Tag Archives: BC Housing

Housing, Poverty

Tenants from Village on the Green rally for more housing security

Editor’s Note: When asked what caused their most recent housing loss, the #1 answer in all 20 Point-in-Time Counts taken in BC last year was ‘not enough income.’ In Campbell River a quarter of the respondents had been homeless for less than 6 months and 65% had been Campbell River residents for five years or more. When the 2021 Census was taken, 12,835 Campbell River residents, 200 households in Area C and 70 households on Cortes Island were spending more than 30% of their income on housing. They are considered to be ‘at risk’ of becoming homeless. 

In the following story, the residents of a 38 unit subsidized housing complex in Victoria are about to be turned out to make way for a new housing development. They have been promised first right of refusal in the new development’s subsidized units, once it is built. Meanwhile, as they do not possess sufficient income to pay market rental rates, many will most likely be living in the streets.

By Sidney Coles, Capital Daily, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Tenants of a community of subsidized housing units near Cook and Johnson destined for demolition are worried that once their home is gone, they won’t be able to afford another. 

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Housing, Poverty

Options ever slimming for unhoused people attached to Pandora

Editor’s note: Greater Victoria’s most recent Point of Time Count, taken on March 7, 2020, found 1,665 people experiencing homelessness.

Homelessness continues to be a problem throughout our region and the rest of British Columbia. When the Cortes Island Housing survery was carried out in 2023, 8 of the 265 respondents were ‘unhoused.’ Point in Time counts in urban areas like Campbell River, the Comox Valley and Powell River found 197, 272 and 126 ‘unhoused’ people, respectively. A quarter of the respondents in Campbell River reported they had been homeless for less than 6 months and the #1 explanation all respondents gave was they did not have enough money to pay rent. 16% of the respondents in Campbell River, 20% in the Comox Valley and 12% in Powell River reported a full or part-me job.

By Sidney Coles, Capital Daily, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

After a series of City of Victoria tent-clearing operations along the Pandora corridor in the fall, interlocking blue fencing was installed to deter illegal sheltering along its 900 block. At around the same time, a facility at 926 Pandora used by people to store their belongings was shuttered. 

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Politics

Michele Babchuk Meets With Cortes Island Voters

Recording by Bryan McKinnon; Broadcast and text by Roy L Hales.

NDP incumbent Michele Babchuk came to Cortes Island Saturday, October 12, in the second in a series of meet the candidate events organized by the Climate Action Network. 

There is not room to unpack close to two hours of fact filled conversation into this half hour, but the full podcast is at the bottom of this page and here are some highlights.  

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Politics

A Cortes Island view: the local election campaign on September 30

338Canada’s latest projection for North Island Riding, taken on September 30, shows the Conservative party of BC having just taken the lead in the popular vote. Nineteen days from the election, they may currently be supported by 47% of the electorate as opposed to 42% for the NDP. The media website uses data from recent polls and the riding’s history. They have covered 13 general elections and, so far, 338Canada claims to have successfully identified the winner in 1,657 electoral districts 89.9% of the time. That said, this is essentially a ‘point in time’ analysis and yesterday showed these two parties virtually tied.

 “We know this is going to be a really close election, so we’re rolling up our sleeves and we’re not taking anything for granted,” said Michele Babchuk, the NDP candidate and current MLA for our riding. 

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Politics

MLA Michele Babchuk visits Cortes Island

MLA Michele Babchuk was on Cortes Island for a few days last week. She spoke to Cortes Currents after meeting with some of the island’s non-profits in the Village Commons. This was the third time she’s visited the island since she was elected in 2020. 

“I’m hearing that Cortes actually has a lot of capacity and we’ve known that for a long time. There’s a lot of not for profit groups here. A lot of them are feeling extremely underfunded,” she explained. 

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