Letter from Andrew Weaver, MLA regarding vacancy tax

July 13th, 2016

Dear Mayor and Council,

I am writing you concerning the announcement earlier this week that the BC Government will be reconvening the BC Legislature in order to make amendments to the Vancouver Charter, to provide the statutory power required for the City of Vancouver to implement a “vacancy tax”.

I am deeply concerned that far from moving forward on this issue, the government’s piecemeal approach risks taking a complex regional issue, and introducing a new element of chaos into the equation.

My hope, in writing you today, is that we might be able to start a dialogue about vacancy taxes - whether they are a policy that your community is considering, and whether if implemented, they are best done at a regional level for the lower mainland as a whole. My fear is that given how interconnected the municipalities are in the greater Victoria area, a fractured approach to this issue may lead to regional disparity and increasing impacts in certain communities.

While the legislation proposed by the government does not appear to apply to any municipality other than Vancouver, if interest in this policy expands I think it is essential that we have a plan for how best it should be implemented.

Given your proximity to this issue, I would be very interested in hearing your thoughts, as you are on the frontline trying to deal with the concerns of our shared constituents.

Thank you very much for your time – I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

Andrew Weaver MLA Oak Bay – Gordon Head Leader, BC Green Party