To the editor:
I've long been thinking about the Australian way, and may even have written to a politician asking for something similar to be brought in here in Vancouver. Of course they won't. They are all in the pockets of the developers and real estate companies which, in turn, are in the pockets-or at least cashing in-of the new horde.
I even voted for Sandy Garossino when I heard her on the CBC talking about doing something to stop the selling off of our homes. But I found nothing on her site, and I suspected that it was only a ploy for votes. Either way she lost. Still, I give her credit for trying.
Here is a lie I heard: Someone was arguing on the CBC that overseas buyers were only buying "expensive homes" defined as over $2 million. What wasn't mentioned was the fact that the more "affordable" homes were bought and redeveloped and then sold for more than $2 million!
It's not just that the children of long-term Vancouverites who can't afford to buy, but the texture of our society is being eroded. By the way, I own my own house so I am not writing out of envy but out of frustration.
Reynold Harrs, Vancouver
