Housing By Decree

[BC Landlord]

What makes BC government think they are in a position to demand from municipalities (i.e. "receive targets") to get into housing/construction business? And who is paying for this? Taxpayer?

The B.C. government has selected the first group of municipalities to receive housing targets in order to spur residential construction, which includes the City of Kamloops — the only Interior municipality on the list.

In a news release, the provincial ministry of housing said these housing targets are being set for municipalities with the highest projected growth and the greatest need.

https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/429521 ... ets#429521

[Babba_not_Gump]

This is a head scratcher. Is the provincial government attempting to put themselves in a stronger position over municipalities, wielding even more power?

But there's another issue here, in Kamloops.
Why pursue even more housing, an increasing population when 40% of the 100,000 citizens here don't have a family doctor?

I could not in good faith advise anyone to move to Kamloops.

[bob vernon]

Yes, the gumment needs to force people into medical schools and when they graduate, the doctors need to be herded into those towns that need doctors. Enough of this freedom to choose where they go to practice. Same thing with nurses. There are all kinds of small towns without nurses. They should be forced to go there and work. They could be monitored with ankle bracelets to make sure they don't escape.

[BC Landlord]

Yes, the gumment needs to force people into medical schools and when they graduate, the doctors need to be herded into those towns that need doctors. Enough of this freedom to choose where they go to practice. Same thing with nurses. There are all kinds of small towns without nurses. They should be forced to go there and work. They could be monitored with ankle bracelets to make sure they don't escape.

I would hate to be helped by doctors or nurses who were "forced" to do their job on me. Same goes for housing. I wouldn't touch any government-decreed piece of RE with a ten-foot pole.

[Glacier]

Maybe the province should look at encouraging people to move to more rural and northern communities instead of forcing Kamloops to get large really fast.

These NDP idiots are so stupid that they don't understand the idea that if you build it they will come. If you let nature takes its course, Kamloops gets really expensive so people move to Williams Lake, Clearwater, or Prince George instead. But if you force prices lower in Kamloops by forcing housing builds, even MORE people will move to Kamloops, and then you're back to square one again.

[gertlush]

Their hearts in the right place, I think, but its light on detail. Well, no detail. And unfortunately the NDP is pretty useless when they try big things, or anything really. .

[BC Landlord]

Here aare some more details about the decree ...

Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon on Wednesday revealed the first 10 municipalities that will be required to hit yet-to-be-established targets on new home construction or risk having the province force through higher density.
....
Tom Davidoff, executive director of UBC Sauder School of Business’s Centre for Urban Economics and Real Estate who helped develop the metrics used to pick the 10 municipalities, said smaller municipalities like West Van, Saanich and Oak Bay “stick out like a sore thumb (because) they’re expensive, they’re almost all single-family homes and where the land is most valuable. So that’s where you should have more multi-family homes.”

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-new ... ughty-list

The NDP's plan is actually a ghettoization (forced densification) of smaller, mostly SHF, pricier communities, all in the name of "equality" ...

[GordonH]

Classic example is the Projects of NYC.

[BC Landlord]

Classic example is the Projects of NYC.

If NDPs got a grip on NYC, Central Park would become a tent city.

[Babba_not_Gump]

This how the NDP will over rule municipalities.
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-new ... ughty-list

If communities don’t meet the targets within six months, the province will appoint an independent adviser to help them make progress. If that doesn’t work, the province will wield a bigger stick and overrule the municipality with the power to rezone entire neighbourhoods to create more density.

Is that heavy handed?

[Catsumi]

It seems that government over-reach at all levels is the norm now. They slipped the shiv into our ribs and we didn’t even notice it.

Now this, where they can (and probably will) rezone our cities without input from us.

Our new Canada

[69cutlass]

This how the NDP will over rule municipalities.
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-new ... ughty-list

If communities don’t meet the targets within six months, the province will appoint an independent adviser to help them make progress. If that doesn’t work, the province will wield a bigger stick and overrule the municipality with the power to rezone entire neighbourhoods to create more density.

Is that heavy handed?

They can't get voted out soon enough

[puterbrother]

It seems that government over-reach at all levels is the norm now. They slipped the shiv into our ribs and we didn’t even notice it.

Now this, where they can (and probably will) rezone our cities without input from us.

Our new Canada

And here's another part of "New Canada" !
I perused the fine print of my "spec tax" bill. and I quote
"The speculation and vacancy tax is different from Vancouver's empty homes tax and from the Government of Canada's underused housing tax.you may need to make separate declarations for those taxes" .
Under used housing tax ? WHAT ?
Does this mean what I think it means or could be used to mean ? Because of my distrust,I would guess that if you are retired,kids gone,big house with more bedrooms than you need that you could be forced to sell or downsize or be taxed for square footage not being occupied and "they" know this from your Canada Census forms.....?

[Catsumi]

Wow! That IS high handed, isn’t it?

If we were back in normal times (-2015) such a notice would be tried in a law court. But now you will have to accept whatever the authorities say it means unless you've got deep pockets for lawyers

Yes, that census form picks you out like a target for special attention

The New Canada

[rustled]

I perused the fine print of my "spec tax" bill. and I quote
"The speculation and vacancy tax is different from Vancouver's empty homes tax and from the Government of Canada's underused housing tax.you may need to make separate declarations for those taxes" .
Under used housing tax ? WHAT ?
Does this mean what I think it means or could be used to mean ? Because of my distrust,I would guess that if you are retired,kids gone,big house with more bedrooms than you need that you could be forced to sell or downsize or be taxed for square footage not being occupied and "they" know this from your Canada Census forms.....?

Puts me in mind of the scene from Dr. Zhivago, where his family's "too-big" house is divided up by the government.

Pushing back against this front of Social Justice activism will only become more difficult as more and more people adopt the attitude people are entitled to other people's housing.