More than a year has passed since the election that eventually led to the B.C. NDP forming government, and there are signs the issue the party rode to victory may be coming back to haunt it.
That issue is “affordability,” and the NDP exploited it to the hilt when it was in opposition. By concentrating on unaffordable housing and things like bridge tolls, the New Democrats were able to snatch a bunch of ridings in Metro Vancouver from the B.C. Liberals and be in a position to partner with the Greens to form a government.
But the affordability issue hasn’t gone away and is likely to be with us for quite a long time. The challenge for the NDP is that now that it is in government it is expected to solve the problems associated with affordability.
And, quite simply, the government can’t do it, at least not during the election cycle.
There is no way to turn an unaffordable $2 million-priced house into a somewhat-affordable $500,000 house without wrecking the economy.
There is no way to turn unaffordable $2,000-a-month two-bedroom rental units into somewhat-affordable $1,000 units.
There is no way to introduce $10-a-day child care without bankrupting the provincial budget.
So what we are seeing from the NDP in its first 10 months in power are relatively baby steps towards accomplishing some of these goals. The results, however, have barely registered with the public.
The foreign buyer’s tax has been increased, a so-called speculation tax will be unveiled this fall and legislation to increase tenants’ rights has been introduced.
Housing sales have slowed significantly, but prices remain in the stratosphere. Rents remain high and the vacancy rate in much of Metro Vancouver remains hovering around zero per cent.
The rollout of the new child-care program was botched, and many daycare operators even condemned it for actually increasing costs. The thing is still being fixed, and the NDP government appears to have given up ever mentioning the $10-a-day idea again.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the equation, the cost of some things is going to start going up and not down.
The new employers’ payroll tax comes into effect next year, and already some municipalities are warning they may have to increase property taxes to pay for the new tax. School boards and non-profit organizations will cut services or raise fees.
The next election is likely still three years away. Here’s betting the affordability crisis won’t be solved by then, and we’ll see then if the issue exploited so well by the NDP in the last election doesn’t become a political albatross around its neck the next time voters head to the polls.
Keith Baldrey is chief political reporter for Global B.C.
