Editor:
This is in response to the recent newspaper article about the unaffordability of living in the Sunshine Coast. The article mentioned a family of four, earning the “living wage,” would require a rent under $1501.50 including utilities and paying in excess would result in housing insecurity.
In the last two years the rents have gone up approximately 35 per cent. More than 90 per cent of the jobs on the Coast are between Sechelt and Port Mellon, and as of today on Craigslist there are only 11 two+ bedroom rentals in that area. No rentals under $2,200 and nine rentals over $2,400, which according to the recent newspaper article would result in housing insecurity. A poll in the Coast Reporter recently showed 47 per cent of people report earning less than the living wage.
Currently there are 182 short term rentals on Airbnb in Sechelt and Gibsons. An increase in the supply of long-term rentals is critical for the future of the Coast in providing housing security.
Finding a balance between short and long-term rentals may help bridge the gap between local labour shortages and businesses, increase the number of units available, increase affordability and provide incentive to local slumlords to fix up their places.
We are in a serious housing crisis. It’s time that we look for a long-term solution to this complex issue. If we wish for people to stay on the Coast and serve us in our businesses, we need affordable housing options that are attainable for the masses. Perhaps there are ideas that need to be explored through municipal intervention.
• Restrict STR licensing, employing the strategy other communities in B.C. have adopted, such as AirBnB rentals permitted in your personal primary dwelling only.
• Foreign buyer tax.
• Speculation and vacancy tax.
But in the end, it is not just a municipal issue to provide housing security, it is also up to the residents of the Coast who have rental units to perhaps look at accepting a “livable” rental income to keep people on the Coast.
Sheri Peters, Gibsons
