Dear Editor:
I am writing to add some missing information to the Burnaby NOW’s guide to political parties’ housing platforms. Making housing more affordable and secure is a high priority for John Horgan and the B.C. NDP.
For renters, the NDP will tighten the rules that protect good landlords and tenants, and provide the resources for the Residential Tenancy Branch to do its job and resolve disputes in a fair and timely way. We will also provide local governments the tools they are asking for to zone areas for rental housing, and tax short-stay home rentals that take properties out of the rental pool.
Homeowners will benefit from ending loopholes that let speculators drive up prices and dodge taxes and from programs to make their homes healthier and more energy-efficient.
For students, we will remove unnecessary rules that prevent universities and colleges from building affordable student housing. In my role as the previous MLA for Burnaby-Deer Lake and in my relatively new role as a grandma of three (in five months) – I am acutely aware of the pressures Burnaby families face finding secure, affordable housing. I appreciate the chance to share the range of steps a B.C. NDP government will take in these areas.
Kathy Corrigan, Burnaby
