Non-market housing seen as only solution
Letters to The Vancouver Sun argue that federal and provincial politicians must recognize that only non-market housing will fill the need for affordable housing. Linda Shuto of Vancouver praised Erick Villagomez's op-ed on housing supply versus demand, stating, 'This is the best analysis I have seen in years. Now that developers’ demand for supply, supply, supply has not resolved our housing crisis, it is time for federal and provincial politicians to recognize that only non-market housing will fill the need for affordable housing. The market was never the answer. Now we have proof.'
Newer condos too pricey and too tiny
Howard Rafael of West Vancouver contrasted developers in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s who divided condominium buildings into fewer but larger apartments marketed to end users, with developers in the last two decades who chose to divide buildings into large numbers of smaller units marketed to investors. He noted that the latter business model was profitable during low interest and boom years, but when the bubble burst, builders were left with dwellings that were too pricey and too tiny. Rafael added, 'These are the condominium apartments our politicians propose to purchase with taxpayers’ money because they didn’t build needed non-market social housing in the last decade. The public will be bailing out both incompetent developers and incompetent politicians.'
99-year mortgages proposed
Odd Grydeland of Campbell River suggested a simple solution: governments and financial institutions should establish a program offering 99-year mortgages. He argued this would make monthly payments more affordable for many people, even at a generous interest rate. 'The original buyer might never own the unit outright, but a new owner can take over the mortgage. Early payouts might also be an option,' Grydeland wrote.
Oversupply of unaffordable housing
Irene Wotton of North Vancouver emphasized that governments should support non-profit housing groups by facilitating rezoning, permitting, and providing long-term leases on publicly owned land. She stated, 'Building more units doesn’t solve the problem — they have to be units people want and can afford. We have an over supply of unaffordable housing and a serious lack of affordable housing. Our governments should not be bailing developers out any more than any other business that hits hard times/makes poor decisions. “Build it and they will come” hasn’t worked for developers this time. We need to learn from this.'
Praising Canada
In a separate letter, a reader praised David Freeman's essay 'My Canada is not for sale,' calling it an excellent piece that brought them to tears. They wrote, 'These kinds of articles should be available to everyone. We should have more positive expression, rather than political unrest. Sing the praises of our country. Let the young children read this to have their identity as being a Canadian be reinforced. Give them hope to go forward in their lives with positivity. We should all feel this pride in our country.'
