According to my campaign door-knocking experience and Saanich’s statistically-significant survey of residents done in 2019, housing is the biggest issue and challenge facing our community. The gravity of housing challenges came into stark view when Saanich’s Housing Needs Report was published last fall (https://www.saanich.ca/.../Planning/Housing-Needs-Report.pdf). It highlighted a huge and growing gap between income levels and price points for housing availability in our community, as well as the fragility and inadequacy of rental housing in Saanich.
In response to this situation, Saanich Council appointed a task force to advise the District on strategies to improve the diversity, supply, and affordability of housing in our municipality. The Taskforce churned through a huge number of complex topics in a mere 6 months and have provided a set of suggested actions that form the basis of the survey linked above, which will inform our very first Saanich Housing Strategy (the Taskforce Report can be found here https://www.saanich.ca/.../Saanich%20Housing%20Strategy...).
I have high hopes for this strategy. In my opinion, the stakes are high. What’s at stake is having a municipality where everyone, regardless of income, can find safe and secure housing options. Astonishingly, I also believe what’s at stake is having a municipality where even middle-class people and professionals (e.g., teachers, nurses, lawyers) can find housing to fit their budgets and meet their needs. The logical outcome of the trajectory we are on is that these individuals decide to go elsewhere and quite plausibly work and shop elsewhere too, which I know is happening already. In sum, I think our vision for an inclusive municipality with vibrant, complete communities is what is at stake. It’s also important to note that there are several synergies between creating more affordable forms of housing and another passion of mine - mitigating climate change. But that is a post for another day.
I’ve sensed a lot of cognitive dissonance going on when it comes to housing discussions and particularly contentious (typically multi-family) housing developments. It often seems that the realities of housing costs and economics and their implications for everyday people aren’t well understood or appreciated by those who oppose efforts to add to the supply and diversity of housing in our community. I think those details matter, and I believe they are quite compelling.
Right now, in our municipality, approximately 50% of residents are considered to be in the low-medium income range, yet less than 10% of existing housing units are in an appropriate price range for those incomes (as determined by standard federal benchmarks from CMHC; see the infographic below). Last month, average single-family home prices were just shy of $1 million in Saanich East, and about $850,000 in Saanich West, making them out of reach for everyone but high-income earners (or as past studies have shown, everyone but the top 10% of earners). And yet, Saanich’s vast land-base is dominated by single-family homes. Zoning that permits multi-family units (which are within financial reach of a greater number of people) covers only about 3% of our municipality. However, I’ve experienced the significant political challenge in increasing that small percentage – even on a project-by-project basis. The numbers just aren’t adding up, and the stakes are too high. I think we have to act.
I'm always reluctant to talk about my personal life & situation, for a whole host of reasons, particularly given my awareness that I am in a very privileged position compared to many others. But, sharing my experience with trying to get into the housing market might be illustrative of a problem that is quite common for those in their 20's, 30's, and 40's, yet is likely surprising to many others. (Though not the focus, my experience below also highlights why we're also seeing a growing number of renters across a range of income levels, and why we desperately need more purpose-built rental housing in our municipality.)
I have been saving for a down payment on a home for 9 years, which started after first paying off my student loan, and I’ve been fortunate enough to earn an above-average income since my career began. Over much of that time, despite adding to my savings annually, I wasn’t getting closer to purchasing a home because the growth in home values (and also the down payment needed) out-paced my rate of savings. Since my election in 2018, when I found myself with 3 jobs, I've been able to save enough for a down payment and am interested in buying. For obvious reasons, I'm interested in doing so in Saanich. However, I’m not able to sustainably carry the $3,500-$4,000/month mortgage that would be required for a single-family home purchase. So, I’m left with Saanich’s very limited multi-family options. Also, I have a dog and a cat. Also, I’m not eligible to live in one of the 55+ strata developments. Also, who knows – perhaps there will be kids in my life one day, so the 19+ strata units really won’t work either. What are my options? On any given day, according to MLS, there are usually 0 options for me to buy a home in Saanich, and occasionally 1 unit comes up that meets these basic requirements. Forget about actually being choosy about neighbourhoods, or aesthetics or features, or having the luxury of time to think about the biggest purchase of your life before putting in an offer. For me, this situation is really disheartening. For Saanich, I would suggest it is a big problem.
Other people have no reason to limit their search to Saanich.