Green Party of Vancouver City Council candidate Adriane Carr joined with Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada and MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands, to announce a new petition calling for immediate changes in Canadian tax law to support the growth of affordable rental housing options. The new tax law would encourage the building as well as the maintenance of such options. Vancouver’s skyrocketing rental and real estate prices have become a central issue in the Vancouver civic election.
“Vancouver’s other political parties have failed to significantly address this problem,” said Adriane Carr. “The NPA’s eco-density program, and Vision Vancouver’s STIR (Short-Term Incentives for Rental housing) program have both failed to achieve meaningful results. In fact, the STIR program has created huge controversy by allowing spot rezoning for high rise developments that don’t respect neighbourhood character, zoning, or citizen wishes,” Carr continued.
Vancouver has one of the lowest vacancy rates in Canada (between 0.6% and 2.2%, depending upon neighbourhood) and with real estate prices rising much faster than inflation, affordable housing options are shrinking. More and more Vancouverites are struggling to find reasonable rental options.
“Reinstating federal tax incentives to support the creation of affordable rental housing in Vancouver is a smart, achievable strategy,“ said Carr, “We can grow Vancouver in a way that enhances everyone’s quality of life.”
Petition attached here.