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Qualicum looks to ban adult-only condos

Qualicum Beach, a community that calls itself “the oldest demographic in Canada,” is close to approving a bylaw to ban new, adult-only strata projects.
Qualicum Beach08.jpg
A street scene from Qualicum Beach, which calls itself Òthe oldest demographic in Canada.Ó According to the 2016 census, 52.1 per cent of the population is 65 and older.

Qualicum Beach, a community that calls itself “the oldest demographic in Canada,” is close to approving a bylaw to ban new, adult-only strata projects.

Teunis Westbroek, mayor of Qualicum Beach, said it was a tight vote to advance the bylaw, 3-2, with a final vote expected on Jan. 29.

Those opposed believe the municipality is acting outside its rights and, if people in a strata project elect to enact age restrictions, it’s their right to do so.

But Westbroek said keeping young people and children out of housing offends his sense of what’s right.

“I cannot imagine something like this could have ever lasted where you just say: ‘We don’t want young people, we don’t want children,’ ” Westbroek said. “From my perspective, I think it’s just plain wrong.”

Two incidents inspired efforts to implement a ban.

In one, a woman was returning to her hometown of Qualicum Beach, with a husband and two young children. The family found a condominium, but couldn’t move in because people under 19 are not allowed. The family now lives in Parksville.

In another, a 47-year-old woman wanted to move into a trailer park. But she was kept out because it is restricted to people ages 55 and up.

According to the 2016 Statistics Canada census, of the 8,943 Qualicum Beach townsfolk, 52.1 per cent are 65 and older. By comparison, in Victoria, it’s 21 per cent.

“It’s the oldest demographic in Canada,” said Luke Sales, Qualicum Beach director of planning.

Sales said developing services and infrastructure to serve such a demographic presents the Qualicum Beach municipality and community with challenges.

For example, traffic lights are timed longer than in other communities to allow slower-moving pedestrians to cross safely. Downtown stores feature parking for mobility scooters.

Sidewalk maintenance is huge. When so many citizens have mobility or vision issues and are highly vulnerable to injuries from falls, the municipality must be very careful about tripping hazards. “Our standards for sidewalk maintenance are extremely high,” Sales said.

He said the age-restricted buildings in Qualicum Beach tend to be older and therefore more affordable. So the price might suit young people but age restrictions keep them out. Of the town’s 4,644 private dwellings, according to Statistics Canada, about 500 — more than 10 per cent — have age restrictions.

A lack of affordable housing is causing problems for the older demographic. Without affordable housing, support workers upon whom seniors rely have no place to live.

Sales said Qualicum Beach has historically always had higher housing prices than neighbouring communities such as Parksville. But now, even prices in outlying communities are climbing out of reach for young and lower-income families.

“For a long time, the community here relied upon a workforce coming in from outside the town,” he said. “Now we have housing prices creeping up and getting to the point where even the outlying areas are borderline not affordable.”

He said the municipality has no plans to force existing age-restricted buildings or complexes to change.

The new bylaw will apply only to new projects where a rezoning is required. Existing adult-only buildings or complexes will not be affected, nor will new projects where no change in zoning is required.

Unless individual strata corporations make changes, there will always be age-restricted accommodations available or about to come on the market.

“It’s a very complex issue and there really is no right or wrong response,” Sales said. “But it’s very interesting to see it coming up in a community that has the oldest demographic in Canada.”

“It can be argued that we are about 20 years ahead of most communities in Canada,” he said. “We are experiencing and encountering issues other communities haven’t seen yet, but will see.”

rwatts@timescolonist.com