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As rents soar, tenants organize local protests. But what's needed for a national housing movement? (www.cbc.ca)
submitted 3 years ago by to c/vancouver@lemmy.ca
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Advocates say there's appetite for protests over the housing crisis, but several obstacles remain...

Data from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) shows Canada has ramped up construction in recent years, including over 240,000 new home starts in 2022, just slightly down from the record-high 244,000 units started in 2021. Additionally, Statistics Canada data shows that from 2019 to 2021, housing stock growth outpaced population growth in Toronto and Vancouver, two of the hottest markets in the country.

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[–] 4 points 3 years ago (1 child)

What's really needed: make real estate a less lucrative investment by aggressively raising property taxes (which are generally a percentage of the assessed value), or at least land-based property taxes (and encouraging dense development).

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago (2 children)

    And if you raise the taxes on rental properties, who is going to eat that shit? Landlords? No. It will be renters.

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    • [–] 3 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (1 child)

    What's needed:

    • feds to get their head out of their ass
    • outlaw residential rental property ownership by corporations, MP's, and MLA's
    • outlaw all property ownership by foreign entities and close ownership-by-proxy loopholes
    • force sales on properties that are now illegal to the above-mentioned to own (either to willing small private buyers, collectives, or government operated housing)
    • make blatant "renovictions" illegal
    • legislate maximum allowable rent increases to equal inflation

    What will be done:

    • fuck all
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  • [+] -11 points 3 years ago* (1 child)

    Making rent increases match inflation is gonna make rent much higher.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago* (1 child)

    You misunderstand. It's not a mandatory increase, it's a maximum allowable increase.

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  • [+] -7 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Oh I think you misunderstand. The maximum allowable is going to be the increase every year. Been there experienced that on both sides of the fence.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago (1 child)

    Don't asshole landlords increase the rent constantly at much higher rates anyway? Just the other day, I saw someone say their rent was going up by 20%.

    In any case, the maximum could be set at a fraction of inflation.

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  • [+] -14 points 3 years ago

    You missed the part where they subsequently contacted the RTB and the increase was illegal.

    If people want anywhere to live, rent need to keep pace with inflation, otherwise landlords will just sell the property to the next wealthy homebuyer leaving normal people out in the cold (or heat as the case may be).

    There are plenty of Canadians wealthy enough to purchase homes in the $1-2 million range before it ever got cheap enough for people just making ends meet.

    But you’re right, nothing will ever get done. It’s just the way it is. People who want homes better move to smaller population centres and come back once their careers and wages can afford living here.

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    • [+] -12 points 3 years ago*

    What is needed? A whole bunch of people who are willing to live on the streets or in a less convenient suburb or small city rather than in a unit in a major city. If demand drops, so will prices.

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