise the wage to $15 per hour to help with affordability.”
We need to start thinking outside of the box, Galbraith said.
The new BC Libertarian candidate, Michael Cambridge, is a firm believer in deregulation, citing cities like Tokyo, which has immense growth and remains affordable.
“We have a finite amount of space,” he said. “And realistically zoning and regulations are what’s holding us back. There’s more demand than there is supply.” The answer is opening up supply channels, he said, and getting rid of the rules in the way of that which drive up housing pricing.
“Any zoning and any regulation is going to limit where someone can move and how a space can be used,” Cambridge said, using the example of secondary suites to create rentals.
“It is more up to the individual to decide I’m willing to live in this space than the local government to decide whether it’s well enough insulated,” he added.
There are arbitrary rules, said Cambridge, and he is unsure of what that achieves. “If we are standing on a bunch of rules that don’t necessarily make sense, we are squeezing the current population out.”
The B.C. provincial election is on May 9.
