File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)
By Shuswap MLA Greg Kyllo
Sound Off

SOUND OFF: NDP fall short on housing affordability

Oct 19, 2023 | 10:30 AM

LIFE HAS NEVER BEEN MORE UNAFFORDABLE in British Columbia. Every visit to the grocery store is accompanied by the shock of rising prices, and every trip to the gas station gets more painful as prices hit levels that would’ve been unimaginable just two years ago.

The NDP’s middle-class squeeze is crushing families and British Columbians can’t catch a break. Not only is life in B.C. becoming more expensive, but the costs associated with everyday living, and simply putting a roof over your head, have vastly increased under this government. David Eby’s broken promises and empty announcements have led to soaring rents and housing costs that are out of reach for the majority of people.

British Columbia now has the highest rents in the country and the most expensive housing in North America. The future looks so bleak that 74 per cent of non-owners have given up on the dream of ever owning a home. This has unfortunately become the NDP’s “new normal.”

After six years and two terms, housing and homelessness have never been worse than under David Eby and his NDP government.

David Eby thinks that the solution to housing affordability is to add a blizzard of new taxes and additional red tape. If this government wants to make housing more affordable, they should try making it less expensive. We need a premier that knows how to get housing built. Only a Kevin Falcon-led BC United government can cut red tape and deliver the housing solutions our province desperately needs.

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The NDP’s failures on housing aren’t just inconvenient — they are having a disastrous human impact, as homelessness is worse than ever across the province.

In Williams Lake, homelessness is up 79 per cent since 2018. In Vernon, homelessness is up 25 per cent since 2021, and in Merritt, a staggering 509 per cent more people are experiencing homelessness than in 2018.

Despite record-high homelessness, this government refuses to take any responsibility for the many crises unfolding on our streets. David Eby and his government need to stop pointing fingers and look in the mirror, as it’s his policy failures that have left our communities suffering.

Instead of making it easier to build affordable housing and improving access to treatment and recovery services for vulnerable British Columbians, this premier’s plan to tackle homelessness is to overpay for old hotels and warehouse people without adequate support. This strategy has led to people suffering, escalating vandalism and growing chaos in our downtowns.

Despite record levels of spending and the largest deficit in B.C.’s history, this government has failed to deliver for British Columbians. Affordability has worsened, homelessness has skyrocketed and people are losing hope in the future of our province.

The reality is that results matter, and after nearly seven years of this NDP government, the results have never been worse. British Columbians deserve better — they deserve real action and a clear plan for a brighter future.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.

by Shuswap MLA Greg Kyllo

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