Although no decision has been made as to whether Tofino will “opt in “the new Provinvial STR regulations, Council is getting many letters from STR owners against opting in. I suggest that in addition to writing on this blog that people write to Council expressing their thoughts..
How many STR's are owned by district staff? Are any owned by any councillors?
I've been reading a book about pork barrel politics in the American south. It just got me thinkin' 'bout corruption in local politics. Of course, that would never happen here in Tofino. Right?
I know..as a compromise why doesn’t Tofino make getting a vacation rental license require that the owner live on site or the owner provide an on site/monthly tenant rental.? Oh wait they already do.
Seems like fair way to go to me.
At the same time Tofino should be providing more serious creative incentives for local developers to build traditional monthly rental housing. aka Apartment Buildings. A few of those is what Tofino really needs..
Clampdown on Airbnbs To free up more rental properties, the government will deny income tax deductions for Airbnbs, in provinces and towns – including Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver – which have taken action to restrict short-term rentals. People renting out their properties for holidays and business visits in these locations will no longer be able to deduct interest on mortgages and other expenses incurred on their short-term rentals from their tax bill from next year. The government is also earmarking $50-million over three years to support municipal enforcement of restrictions on short-term rentals.
David Ebey is a financial idiot...Liberal Mp Taleeb flipped 21 houses you wonder why the houseing markets are in such a state. Political Douchbags...Add Gord n Josie to the list
In today's generation of politics, science and idealism trump common sense, reality, and economic reality. greed & chicanery seem to be rewarded as the unspoken reward for being morally corrupt. Morally corrupt you say? It's getting so that almost every aspect of municipal politics in tiny town here are corrupted by either self interest, cronyism, downright lies, the exercise of power over others lives, rewarding friends and punishing enemies, exercising personal agendas at the publics expense, theft by conversion, turning a blind eye, selective enforcements of byelaws … I could go on,....,and on.
9:07 you have summed it up perfectly. Have a listen to Tucker Carlson on X talking about the same. His words, "Always trust your gut. If you feel like they're lying to you, they are"
Whenever Freeland is speaking, she never faces the camera or the person that she's speaking to. Instead, she always looks off to the left, never makes direct eye contact, and covers herself with dramatic facial expressions and hand gestures, as she "talks down" to her audience, attempting to give the impression that "I know everything and you're all too stupid to understand these wonderful things I'm saying."
Trudeau and Freeland are only in power by the cooperation of Gord Johns, Jagmeet Singh and the rest of the NDP socialists. If you voted for Gordo , you voted for Trudeau.
While I agree with the premise of the article, let's not kid ourselves. People are getting rich off of running mini hotels out of their property. It's not about making ends meet. People working in Tofino are trying to make ends meet.
My problem with the Feds top down approach is that the money they collect is gone from the community. They and the Province should be increasing the municipalities ability to collect such moneys through municipal taxes. And put that ,money to good purpose here, to support more housing. Once that tax money is collected by the Feds we will never get the benefit of it.
The plan from Ottawa on housing in its fall economic statement “does not reflect” the scale of need to address the housing crisis, Canadian cities say.
Scott Pearce, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), said the federal government’s fiscal update takes “some steps to improve housing affordability,” but lacks infrastructure investment and doesn’t do enough to meet the needs of people right now.
“While FCM acknowledges the federal investments to support new housing construction announced today, the reality is that we cannot rapidly scale up new housing construction without also investing in the municipal infrastructure that supports it. In May 2023, the federal government made a commitment to deliver a landmark investment in infrastructure across this country this fall,” he said in a statement Tuesday.
“We are concerned that the fall economic statement does not reflect the scale of infrastructure investment required to meet the national housing supply gap, and FCM will be looking to Budget 2024 for a comprehensive, ambitious investment in community infrastructure that matches the record-breaking population growth currently underway in Canada.”
"In early November, Clayoquot Biosphere Trust published its biannual Vital Signs report revealing the regions living wage of $26.51 per hour — almost 10 dollars over the province’s minimum wage of $16.75.
Roughly 32 per cent of workers in the Clayoquot Sound region have employment in accommodation, food service and retail trade sectors, which are all “likely to earn below the living wage”, reads the report."
How many hotels and resorts, in Tofino, pay their staff a living wage? (especially the temporary foreign workers they import for housekeeping duty)? None of them do, not even close. How does this possibly relate to the subject of "keeping it in the community"? Providing us all with poor, underpaid neighbours who can't afford to feed themselves properly. (see Westerly News article). Great public service organizations, good community members? Hardly. Deserving of our support? Not as I see it.
On the other hand, there are STR operators who pay their housekeepers rates like $35 per hr.I have first hand knowledge of this, I'm not making it up. It's not fair to say that all the money earned at these STR's "leaves town", a good chunk stays here in the pockets of people who clean toilets and make beds. (and they're really grateful to have this income, it keeps them living reasonably.) These folks are all going to lose their good paying side jobs and be back to working 40 (or less) hrs a week for $17.00. I've spoken with some of them, they're worried.
It's never as simple as it sounds. Follow the money. The trail,again, leads back to the hotel owners. When you're told it's about "housing" and "community"....get out your shovel. It's actually about "competition" and "profits".
To 9:16 If you are correct, you make a bundle out of your views. If I am correct I make nothing. Who is telling the truth here. Self interest can distort your perception>
The living wage could double and you could still not afford to purchase a modest starter home. Partly because there are none. Is that the fault of the tourist industry or the incompetents at city hall who can't accept any residential development but their own "Affordable" Housing...Or is it the Wild West VR industry that has eaten up a lot of Tofino's housing for their own business purposes and self interest No doubt there are those who think VR's are the solution to all our housing woes and will continue to believe so right up until the time all residential units have realized their "full economic potential" and the whole town is not but staff housing and tourist accom.... You are right on one count....It is never as simple as it sounds. So don't oversimplify for your self interest.
Although no decision has been made as to whether Tofino will “opt in “the new Provinvial STR regulations, Council is getting many letters from STR owners against opting in. I suggest that in addition to writing on this blog that people write to Council expressing their thoughts..
ReplyDeleteHow many STR's are owned by district staff?
ReplyDeleteAre any owned by any councillors?
I've been reading a book about pork barrel politics in the American south. It just got me thinkin' 'bout corruption in local politics.
Of course, that would never happen here in Tofino.
Right?
I know..as a compromise why doesn’t Tofino make getting a vacation rental license require that the owner live on site or the owner provide an on site/monthly tenant rental.? Oh wait they already do.
ReplyDeleteSeems like fair way to go to me.
At the same time Tofino should be providing more serious creative incentives for local developers to build traditional monthly rental housing. aka Apartment Buildings. A few of those is what Tofino really needs..
The more the changes are coming down nationally, the more out of step Tofino will be if it does not opt in to the new Provincial STR regulations.
ReplyDeleteClampdown on Airbnbs
ReplyDeleteTo free up more rental properties, the government will deny income tax deductions for Airbnbs, in provinces and towns – including Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver – which have taken action to restrict short-term rentals.
People renting out their properties for holidays and business visits in these locations will no longer be able to deduct interest on mortgages and other expenses incurred on their short-term rentals from their tax bill from next year.
The government is also earmarking $50-million over three years to support municipal enforcement of restrictions on short-term rentals.
@ 4:09 I agree . Tibbs building will make a great apartment building . Perfectly suited for long term rentals .
ReplyDeleteDavid Ebey is a financial idiot...Liberal Mp Taleeb flipped 21 houses you wonder why the houseing markets are in such a state. Political Douchbags...Add Gord n Josie to the list
ReplyDeleteIn today's generation of politics, science and idealism trump common sense, reality, and economic reality. greed & chicanery seem to be rewarded as the unspoken reward for being morally corrupt. Morally corrupt you say? It's getting so that almost every aspect of municipal politics in tiny town here are corrupted by either self interest, cronyism, downright lies, the exercise of power over others lives, rewarding friends and punishing enemies, exercising personal agendas at the publics expense, theft by conversion, turning a blind eye, selective enforcements of byelaws … I could go on,....,and on.
ReplyDelete9:07 you have summed it up perfectly. Have a listen to Tucker Carlson on X talking about the same. His words, "Always trust your gut. If you feel like they're lying to you, they are"
ReplyDelete12:21, you nailed it.
ReplyDeleteWhenever Freeland is speaking, she never faces the camera or the person that she's speaking to. Instead, she always looks off to the left, never makes direct eye contact, and covers herself with dramatic facial expressions and hand gestures, as she "talks down" to her audience, attempting to give the impression that "I know everything and you're all too stupid to understand these wonderful things I'm saying."
Trudeau and Freeland are only in power by the cooperation of Gord Johns, Jagmeet Singh and the rest of the NDP socialists. If you voted for Gordo , you voted for Trudeau.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree with the premise of the article, let's not kid ourselves. People are getting rich off of running mini hotels out of their property. It's not about making ends meet. People working in Tofino are trying to make ends meet.
ReplyDeleteMy problem with the Feds top down approach is that the money they collect is gone from the community. They and the Province should be increasing the municipalities ability to collect such moneys through municipal taxes. And put that ,money to good purpose here, to support more housing. Once that tax money is collected by the Feds we will never get the benefit of it.
ReplyDelete@10:30
ReplyDeleteAll the MRDT collected from airbnbs in Tofino goes to the Tofino Housing Corp for affordable housing initiatives.
@10:30
ReplyDeleteAll the MRDT collected on air bnb for Tofino goes to the Tofino Housing Corp for affordable housing.
The plan from Ottawa on housing in its fall economic statement “does not reflect” the scale of need to address the housing crisis, Canadian cities say.
ReplyDeleteScott Pearce, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), said the federal government’s fiscal update takes “some steps to improve housing affordability,” but lacks infrastructure investment and doesn’t do enough to meet the needs of people right now.
“While FCM acknowledges the federal investments to support new housing construction announced today, the reality is that we cannot rapidly scale up new housing construction without also investing in the municipal infrastructure that supports it. In May 2023, the federal government made a commitment to deliver a landmark investment in infrastructure across this country this fall,” he said in a statement Tuesday.
“We are concerned that the fall economic statement does not reflect the scale of infrastructure investment required to meet the national housing supply gap, and FCM will be looking to Budget 2024 for a comprehensive, ambitious investment in community infrastructure that matches the record-breaking population growth currently underway in Canada.”
@953 nope. Not correct. Only a small portion of it goes to housing. Most of it goes to Tourism Tofino.
ReplyDelete"In early November, Clayoquot Biosphere Trust published its biannual Vital Signs report revealing the regions living wage of $26.51 per hour — almost 10 dollars over the province’s minimum wage of $16.75.
ReplyDeleteRoughly 32 per cent of workers in the Clayoquot Sound region have employment in accommodation, food service and retail trade sectors, which are all “likely to earn below the living wage”, reads the report."
How many hotels and resorts, in Tofino, pay their staff a living wage? (especially the temporary foreign workers they import for housekeeping duty)? None of them do, not even close. How does this possibly relate to the subject of "keeping it in the community"? Providing us all with poor, underpaid neighbours who can't afford to feed themselves properly. (see Westerly News article). Great public service organizations, good community members? Hardly. Deserving of our support? Not as I see it.
On the other hand, there are STR operators who pay their housekeepers rates like $35 per hr.I have first hand knowledge of this, I'm not making it up. It's not fair to say that all the money earned at these STR's "leaves town", a good chunk stays here in the pockets of people who clean toilets and make beds. (and they're really grateful to have this income, it keeps them living reasonably.) These folks are all going to lose their good paying side jobs and be back to working 40 (or less) hrs a week for $17.00. I've spoken with some of them, they're worried.
It's never as simple as it sounds.
Follow the money. The trail,again, leads back to the hotel owners.
When you're told it's about "housing" and "community"....get out your shovel.
It's actually about "competition" and "profits".
To 9:16 If you are correct, you make a bundle out of your views. If I am correct I make nothing. Who is telling the truth here. Self interest can distort your perception>
ReplyDeleteThe living wage could double and you could still not afford to purchase a modest starter home. Partly because there are none. Is that the fault of the tourist industry or the incompetents at city hall who can't accept any residential development but their own "Affordable" Housing...Or is it the Wild West VR industry that has eaten up a lot of Tofino's housing for their own business purposes and self interest No doubt there are those who think VR's are the solution to all our housing woes and will continue to believe so right up until the time all residential units have realized their "full economic potential" and the whole town is not but staff housing and tourist accom.... You are right on one count....It is never as simple as it sounds. So don't oversimplify for your self interest.