There are many factors influencing the rising cost of housing and we will need multiple strategies to address them. What I will do as Councillor is look throughout BC, Canada and the greater global community for what is working and replicate them here. For example, one of the factors is the increased cost of materials impacting the construction industry. Let’s look to other building methods for sustainable and cost effective structures (rammed earth, 3D printing, earthships, cob, tiny houses etc) and analyze their feasibility for our community.
The zoning, red tape, build code requirements and regulations involved in building safe structures are cumbersome, difficult to navigate for new structures and cause us to do the same old, dame old. With families today being more diverse than the nuclear family, we need more diverse housing options so that everyone can have safe shelter that is within their budget.
Another example I would look into expanding are housing co-ops, which allow for families to come together and share resources and live well within the community. Current wait-lists are over 2 years for this type of housing. Housing co-ops can be designed for multi-generational living, where neighbours are encouraged to live closer together and build up the connection that has been lost in the past two years.