Stories that matter
Highlights from three issues facing the community over the last few years.
Why Burnaby Decided to Develop Its Own Housing
The Tyee — August 23, 2023
In an effort to fight off rising rents and housing stability, the Burnaby city council created their own authority in which to help with the issue. The goal is to build for units that rent at 20 per cent below the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s median for an area, which would put it at 50 per cent below market rents. Their objective is to create a housing authority that will allow the city to be more nimble, proactive and direct.
This means everything from a dedicated staff to speedier approval processes, with the hope these initiatives will signal to senior governments that Burnaby is an attractive partner to work with.
Burnaby Citizens Association powers back to win council majority
Burnaby Now — October 15, 2022
This reporting showcases the power voter turnout can have as well as how little most citizens care about their own civil politics. With a paltry voter turnout of 19.78 per cent, it highlights the value in participating for those who do run for these positions — BCA incumbent Coun. Alison Gu, at age 26, won a second landslide victory with the highest number of votes at 17,340–4,316 more than the candidate following in second place, BCA incumbent Coun. James Wang. She won 8.08 per cent of the vote. As B.C.’s third largest city, Burnaby showcases that even on this level, there are factions with differing views as the dominant power, the BCA, a left-leaning NDP-affiliated party won over most council seats.
The Secret to Real Affordability? Trust in Land
The Tyee — Oct 3, 2023
I remember reading this story when it came out and really loving it. It’s about two buildings in the Loughheed neighbouhood of Burnaby. They comprise a single housing co-op, a rarity in this landscape of condos, with 244 units available at below-market rents. For decades, they’d been under the control of a pension plan that leased them out to them as a co-op. Rents are way below market, with some going for $771 for studios. Then, the pension plan decided to sell, thus igniting fears for all residents who live there, especially older tenants who live on fixed incomes. The author goes into detail as to why this doesn’t exist as much in our country — the federal government stopped investing in housing in 1991, where only recently have they started again — which has made these types of co-ops unicorns in a sea of private market capitalism. Thankfully, the city of Burnaby, the province of B.C. and a non-profit, the Co-operative Housing Federation of BC, stepped in to buy the two buildings so no one had to move.
