By Adam Olsen
For the Peninsula News Review
Housing is the most difficult challenge we face. There are so many fuses attached to this issue. It is charged on all fronts.
Homes are the centre of our lives. They provide us emotional safety and financial security.
People respond powerfully when their housing is threatened or destabilized.
The current housing crisis in British Columbia is affecting all demographics differently.
As a legislator there is really no simple solution. The former BC Liberal government allowed the situation to erode to such a point that no matter what we do, or don’t do, people are going to be affected.
Those who own their home, or who have made an investment in a second property, defend their investment. And, why wouldn’t they.
People whose housing is more tenuous feel marginalized, and may be vulnerable to just one minor incident pushing them over the edge.
Homes can be a great source of comfort and confidence. But as we have seen, in the context of the ongoing crisis, the issue of housing and potential solutions to the housing crisis have become extremely polarizing.
As I campaigned leading up to the 2017 election, I heard an overwhelming desire at nearly every doorstep, and every town hall, for legislators to be bold and do something to address the housing crisis.
Throughout this term, housing policy, whether it is regarding rental housing or addressing supply and demand, has created the greatest amount of tension of any issue we have addressed.
Elements of our society are demanding immediate action.
The BC Green caucus worked for months with the BC NDP government to refine the speculation and vacancy tax, to arrive at a policy that we could accept. It was difficult work.
Eventually, we arrived at a position we could agree with, and after the government made final amendments to reduce the impact on Canadians and ensure real engagement with local governments, the BC Green caucus voted in favour of the legislation.
In the months following, the communications and engagement from this government with homeowners who may be affected have left a lot to be desired.
From the correspondence we have received, people have felt stranded, left in the dark and with very little information to work with. That is not acceptable. British Columbians deserve better.
We have heard your messages and we share your frustration.
While we must be courageous in our action on the housing crisis, we must also be compassionate, and ensure we tread carefully.
There are many people in Saanich North and the Islands who will have difficulty filling out yet another form. There may be privacy issues submitting some of the information requested through the mail.
We will continue to work with the BC NDP government to encourage them to communicate their initiatives better.
If you have challenges with understanding the Speculation and Vacancy Tax declaration form, please contact our office. You can reach us at 250-655-5600 or Adam.Olsen.MLA@leg.bc.ca. If you need a hand filling it out drop by. We are located on the second floor of the Landmark Building (#215-2506 Beacon Ave.) in Sidney.
Adam Olsen is the MLA for Saanich North and the Islands.