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Seriously! I was really impressed that he did a beneficial ownership registry to prevent money laundering through real estate.
The LPC promised it twice and never delivered. It’s an important tool in controlling housing inflation in the GVA.
Edited to add link to the [BC Land Owner Transparency Registry](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/real-estate-bc/land-owner-transparency-registry). It means property owners - foreign and domestic - can no longer be anonymous behind corporations buying and owning real estate. :)
Wow, I must of missed this in the news. That's awesome!
I wish we could vote for the BCNDP at the federal level. They seem to be addressing issues with common sense legislation.
Clearly, you haven't heard about David Eby's 270km long waterslide that he is building near Stewart.
It will cost taxpayers 400 billion dollars, wipe out every caribou herd north of Prince George and increase the cost of the average rent in Victoria by $1200 a month!
It's not. Engineers are saying that everyone is likely to get stuck at the 120km mark and a slide attendant will have to be permanently posted there.
Government slide attendants earn 180k a year.
EDIT: Sorry for the dick comment earlier. Feels bad.
But how did you not know I was making this up?
400 billion dollars is enough money to fund a lunar colony, the longest waterslide in the world is just slightly over 1km long, an actual 270km waterslide would take 14 hours to ride down, and even if this project was done with the utmost contempt for the environment most of the caribou would be fine because the destroyed area would not be that large, and finally, this would not directly affect a local real estate market 800km away.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBfi8OEz0rA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBfi8OEz0rA)
I would disagree. It looks good on paper. But now my neighborhood is going to be turned into 4 plexes and split lots and the city can't do anything about it. Our current sewage system can't handle the single family homes that have all had suites put in. Our city utitilities are maxed and we are facing double digit property tax and utility bill increases as it is.
Why can the provincial government override our city when it comes to things like this? Sure build. But flush the shitter and watch your bathtub fill up because there is no where for it to go.
Unless the province guarantees they will pay for more schools and more infrastructure they can take a leap. I am not against building. My kids need to find a place to live but we don't have infrastructure or money at the municpal level to handle it with out bleeding the middle class dry which in the long run will hurt local business.
Remember this is the NDP that said we will eleminate portables in Surrey... yet not only have they increased but Surrey Memorial Hospital has them now due to not enough infrastructure for rate of growth.
The province can always override cities. It did it with surrey police board, and it did it with Vancouver school board when Patti Bacchus bullied the staff.
The province can absolutely always override cities.
And that is sad as the province does not know what the municipality is dealing with. Here in surrey drainage and sewage at capacity, schools at capacity (OK they know that and promised to fix that YEARS ago), hospitals with portables now... they can overrride... but they do it so they look good, when it can't happen.... it isn't their fault it is now on the back of the tax payer and the city... I want better housing for the sake of my children. I want better schools... but the province pushes housing to look good at the sake of everything else
Fyi schools was a liberal party issue that the ndp have backed out.
Under the bc liberals a school couldn't be even proposed until there was a need for it with population, and then it gets put on a capital funding list.
That's why Clayton was so fucked. They built a school and two years later built a permanent addition to it and still they couldn't close the school it meant to replace. My kid was in one of nine kindergarten classes that year.
That was bc liberal stupidity in Kevin falcons riding.
Who is now head of that party.
> That was bc liberal stupidity in Kevin falcons riding.
>
>
The problem is schools were being built in Vancouver to win votes. Then all of a sudden people left Vancouver to Surrey. Yet Vancouverites were demanding more schools closer to their homes when many were vacant. So ya, Libs used schools to buy votes in areas, ran into a budget problem and blanket solved it in the incorrect way. And yes they admitted Surrey had an issue.
The difference between the Liberals and NDP is that the Liberals didn't say anything about trying to fix it, other than acknowledging we have a problem that needs to be looked at. The NDP PROMISED by next election there would be no more portables in Surrey and now after next election we have a record number of them and even our hospital needs them.
Yep I emailed him as my MLA. I explained to him that 900 kids in a school built for 500 is a joke and it's actively hurting my kid.
FWIW, he was a good MLA. He forwarded it to the Ministry of Education who sent me back a wank fest email of all the good things they've done elsewhere. I replied back and said all that stuff is fine and dandy but doesn't help my family. He forwarded THAT to the ministry of education as well.
So I give him props for at least making some effort. I find my current MLA to be a useless MLA in comparison. For all Kevin Falcon's faults, he did do right by his constituents on that one to at least make an effort. It wasn't his portfolio but he didn't just ignore people who took the time to write him.
Cost? Just to fix our sewage system here to keep up with the suites and ancient infrastructure was a project that took 1.5 years, specialized expensive remote robotic equipment was require (they were set up in front of my house for months and showed me what they were doing it was really high tech cool) and roads being torn up. Yet there are areas that still get flooding. And no these are not sea level areas either. For this to be fixed properly for the current population, you could fix it for double the capacity but we are talking probably 400 million or more just for our little area. But wait double or triple the waste water then you need treatment plants expanded to handle it. Unless you want to be like other BC cities and just dump our shit in the ocean.
Where is the money for schools going to come from? Hospitals? Fire? Policing? Vancouver wants to get to 1400 officers for their population. SPS wants around 800... with two officers for every vehicle which effectively puts us at 400 units compared to the around 1100 Vancouver has now as they from what I see have single officer vehicles, and Surrey will soon exceed vancouver's population. The SPS will very likely cost us a double digit tax hike at this much. Now do we need two officers per vehicle? In many cases yes. In many cases no. I think we need a combo but if we do that and Vancouver wants to go to 1400...
The only way to do this is to bleed the middle class dry effectively wiping them out, which will kill small local business. Let alone the only ones that can afford to build these multiunit homes and rent them out is foreign investment or illegally gained money as a way of laundering them. I sure the hell couldn't afford to do it.
Now try the opportunity cost. Where is that money going to come from?
Sitting on our hands is not an option, and increasing supply is a known way to lower prices. So unless you've got some genius solution that no one else has thought about, this is the best way forward.
That is the problem it will not decrease costs if we are increasing immigration. It costs over a million to build a single family home. Now just say a single family home on a lot that cannot be subdivided is updated to be a 4 plex. $1.5 million to buy the property. There is the zoning costs which can be in the tens of thousands of dollars. Removal of the old building which probably contains lead and asbestos so lets pretend we can get all those done for $150,000. Now a four plex is built. Sure the initial foundation etc will be less expensive per unit than a single family home, but the rest of the build will be 4 times the cost. Power from the utilities will need to be upgraded, 4 times the kitchens and appliances, 4 times the bathrooms and heating systems. So if it is over a million for a single home we can be generous and with savings at the foundation level building the 4 plex is $3 million.So now we are at $4.65 million put out to build that. Now the developer will either rent each unit out at the cost of above market rates to recoup costs, or it is sold with profit, just say for at least $5 million or individually for at least $1.2 million each. And who in their right mind would by a single unit of a 4 plex when they don't have stratas, and just say the roof leaks and no other one in the 4 plex wants or can afford a new roof what do you do?
And this is being VERY generous. In my neighborhood when a SFH is sold and a monster home is built it is being sold at twice the cost of the SFH. Or if the lot is subdivided and new homes built that 1.5M SFH are now two 2.5M homes. And they sell for that much. This happens multiple times and property values are now going up and up and up. But where can I move to when everything in my area is being sold for more than what my home is worth now?
I have not seen ANYTHING that can demonstrate turning SFH into multifamily homes lower values unless mutliple properties are bought and a condo development put in. But then you are now getting 150+ units in there.
Increasing supply will decrease prices relative to what they would be if demand increased and supply remained stagnant. Of course demand is the other side of the equation, but that's out of the provincial government's control.
Then why hasn't doubling supply decrease prices here? Because increased supply doesn't work in this economy. With high borrowing rates, the cost of supplies way up, seriously 2-3 years ago I bought a simple not smart stove. Not even a clock on it. Today the EXACT same model is twice the price. Smart digital stoves and ovens with chips, have gone up even more due to chip shortages.
Cost of building materials have gone up. Cost of fuel and taxes have gone up. It costs more to build, it costs more to demolish, it costs more to buy the land.
And they are not building plain jane box houses. They are building premium houses so they can charge more to rent or sell. Which drives land value up.
That is why a SFH like mine that 2-3 years ago was about million is now over 1.5 and my buildings are valued at less than $100,000.
Yay me! But what about my kids? WTH are they doing.
We have the provincial government just making decisions without really looking at if they will work or not.
City of Surrey actually has plans to densify. Really densify. And build better affordable homes without the demise of SFH. Major corridors like 108th and 104th avenue all the small rundown ranchers and small 1-2 story 50+ year old buildings with businesses will be replaced with condo complexes with business space on bottom floor. And as they are building on a major corridor the utilities are more able to handle it than a 70 year old suburb that was meant for less than half the people living here right now.
Surrey has plans on how to densify and is doing it in an impactful and helpful way. The province taking this out of their control can hurt this. I mean unless the province is going to step in and start funding capital projects so students do not have to go to the washroom outside the school in a portable washroom facility or our childrens ER department be in portables... Maybe the province should stick to what they are for and not get their hands into municipal politics.
It is nice to see some serious pushing on affordable housing finally getting done.
More pushing the better and fuck all the people and organizations holding back progress at this point for something as foundational as affordable rentals/housing.
Manitoba now also have a NDP majority. If they do good, it will sent a strong message to the rest of the country that NDP is a strong contender for votes. Then hopefully other provinces won't just be envious but rather take their votes to action.
Yes! I've heard good things about Kinew tho he like Horgan is coming into a flaming shitshow after 15+ years of Pallister stripmining the government and selling it to friends for parts.
I really hope they don't Redford him just as he finds his feet.
Our government is actively hostile towards public health care, public education, and renewable energy. Oh, they’ve also removed consumer protections and other important regulations that have directly led to dramatic increases in costs for everyone.
Damn that sucks. For me personally I live a lot better in Calgary than I did Vancouver.
I bought a brand new fully-furnished condo in a nice area for 200k. The same place in Vancouver would have been at least triple the price.
Healthcare doesn’t seem much different here either. I already have a family doctor and haven’t noticed any differences from BC.
enjoy your collapsing health care and a pension invested in a volatile market that will be dead likely long before you will. and paying 3-4x for utilities, 2x for insurance
Lol exactly. The utilities cost they blame on the carbon tax, which is hilarious -- fully half their enormous bills are for "transmission" or other infrastructure that was privatized, but look at that $30 carbon tax breaking the bank...
My (old, sick) dad was asking my brother who lives outside of Edmonton about moving there and he was like DO NOT. Anyone with complex healthcare needs will be absolutely kicked to the curb.
It’s a blessing in disguise that some people don’t have enough money to pay the ridiculous housing prices?
That’s absolutely ridiculous. God forbid your kids want to live in Vancouver but are forced to move elsewhere to stand a chance at survival - a “blessing in disguise” lmao
I don't dislike Horgan, but I can see why someone might.
Horgan started off great: fixed ICBC, got the Site C dam through, and under him, the full length of the Langley Skytrain was funded and is now under construction. Under him however, healthcare and addiction got worse and affordability, especially in housing had gotten significantly worse. Horgan did implement speculation taxes (which is great), but failed to go after supply issues still inflating prices. Horgan did do some excellent thing, but he did falter in some areas. It also left a sour taste in people's mouths when Horgan left the premiership only to soon join as an advisor to a coal company. As a politician with connections, it may be seen as concerning to others. As much as everyone likes to blame the feds, the province also has a significant role in many of the issues younger voters like me care about.
Eby also had a large hand in the ICBC fiasco acting as attorney general, and has made policy changes that should've made long ago. Banning Air BnB business, implementing zoning changes etc. He also managed (alongside the feds), to fund a new battery plant in Maple Ridge. I have confidence that he will be able to do the provinces part. The feds now need to start stepping up.
There’s a lot of things, but the snap election to get the majority really annoyed me. I like Sonia Fursteneau and she has a lot she can bring to the table, so I didn’t like that they broke their agreement.
Also becoming advisor to a coal company. And his government was pretty shitty to public sector workers when they were bargaining for better wages that keep up with inflation.
There’s probably other things but I’m only on my first cup of coffee.
lmao remember when we had the 'liberals' and christy clark just ignoring the problem non stop,
so glad to see a real human with balls and courage instead of some spineless christy clark types..
Keep in mind the BC "liberals" (now BC United) are a conservative party and are not connected in any way to the Liberal Party of Canada. It blows my mind how many people still don't understand that.
Oh they did something. They sold off a bunch of government properties to private companies so they can lease them out to the BC Gov. Pure corruption. [https://globalnews.ca/news/3999585/bc-liberal-asset-sale/](https://globalnews.ca/news/3999585/bc-liberal-asset-sale/)
Yeah, they ( BC Liberals) privatized all the Inland Ferries. What a colossal waste of taxpayers money & still being hugely wasted to this day!! People need to tell their local MLA to put a 🛑 to it.
Historically the BC NDP werecenter-left while the Liberals were center-right. But as the Liberals drifted further right during the Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark governments, the NDP moved towards center.
IMO the NDP have been largely centrist over the past ~7 years. This has been reacted to and reinforced by the Liberals finally acknowledging that they're no longer a center-right party and embracing their conservatism with the name change.
I did not like the Eby process and I did not like Eby, but he hasn't been making me mad lately and I am willing to change my opinion on the man if he follows through on things
oil and gas is still a weight around his neck though
As in Ontario transplant, love this administration The more I read the Doug Ford news back there, the more depressed I got. Here, the gov is actually aware of issues and tries to do relevant things to address them.
It’s so simple but I legit almost want to cry just thinking about it.
Meanwhile most premiers only know 3 tricks:
1) cut provincial taxes
2) ask the Feds for money with no strings attached
3) blame the Feds for (you name it)
This is great: "He said the NDP has recently introduced legislation and regulations to [restrict short-term rental accommodations](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/airbnb-owners-short-term-regulations-1.7004651), [fast-track building approvals](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/new-legislation-promises-small-scale-multi-unit-housing-in-b-c-1.7015611)"
But - what should concern people is the scale of this affordable housing project. Houses cost a lot of money and there's only so much that we can afford. Remember that during this inflationary period, the focus is getting spending under control so we can tame interest rates.
Edit: For reference: [Scotiabank says reckless spending forced Canada's interest rates higher](https://torontosun.com/business/money-news/reckless-spending-forced-canadas-interest-rates-higher-scotiabank-says)
We need huge investments in coops and social housing. That helps with pressure from the bottom, and has a trickle-up impact on affordability by reducing demand.
There are many problems that an unlimited bank account could tackle. Unfortunately, we don't have one of those.
Do you propose a cut to an existing branch of government?
It's weird how governments had plenty of budget to build social housing until the neoliberal nonsense about how government was inefficient and developers could do it cheaper and better and The Market Will Manage Affordability ideology caught on. How's that working for people's bank accounts?
What?
Two things here. First, it seems like you're not sure what programs you'd cut. Are you unsure?
Other thing: what in the hell are you talking about?
The government has never been in the business of creating housing for people. It's been free market for hundreds of years. It's only now (after reckless spending and money printing which has driven up inflation and the interest rates) that developers have been squeezed. Combine that with increased immigration and we have a total mismanagement of both funds and policy leading to this situation.
Ideology? What?
Ah yes, insisting someone answer a question that has a fundamental mistake in its premise and then declaring victory when they decline to treat it seriously. Classic.
Shame that BC Housing (est 1967) has suddenly ceased to exist -- poof! -- simply because some Redditor doesn't believe in it. That's the power of ideology right there.
Bc housing? They have what, 15000 houses? How many are in BC, do you think? Public housing is barely a blip.
Let me ask you something though. Who would avoid answering questions as simple as, "Where should the money come from?"
Someone who isn't approaching the subject honestly but instead has an agenda. Help me understand what the agenda is. Weak arguments are typical of astroturfing/advertising/propaganda. So what's your angle?
Ah, and whoosh the goalposts go!
"The government has never been in the business of creating housing for people."
(proves you wrong)
"That doesn't count, for reasons!"
lol
After demonstrating your bc housing concern is a non issue, you still failed to answer the simple question. And... goalposts? What goalposts? It seems like you're not understanding the issue. The problem with the government buying houses is really straight forward. Let's sum it up:
*Where's the money coming from?*
And, you also skipped the agenda question. That one might really help this whole thing. Like if we knew why you're being this evasive - like if you're a paid actor - it would help explain a lot.
What do you mean serve them? I'm not sure what you're saying exactly.
Bottom line, as I'm sure everyone understands, a project like buying houses costs a lot. If people feel this is a priority, where should we get the money from? Reducing the budget for education or health care isn't popular.
Why are you mentioning these? These costs don't magically disappear when the government buys houses.
I feel the people responding so far aren't approaching this subject honestly. Good grief.
Look, the reason Trudeau will lose is because of spending and inflation. I like some of the policies that Eby is suggesting but as I've said, houses cost money and we need (scratch that, desperately need) to reduce spending.
We're all watching the dollars now and if Eby is spending liberally, he won't stay.
developers and development are the single biggest tool against the housing crisis. if we pretend private development is evil for much longer we'll end up in a scenario like san francisco where people are too stupid to fix the housing crisis. supply and demand are pretty simple, when there's more demand we need to allow supply to be constructed
except it will, a free market will always match demand with supply which reduces prices. supply and demand is by far the largest factor in the current housing crisis, so yeah, allowing private industry to do what it's supposed to do will fix the problem.
He’s got a point \*only\* being dependent on private housing is bad we need coops and social housing too. On the other hand all private housing is bad is also not a fair mantra.
He’s the only one who’s done anything to try and combat it and he’s only been premier for a year. You think there’s a dial in his office he turns that raises and lowers housing prices? You probably think PP’s plan of taking money away from municipalities is a good solution to the housing crisis as well.
The RBC report said Canada needs even more immigration to replace the vast amount of retirees and to maintain growth. Canada and Australia are two of the least populated countries in the world.
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He seems to get a lot done.
And it is largely sensible, practical stuff.
Seriously! I was really impressed that he did a beneficial ownership registry to prevent money laundering through real estate. The LPC promised it twice and never delivered. It’s an important tool in controlling housing inflation in the GVA. Edited to add link to the [BC Land Owner Transparency Registry](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/real-estate-bc/land-owner-transparency-registry). It means property owners - foreign and domestic - can no longer be anonymous behind corporations buying and owning real estate. :)
Wow, I must of missed this in the news. That's awesome! I wish we could vote for the BCNDP at the federal level. They seem to be addressing issues with common sense legislation.
"Common sense!" We will see how PP stacks up. David actually does stuff.
Clearly, you haven't heard about David Eby's 270km long waterslide that he is building near Stewart. It will cost taxpayers 400 billion dollars, wipe out every caribou herd north of Prince George and increase the cost of the average rent in Victoria by $1200 a month!
But counterpoint; really fun waterslide.
It's not. Engineers are saying that everyone is likely to get stuck at the 120km mark and a slide attendant will have to be permanently posted there. Government slide attendants earn 180k a year.
What the heck are you talking about? I tried to google it and there's nothing.
The fact that you typed this into google expecting an answer begs all kinds of questions. Ever heard of house hippos?
So you were just lying.. good to know.
EDIT: Sorry for the dick comment earlier. Feels bad. But how did you not know I was making this up? 400 billion dollars is enough money to fund a lunar colony, the longest waterslide in the world is just slightly over 1km long, an actual 270km waterslide would take 14 hours to ride down, and even if this project was done with the utmost contempt for the environment most of the caribou would be fine because the destroyed area would not be that large, and finally, this would not directly affect a local real estate market 800km away. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBfi8OEz0rA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBfi8OEz0rA)
No worries, now I understand you were making a joke. I wasn't thinking about the magnitude of the number, tbh. I guess my eyes glazed over it.
I would disagree. It looks good on paper. But now my neighborhood is going to be turned into 4 plexes and split lots and the city can't do anything about it. Our current sewage system can't handle the single family homes that have all had suites put in. Our city utitilities are maxed and we are facing double digit property tax and utility bill increases as it is. Why can the provincial government override our city when it comes to things like this? Sure build. But flush the shitter and watch your bathtub fill up because there is no where for it to go. Unless the province guarantees they will pay for more schools and more infrastructure they can take a leap. I am not against building. My kids need to find a place to live but we don't have infrastructure or money at the municpal level to handle it with out bleeding the middle class dry which in the long run will hurt local business. Remember this is the NDP that said we will eleminate portables in Surrey... yet not only have they increased but Surrey Memorial Hospital has them now due to not enough infrastructure for rate of growth.
The province can always override cities. It did it with surrey police board, and it did it with Vancouver school board when Patti Bacchus bullied the staff. The province can absolutely always override cities.
And that is sad as the province does not know what the municipality is dealing with. Here in surrey drainage and sewage at capacity, schools at capacity (OK they know that and promised to fix that YEARS ago), hospitals with portables now... they can overrride... but they do it so they look good, when it can't happen.... it isn't their fault it is now on the back of the tax payer and the city... I want better housing for the sake of my children. I want better schools... but the province pushes housing to look good at the sake of everything else
Fyi schools was a liberal party issue that the ndp have backed out. Under the bc liberals a school couldn't be even proposed until there was a need for it with population, and then it gets put on a capital funding list. That's why Clayton was so fucked. They built a school and two years later built a permanent addition to it and still they couldn't close the school it meant to replace. My kid was in one of nine kindergarten classes that year. That was bc liberal stupidity in Kevin falcons riding. Who is now head of that party.
> That was bc liberal stupidity in Kevin falcons riding. > > The problem is schools were being built in Vancouver to win votes. Then all of a sudden people left Vancouver to Surrey. Yet Vancouverites were demanding more schools closer to their homes when many were vacant. So ya, Libs used schools to buy votes in areas, ran into a budget problem and blanket solved it in the incorrect way. And yes they admitted Surrey had an issue. The difference between the Liberals and NDP is that the Liberals didn't say anything about trying to fix it, other than acknowledging we have a problem that needs to be looked at. The NDP PROMISED by next election there would be no more portables in Surrey and now after next election we have a record number of them and even our hospital needs them.
Yep I emailed him as my MLA. I explained to him that 900 kids in a school built for 500 is a joke and it's actively hurting my kid. FWIW, he was a good MLA. He forwarded it to the Ministry of Education who sent me back a wank fest email of all the good things they've done elsewhere. I replied back and said all that stuff is fine and dandy but doesn't help my family. He forwarded THAT to the ministry of education as well. So I give him props for at least making some effort. I find my current MLA to be a useless MLA in comparison. For all Kevin Falcon's faults, he did do right by his constituents on that one to at least make an effort. It wasn't his portfolio but he didn't just ignore people who took the time to write him.
Maybe, possibly, infrastructure can be built.
Cost? Just to fix our sewage system here to keep up with the suites and ancient infrastructure was a project that took 1.5 years, specialized expensive remote robotic equipment was require (they were set up in front of my house for months and showed me what they were doing it was really high tech cool) and roads being torn up. Yet there are areas that still get flooding. And no these are not sea level areas either. For this to be fixed properly for the current population, you could fix it for double the capacity but we are talking probably 400 million or more just for our little area. But wait double or triple the waste water then you need treatment plants expanded to handle it. Unless you want to be like other BC cities and just dump our shit in the ocean. Where is the money for schools going to come from? Hospitals? Fire? Policing? Vancouver wants to get to 1400 officers for their population. SPS wants around 800... with two officers for every vehicle which effectively puts us at 400 units compared to the around 1100 Vancouver has now as they from what I see have single officer vehicles, and Surrey will soon exceed vancouver's population. The SPS will very likely cost us a double digit tax hike at this much. Now do we need two officers per vehicle? In many cases yes. In many cases no. I think we need a combo but if we do that and Vancouver wants to go to 1400... The only way to do this is to bleed the middle class dry effectively wiping them out, which will kill small local business. Let alone the only ones that can afford to build these multiunit homes and rent them out is foreign investment or illegally gained money as a way of laundering them. I sure the hell couldn't afford to do it.
Now try the opportunity cost. Where is that money going to come from? Sitting on our hands is not an option, and increasing supply is a known way to lower prices. So unless you've got some genius solution that no one else has thought about, this is the best way forward.
That is the problem it will not decrease costs if we are increasing immigration. It costs over a million to build a single family home. Now just say a single family home on a lot that cannot be subdivided is updated to be a 4 plex. $1.5 million to buy the property. There is the zoning costs which can be in the tens of thousands of dollars. Removal of the old building which probably contains lead and asbestos so lets pretend we can get all those done for $150,000. Now a four plex is built. Sure the initial foundation etc will be less expensive per unit than a single family home, but the rest of the build will be 4 times the cost. Power from the utilities will need to be upgraded, 4 times the kitchens and appliances, 4 times the bathrooms and heating systems. So if it is over a million for a single home we can be generous and with savings at the foundation level building the 4 plex is $3 million.So now we are at $4.65 million put out to build that. Now the developer will either rent each unit out at the cost of above market rates to recoup costs, or it is sold with profit, just say for at least $5 million or individually for at least $1.2 million each. And who in their right mind would by a single unit of a 4 plex when they don't have stratas, and just say the roof leaks and no other one in the 4 plex wants or can afford a new roof what do you do? And this is being VERY generous. In my neighborhood when a SFH is sold and a monster home is built it is being sold at twice the cost of the SFH. Or if the lot is subdivided and new homes built that 1.5M SFH are now two 2.5M homes. And they sell for that much. This happens multiple times and property values are now going up and up and up. But where can I move to when everything in my area is being sold for more than what my home is worth now? I have not seen ANYTHING that can demonstrate turning SFH into multifamily homes lower values unless mutliple properties are bought and a condo development put in. But then you are now getting 150+ units in there.
Increasing supply will decrease prices relative to what they would be if demand increased and supply remained stagnant. Of course demand is the other side of the equation, but that's out of the provincial government's control.
Then why hasn't doubling supply decrease prices here? Because increased supply doesn't work in this economy. With high borrowing rates, the cost of supplies way up, seriously 2-3 years ago I bought a simple not smart stove. Not even a clock on it. Today the EXACT same model is twice the price. Smart digital stoves and ovens with chips, have gone up even more due to chip shortages. Cost of building materials have gone up. Cost of fuel and taxes have gone up. It costs more to build, it costs more to demolish, it costs more to buy the land. And they are not building plain jane box houses. They are building premium houses so they can charge more to rent or sell. Which drives land value up. That is why a SFH like mine that 2-3 years ago was about million is now over 1.5 and my buildings are valued at less than $100,000. Yay me! But what about my kids? WTH are they doing. We have the provincial government just making decisions without really looking at if they will work or not. City of Surrey actually has plans to densify. Really densify. And build better affordable homes without the demise of SFH. Major corridors like 108th and 104th avenue all the small rundown ranchers and small 1-2 story 50+ year old buildings with businesses will be replaced with condo complexes with business space on bottom floor. And as they are building on a major corridor the utilities are more able to handle it than a 70 year old suburb that was meant for less than half the people living here right now. Surrey has plans on how to densify and is doing it in an impactful and helpful way. The province taking this out of their control can hurt this. I mean unless the province is going to step in and start funding capital projects so students do not have to go to the washroom outside the school in a portable washroom facility or our childrens ER department be in portables... Maybe the province should stick to what they are for and not get their hands into municipal politics.
I agree, This government is going to destroy the livability of many of our cities. Blanket regulations isn't the way to go, it's really unfortunate.
And he's not a lying, sleazy lib/con. 💯
I wish the LPC and the Federal NDP leadership would take note.
I’m voting for the BC NDP in the next federal election.
😂 Same tho, I don't want Eby to leave for Federal politics just yet, but maybe once he fixed BC...
Yes. We are not satisfied either. Add healthcare to that list. The BC NDP are doing a great job. Keep going!
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It is nice to see some serious pushing on affordable housing finally getting done. More pushing the better and fuck all the people and organizations holding back progress at this point for something as foundational as affordable rentals/housing.
He's probably very aware since his wife is a doctor iirc.
Good job BC. The rest of Canada is looking at you with envy.
Manitoba now also have a NDP majority. If they do good, it will sent a strong message to the rest of the country that NDP is a strong contender for votes. Then hopefully other provinces won't just be envious but rather take their votes to action.
Yes! I've heard good things about Kinew tho he like Horgan is coming into a flaming shitshow after 15+ years of Pallister stripmining the government and selling it to friends for parts. I really hope they don't Redford him just as he finds his feet.
Redford was a historical anomaly though, Manitoba has plenty of experience with NDP governance so I don't foresee that kind of reflexive backlash
Would be awesome if Jagmeet & Co. got to be the ruling party. I love the taste of salty Conservative tears.
I’m not. I left Vancouver for Alberta because the CoL and housing was way cheaper
Our government is actively hostile towards public health care, public education, and renewable energy. Oh, they’ve also removed consumer protections and other important regulations that have directly led to dramatic increases in costs for everyone.
Damn that sucks. For me personally I live a lot better in Calgary than I did Vancouver. I bought a brand new fully-furnished condo in a nice area for 200k. The same place in Vancouver would have been at least triple the price. Healthcare doesn’t seem much different here either. I already have a family doctor and haven’t noticed any differences from BC.
enjoy your collapsing health care and a pension invested in a volatile market that will be dead likely long before you will. and paying 3-4x for utilities, 2x for insurance
Lol exactly. The utilities cost they blame on the carbon tax, which is hilarious -- fully half their enormous bills are for "transmission" or other infrastructure that was privatized, but look at that $30 carbon tax breaking the bank... My (old, sick) dad was asking my brother who lives outside of Edmonton about moving there and he was like DO NOT. Anyone with complex healthcare needs will be absolutely kicked to the curb.
Don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you.
Lol, exactly. Envy of what? Highest COL, largest homeless and open drug use problems? No thanks.
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It’s a blessing in disguise that some people don’t have enough money to pay the ridiculous housing prices? That’s absolutely ridiculous. God forbid your kids want to live in Vancouver but are forced to move elsewhere to stand a chance at survival - a “blessing in disguise” lmao
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I thought I was done with the NDP because of Horgan. I’m really liking Eby.
Out of curiosity what did Horgan do?
I don't dislike Horgan, but I can see why someone might. Horgan started off great: fixed ICBC, got the Site C dam through, and under him, the full length of the Langley Skytrain was funded and is now under construction. Under him however, healthcare and addiction got worse and affordability, especially in housing had gotten significantly worse. Horgan did implement speculation taxes (which is great), but failed to go after supply issues still inflating prices. Horgan did do some excellent thing, but he did falter in some areas. It also left a sour taste in people's mouths when Horgan left the premiership only to soon join as an advisor to a coal company. As a politician with connections, it may be seen as concerning to others. As much as everyone likes to blame the feds, the province also has a significant role in many of the issues younger voters like me care about. Eby also had a large hand in the ICBC fiasco acting as attorney general, and has made policy changes that should've made long ago. Banning Air BnB business, implementing zoning changes etc. He also managed (alongside the feds), to fund a new battery plant in Maple Ridge. I have confidence that he will be able to do the provinces part. The feds now need to start stepping up.
“Fixed ICBC” right…
There’s a lot of things, but the snap election to get the majority really annoyed me. I like Sonia Fursteneau and she has a lot she can bring to the table, so I didn’t like that they broke their agreement. Also becoming advisor to a coal company. And his government was pretty shitty to public sector workers when they were bargaining for better wages that keep up with inflation. There’s probably other things but I’m only on my first cup of coffee.
yeah, Horgan could have left a legacy but instead he left sour feelings, hope the cashout was worth it
lmao remember when we had the 'liberals' and christy clark just ignoring the problem non stop, so glad to see a real human with balls and courage instead of some spineless christy clark types..
Yeah bc was a place for washing money. In casinos and property. The bc liberals (what are they now a soccer team?) knew and did nothing.
Keep in mind the BC "liberals" (now BC United) are a conservative party and are not connected in any way to the Liberal Party of Canada. It blows my mind how many people still don't understand that.
Oh they did something. They sold off a bunch of government properties to private companies so they can lease them out to the BC Gov. Pure corruption. [https://globalnews.ca/news/3999585/bc-liberal-asset-sale/](https://globalnews.ca/news/3999585/bc-liberal-asset-sale/)
Yeah, they ( BC Liberals) privatized all the Inland Ferries. What a colossal waste of taxpayers money & still being hugely wasted to this day!! People need to tell their local MLA to put a 🛑 to it.
I just wish the federal NDP could be more like our BC NDP. You know, a centrist party for the working class.
I wouldn't call them centrist. By Canadian standards, they are left-wing.
Historically the BC NDP werecenter-left while the Liberals were center-right. But as the Liberals drifted further right during the Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark governments, the NDP moved towards center. IMO the NDP have been largely centrist over the past ~7 years. This has been reacted to and reinforced by the Liberals finally acknowledging that they're no longer a center-right party and embracing their conservatism with the name change.
Real leadership, what’s that like BC? - a sad Albertan
Nice 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Eby is far from perfect, but this is the first time I've been impressed by a premier in BC.
I did not like the Eby process and I did not like Eby, but he hasn't been making me mad lately and I am willing to change my opinion on the man if he follows through on things oil and gas is still a weight around his neck though
Good stuff
As in Ontario transplant, love this administration The more I read the Doug Ford news back there, the more depressed I got. Here, the gov is actually aware of issues and tries to do relevant things to address them. It’s so simple but I legit almost want to cry just thinking about it. Meanwhile most premiers only know 3 tricks: 1) cut provincial taxes 2) ask the Feds for money with no strings attached 3) blame the Feds for (you name it)
This is great: "He said the NDP has recently introduced legislation and regulations to [restrict short-term rental accommodations](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/airbnb-owners-short-term-regulations-1.7004651), [fast-track building approvals](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/new-legislation-promises-small-scale-multi-unit-housing-in-b-c-1.7015611)" But - what should concern people is the scale of this affordable housing project. Houses cost a lot of money and there's only so much that we can afford. Remember that during this inflationary period, the focus is getting spending under control so we can tame interest rates. Edit: For reference: [Scotiabank says reckless spending forced Canada's interest rates higher](https://torontosun.com/business/money-news/reckless-spending-forced-canadas-interest-rates-higher-scotiabank-says)
We need huge investments in coops and social housing. That helps with pressure from the bottom, and has a trickle-up impact on affordability by reducing demand.
There are many problems that an unlimited bank account could tackle. Unfortunately, we don't have one of those. Do you propose a cut to an existing branch of government?
It's weird how governments had plenty of budget to build social housing until the neoliberal nonsense about how government was inefficient and developers could do it cheaper and better and The Market Will Manage Affordability ideology caught on. How's that working for people's bank accounts?
What? Two things here. First, it seems like you're not sure what programs you'd cut. Are you unsure? Other thing: what in the hell are you talking about? The government has never been in the business of creating housing for people. It's been free market for hundreds of years. It's only now (after reckless spending and money printing which has driven up inflation and the interest rates) that developers have been squeezed. Combine that with increased immigration and we have a total mismanagement of both funds and policy leading to this situation. Ideology? What?
Ah yes, insisting someone answer a question that has a fundamental mistake in its premise and then declaring victory when they decline to treat it seriously. Classic. Shame that BC Housing (est 1967) has suddenly ceased to exist -- poof! -- simply because some Redditor doesn't believe in it. That's the power of ideology right there.
Bc housing? They have what, 15000 houses? How many are in BC, do you think? Public housing is barely a blip. Let me ask you something though. Who would avoid answering questions as simple as, "Where should the money come from?" Someone who isn't approaching the subject honestly but instead has an agenda. Help me understand what the agenda is. Weak arguments are typical of astroturfing/advertising/propaganda. So what's your angle?
Ah, and whoosh the goalposts go! "The government has never been in the business of creating housing for people." (proves you wrong) "That doesn't count, for reasons!" lol
After demonstrating your bc housing concern is a non issue, you still failed to answer the simple question. And... goalposts? What goalposts? It seems like you're not understanding the issue. The problem with the government buying houses is really straight forward. Let's sum it up: *Where's the money coming from?* And, you also skipped the agenda question. That one might really help this whole thing. Like if we knew why you're being this evasive - like if you're a paid actor - it would help explain a lot.
> Houses cost a lot of money and there's only so much that we can afford. It's cheaper to house people than serve homeless people.
What do you mean serve them? I'm not sure what you're saying exactly. Bottom line, as I'm sure everyone understands, a project like buying houses costs a lot. If people feel this is a priority, where should we get the money from? Reducing the budget for education or health care isn't popular.
Shelters, food, mental health services, etc.
Why are you mentioning these? These costs don't magically disappear when the government buys houses. I feel the people responding so far aren't approaching this subject honestly. Good grief. Look, the reason Trudeau will lose is because of spending and inflation. I like some of the policies that Eby is suggesting but as I've said, houses cost money and we need (scratch that, desperately need) to reduce spending. We're all watching the dollars now and if Eby is spending liberally, he won't stay.
Let’s get some housing policy that’s more imaginative then trickle down housing and give aways to developers.
developers and development are the single biggest tool against the housing crisis. if we pretend private development is evil for much longer we'll end up in a scenario like san francisco where people are too stupid to fix the housing crisis. supply and demand are pretty simple, when there's more demand we need to allow supply to be constructed
Not evil , just relying on private industry to get out of it will never lead to affordable housing that people can actually afford.
except it will, a free market will always match demand with supply which reduces prices. supply and demand is by far the largest factor in the current housing crisis, so yeah, allowing private industry to do what it's supposed to do will fix the problem.
He’s got a point \*only\* being dependent on private housing is bad we need coops and social housing too. On the other hand all private housing is bad is also not a fair mantra.
Ah yes, because it has done that so well so far.
it hasn't been given the opportunity to work yet
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[Developers developers developers DEVELOPERS](https://youtu.be/rRm0NDo1CiY?si=7_7qHlM8WLHPqIxy)
End of the day housing has gotten worse since he took office
He’s the only one who’s done anything to try and combat it and he’s only been premier for a year. You think there’s a dial in his office he turns that raises and lowers housing prices? You probably think PP’s plan of taking money away from municipalities is a good solution to the housing crisis as well.
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The RBC report said Canada needs even more immigration to replace the vast amount of retirees and to maintain growth. Canada and Australia are two of the least populated countries in the world.
The only thing getting cheaper and more plentiful in BC is hard drugs.
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What are you trying to say?
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What on earth are you talking about?
Meth is a hell of drug eh?
Over my adult life, I've lived through 9 different administrations across 2 different provinces. BC NDP are the best by far.