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Letter: When is bad going to be bad enough, Mr. Mayor?

Dear Editor, Re: “Vacancy tax a go, Richmond waits,” News, July 27. I was shocked to read that Mayor Brodie’s response to the affordable housing crisis in Richmond is “not THAT bad” in Wednesday’s paper.
Richmond News
Vacant homes
The issue of homes sitting empty, such as this one in West Richmond, when there is a critical shortage of affordable housing across the region has sparked debate among mayors about the need for a vacancy or non-residency tax. Richmond’s Mayor Malcolm Brodie opposes both. Photo by Graeme Wood/Richmond News

Dear Editor,

Re: “Vacancy tax a go, Richmond waits,” News, July 27.

I was shocked to read that Mayor Brodie’s response to the affordable housing crisis in Richmond is “not THAT bad” in Wednesday’s paper. 

Ask any young family looking to buy a home in Richmond or considering uprooting their family to buy in more affordable areas outside of our city that the situation in Richmond is “not that bad.” When will it be “bad” enough to act?

What exactly are you waiting for, Mr. Brodie? 

For it to get as bad as Vancouver? Why not be proactive and attempt to keep housing affordable for the average family? 

Instead, more and more families are leaving the city, which has led to fewer kids in neigbourhoods and now the threat of school closures all across our city. 

But, according to Mr. Brodie, it’s “not that bad.”

Kim Nowitsky

Richmond