April 5

Fifteen joined us for all or part of our time together as we welcomed MLA Adam Olsen and Constituency Advocate Jerram Gawley to this ASK Salt Spring gathering. Adam began by offering our Territorial Acknowledgement, initiating a conversation about housing that lasted for our entire time together.

He began by introducing us to Bill 13 – Land Title and Property Law Amendment Act being debated in the Legislature. This bill proposes to remove discriminatory barriers concerning First Nations land ownership.

Currently, First Nations in BC are unable to acquire, hold, and dispose of land in the name of the First Nation.They are required, instead, to set up an alternate arrangement, such as a corporation.

While Adam believes that passage of this legislation may have limited impact, its importance is that it will remove one of many discriminatory laws that were designed decades ago to intentionally create barriers for First Nations. These barriers have resulted in the institutionalized impoverishment of those living in Indigenous communities.

Adam reminded us of the 2008 legislation that allowed mortgages on Reserves for the first time. Before this ability to obtain a mortgage through lenders, all building and improvements had to be individually or government funded. Obviously this created a dramatic inequity for First Nations people and is a clear demonstration of how the Canadian government created and maintains two separate systems.

In Adam’s opinion, our provincial and federal governments too often discuss adding to First Nations’ capacity. Instead, Adam suggests we focus on removing the multiple discriminatory legislative barriers that have resulted in creating poverty. He suggested we read his Mother’s analysis of the on-Reserve housing policy, Making Poverty: A History of On-reserve Housing Programs, 1930-1996 ( Microsoft Word - Olsen_Sylvia_Phd_2016.docx (uvic.ca).

Did you know that one-third of British Columbians rent?

Adam believes that a major focus of our provincial government should be upon stabilizing housing for the hundreds of thousands of households who are spending more than 30-50% of their incomes on rental housing. This cost is unsustainable, and these renters live in fear of losing their home.

Salt Spring has the unfortunate distinction of being ranked 16th of the Canadian communities with the largest wealth disparity. With 300-400 insecurely housed individuals and families in trailers, in basements, and in boats, those living rough tend to be more visible. Less visible are our essential working population, numbering in the thousands, who are inadequately housed, forced to leave because they cannot find secure housing they can afford.

With economists predicting that the cost of homeownership will increase when interest rates come down, Adam recognizes that the complex and systemic housing crisis we face is partially fueled by the reality that local salaries that are too low to pay for available housing. We learned from Adam that the federal and provincial governments stopped funding social housing in the 1980’s and early 1990s, depending on private sector developers to build affordable housing. In Adam’s opinion, it requires the robust construction of non-profit, social housing to address this unfortunate decision.

Adam suggested not depending solely upon BC Housing but also locally pursuing creative housing solutions, such as co-housing, cooperative housing, and a resurgence of the once-popular boarding house, believed to be legal in most Salt Spring zones. (Trustee Laura Patrick will clarify rules around boarding houses.)

While BC Housing supports purpose built housing, Adam also has advised the Ministry of Housing that, on the Southern Gulf Islands, with the challenges of the construction of new multifamily homes, they buy homes that are already on the market. These homes would be repurposed into a variety of models, from below and market rentals, strata, co-housing, and co-operative to accommodate a variety of individual and family needs. Adam told the Minister that this could create more housing quickly because it is already built, requiring neither approvals nor new infrastructure, like water and sewer.

While this idea of buying already-existing homes and renovating them could require BC Housing funding, much support for this option could be provided by a local nonprofit responsible for acquiring the funding and hiring a property management company to oversee tenant agreements as well as property maintenance.

Are we doing enough to support the rental of currently-existing vacant suites?

While a participant reminded us that BC Tenancy Laws make it very difficult for a landlord to evict a non-paying tenant, Adam countered that bad news stories tend to outbalance the reality that the vast majority the landlord-tenant relationships are healthy and mutually beneficial.

Two participants had recently visited Duncan Village, a parking lot that has been turned into temporary housing for 34 individuals most in need. They were enthusiastic about this initiative. We learned that this housing has resulted in remarkable improvement for residents, with approximately 40 % healthy enough to move to other less supported accommodations and an impressive 75% reduction in hospitalizations for this group.

Spearheaded by an inspired mayor and supported by the provincial government, we learned that a major factor in the success of this village was the Community Action Team (CAT). This CAT is a powerhouse of approximately 200 organizations with the passion; expertise; will to acquire the significant funds, estimated at $1 million a year; ability to work effectively with residents as well as the community; and the willingness to rattle chains when necessary.

There was some discussion about such a CAT on Salt Spring. With its just-completed Housing Council AGM, some wondered if this recently reorganized group could take the lead moving Salt Spring housing challenges from seemingly unsolvable problems to solutions. Stay tuned. . . .

The long-delayed Drake Road supportive housing projects was briefly-discussed, now planned as a three-story building accommodating 32 supportive units and four worker housing units that are believed to be separate. With completion now estimated to be mid-2025, a participant wondered if this promise of supportive housing is harming the development of other initiatives to address the needs of our marginalized community members. Are we depending too heavily upon this as being our solution? It was agreed that as soon as the Drake Road supportive housing is completed, more will be needed.

Adam acknowledged that provincial housing initiatives have been geared toward metropolitan centres, designed for urban communities with the greatest perceived need. This challenges rural communities, like Salt Spring, when competing with urban areas for funding. Adam is committed to continuing to advocate for a more balanced policy and distribution of funding. He recognizes that, while the scale and scope of need in urban communities is greater, the impact of a smaller number of targeted affordable housing in rural communities will have a dramatic impact on the local community.

Despite these daunting challenges, Salt Spring has a strong core of talented, enthusiastic individuals determined to seek solutions, residents with money to donate/invest, and land available for sale as well as PARC managed, community-owned possibilities.

We concluded a disturbing conversation about an economic system gone awry, leaving large portions of Canadians and too many Salt Springers without secure housing, with some confidence that other communities, like Duncan, are forging solutions and that Salt Spring, despite its challenges, has some important resources to address our housing crisis.

On this optimistic note, we left this ASK Salt Spring gathering, thanking Adam (and Jerram) for joining us every month, sharing his unique perspective, pushing us to look at uncomfortable issues, listening with empathy, seeking solutions, and consistently working with us to achieve a better-than-ever Salt Spring. (Thanks, Adam and Jerram!)

Please join us this Friday, April 12, 11-1 in SIMS (former Middle School) Classroom next to the Boardroom to welcome several of your Local Community Commissioners.

What would you like to ask them?
- What has the LCC accomplished since you were sworn in last June?
- What are your top three priorities for 2024?
- What do you see as the biggest challenges for the LCC?
- How do you plan to use the skills, energy, and experience of Salt Springers to accomplish your goals?
- And?

Please join us this Friday to welcome your Local Commissioners!

Just in case you are interested. . . .This report has been written by Gayle Baker, Ph. D., founder of ASK Salt Spring, currently also a Salt Spring Local Community Commissioner. This report has also been edited by this week’s special guest.

Did you know that ASK Salt Spring now has an Event Organizer? Grant Fredrickson has stepped up to identify special guests and coordinate their visits. . . Wahoo!

Who else would like to help? Maybe you would like to take charge of weekly media? Do you see yourself facilitating? How about writing reports? Or. . . ?

Please join us making ASK Salt Spring ever better!

Big News:
ASK Salt Spring now has ongoing funding! A heartfelt THANK-YOU to the Institute for Sustainability, Education, and Action (I-SEA) and its Executive Director, Peter Allen !!!

***New fundraising option***
You can now give the Return It change you earn from your bottles to ASK Salt Spring: Account #230.

Any questions, anytime: ask@asksaltspring.com

Want to see reports from all the ASK Salt Spring gatherings,
monthly schedule of upcoming gatherings? Asksaltspring.com.
Want to listen to interviews of our special guests?ASK Salt Spring Answere

Want to help? ASK Salt Spring now has a Save-a-Tape box at Country Grocer.
We love your receipts! Remember: #15

Our Partners. . . .
Institute for Sustainability, Education, and Action (I-SEA), Country Grocer through Save-a-Tape and Gift Cards and Island Savings' Simple Generosity grant.
A heartfelt Thank-You!