This week in housing: New homes and better rental protections?

Good morning,

A big thank you to our Insider members who replied to my poll yesterday on what story we should write about first.

The majority of you wanted a deep dive into short-term rental issues in BC and around Canada. While I work on lining up some interviews, I’ve got a little surprise for you next week about a hidden gem Vietnamese restaurant I can’t stop thinking about.

Today we’ve got:

• 🏠 More affordable housing

• ❌ Improvements to rental rules

• 👮 And why shoplifters aren’t being convicted

Let’s go!

— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity Lookout newsletter writer

HOUSING

Province announces more affordable rental funding

What happened: The province announced funding to help build 3,500 new affordable rental homes for moderate and low-income families, according to CityNews. Municipalities, First Nations and non-profit groups can submit housing proposals for the program.

Background: The Building BC: Community Housing Fund is designed to fund 20,000 homes by 2032, with $3.3 billion in funding. According to the government, 9,000 are already being built.

• The projects set aside 70 percent of homes for people paying rent based on income, at 30 percent of their household income. The remaining 30 percent are for households with moderate incomes, according to Urbanized.

Key point: As cities ramp up development projects, having a partner like the BC government focused on the low to moderate-income households, which historically was the government’s role, will be key to creating a diversity of housing options, and not just expensive condos.

Deep dive: In 2017, the NDP promised to build 114,000 affordable rental, non-profit, co-op and owner-purchased units in 10 years. As explained by Policy Note, the province has not formally tabled the policy to do this.

• They note the Community Housing Fund, where this week’s announcement came from, is not approving enough projects that apply. The result? The results are too modest to achieve their overall goals.

New rental protections incoming?

In other housing news, the provincial government is indicating they may reform laws that experts say are being abused by landlords so they can kick out tenants and increase rent.

The problem: Evicting tenants is difficult, due to the precariousness of housing and the impact on families. Landlords have been increasingly replacing tenants by saying a family member would be moving it, which is allowed under the rules, according to CTV.

• In this hot rental market, landlords can get double what they previously charged. Even with the fine of 12 months in rent, they still stand to profit.

The solution: The Ministry of Housing says they’re working on changes to the Residental Tenancy Branch (RTB). Advocates are calling on the following changes:

• Landlords fill out and submit a form to the RTB, which would create a paper trail;

• Focus on preventing evictions, rather than dealing with them afterwards.

The Lookout’s view: Evictions based on renovations have to be presented to the RTB and demonstrate the renovations are substantial in nature. Doing something similar for family members would be a good step forward.

VANCOUVER NUMBERS

📈 $3,013: The average monthly cost in July for a one-bedroom unit in Vancouver, up 16 percent from last year and 2.3 percent from last month. [Urbanized]

🎫 $100: A fine a homeless man received for his items blocking the pathway of a senior on a scooter. [CTV]

⚾ 60%: The percentage of Vancouver residents who support bringing an MLB sports team to Vancouver. [Business in Vancouver]

🏦 $389,000: The amount a Vancouver woman is suing TD Waterhouse for allowing unauthorized transactions on her account. [Business in Vancouver]

CRIME

Shoplifters not being charged according to data

What happened: An investigation by Global News shows that while people are being charged for shoplifting crimes, many are not being prosecuted in the courts.

Five months ago, police touted over 200 arrests over three weeks when cracking down on shoplifting, with police recommending 278 charges. But the numbers paint a different picture:

• 56 percent of those have not been formally charged;

• Only 39 percent of those charged were convicted;

• 62 of those charges are still pending.

One reason why shoplifting may be increasing is because of the rising cost of living and inflation, with people being forced to steal to afford to live, according to the Vancouver Sun.

The problem: Police can bring evidence, but it’s up to the courts to determine if there are reasonable grounds for conviction.

• Yes, but: While not a comforting thought for those impacted by shoplifting, the numbers in Canada are still lower than 2019, even though last year saw an increase of 31 percent in shoplifting, according to Statistics Canada.

Though-bubble: A quick search on Google for VPD and shoplifting shows numerous articles touting police press releases on cracking down on shoplifting. At what point does it make sense to promote crackdowns when little is done afterwards?

DREAM HOME

A two-bedroom for under $800,000? Near commercial? With a good-sized patio?

Yes, this place is real. Now, it’s not huge at 830 square feet, but this place has a lot of real charm. The living room is laid out nicely, with hardwood floors and a separation between the dining and living room. The master bedroom is also big enough you won’t need to worry about fitting your bed. Plus it has a decent storage room!

See how much this affordable place near Commercial will set you back.

House of The Week is a home selected by the Lookout team and is not a paid advertisement. All ads are labelled as such. If you’re a realtor who wishes to feature your home in our newsletter, please contact our sales team.

THE AGENDA

⚽ Why all the secrecy? Council still refuses to release the details of their contract with FIFA to host the World Cup, saying they are bound by confidentiality agreements. [Business in Vancouver]

🤫 Speaking of secrecy, city council won’t release the details of the transportation plan for the Senakw development, citing that disclosing the plan would harm intergovernmental relations with First Nations groups. At this point, anyone trying to stop the project may want to move on to something else, as building has already begun! [Western Investor]

🎵 Bad news for all the Drizzy fans. Drake had to postpone his concert on Monday until Wednesday due to, and I’m not kidding, a scoreboard installation issue. [CBC]

👍️ The Downtown Eastside market, a popular sport for local residents, will continue at it’s new location at 305 Main St. The current location on Hastings is being turned into a BC Housing project. [Vancouver Sun]

⛽ If you drive, you’ve noticed a big increase in Vancouver gas prices. The cause says an expert, is because of the changing season, refineries changing the type of gas they use as the summer ends. Hopefully they don’t get as bad as last year which hit $2.40 a litre. [CTV]

💊 If you’re on Ozempic beware, the popular diabetes drug — but mostly used for weight loss — is being limited by B.C. pharmacies as the world deals with a shortage of the drug. [CTV]

🚓 It’s been three weeks since an 18-year-old was shot and killed in an encounter with police at Clinton Park, and law enforcement have provided no additional details about what happened. While police originally said the person had a firearm and people reported hearing shots, they are saying the Independent Investigations Office of B.C is looking into the case. [Vancouver Sun]

TWEET OF THE DAY

The B.C. Coroners Service announced 1,455 deaths so far this year from the toxic drug supply. As this chart shows, we’re on track for the worst year ever…

ARTS

Theatre

Vancouver Fringe is back from Sept. 7-17, with theatre, comedy, dance and more. If you like performance art, you’ll want to attend.

Goblins? Macbeth? That’s what’s on over at Bard on the Beach until Sept. 24. Goblin:Macbeth has been called “comedic” and praised for its “unique presence.” [Stir]

Music

Check out the pop music festival Pop Overthrow, with performances from Thursday to Saturday starting at 8 pm at LanaLou’s at 362 Powell St.

Movies

Hairspray, Mash Potatoe Time, The Thing, Do the Right Thing and more are on this week at VIFF’s 80s summer movie series.

Art

Some see drum groups and dancers at Stalew Pow Wow, an immersive cultural event, along with art and other events, on from Sept. 15-17 at Langley Events Centre.

Check out the Nikkei Matsuri family festival at the Nikkei National Museum and Culture Centre, celebrating Japanese culture, from Sept. 1-3.

The Throwback on Sept. 23 features an immersive art experience from 16 artists at the Ironworks building in Gastown. [Listed]

If these reviews of Banksyland are any indication, you may want to skip the event when it arrives in Vancouver… [BlogTO]

Check out the CityScape Community ArtSpace for the semi-annual Art Rental Show from Sept. 1-23, with over 400 works of 2D art. You can even buy what you like! [Stir]

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• If you want to eat like Drake, check out La Terrazza, where the rapper visited for dinner. [Dished]

• Here’s a great profile on the history of Hastings-Sunrise, a neighbourhood I feel doesn’t get enough attention. [Monte Cristo Magazine]

• BCAA has launched an electric bike share program at Burnaby Mountain. Now please bring them to Vancouver so the city has more options than just Mobi. [Business in Vancouver]

• A new tool launched by YVR lets you scan a code at the airport to see if you’re at risk of missing your flight, so you’ll have to skip a stop at Carls Jr. [Urbanized]

• Most Vancouver outdoor pools are closing Sept. 4, so visit while you can! [Urbanized]

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

A Reddit user shared these photos from their trip in Vancouver. It’s a beautiful series, with many black and white shots that capture the city in a different light.

GAME TIME

Today’s VancouverGuesser has been in the news recently. Can you guess this park name?

Reply with your name and the correct answer to be featured in the newsletter.