What will Nanaimo candidates do to ensure affordable housing for all?

What will provincial candidates in Nanaimo do to ensure affordable housing for all? That’s a question The Discourse heard after we asked what questions you have for provincial election candidates. 

We sent the question to candidates in the Nanaimo riding. B.C. Liberal candidate Kathleen Jones did not respond to the request by the deadline. We will update this story if we receive a response.

The Discourse is offering pop-up election coverage in Nanaimo based on feedback from residents. Sign up to get our stories straight to your inbox. If enough people want us to continue in-depth coverage in Nanaimo, we’ll stick around. 

Sheila Malcolmson, B.C. NDP

Through our 10-year Homes For BC plan, we’re well on the road to building 114,000
affordable rental and supportive homes for people, we’re fixing up BC’s existing
stock of social housing, and through our Speculation and Vacancy tax – which the BC
Liberals would eliminate – we’ve turned eleven thousand empty units into new
rental homes.

For years, when housing-related revenues were soaring, BC Liberal government
investments in affordable public housing fell short. The resulting lack of affordable
housing has hurt people, communities, and our economy. Our government has
started to turn that around, with more than 25,000 affordable homes – including co-
op housing – complete or underway across the province in just three years,
including more than 1,000 in the Nanaimo area alone. But there is more work to do.
At stake in this election is our 10-year housing plan, and the 114,000 new,
affordable home it’s bringing to tens of thousands of British Columbians. As your
representative, I’ll work to make sure that we continue to deliver on our housing
plan, and that the Nanaimo area continues to receive new investments in the
affordable homes we need.

Seeing folks move into new affordable homes in Nanaimo is life-changing – and
we’re determined to invest more in people.

Lia Versaevel, B.C. Green Party

I would encourage non-profits to build more rental units, as in the Ladysmith Lions Seniors Housing project, and those built by Rotary and Kiwanis in Chemainus. I would work with First Nations, co-operatives and the private sector to expand our current housing stock, and push for renovation and retrofitting of older buildings to provide more and better affordable housing.

In addition, I would work with municipalities and regional districts to modify zoning to permit legal suites where such legislation does not already exist. I would also work to introduce financial incentives for the construction of more rental units. And I would push for a basic liveable income, which will help low-income people find rental housing that fits their budget.

For more information, see the party platforms

B.C. Liberal

B.C. NDP 

B.C. Green 

[end]