Tag Archives: Affordable Housing

Finances

Seven ways to tackle inflation without raising interest rates

Originally published on Corporate Knights

Editor’s note: Guy Dauncey’s Big Solutions: Raising interest rates is a cruel cudgel that hurts the most vulnerable. There are other responses that governments and central banks should consider.

By Guy Dauncey

There are many causes of inflation, but there’s only one solution central banks seem willing to consider: increase interest rates. This has many people scratching their heads: Why would this bring down the price of rent, food or gas? Won’t it increase costs for anyone who pays interest on a variable-rate mortgage or consumer loan? And won’t it make essential green investments more difficult?

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Community

B.C. unprepared to house immigrants Canada is welcoming, experts say

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Editor’s not: Very few of the people moving into our area appear to come from directly from overseas. According to  State of Campbell River 18 of the 4,029 people (i.e. about ½%) that moved to Campbell River between 2015 and 2019 came from outside of Canada.  Quadra Island’s Community profile states 12 of the 470 people (2.55%) that moved to Area C between 2011 and 2016 were immigrants. The Cortes Island Profile does not differentiate between people from ‘another province or another country,’ but states 27.7% of the household moves between 2011 and 2016 were made by people from outside of B.C. The vast majority were most likely Canadians.

By Shalu Mehta,  New Canadian Media, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Simran Sahani took a leap of faith in October, 2022 and moved from Mumbai, India to Victoria with her husband and six-year-old daughter. The couple left their long-standing jobs, family and home behind in the hopes of forging a brighter future for their daughter. While they knew it wouldn’t be easy, Sahani says it’s been harder than anticipated to find housing and jobs that match the education and experience she and her husband have.

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Politics

Interview with Mark Vonesch, new Regional Director (part one)

In mid-November, Currents ran an article on the novel Finnish approach to homelessness, “Housing First,” and three local communities where low-cost housing had been created for those in need. We invited the new Area B Regional Director (Mark Vonesch) to comment on the housing issue generally, and on “Housing First” as a concept. Mark wasn’t able to respond in November, but agreed to an interview in early December.

The interview will be broadcast on CKTZ in two parts. The first part (airing on Monday Dec 12 at 8am) is a more general check-in with Mark; we ask him about his first few weeks on office, the three percent short-term rental tax which he successfully proposed at SRD, and his perception of the atmosphere at SRD with regard to Cortes business. We also begin to discuss the housing crisis on Cortes. In the second part (Tuesday Dec 13 at 8am) we discuss the housing issue in greater depth.

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Housing, Politics

Coming before the SRD Board, proposed provincial responses to the housing crisis

Three days after he was sworn in as Premier of British Columbia, David Eby unveiled new legislation designed to increase the pace of new construction, remove age restrictions in stratas (except for the +55 restriction that promotes seniors housing) and tap the supply of vacant units for the rental market.

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Housing, Indigenous Nations

Citaapi Mahtii signs the deed for affordable housing development

By Alexandra Mehl, Ha-Shilth-Sa, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Port Alberni, BC – On Tuesday, Nov. 29, Gina Amos, Wally Samuel, George Frank, and Ed Ross met with Port Alberni Mayor Sharie Minions. They came together for the signing of the deed to the former Cedarwood Elementary School, where they plan to build an affordable housing complex for Ahousaht members living in Port Alberni.

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