1003 replies to this topic

[Sparky]

Mike you gotta have a peek at Deep Bay. As well as the Marina and restaurant, there is a nice little peninsula there with some homes on it and a beach at the end.

[AllseeingEye]

Mike you gotta have a peek at Deep Bay. As well as the Marina and restaurant, there is a nice little peninsula there with some homes on it and a beach at the end.

 

Yup Deep Bay is lovely, I've camped and fished there more times than I can count since the 70's - as are French Creek and Black Creek / Saratoga which are all also 'on the radar' as potential post retirement places to 'hang our shingle' (or fishing rods...). Anything on the east of the island has been well known for ages I was just taken aback somewhat with that area north-east of Duncan which tends to be overlooked by many as the unwanted, unknown bastard child by comparison. I never even knew there was a Quamichan Lake, heh...

[Mike K.]

Yes, I’ve been meaning to. We usually vroom right past Deep Bay.

The Maple Bay area has always been a hidden secret. Right down to Genoa Bay, it’s God’s country. But most people never venture out that way. Another great area is the peninsula east of Ladysmith.

[AllseeingEye]

My only concern going forward for that area as the climate gradually warms and more extreme weather events occur, would be the Cowichan River floodplain; the river is extremely high at the moment everywhere but especially east of the highway bridge and particularly as it approaches the estuary where its spilling everywhere; I noticed as we were headed home via the Maple Bay Rd 'back country route' that many houses had sandbags along their river-facing property lines; just "this" much more melting snow or a prolonged spell of a typical west coast winter rains and many of those properties are in trouble.

[Mike K.]

It is a floodplain, after all!

[LJ]

We put a deposit down on a piece of property that was going to become a golf course lot in Maple Bay. Development went under when they found that they had no water source.

[Mike K.]

Oops.

Laurie Carbonara moved from France to Quebec in early 2022 with plans to work in health care, buy a home and start her new life abroad.

But a new federal housing law prevents her from accomplishing the second item on that to-do list.

…

The new law came into effect on Jan. 1. Non-residents are banned from buying homes in Canada until 2025.

There are exceptions, including Canadian citizens and permanent residents, some international students, refugees, diplomats, and temporary workers who have filed their taxes in Canada for three of the past four years.

Carbonara has a temporary work visa that has been good since March. She was looking at houses to buy in Longueuil, Que., on Montreal's South Shore.

"We hope to stay here for a long time, but this law could jeopardize our immigration," she said.

…

According to the Quebec government, foreign buyers averaged less than one per cent of real estate transactions last January.

- https://www.cbc.ca/n...uebec-1.6701765

[Victoria Watcher]

She has a temporary work permit, but wants to buy a house here? Just rent until you get your papers in order.



>>>> The new law came into effect on Jan. 1. Non-residents are banned from buying homes in Canada until 2025.

There are exceptions, including Canadian citizens and permanent residents, some international students, refugees, diplomats, and temporary workers who have filed their taxes in Canada for three of the past four years.





I’m opposed to the rule. But simply restate in the article how she can very soon qualify.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 January 2023 - 09:29 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Laurie Carbonara moved from France to Quebec in early 2022 with plans to work in health care, buy a home and start her new life abroad.




Is she even working? Or just has a permit?




"We hope to stay here for a long time, but this law could jeopardize our immigration," she said.




Who is “we” and “our”? Why leave France?

So many items missing from this article.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 January 2023 - 09:33 AM.

[spanky123]

She has a temporary work permit, but wants to buy a house here? Just rent until you get your papers in order.

 

That is what most do. They then have a Canadian address so when they buy the real estate board will claim that it was a local buyer and that immigration has no impact on prices!

[Mike K.]

Just to buy a house, they transplant themselves to Canada for a couple of years? Isn’t there an easier way to invest some cash?

[Victoria Watcher]

There is likely more to the story, no?

Let’s hear it.


Kind of like this CBC article today. About a book club in a women’s prison.

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6696593

A lot would ask, “what was she in prison for”?

The article fails to tell us.

Googling her we find she had a 4-year sentence for cocaine trafficking.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 January 2023 - 11:03 AM.

[Nparker]

I've just completed the damnable Speculation Tax Declaration for 2023. Why can't this just be a verification check box on my HOG application each year? Has anyone checked to see if revenues from this tax actually exceed the cost to administer it?

[LJ]

Has everyone received their Spec tax declaration?

 

I ask because I haven't received mine this year and never got one last year either.

[sebberry]

Has everyone received their Spec tax declaration?

 

I ask because I haven't received mine this year and never got one last year either.

 

Can I just stand at the top of Mt. Tolmie and scream out "I AM NOT A SPECULATOR"? Does that count as a declaration?  

 

Anyway, I got mine.  

[Nparker]

Has everyone received their Spec tax declaration?...

I received mine about the same date as usual this year, February 15^th.

[todd]

Can I just stand at the top of Mt. Tolmie and scream out "I AM NOT A SPECULATOR"? Does that count as a declaration?  
 
Anyway, I got mine.

I find screaming while driving on the highway doesn’t cause a disturbance.

[Victoria Watcher]

Black Press:


The provincial government is expanding the speculation vacancy tax to 13 municipalities, including several on Vancouver Island.

Courtenay, Comox, Cumberland, Parksville and Qualicum Beach are among the communities announced Wednesday by Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon and Finance Minister Katrine Conroy.

The tax will also be coming to Vernon, Coldstream, Penticton, Summerland, Lake Country and Peachland.

Kamloops and Salmon Arm will also be subject to the tax, starting January 2025.

Ultimately, the tax will apply to 59 communities.

[Mike K.]

The middle class is being carved out. At least Qualicum and Parksville had several years to get their affairs in order.

 

Still no sign of exposing the primarily vacation home laden communities of the Gulf Islands to these taxes. That in itself is going to be a can of worms, becuase those islands receive significant portions of their property tax revenues from absentee owners who are not using the services they pay for. If that housing were to convert to permanent residences, taxation would skyrocket to pay to properly service all of those people.

[Matt R.]

I don’t know if there is an official number, but the common folk on salt spring always say we go from about 10k residents year round to 30k in the summer. That’s a lot of MLA’s with vacation homes!