A commentary by a Saanich resident.
I understand the need to increase our available housing and the desire to keep costs low so families can afford to live in our cities.
My point involves the historical lack of city follow-through with houses containing suites. Saanich is the perfect example of such municipal irresponsibility and it is entirely feasible other municipalities will share the same track record.
During a 2020 interview with the Times Colonist, then mayor Fred Haynes indicated there were 35,000 single-family dwellings in Saanich.
In a report to an affordable housing committee meeting in 2019, Saanich staff estimated one in two of these houses already contained a suite. Within the same year, staff reported to council that only 195 (1.1 per cent) of homes in Saanich had a licensed suite.
And therein lies the problem. Without licensing, there is no assurance minimum building standards have been met in these suites risking the health and safety of both tenants and neighbours.
Faulty wiring, asbestos, mould, an inadequate number of exits, even the absence of smoke detectors could all exist. The absence of licensing also means the landlord is not required to provide on-site parking.
Further, by not licensing the homes with suites, municipal taxes are not being collected from the homeowner on the additional residents living on their property.
Yet these additional residents draw on Saanich’s municipal services, drive on our roads, may need police assistance and use the libraries.
Is it any wonder why Saanich’s taxes went up 6.67 per cent in 2022 and have risen another 6.8 per cent in 2023? If the provincial government needs to revise the laws surrounding how municipal taxes are determined, switching from a per property basis to a resident and tenant formula, now is the time to do it
I’m confident municipalities will be involved in permitting any redeveloped properties where housing is replaced and therefore safety and taxing issues will be addressed.
Where I’m less certain is the money the province will provide to homeowners to incorporate a suite into their existing home. Will a building permit issued by the municipality be necessary in order to collect the 50 per cent cost of renovations up to $40,000?
Finally, when will municipalities, like Saanich, put into place mechanisms to identify, licence and tax the roughly 17,000 unlicensed suites that currently exist? It is in all our best interests to have municipalities ensure we all have safe housing and an equitable tax base.
