Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) wants to set up its own housing service. They hope to raise up to $10,000,000 for applicable projects and non-profits. This is to be administered through loans, which developers must pay back, but would initially be funded through property taxes. The SRD will be seeking your approval through an Alternate Approval Process. If 10% of the electorate (i.e.- 3,456 people) notify the SRD that they are opposed to this new service before 12:00 noon on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, it will be considered defeated and the SRD will have to consider other ways of raising the money.

A recent report from the CMHC estimates that in order to restore affordability, Canada will have to build 3.5 million housing units by 2030. 
 Meanwhile in the SRD, 45% of the renters who responded to last year’s Housing Needs Report stated they were paying more than they could afford for shelter. They were said to be ‘at risk’ of homelessness. This was brought home by Campbell River’s recent Point In Time count, in which 33% of the city’s unhoused population reported they lost their homes because they did not have a sufficient income. 
 Last August, Senior Manager Aniko Nelson told the Board that if they set up the proposed housing service, “We will  enable ourselves to champion housing related projects throughout the region, as opposed to being that local government which is unable to assist those that are working so hard to provide affordable housing and below market housing throughout the region.”

Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney, of Area C, subsequently told Cortes Currents, “The Regional Housing Service and borrowing bylaws would afford opportunities for the Strathcona Regional District to partner with local housing societies across the Regional District. The SRD can work to address specific challenges, such as workforce, housing and social housing issues. Each project would be individually examined and measured by the board.”  

Aniko Nelson: “It would enable partnerships with First Nations, which are looking to provide housing throughout the region right now. There's First Nations that are currently purchasing land. It would enable us to work together with those First Nations to provide that housing. It would allow us to work with other not-for-profit agencies that are providing housing and working towards applications to support funding for those initiatives and it would also enable us to provide opportunities for provincial lobbying.”

Robyn Mawhinney: “In a Regional District, everything is siloed in services.  If there isn't a service, there isn't a way for the regional district to approach a subject or work on a specific item. One of the benefits of having a Regional Housing Service would be that the Regional District is able to access Federal funds such as the Housing Accelerator Fund. 

The SRD was able to apply for a Housing Accelerator grant because it could show it was working towards setting up a housing service. 

That decision was made at the August 16, 2023 Board meeting. 

Cortes Island Director Mark Vonesch said,  “I support the creation of a Regional Housing Service. Looking at our campaigns eight months ago, a lot of us ran on the fact there's a lot of need for housing in all of our communities, including Cortes.”
 At that time, the proposed loan limit was $6 million. Director Vonesch suggested that be raised to $10 million:

Cortes Currents

SRD Seeks Electoral Approval To Raise Up To $10 Million For New Housing Service

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - At 10 am on Dec 2, Regional Director Mark Vonesch will be joining the Cortes Housing Society to host a community forum in Mansons Hall. In today’s interview, he gave a sampling of how a little government could help make housing more affordable 
 “We are in a housing crisis. Housing is expensive to build and we don't have enough of it. What can we do as a community in Cortes to get more affordable housing done? Like a lot of issues, we have to approach this from multiple angles. There's not one thing that's going to  solve the problem. It's basically three things.”

Mark Vonesch: How A Little Government Can Address The Housing Crisis

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents -Former Regional Director Jim Abram may have been confusing the proposed SRD Housing Service with a Federal grant program when he criticized it during an interview with CKTZ News. 
 Abram claimed that building permits are required under the new housing initiative, and the islands are ‘going to get nothing, most likely,  other than, you know, a little  less money in your pocketbook because it's going to go into your taxes.’ 
 He also spoke against the ‘affordable housing bandwagon’: ‘There's only so many people that you can accommodate with your existing infrastructure.’
 Mark Vonesch, Regional Director for Cortes Isand, responded, “The points that he's making that have alarmed a lot of people, in my opinion very unnecessarily, and are not based on the facts. The housing service is about developing a  way for us to requisition a small amount of tax from people. The average property on Cortes is going to pay $31.80 maximum per year.  For 2024, right now it's at zero. We have nothing planned.  It's going to be used for us to collectively pool our money to make housing happen.”
 So let's look at some of Abram's facts.  
 CC: Is there any requirement for building permits under the proposed SRD housing service?
 Mark Vonesch: “The short answer is no, the Regional District Housing Service has nothing in it that says we have to have building permits.”
 “What Jim's referring to as far as building permits, is the Housing Accelerator Fund. So this is one grant  that the Regional District has applied for. Part of the requirement of the grant is having a way to measure new housing builds and the internal measurement for that is traditionally housing permits.” 
 Regional Director Robin McWhinney of Area C mentioned the confusion between the Accelerator fund and proposed SRD housing service, in her December 12th Directors Newsletter. Even if the SRD application is approved. Cortes island, Area C and Area A will not be able to obtain Accelerator funding  because we do not use building permits.”
 (This is a grant and unrelated to the SRD housing service, which is seeking to raise startup capital through our property taxes.)  
 CC: So why don't we use building permits?
 Mark Vonesch: “My sense is Cortes does not want a building permit. We have some of the best builders around on our island, and they are building to the code, whether we have building permits or not.” 
 Robyn Mawhinney: “I haven't heard from any residents on Quadra Island who are in favour of adding another level of local government oversight and fees that  would be associated with building service and building permits and building inspections. Creating a new bylaw or service is a lot of work for staff and for me and for the community to attend community meetings and weigh in on things like that. It's not something that I'm pursuing unless I hear a reason why we should be, and I haven't heard one yet.” 
 Abram also claims that Cortes and Quadra  islands have reached their capacity in terms of population.
 Mark Vonesch: “That’s a fine statement to say. Somebody else could say we haven't reached our capacity, but what data are you actually looking at to make that statement?” 
 “One of the things that I'm moving forward on, together with the Cortes Housing Society, is looking quite seriously at 'what is our capacity?' First of all, starting with the base, what is the health of our aquifer? What is the health of our watershed?  Where can we have more development that's going to be sustainable in the long term? And how can we do development in a way that is ecologically sensitive, that recognizes our imprint on the land but also produces housing.”

Correcting misinformation about the SRD Housing Service

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Island - The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) received the go-ahead to establish a regional housing service and authorize loans of up to $10 million on an ‘as needed’ basis. While the SRD can raise funding for projects through property taxes, this money must be repaid once the projects start receiving rents.  

This matter was brought before the board at their January 24, 2024 meeting. 

 At their November 8, 2023 Board Meeting, the SRD Board approved using the alternate approval process to seek the electorate's approval. If a minimum of 10% of the electorate - i.e. 3,456 people - had advised the SRD they were opposed, the motion would have been considered defeated, but the ‘no’ vote was only 392. 

When asked, Senior Manager Thomas Yates advised the board where the opposing votes came from:  
- there were 111 approximately from Campbell River, 
- 81 from Cortes Island, 
- 66 from Quadra Island, 
- and 133 from the Sayward area. 
 
Director Doug Chapman of Campbell River moved that No. 515, being Regional Housing Loan Authorization Bylaw 2023, be now reconsidered, finally passed and adopted.

Regional Director John RIce, of Area D, provided the 

Sayward is in Area A, whose Regional Director, Gerald Whalley, cast the only opposing vote.
 “I, just fot the record, I’m going to vote against this. It’s the will of my constituents. The vast majority of them opposed it. So it's appropriate that I would oppose,” he explained. 
 
Chair Mark Baker called the vote, “ All in favour? Opposed?  One opposed, Director Wally.  The motion is carried.”

Corttes Currents

SRD receives go ahead to establilsh a housing service

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents -The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) will be meeting with the Cortes Housing Society to discuss the possibility of making a short term loan to help bring power, water and sewage to some lots in the Rainbow Ridge affordbale housing project. 

While the SRD created a Housing Service earlier this year, it has yet to requiistion any funds and the request prompted some discussion at the Wednesday October 30 Board meeting. 

Regional Director Mark Vonesch, of Cortes Island, made the motion “that the Regional District work with the Cortes Housing Society to develop a plan for a short term loan through the Regional Housing Service so that the Cortes Housing Society can develop a part of its land with power, water, septic, and road access to facilitate long term lease agreements and thus create affordable housing opportunities on Cortes Island.”

The seconder, Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney of Area C, asked, “I'm curious from staff the likely timeline on the report and if it would be returned in time for the Board to consider the request inclusion in the 2025 financial plan.”

To which Chief Administrative Officer David Leitch replied, “I don't know what kind of model they're looking at in terms of a lease. The motion says a short term loan. I don't really know what that means. I can bring something back as preliminary to high level thoughts about what the society has in mind and bring that to the board, hopefully before the end of the year, there's only two meetings left before the end of the year.” 

Campbell River Director Susan Sinnott added, “I'm just curious about staff capacity and coming in with an innovative thing. I would prefer  if the Cortes Housing Society wanted to do a delegation present to us and explain to us how they've exhausted their options, including going to B. C. Housing, which seems to me the place you go for this type of funding and shows that they've met the requirements and how they're going to provide housing that goes within the requirements for the provincial funder. I'm not sure if I  would appreciate our staff working on this right now. We have a lot of other things that we need to get through.”

“When we create a housing service, does it include the power to grant loans?”

CAO Leitch: “Well, that's also tricky. I don't know if it's just even through the service to grant loans, but I'm going to say it's highly unlikely that the regional and district would offer a loan to society without any security, that would create a significant amount of liability.”

“I'm not saying that's what they're asking for. I haven't had any discussions, but let's say they needed 3 million loan through the regional district,  that would create a great deal of risk and vulnerability to the regional district if there is no secured asset to that loan. I don't know what the payback terms of that would be, are we talking about security? I don't know.”

Director Vonesch attempted to clarify the matter, “Obviously the land would back any loan and  the initial discussions that I've had is looking for  a million dollars put power, water and sewage into 10 lots, sell those to 10  lots in a long term lease for let's say a hundred thousand that would pay back the loan.” 


SRD To Meet With Cortes Housing Society About Possible Loan

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