Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

WILL KAMLOOPS CITY COUNCIL be able to cajole builders to build more than they currently are?

 


Yesterday (May 31st), the provincial government announced housing target expectations, which they say will deliver more homes faster, and announced the first communities they have selected for this honour(?) – Kamloops was on that list

The act enables compliance options as a last resort,
should municipalities struggle to create the conditions
that are necessary to ensure housing gets built.

 

As of May 30th, Kamloops City Council is already on record regarding provincial government interference in local government land use.

A motion from Kamloops City Councillor Nancy Bepple called on the provincial government to “... not interfere with local government land use decision-making authority in regard to increasing housing supply through the Home for People action plan ...”

It also stated that the City of Kamloops wishes to retain its jurisdiction over land use for housing.

That motion passed.

When I asked Nancy if there was anything else important to her on this issue she remarked:

“Kamloops needs more housing. The City of Kamloops and the Province agree on this.

There are many good parts to the provincial Housing for People plan to help meet this goal. My concern about the plan, backed up by my resolution passed by council, is that local decision making for land use is important. I don’t want the province imposing zoning across the City of Kamloops.”

Meantime BC United Shadow Minister for Housing Karin Kirkpatrick said yesterday, “It’s clear that B.C. needs vastly more housing, but it’s incredibly disingenuous for this NDP government to pretend that they are not part of the problem. Number one on this housing naughty list should be David Eby and his NDP government.”

Today I spoke with the BC United Shadow Minister for Finance and MLA for Kamloops North Thompson, and asked what he thought about Kamloops being included on the list of cities targeted by the provincial government, with expectation that they should build more housing.

Peter Milobar, who is also a former three term Mayor of Kamloops, had this to say:

“There are many unanswered questions on how this will work and how, in a tight labour market, Kamloops City Council will be able to cajole builders to build more than they currently are.

More importantly the current NDP government has a lot of the blame for delays in housing with their own stalling of Provincial permits, and increased costs, given the multiple provincial taxes on new home construction.

This seems like a way for the NDP government of David Eby to move attention away from the fact that six years into their ten-year housing plan, they have only delivered twelve percent of that plan.

This has become typical of this government; make an announcement, without any details, and point the finger of blame elsewhere.”.

From all accounts, it seems that Kamloops is doing just fine, thank you very much.

With that in mind, perhaps it’s time that the provincial government got its’ own house in order when it comes to housing that IT has committed itself to, rather than coming down with a heavy hammer on other levels of government.

What thoughts do you have on this matter?

In Kamloops, I’m Alan Forseth. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The NDP is destroying BC's softwood industry as 100 Mile House mill shuts down and jobs vanish

No more than a few days after the province hosted its much-touted summit to discuss the continuing impact of U.S. softwood tariffs, and with Statistics Canada reporting another decline in BC’s softwood production, the axe has fallen on West Fraser Timber’s 100 Mile House mill. Lorne Doerkson, MLA for Cariboo–Chilcotin , says the devastation now hitting the South Cariboo is what happens when government ignores every warning sign coming from the forest sector. “One hundred and sixty-five people in 100 Mile House just lost their jobs,” said Doerkson. “That’s 165 families wondering how they’ll pay their bills and whether they can stay in their own community. The ripple effect will hit every business on main street, from the gas stations and restaurants to the grocery stores.” “The Minister’s thoughts and prayers aren’t enough for those families facing unimaginable hardship. It’s time this minister did his job and not another photo op,” said Doerkson. “The Minister thinks the ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Premier’s Office Acknowledges Richmond Residents Affected by Cowichan Land Claim Face Issues on “Mortgages, Property Sales”

“The Premier’s Office is secretly sending letters to my constituents behind my back. If the NDP were truly committed to transparency and supporting residents, they would have proactively engaged with owners years ago, not rushed out last-minute letters to cover their tracks.” ~~ Steve Kooner, Conservative MLA for Richmond-Queensborough and Opposition Critic for Attorney General Steve Kooner, Conservative MLA for Richmond-Queensborough and Opposition Critic for Attorney General, is criticising Premier David Eby and the NDP provincial government for secretly delivering non-committal, last-minute letters to Richmond residents affected by the Cowichan Tribes land claim. For over six years the NDP misled British Columbians on the implications of indigenous land claims. Premier Eby is now quietly sending staff to conduct damage control following public fallout from his 2019 strategic directive for government lawyers not to argue extinguishment of aboriginal title, even over p...
Post a Comment
Read more

Kamloops woman’s cancer test cancelled due to Interior Health mandates for OB/GYNs (iNFO News)

A Kamloops woman’s cancer screening appointment was considered urgent by her doctors and scheduled within weeks, but it was postponed indefinitely when Interior Health ordered her gynecologist take that day’s on-call shift. Troylana Manson now waits with the mystery of whether she might have cancer amid a staffing crisis for women’s health care specialists in Kamloops. “I was happy to have that appointment in December so we could rule this out, but now it’s thrown in the air again. People in Kamloops, certainly people in positions of power, need to realize what Interior Health is doing”  ... CLICK HERE for the full story
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more