The municipality worsens the housing problem
If you read what Mr. Douglas penned, you would get the impression that the municipality is not, nor has been, a part of the current housing crisis.
Maybe he should have gone back in time when we really did not have a housing crisis! I started in local real estate in 1968 before capital gains, ALR and the rental mans department, we had 10-plus per cent vacancy rates and lots of rentals available, but when rent controls came into effect, owners of rental properties decided that they didn’t like the government controls, and listed their properties for sale the first time the unit became available — no more rental.
I personally had a chance in 1972 to buy some serviced lots in a subdivision with a partner. I tried to explain to him what would happen to the local real estate market considering capital gains, he didn’t believe me, so we passed on the offer. Well guess what, my partner came into my office approximately nine months later and was bragging that he had just purchased the worst of the lots, and was so happy he only had to pay +/- 3.3 times the the price the lot had been offered to us nine months before! And he had to pay all cash. And you can see this was just the start of price escalations in the local real estate market! Thanks Mr. P. Trudeau.
Yes, my partner and I built residential housing in the Valley. Prior to heavy municipal involvement in real estate, we could get a building permit, start and finish construction of a three-bedroom, basement home in approximately three months. Today it takes three months just to get a building permit and with hold-ups from building inspectors most builders tell me they are lucky to finish a house in one year. You don’t think that adds to the current high price of housing, along with the ridiculous municipal fees?
Now, my main bone of contention with municipal fees and bureaucracy: I applied to the MNC to move two property pegs between ours and my neighbour, I paid the $850 application fee and was told they would have an answer for me in 12 weeks! This was so I had enough land to site a double garage, that would not require any changes to driveways, hydro, water, sewer, or storm sewer. Guess what, I finally got my PLA from the MNC 22 weeks later and they demanded all kinds of professional studies that would have cost in excess of $20,000.
Plus, I had to give them the corner of my property opposite to where the lot line adjustment was contemplated, and worst of all we had to register a 10-foot easement between our home property and a rental property we own next door, for drainage! I phoned the approving officer at MNC to discuss the PLA and asked him what the purpose of requiring all the studies, the cutting off of the corner, and who was the idiot who came up with the idea of the 10 foot easement?
I told him we have never had any drainage problems between the three lots involved, plus there is a hydro pole just off the corner they wanted cut off. The approving officer said the reason he demanded all these things was because he could — the Local Government Act says he can!
After looking at garage building costs, the costs of all the studies, subdivision, and registration it was obvious that the costs reached the point of being ridiculous. Obviously I haven’t constructed my garage!
It is my suggestion that Mr. Douglas does a little more homework and actually check out the municipal timelines and fees before he decides to write an article saying they’re not adding to high prices!
By the way, we previously removed two property pins, at a total cost of $40 and it took five days to have the new plan drawn and registered. Isn’t bureaucracy wonderful!?
R. Swanson
Duncan