Next week the real work begins.
First of all, we congratulate all candidates who have stood for election. Win or lose; all are no doubt grateful the campaign is just about over. It is no small sacrifice to offer oneself to the service of others. The work is often difficult, with long hours, and often stressful – because you just cannot please everyone.
Next week, those elected will begin to consult with municipal staff about the stark realities of delivering on what may have seemed like such good ideas, short weeks ago. None will be as vexing, or as consequential, as the issues of affordable housing. All candidates seemed to agree that this is a critical issue, as it is across the Metro region. On the North Shore, in 2016, 736 adults, seniors and children were identified as homeless. Thousands more are but a paycheque away.
Two themes have seemed prominent during the campaign: one, put simply, is to continue to build out our supply of housing types – all types – but especially rental, those that lower, and the so-called missing middle, or moderate, household income folk can afford. We need all these households so we can keep our schools viable, staff our shops, respond to emergencies and build our neighbourhoods and communities.
The second theme, for some campaigners, has been the need to slow down development, or even – if possible – halt it completely until the dust settles, so-to-speak; this view is that we have been building too much, too quickly: that there is too much traffic and congestion as a result.
What to do? In the first instance, building more supply, it is probably helpful to consider what our senior governments are proposing. After a generation of neglect, both the federal and the B.C. governments are finally stepping up with funding for affordable housing, recognizing that municipalities simply cannot handle the crisis on its own. In fact, in June this year, B.C. and the federal government signed a 10-year agreement to invest nearly $2 billion over the next decade to address the growing housing affordability and homelessness challenges faced by communities like ours.
In B.C., the provincial government’s role in this partnership is a pledge to build 14,000 new affordable homes for renters. It is important to note that this housing will be built through partnerships with municipalities, non-profits, and housing co-operatives. This program is called BC Building Community Housing Fund; already BC Housing is issuing requests for proposals to identify prospective partners. A full 50 per cent of these new units will be for households with low-to-moderate incomes ranging from $21,000 to $95,000. Our three municipalities here are actively involved in making this work. We need rental, period – especially affordable rental.
So, in the second instance, halting development we need doesn’t seem to make much sense – unless ignoring funding for these housing opportunities is acceptable. In our view, to do so while construction costs – and rents – go up monthly, seems reckless. Do we say we’re not interested until we get our traffic problems sorted?
These difficult issues face our new councils. We didn’t get here overnight, so we’re not likely to get them solved overnight, either. Something to remember when we’re stuck in traffic.
Don Peters is a housing advocate at North Shore Community Resources and chair of the Community Housing Action Committee.
