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 .