- Vancity Lookout
- Posts
- City council could cut the Empty Homes Tax from 5% to 3%
City council could cut the Empty Homes Tax from 5% to 3%
Here's why they're doing it
Geoff Sharpe
May 08, 2023
Good morning,
It’s Monday, which means you’re probably getting ready to go to work. So here’s a fun fact — apparently you need to register with the City of Vancouver to be a fortune teller.
Of course, you don’t need a fortune teller to know Mondays are the slowest day of the week. Here’s hoping this newsletter can make it a little easier.
In today’s newsletter, we cover:
Why the city may reduce the Empty Homes Tax 🏚️
The one-month anniversary of the encampment eviction ⛺
The beginning of the end for the Canada geese overpopulation 🦢
Onwards!
— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity Lookout newsletter writer
If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free.
WEATHER
Monday: 18 🌡️ 9 | 🌤
Tuesday: 17 🌡️ 9 | 🌧| 🌤
Wednesday: 18 🌡️ 11 | 🌤
WEEKLY LOOKOUT
Endowment lands future: Metro Vancouver’s electoral area committee will meet on Wednesday to decide whether they agree with the provincial study that says the area of 3,200 people should either become its own municipality or merge with the City of Vancouver. [Vancouver Sun]
Rollback tax increase: We break it down in the next section of the newsletter, but city council will vote on whether to roll back the five percent Empty Homes Tax to three percent. [Vancouver Sun]
CITY HALL
Empty home? Your tax may be rolled back
Should owners of empty homes get a tax cut? A proposal coming before city council this week may do just that.
What’s happening: City staff are recommending that the Empty Homes Tax be moved back to three percent from the current five percent slated to take effect this year, according to the Vancouver Sun. The tax, brought in 2017, has generated $115 million which has gone towards affordable housing projects.
The Vancouver Sun reports the increase is expected to be reversed by council.
Background: The policy was brought in by the previous council to combat increasing unaffordability in the city due to a lack of housing supply. The provincial government also has a vacancy tax. Both are designed to make it more expensive to keep a home empty.
The rationale: Staff are using a study by EY Consulting Services to justify the cut. It’s argued the tax encompasses many people who may not actually have a vacant home, such as those waiting for renovations or redevelopments. While the tax is working, the study cited concerns that some owners may be non-compliant and could increase bureaucratic costs.
Vancouver
Yes, but: Coun. Adrienne Carr noted that it’s not exactly clear why five percent was the amount identified, and that she plans to ask why at the council meeting, according to Vancouver is Awesome.
Carr said, “I'm interested in hearing the reasons why they think a leap to five per cent is going to have a deleterious effect — and that it's not going to give us any more revenue, and it's not going to return homes [to the rental market]. I don't understand that. It's a peculiar kind of conclusion to come to."
Of the homes subject to the tax, 56 percent of the properties were condos, and the majority of those were in downtown Vancouver. But as a percentage of population, West Point Grey, the West End and Shaughnessy had the most.
Zoom out: In Toronto, dwellings that are “sitting empty or not occupied by ‘usual’ residents,” increased by 40 percent from 2016 to 2021, compared to a decline of 10 percent in Vancouver, according to the Vancouver Sun.
Urban planner Andy Yan of Simon Fraser University told the Vancouver Sun a month ago, “to have such a sea change (in Vancouver and B.C.) is astonishing,” when it comes to reducing vacant properties.
Thought-bubble: If the policy is working, and there are concerns about non-compliance, then couldn’t more resources be brought to bear to encourage compliance? Like any tax, some may try to skirt the rules, but should that really mean not following through on a policy that’s working?
VANCOUVER BY THE NUMBERS
📉 36%: The decline in vacant properties between 2017 to 2021 after the vacant home tax was brought in. [Vancouver is Awesome]
🏠 61,213: The number of vacant properties across Metro Vancouver as of last year, a drop from 66,719 compared to five years ago. [Vancouver Sun]
HOUSING
One month later, what’s changed in the Downtown Eastside?
It’s been just over a month since the city cleared out the tent encampment in the Downtown Eastside. But have things actually improved? Here’s what different stakeholders told CBC.
The mayor: Citing improved safety from the removal of unsafe fire hazards like propane tanks, Sim said things have gotten better in the community.
The police and fire departments: Violent incidents and tent fires decreased, as police said they’d “seen signs that safety conditions are improving throughout the encampment area” according to the Vancouver Sun. No sexual assaults were reported in the encampment from April 5 to 20.
The mayor’s former chief of staff: Kareem Allam told the Sun “from a health-care outcomes perspective, that's not the right decision” to remove people from the encampment, according to CBC. The original plan, according to Allam, was to remove residents once enough housing had been secured.
Encampment residents: Wade Woodward told CBC things for him have gotten worse, as people are nastier, and his items have been stolen. He’s afraid to live in an SRO because he was stabbed while living there.
Michelle Lackie, executive director of Exchange Inner City, which helps people in the area, told CBC that crime and sexual violence may still be happening, but not in one place.
What it means: With more supportive housing arriving in June, there may be more help for those displaced from the encampment. But just because the visible signs of the tent city are gone, does not mean life is better for the homeless.
THE AGENDA
🏠 The opposition United Party is raising questions about a Vancouver MLA’s travel expenses between Vancouver and Victoria. The MLA represents Vancouever-West End, but has his permanent home address in Colwood. He says part of the reason was because his child had a medical condition that was treated in Victoria, and that his expenses are lower than 61 other MLAs. [Vancouver Sun]
🔮 A 50-year-old business license bylaw may be about to change, as city staff reduce the number of license types from 570 to 88, to reduce bureaucracy and make it easier to get a business license. That likely means no more fortune-teller-specific licenses. [Vancouver Sun]
🔍 About 200 people came together this weekend to search for 36-year-old Irshaad Ikbal, who’s been missing for more than a week. If you have any information about his disappearance, please get in touch with the police. [Global News]
🔥 An arrest has been made after a fire in East Vancouver on Friday that required 40 firefighters to tackle. [CityNews]
🖼 After a seven-year delay, a public art project called Home + Away in East Vancouver at Vancouver’s Hastings Park, is expected to be completed this summer. [CBC]
📰 The New York Times has a deep-dive profile into whether China helped Ken Sim win the election. The answer? Nope. But the story does a good job of bringing together a lot of disparate information into one cohesive story. [NYTimes]
🪧 UBC is going to court to stop research assistants at the university from forming a labour union. They argue that the assistants are receiving scholarships, not wages, and therefore shouldn’t be considered workers. With 3,200 members, it represents the largest unionization drive in the province in a long time. [The Tyee]
ENVIRONMENT
It’s Goosinator time
Vancouver’s long-running animal-related nightmare may finally (starting to!) be over.
What’s happening: Today, Vancouver’s Parks Board will decide how to go about managing the massive Canada geese population problem, according to CTV. The board will choose from two different proposals:
Non-lethal strategies including removing eggs, hazing and scaring tactics using a remote-controlled device called a Goosinator, and allowing dogs on park fields in the morning.
All of the above plus some culling (killing) of existing geese populations.
Background: Currently, there are 2,200 geese in the city and the population increases by about 20 percent every year, according to CTV. There are upwards of 800 geese nests in the city.
Zoom out: It’s not just a Canadian problem. American cities are also dealing with massive population spikes, creating dirty parks and water contamination, according to Smart Cities. Some cities have resorted to oiling eggs, preventing them from breathing and reducing the population.
Fun fact — Canada geese were considered extinct in 1962 but the population was revitalized, something many Vancouverites are probably less than pleased about.
What it means: Anyone walking in the city and along the ocean knows the geese have been a problem for a while and the city is finally taking it seriously. Commissioner Tom Digby told CTV “It seems like there are a lot of tactics available to us, and I would like to see those exhausted,” which means culling may not be used right away.
EVENTS
Henry Tsang: The 1907 Anti-Asian Riots in Vancouver | Centra Library | Today, 7 pm-8:30 pm | A discussion about what led to the demonstrations and how to stop it from happening again | Free
The Show | Emily Carr University | May 11-25 | Come see an exhibition featuring 300 works of art by the graduates from a range of mediums | Free
Crazy For You | Royal City Musical Theatre | Now until May 14 | The popular musical theatre performance about saving a threat | Starting at $27
Shipyards Night Market | The Shipyards | Friday nights | After a three-year hiatus, the popular market and beer garden returns | Free
Sunsetter Music Series: Pineapple Night With Michael Fabro | Stanley Park Brewpub | Wednesday, 7 pm | Live music by local artists, giveaways and special fruit beer | Free
SPORTS
🏒 The Canucks signed 2022 first-round pick forward Jonathan Lekkerimäki to a three-year, entry-level contract. [Canucks Army]
⚽ The Whitecaps beat Minnesota United 3-2. In a not-so-great stat, it was the first time this season the team managed to score more than one goal in a game. Brian White scored two of the goals. The team is now at 3-2-5, and is seventh in the Western Conference, and haven’t lost in eight games. [The Province]
⚽ Yohei Takoaka is having a stand-out year as the Whitecaps goalie, and this interview shows why he loves the city so much. [Daily Hive]
🏌️♂️ Vancouver’s Stephen Ames won of the Mitsubishi Electric Classic golf game at -19, up four on his closest opponent. [CBC]
COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS
Everyone’s favourite Vancouver resident, and niche musician interviewer Nardwuar, interviewed Nickelback at Neptoon Records in Vancouver. [YouTube]
The Slice of Life gallery is hosting an exhibit called 90’s Kid which features some of the most iconic toys from the era. [Vancouver is Awesome]
Marke Driesschen, the weather forecaster for CTV Vancouver, had heart replacement surgery and is expected to make a full recovery. [CTV]
A former BC Transit electronic trolleybus is now operating in Mendoza, Argentina. [YouTube]
PHOTO OF THE DAY
As an owner of an adopted dog, I have a real soft spot for shelter animals, so every so often we’ll feature a photo of an animal who is looking for their forever home
This one caught my eye. Tiana has been a shelter dog for more than a year and is still looking for a home. Her profile says she’s great around other dogs, likely can live in an apartment, loves being chased and just like other Huskies, she’s a real talker.
GOOD NEWS MONDAY
Start your day off with some good news:
It may be bad news for people who hate heat, but this weekend is set to be another perfect day to visit the beach, with temperatures heating up to 24 C, but feeling like 28. [Daily Hive]
MEME OF THE DAY
The famous Barenaked Ladies song, but updated for Vancouver.
GAME TIME
Today’s quiz features Vancouver’s least favourite animal. How many Canadian geese are in Vancouver? Reply with the answer and we’ll include your name in the newsletter.
What did you think of today's newsletter? |
Thanks for reading to the end. If you enjoy Vancity Lookout, we have two things you can do to help our community grow: