The Victoria News reached out to candidates seeking one of eight councillor seats at the Victoria table with three questions.
(Missing are those who did not respond or could not be reached: Herb Collins, Arthur McInnis) 1.
What should Victoria’s housing priorities look like? Jeremy Caradonna – This term, city council approved a record-setting 9,000 new homes, with around 70% of those homes being market rentals and non-market affordable rentals.
The first priority moving forward is to get built what’s already been approved, including large projects in Harris Green, downtown, and at Capital Iron.
Moving forward, the priority is two-fold.
First, advance townhome development that allows for attainable home ownership, noting that recent missing middle developments have sold in the $500K and $600K ranges, which is promising.
Second, massively expand non-market affordable homes, both in the city and across the region via the CRD.
Wendy Bowkett – As someone who has been active in Victoria’s neighbourhood associations for two decades, I have an appreciation of the challenges we face.
Housing policy should produce homes people can afford while protecting what makes Victoria’s neighbourhoods livable.
We must protect existing low-cost homes while prioritizing co-op, non-market, attainable rental and affordable ownership housing.
Well-designed gentle density should fit the neighbourhood and provide an alternative to demolition.
As we grow, we need to ensure we are investing in parks, tree canopy, transportation and other essential infrastructure.
Developments that comply with updated neighbourhood plans, heritage policies and zoning should be fast-tracked.
Jerry Garcia – Victoria needs homes people can actually move into, at prices they can afford.
I would make approvals faster and more predictable while keeping clear standards for safety, design and neighbourhood amenities.
We need more middle-sized housing, rental homes and supportive housing, with infrastructure planned alongside growth.
I would publish the time each approval takes and track housing starts and completed homes, not just permits issued.
The test is whether young people, families, workers and seniors can find a place in Victoria.
Matt Dell – Victoria needs to prioritize affordable housing, rental housing, and supportive housing.
Victoria has a sufficient supply of market housing, but people with lower-incomes need more affordable options, especially in family-size units.
Victoria also needs to reduce red-tape and construction costs, to incentivize local builders to create the types of homes Victorians need, including family housing, townhomes, and in-fill development.
Stephen Hammond – Victoria needs more housing, but we also need the right housing in the right places.
I support more suites, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and appropriately scaled apartments, while avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach that allows very large buildings to be placed next to much smaller homes.
Building more high-cost housing will add supply, but it does not by itself create housing that low and moderate-income households can afford.
The city should streamline approvals, reduce unnecessary costs for genuinely affordable projects, protect existing renters, and work with provincial and federal governments that have far greater resources to deliver non-market and affordable housing.
Jason Heit – Victoria needs more housing that people can actually afford.
That means increasing supply while ensuring growth is thoughtful, well-planned and supported by the infrastructure and services our neighbourhoods need.
We should reduce unnecessary delays and red tape, encourage a greater mix of housing options, and work with provincial and federal governments to address affordability.
Housing isn’t simply about building units; it’s about building communities.
Growth should respect neighbourhoods, protect green space where possible, and create housing options for families, seniors, workers and young people who want to remain in Victoria.
Margaret Gardiner – An effective strategy for Victoria has five components: accelerate building of new housing, especially for low/medium income earners; protect existing affordable housing, including heritage homes; walk-back missing middle housing policy to the provincial dictate of four units on a lot, not the four and six-storey structures adopted by council; strengthen tenant protection from evictions; and provide a pathway for transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing.
Our measure of success should be the number of homes built and occupied, not the number of housing permits granted.
Residents must have opportunity for real input to planning of their neighbourhoods.
James Harasymow – Victoria should be investing in low-income housing.
We need way more affordable housing.
Bella Lee – We are in a housing crisis, and we need to tackle it from all angles.
I’ve met so many people who feel priced out of our community, or are too stressed about making their next rent or mortgage payment.
High rents are cutting the flexibility and joy out of household budgets, and a cheap rent keeps someone in a housing situation they can’t afford to leave.
We need more cooperative and non-profit housing, bigger units that families can live and grow in, and all of these built faster.
Let’s build more housing, affordable housing, and protect renters.
Steve Filipovic – The cheapest form of housing is houses owned by homeowners.
Over 60% of people in Victoria rent, and because of the housing crisis rents are high.
Some people are paying more for rent than they would to mortgage similar space.
The city can create investment opportunities for people to lower the barriers to home ownership in partnership with equity held by the city.
Something the owners can pay off over time.
By shifting renters to owners prices for Victoria rental market should trend lower.
Jack Sandor – Victoria needs more of all kinds of housing, especially deeply affordable and family-suitable housing.
As an electrician, I’ve worked on everything from deeply subsidized housing to condos, townhomes and high-end homes, and I’ve seen firsthand how much the cost and complexity of building affects what actually gets built.
The city should make it easier and less expensive to build housing throughout Victoria, while putting more public resources toward the homes the private market is least likely to provide on its own.
That means more non-market and supportive housing, more homes large enough for families, and options for seniors to downsize.
Shona Dion – Housing is a provincial responsibility, but the city does have the ability to influence how and where housing is built.
I don’t support unfettered development.
The city must prioritize affordable and below-market housing to stabilize the market.
This must also be done with community consultation.
Increasing density is important, but knocking down affordable existing units has only displaced tenants who lack the ability to afford the often doubling of rents, even with first refusal in the new developments.
I also believe strongly in building on city-owned land and the creation of land trusts which counter the real reason for escalating real estate prices.
Melissa Cseszsko – I grew up here, and have lived in many different areas of Victoria, so I have heard from residents, young and old, about affordability challenges.
I worry that we have been focusing on developing townhomes that are out of reach for your average person, rather than preserving available rental housing and prioritizing non-market affordable rental homes.
It should be possible to preserve the character of our neighbourhoods while creating incentives to build rental properties that people can afford.
Krista Loughton – Victoria’s housing priorities must focus on creating the right housing types for different life stages and income levels, including affordable rentals for individuals and families, accessible homes for seniors, and sober recovery and supportive housing to help people off the streets.
We also need to make better use of existing housing by encouraging house conversions and supporting Victoria’s Positive Transfer Pilot Program, which I initiated, to help people move from supportive housing into independent living with rent supplements.
This frees up supportive units for shelter users and shelter spaces for people living on the street, to help reduce visible homelessness.
Karen Rothe – Victoria needs more homes people can afford, and a plan for where they go.
I support the right mix of market and non-market housing, guided by reliable data and matched with the infrastructure and services growth requires.
Renters, homeowners and neighbourhood associations should help shape those plans before decisions are made.
I’ve spent 30 years in planning and public policy.
I know growth is coming.
The choice before us is whether we plan for it well, protecting what makes each neighbourhood work while making room for the people who need a home here.
Dave Thompson – All sorts of housing for all sorts of people.
We need housing for: seniors and young people, families, couples and singles; students, workers, seniors and those not working for other reasons; people of all situations and income levels.
There is no single magic bullet.
That said, our most pressing shortages are in the lower half of the market, where the vacancy rate is still very low and rents are persistently high.
Susan Kim – Victoria’s housing priorities should start with protecting the affordable homes we already have.
That means maintaining existing affordable housing, especially below-market and non-market rental units, through an aggressive expansion of retrofit programs and targeted tax exemptions that reward building maintenance over forcing tenants out.
Victoria must also crack down on bogus evictions by introducing a renoviction bylaw modelled on Toronto’s.
Tenants should be guaranteed housing during renovations, have their moving costs covered, and retain the right to return to their original unit at the same rental rate.
Housing priorities should prioritize stability, affordability and keeping people in their communities.
Peter Rose Gibbs – First and foremost we need to protect the affordable homes we already have, while building new non-market housing.
All levels of government need to fund the maintenance of existing affordable housing.
Then we need to build more non-market housing.
I would double annual contributions to the Housing Reserve Fund and be proactive in acquiring land for development by non-profits builders.
We also need to protect tenants from evictions.
A renoviction bylaw would guarantee housing during renovations, ensure tenants have their moving costs covered, and retain the right to return to their original unit at the same rental rate.
Martin Girard – Let’s first not make things worse by allowing irresponsible renovictions and demovictions, which displace seniors and low-income residents in favour of market rental suites which they cannot afford; many people end up homeless on our streets this way.
The 110 Menzies St.
rezoning and permit application in 2022 is a prime example of neighbourhood gentrification for evicting dozens of tenants living in affordable suites by a developer offering only market rentals.
Meeting arbitrary housing targets must not come at the expense of current residents.
What are the most pressing local transportation issues? Caradonna – The big challenge in Victoria is growing congestion.
The data we have suggests that a major factor in congestion is vehicles being driven into the city from surrounding jurisdictions.
This is a result of not offering enough transportation choice across the region.
Transit ridership has been flat at 8-9% of total trips for many years, and this is a huge problem.
We urgently need better transit and to develop rapid-transit on Highway 1 (starting with bus on shoulder) and on the E&N line, with commuter rail between Langford and Victoria.
We must continue to invest in multimodal trails, too, as the CRD is doing with the widening and lighting project on the Goose.
The key word is choice.
Bowkett – As someone who uses multiple modes of transport, from cycling to transit to driving, I know we desperately need a balanced reliable transportation network that works for everyone.
All modes must work together, rather than compete for limited space.
We need safer, better-maintained roads, sidewalks, and crossings, with particular attention to emergency services and accessibility.
Transportation decisions should be supported by evidence, meaningful consultation and performance metrics.
The city needs to work with BC Transit and senior governments to improve frequency and reliability of service and expand regional connections.
Garcia – People need reliable ways to get around, whether they drive, take the bus, cycle, walk or use mobility aids.
Today, congestion, unreliable travel times, parking pressure and gaps in safe routes affect daily life and downtown businesses.
I would work with BC Transit and neighbouring governments to improve frequent bus service, fix dangerous intersections and maintain practical access to downtown.
Street changes should be assessed with real measures of safety, travel time, accessibility and business access.
We can make every mode work better by listening to the people who use these streets.
Dell – As the city grows, we cannot expand road space to accommodate more cars, so we need to create more options for people to travel without using a personal vehicle.
This means investing in public transit, making buses faster and more frequent, investing in electric buses, and starting work on a light-rail system.
We need to ensure people of all ages can bike safely throughout the city, with a special focus on ensuring kids can bike to school safely.
I also support traffic signal modernization to ensure vehicles aren’t delayed unnecessarily.
Hammond – Transportation needs more balance.
We should make walking, cycling and public transit safer and more attractive, while recognizing that many residents, businesses, tradespeople, families and people with mobility challenges will continue to rely on vehicles.
I want better regional transit, improved traffic flow on major corridors, coordinated road construction, safe cycling infrastructure, and reliable access for emergency vehicles, deliveries and customers.
Transportation projects should be judged by measurable results: whether they move people efficiently, improve safety and reliability, and maintain reasonable access — not by whether they favour one particular way of getting around.
Heit – Congestion, safety and the ability to move efficiently through Victoria are major concerns.
Thousands of people travel into the city every day for work, school and services, so transportation cannot be addressed by Victoria alone.
We need better regional coordination and stronger provincial and federal investment in transportation infrastructure and public transit.
Within Victoria, we should review what is working and what isn’t, including traffic flow, transit connections and bike infrastructure.
Decisions should be based on evidence and measurable results, with a balanced transportation system that works for pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, businesses and drivers.
Gardiner – As the economic, employment, and cultural centre of the South Island, Victoria draws workers, visitors, students and others into the city in large numbers every day.
Let no one tell you that the solution....
