'The stakes are massive': Housing remains top issue ahead of Vancouver Island municipal elections
Fewer than three weeks before municipal elections, housing continues to dominate many campaigns on Vancouver Island.
Ross Crockford, a journalist with Focus Magazine, says while housing is always a big issue at the municipal level, it's bigger than usual this year.
"In this particular election it seems to be bigger than ever – the stakes are massive for so many people," he said Tuesday.
In Victoria, the controversial missing middle initiative, which would allow multiplexes to be built across the city without changes to zoning, sputtered a few weeks ago. A decision on the policy has been kicked down the road for the next mayor and council to decide – a table that will feature a new mayor and at least seven new councillors.
"So who gets elected is going to, in a way, be a referendum on this missing middle policy," said Crockford.
In Ucluelet, B.C., council voted three to two earlier this month to impose restrictions on short-term rentals and allow for carriage houses – steps its mayor says are aimed at addressing a lack of affordable housing and maintaining the character of its neighbourhoods.
"This is the largest decision that I made and I think this was the decision that was important to make in order to protect the 2,000 residents," said Mayor Mayco Noel.
The current mayor isn’t running again. Meanwhile, the two councillors who voted against the changes are running for mayor.
While the next municipal leader in Ucluelet may want to tweak the new bylaw, Noel thinks the essence of the new housing rules will remain.
"We stopped a bit of a storm that was coming to our front door," he said Tuesday.
In Oak Bay, B.C., council has recently taken steps to address its own housing problems, voting last week to green light secondary suites and ban short-term rentals.
"Housing is in a crunch everywhere, including Oak Bay, so this will help," said Oak Bay Mayor Kevin Murdoch.
"It won't solve all the problems but it's one piece of the puzzle," he said.
A housing puzzle that's shaping up to large consideration when voters hit the polls next month.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.