What would you do to immediately improve the situation of affordable housing in our region?
While the BC Liberals are blaming foreigners for our problems, the BC Libertarians have an actual solution to our housing crisis.
The problem with housing affordability is one of supply. Basic economics says that when supply is limited and demand is rising, prices must also rise. I trust the economists over the emotional outbursts of elected officials. There are a seemingly infinite number of hoops to be leapt through and fees to be paid before development of a new home can begin.
I would work directly with municipal governments to simplify re-zoning. We want to streamline permit applications so that developers aren’t waiting for 18 months to get approval. There is no justification for the way the provincial and municipal governments constantly interfere with private development of homes. Limitations of the size and style of dwelling (to attract only certain families within certain income ranges) are as immoral as they are wasteful. For example, over 80 per cent of the land in Vancouver is zoned single-family residential. By relaxing restrictions, we can free up the market to provide significantly more housing and do it at a lower cost.