Editor:
Given the escalating population, economic and environmental pressures being experienced pretty well throughout all Coast communities, the next four years are certain to be pivotal ones.
I both appreciate and congratulate your newspaper on the ongoing coverage of the mayoral, councillor and director candidates leading up to next month’s important municipal elections – it’s helped to highlight some important local issues over which the successfully elected officials will have some control. Among others, like water, sewer and transportation, the issue of housing affordability appears to be a priority for many of the candidates. This both gladdens and saddens me. There is really little more any of them can do directly.
Local governments have a limited range of administrative and regulatory “tools” they can employ to promote affordable housing, and I am pleased to say the governments of Sechelt, the Town of Gibsons and the SCRD have already adopted pretty much all bylaws, policies and Official Community Plan guidelines that are possible at the local government level. Real affordable housing can only be achieved with the participation of senior levels of government. Federal housing policy changed radically in 1993, divesting to the provinces after a prolonged negotiation. The Federal-Provincial Affordable Housing Agreement was reached in B.C. in 2006. Since then, B.C. communities have benefitted from much provincially led social housing developments.
However, with limited resources, policy directed most investment to seniors and the most vulnerable, dependent populations. B.C. also makes some innovative housing investments targeted to the general population, but it’s not enough. I spent 35 years working for and delivering thousands of units of affordable, fully serviced housing pegged at 25 to 30 per cent of income and look where we are now, with a majority of renters and owners paying 50 per cent or more of their income on housing and utilities!
Ask the candidates not what they’re going to do but how and when they’ll lobby the federal government to get back in the business of providing adequate affordable accommodation to all Canadians. Ask them when and how they’ll lobby the province for more help for families and individuals. And I encourage everyone to write their MP and MLA repeatedly regarding the need, and to get out to vote.
Jane Hopkins, Roberts Creek
