http://www.canada.com/news/postmedia/Multiple+meetings+Tofino+council/6853022/story.html
After wasting hundreds and hundreds of thousands of tax payer's dollars Tofino Council is still talking about subsidized housing !!! With the amount already spent Tofino could have bought a waterfront condo on Cox Bay !! Please encourage Council to stop the madness !!
http://www.tofinohousing.ca/attainable-housing-updates.php
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ReplyDeleteTen or fifteen years ago there was a housing shortage in Tofino. There has been lots of construction since then. Today, there is no shortage. Those who choose to hold a job and get up and go to work on a regular basis have no problem affording a place to live.
There are vacant premises available, today, for anyone who wants a place, except perhaps seniors.... but a new seniors facility is in the works!
I don`t understand the purpose of ``subsidized housing``....not here in Tofino. Sure, I`d like to live in a lush paradise filled with lots of leisure opportunities, and have someone else pay for it (I`d prefer the coast of southern France or Spain)..... but it hardly seems fair to give this gift to some who choose not to work, while others are making beds, shoveling gravel,or scrubbing pots or toilets in order to earn themselves these comforts.
I don`t know anyone employed is this village that cannot afford a place to live, and I don`t know anyone employed in this village that cannot find a place to live.
Homelessness, unfortunately, in many places, is a sad social problem.
Homelessness, in Tofino, is a choice.
I totally agree and will be voting to eliminate/disband the Tofino Housing Corporation at the earliest opportunity.
ReplyDeleteRay Thorogood
Thank You !!!
ReplyDeleteWe do have a Seniors (55+)subsidized housing complex located at 1st & Arnet. It is calIed Mt. Colnet Village and has 4 Suites. Anybody wanting to apply to be on the waiting list or for more information you can contact Shanen or Darrell at 250-726-5177.
ReplyDeleteThere is another Society that has been formed recently and they are working on building a extended care facility next to the hospital.
I support subsidized housing for seniors and persons with disabilities. We currently have a subsidized housing complex here in Tofino, it is called Mt. Colnet Villa and it is located at 1st & Arnet. There are 4 Suites and it is fully rented. We have had problems in the past finding Seniors to occupy it and had rented out to persons with mild disabilities. We do offer a waiting list for anybody interested and more info is available by contacting Shanen or Darrell at 250-726-5177.
ReplyDeleteA new society was recently formed and they are wanting to build a extended care facility next to the hospital.
Shanen Porter
President
Tofino Senior Citizens Housing Society
Email from Brad Dusseault: Hi Ralph -- There have been many comments around the village about the amount of funding spent on this project over the past several years with really nothing to show for it. Expenditures of public monies need to be transparent, open to question and suggestion and valid ( have some common sense attached to them ) It is probably safe to say that there has been a negative reaction to the rumors of how much money was actually expended on this project. Do you have reliable figures regarding: how much was spent ? over what period of time ? where did the money come from ? ( most importantly) where did it actually go ? what was council's role in this project?
ReplyDeleteemail comment from Dorothy Baert: Hello Mike,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughts on the matter of the THC. The views you express are common in the discussion of attainable or affordable housing and it would be a wholesome debate for the community to have once again. I know that Mr Tielman, to whom you copied this letter, has very strong views and has campaigned vigorously against the THC though the accuracy of his claims bear closer scrutiny. However, he is one voice and it is up to the larger community to decide the merits based on factual information.
Whether Tofino needs such housing I am not yet certain but I do know that it has been seen as an issue in the past, monies were collected as an amenity that was spent on creating a Local Area Plan (subdivision type planning) for DL114, and identifying needs and policies. As far as I'm aware,there was only one relatively small grant paid from the District at the very start of this initiative.
Given this level of investment in the THC and that other communities are following this model of structuring their Housing Corporations, I think it is worthwhile that we continue the work of determining what type of housing, if any, is needed now and in the future, who builds it and what is the business model for 'attainable housing'? I am clear in understanding that there is little appetite among taxpayers to 'subsidize' through their property taxes and don't anticipate that this would be contemplated in the continuing work of the THC. There are many tools in the housing toolkit and if there is a problem, then creative solutions can be found.
I know you Mike as an open minded, and engaged member of the community and hope you will take part in future discussions of this matter.
Respectfully yours,
Dorothy Baert
250 726 5565 cell
Monies collected as amenities should be spent wisely as they also are a form of tax dollars.If you look into past District of Tofino spending on "affordable housing" (prior to the THC) and TCH spending you will find that many hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent.I invite the District to open the books in this matter.
ReplyDeleteThe monies spent on the THC went to management and consultants.
Neilson-Welch Consulting Inc. May 2004
ReplyDelete2006
Executive Director
␣ Mr. Braden Smith, MCIP Mr. Smith has a background in urban planning and has a Master’s degree in Urban and Rural Planning from Dalhousie University. Mr. Smith’s key responsibilities are to plan, implement and manage housing development programs and provide technical advice to the THC Board on housing related issues.
Consultants and Advisors
␣ Community Futures Development Corporation CFDC has played a vital role in providing professional support and funding to THC from its inception and is committed to the overall aims of the organization.
␣ David Nairne and Associates DNA, a multi-disciplinary planning and consulting firm, has worked closely with the THC to develop a Conceptual Development Plan for DL114. Their expertise in development and project management is a valuable asset for THC.
The THC Board also acknowledges the support of Mayor and Council for proactively addressing the attainable housing issues facing our community. Many thanks are also due to the professional expertise used in developing the plan, including:
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Tofino Housing Corp
Feasibility Study and Development Options
Final Report July 28, 2008
Prepared by:
reSource Rethinking Building Inc.
July,2009 The RFP was awarded to CitySpaces; a consulting firm based in Victoria and Vancouver that advises government institutions, not for profit organizations and private businesses throughout Western Canada. Anchored by 10 professional community planners, and enriched by others with specialized experience, CitySpaces helps clients solve problems, communicate ideas, create vision and bring them alive.
Ralph, would be great if you would post the letter Mike wrote to Council/Dorothy.
ReplyDeleteTo council; when you are in a hole, it is usually easier to stop digging than trying to dig your way out of said hole. Stop spending money.
Abandon this project right now!