Victoria Realtors Applaud New Housing Strategy - October 2006

News Release - October 2006

Victoria area REALTORS® are applauding the new strategy for housing unveiled today by provincial housing minister Rich Coleman. "The strategy helps those people most in need and will likely have a minimal impact on the private sector housing market,"said Scott Kendrew, president of the Victoria Real Estate Board.Kendrew was one of a number of invited guests at today's news conference where Minister Coleman announced the new $63 million housing package of rent supplements, new supportive housing for the Premier’s Homeless Initiative and new assisted living units under the Independent Living BC program for seniors.

"This strategy fits nicely with our own ‘Quality of Life’ program at the Victoria Real Estate Board that puts a priority on supporting housing opportunities for all in our community," said Kendrew.

"We’ve been on the public record supporting the idea of rent supplements since Jeff Bray first raised the suggestion in the legislature in the Spring of 2005," Kendrew added. "We’ve also publicly called for all provincial housing programs to be under one minister and continued to push for more solutions to the issue of housing affordability on Southern Vancouver Island.

"What’s missing from the actual strategy outline this morning," said Kendrew, "is more detail on what the government has in mind to encourage legalization of more secondary suites and construction of rental units in our low vacancy rate communities. We’ve talked to the minister about these topics and sense he’ll have more to say in the months to come." Kendrew noted that the province will need the cooperation of both the federal government and local governments if the housing challenges facing the Victoria area are to be seriously addressed.