City to move forward with empty home tax
The City of Vancouver is giving the provincial government until Aug. 1 to signal it’s willing to collaborate on an empty home tax before the city moves forward to implement one on its own.
Mayor Gregor Robertson made the announcement at a press conference in Coal Harbour Wednesday morning.
“Today, I’m confirming that the city will take action on taxing empty homes with or without the help of the BC government,” he said. “Ideally, it’s with the support of the BC government.”
Last year, Robertson pointed out, housing prices surged by 37 per cent while the rental vacancy rate is near zero.
A report going before council next week outlines the options for the tax.
The preferred option would see the province create and administer a new "residential vacant" property tax through BC Assessment. Data from the assessment roll would be used to levy the tax on empty or under-occupied properties.
The alternative would see the city establish and charge a new business tax on empty and under-occupied homes that are held as investment properties and not rented to local residents.
Robertson said the tax proceeds would go toward funding affordable housing initiatives. He noted the second option would create significant additional administration and enforcement costs for the city.
Earlier this year, a city-commissioned study by Ecotagious revealed 10,800 homes in Vancouver were left empty for more than a year in 2014.
–Naoibh O’Connor, Vancouver Courier
12 Vancouver schools on the chopping block
The Vancouver School Board has released a list of 12 schools that will be considered for closure as part of the first stage of its school closure process.
The preliminary list is made up of four annexes, six elementary schools and two secondary schools. They are Champlain Heights Annex, Tecumseh Annex, McBride Annex, Queen Elizabeth Annex, Dr. A.R. Lord Elementary, Admiral Seymour Elementary, Graham D. Bruce Elementary, Sir Guy Carleton Elementary, Queen Alexandra Elementary, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary, Britannia Secondary and Gladstone Secondary.
Queen Elizabeth Annex is the only school considered for closure on the West Side.
If all 12 schools are approved for closure, the VSB will save about $8.2 million per year.
VSB chairman Mike Lombardi stressed at a Monday afternoon press conference that no decision to close any schools has been made.
VSB facilities need to meet a 95 per cent capacity target before seismic upgrades can be approved by the provincial government, according to Lombardi.
The VSB has completed 20 seismic upgrades, is currently working on five and has 61 schools in the district that still need to be seismically upgraded.
In 2010, the VSB considered shutting down five East Side schools — Champlain Heights annex, Sir Richard McBride annex, Sir Guy Carleton, Queen Alexandra and Sir William Macdonald elementary schools. The school communities launched campaigns to save the schools. The trustees of the day opted not to close any of them.
–Bianca Chan, Vancouver Courier
