I see the housing crisis as one of the biggest issues right now affecting our community. I see it taking a balanced approach from local government to create the environment to support private and non-profit solutions.
When first elected in 2014, I worked hard at the CVRD to create the Homelessness Support Service, which started in 2015. This new service created revenue to allow the CVRD to support local members of the Coalition to End Homelessness. The service is informed by regional tools like the Comox Valley Regional Housing Needs Assessment and the Poverty Reduction Plan. This has resulted in funding outreach work and projects like the Habitat for Humanity housing on Piercy, Transition Society Housing and Dawn to Dawn projects.
Since becoming mayor in 2018 I pushed for a housing symposium that was held in 2019 that included non-profits, developers, local and provincial elected officials and staff and was hosted at CFB Comox. The city has also used our own Affordable Housing fund to support projects identified as priorities by council. The result has been housing.
To be clear, the city does not build housing, but through our collaborative approach, our community has benefited from:
As Mayor, units built per year went from under 200 to over 400, with some years surpassing 650.
Vacancy rate of effectively 0% for decades has finally risen to above 5%
In the 2026 Provincial Budget, most communities lost their shelter and supportive housing projects that were underway this year, but with collaborative advocacy, the province's 925 Braidwood project is still going ahead. The shelter building will have about 73 beds. It can also add up to 30 more beds during extreme weather.
The supportive housing building will include about 70 small studio homes. These homes are for local residents who need support to stay housed.
With our Federal Governments finally stepping up and taking responsibility, now is the time to make sure we are taking full advantage of any opportunities that are available – as well as creating our own opportunities through the newly created CVRD Housing Authority.
As your mayor I will continue to work hard to build the partnerships to ensure we maximize affordable housing in the Comox Valley.
Government is complex. Solutions are even more difficult. I thrive and am most effective in this environment.
Housing is one of the most important issues facing Courtenay, but solving the housing crisis requires municipalities to work with non-profit organizations, developers, regional partners and senior levels of government.
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