80 replies to this topic

[lanforod]

I think maybe, that without a major employer showing up first, that new town sites would attract people who have nowhere else to go for whatever reason. That can create a town that is full of problems, and is under-resourced. Not a good combo.

But I do agree that we should be investing into rehabilitation of small towns that could be attracting retirees and people looking for second home spots on the Island. We’ve created a situation where we’re telling monied people to go away (can’t have a vacation cabin in a lot of places without the spec tax, can’t buy a luxury home without high taxes, there’s potential for even more taxes at any time, AirBnB restrictions mean you can’t rent the home out when you’re not there, etc).

We’re pulling money out of our communities very quickly.

 

Yes, I think thats one way to go about it. Those small towns have some infrastructure already and structure in place. The main hurdle is getting over the resistance to change that all of these places have. Building Mill Bay or Shawnigan Lake from 5000 people to 100000 people is no small change .

[Nparker]

It's not a problem if the Province ordered it to happen the way they are demanding the quotas in other areas.

[dasmo]

Isn’t it ironic that they called the first people Indians and now they are colonizing the place with actual Indians?

[Mike K.]

I was thinking that maybe Port Hardy and McNeill Bay could have 30,000 between them, and Port Alice.

It’s a huge tourism destination, but hardly anybody lives there.

Same with Alberni. It’s a town designed for 100,000 people. Ever notice how wide its roads are? It was designed for a large population, and today is a fairly sad state of affairs. Hard to believe it’s the jumping off point for Tofino.

[bugeyed]

Doesn't North Cowichan have a shortage of water?  

[LJ]

Not just the island, there are literally 100's of little towns and small cities on the mainland that could easily absorb 1000 newcomers. Cheap land cheaper housing, small infrastructure improvements. Kootenay, Chilcotin, Shuswap etc.

[Nparker]

...there are literally 100's of little towns and small cities on the mainland that could easily absorb 1000 newcomers...

Perhaps there is no guarantee they will vote for the NDP if housing quotas are decreed upon them. It's a relatively safe bet on Vancouver Island and parts of the lower mainland.

[Mike K.]

Doesn't North Cowichan have a shortage of water?

Indeed it does. They’re at stage 3 right now.

[GaryOak]

I want to know what North Saanich is going to do about their 11 supportive housing units

[Victoria Watcher]

The City of Victoria is well ahead of the pace needed to hit its provincially set five-year housing target of building just over 4,900 homes, although it’s falling short on affordable and family-size units.

 

A city report says 1,477 net new units were completed in the first year, exceeding the target of 659 new homes, which means Victoria is now 30 per cent of the way to meeting the five-year target.

 

Coun. Matt Dell pointed out that while many municipalities aren’t coming close to meeting the targets, Victoria is going above and beyond, with about 7,000 homes and “lots of big developments” in the pipeline. But he said the province needs to do its part and provide support for infrastructure such as recreation centres and bike lanes.

 

“As much as I’m happy to build the housing, I think there’s an expectation that building housing there comes along with it funding for amenities, funding for projects,” he said.

 

Mayor Marianne Alto noted that the province had indicated initially that there would be rewards for communities that met or exceeded targets, but “that seemed to sort of fade away as the conversation continued.”

 

Alto said once the new provincial cabinet is named, such rewards would be “a welcome change or perhaps addition to their policies around housing.”

 

 

 

https://www.timescol...ability-9812211

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 15 November 2024 - 06:27 AM.

[Mike K.]

Where’s that immediate $1,000 cheque Premier Eby promised during the election?

4,900 homes was clearly way too small of a target, when the City will well surpass that, based solely on the pipeline before the targets were introduced.

[dasmo]

The building in Langford is insane. It was before any targets. Anyone with eyes can see we do not have a building problem here.

[dasmo]

Sorry… anyone with an eye.

Edited by dasmo, 15 November 2024 - 07:24 AM.

[lanforod]

Where’s that immediate $1,000 cheque Premier Eby promised during the election?

4,900 homes was clearly way too small of a target, when the City will well surpass that, based solely on the pipeline before the targets were introduced.

 

$500 / pp I think, $1000 for a household (2 adults). But I dunno where it is either. If he has to pass legislation to do it, it won't be here before summer.

[Victoria Watcher]

Premier David Eby recently told CKNW radio host Jas Johal that officials are working to get the rebate of up to $1,000 into the hands of families as quickly as possible.

One tax expert told Postmedia it might be possible to distribute the money with only a simple regulatory change that doesn’t require action by the legislature.

https://vancouversun...-rebate-promise

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 15 November 2024 - 11:02 AM.

[Mike K.]

Don’t they know these things before they promise them?

[LJ]

^They don't really need to, there is usually no intention to follow through on any campaign promises, those are just to get elected.

10 million trees, remember?

[Sparky]

I know a little girl whose family could use the $10 daycare that was promised more than once.

[Victoria Watcher]

The report says Saanich would need to build 7,683 new units before 2026 and 23,559 by 2041 to meet its anticipated housing need.

Right now the district has not even been able to meet the comparatively modest target of 440 units set by the province this year. It handed over occupancy permits for just 338 units between Oct. 1, 2023 and Sept. 30, 2024.

Murdock said Saanich will continue to eat away at the housing https://www.timescol...-report-9841128

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 21 November 2024 - 05:24 AM.

[lanforod]

Adding things like over the top energization per stall and parking maximums that make developers think twice is not helping.

Edited by lanforod, 21 November 2024 - 08:24 AM.