David Eby, Champion for Housing Affordability – Part Two

There are, political policies and attitudes, that have created our present crisis. Additionally, there are many political beneficiaries to your financial misfortune. Next week, I’ll share with you, more of Mr. Eby’s insights; until then, consider our regional situation and how it affects you and perhaps, a timely political change. – Anastasia Anthony Zervos

Thanks for joining me again, reader. Picking up where I left off last week, I continue to profile David Eby, N.D.P.- M.L.A. and Housing Critic, and our conversation.

As I stated last week, his body of knowledge on our housing economy’s serious problems, is so vast, that I found it a disservice to the information to try to condense it to one article. This is an important issue, we all need to be informed about. You need and deserve, to be able to afford your mortgage, whether you are in Vancouver or Port Coquitlam! Shelter is not a luxury, but a necessity. We need to put pressure on our elected officials, to produce change. Remember, you voted them in. You pay their salaries. Their jobs are to serve you and your best interests, and whenever they don’t, you can fire them.

Mr. Eby frankly acknowledges, that the Liberal government has not addressed our housing crisis in the Lower Mainland, because they are the direct beneficiaries of the crisis situation. Two terms of Christy Clark’s government has hindered the development and diversification of our economy. L.N.G., has after many years, amounted to L.N.G. nothing. Mr. Eby observed, that our resource economy has been decimated. If you were to take, together, the proceeds of all of our resources’ earnings combined, it would still be many millions of dollars less than our housing economy’s profits. Our housing economy is being used like a stock market. Why? What a waste. What a waste of two terms of governance!

Tech, while making some gains, has not performed as well as hoped, partly due to our real estate market. We not only find it expensive to live and work here, but companies and the individuals who may relocate here, to work for them, find it that way also. I have talked to such persons, who are shocked at the cost of housing here; total outsiders. Sorry, but the mountains and the ocean don’t justify or explain the price tag on property. Well, what does this mean; our government is starving everything except for the real estate sector, intended or not.

People actually provide Airbnb services just to pay for their mortgages. The Huffington Post reported on this earlier this year. I actually have had persons, that I’ve shown property to, tell me the same thing. This, of course, has partially contributed to recent, ridiculous, rental increases and exploitive tendencies in private landlords; yet another loss in the housing sector.

No one in government is doing anything about it; nothing for you and I anyway. Why? They are serving themselves. Your unaffordable mortgage on your over valued, over taxed property, shores up an otherwise pitiful economy, and makes the Liberals look like they are doing a bang up, economic job!

Mr. Eby made me aware of a little known bit of disgusting information. Christy Clark, in addition to her annual salary, takes a $50,000 a year stipend from her party. Ms. Clark already takes home a figure very close to $200,000. Remember when she gave herself and her party raises? Many of you reading this don’t make $50,000 a year! The funds are directly related to political contributions. Real estate developers, some of them very well known, contribute to that fund. What does that mean; well, they are effectively paying her allowance. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, Christy. Just the hands that voted for you!

The foreign buyers tax, a band aid measure, in Mr. Eby’s opinion, likely implemented to appease a restless and burdened voting public, suspiciously, leading up to elections, only occurred after endless denials on the part of Ms. Clark and Mike de Jong that foreign buyers had any influence upon our market at all. Justin Trudeau acknowledged it before they did!

I’ll leave you with that thought, reader. We’ll talk again next week.