Leaving the FVRD
I cannot believe the audacity of council - voting to leave without noting it on the agenda. Peary says he doesn't want to join Metro, but there is no way the Province will allow us to become our own district. The idea is ridiculous. He claims that leaving the FVRD would save us 500 - 750 K per year. Is he not considering the minimum 10 cent gas tax increase? This increase will equate to millions of extra dollars per year paid by drivers in our city, and with a laughable transit system it is unfair to penalize drivers without offering a viable alternative to driving.
I wrote a column about this on Abbotsford Today. View it here.
I wrote a column about this on Abbotsford Today. View it here.
Seniors Housing
My Grandparents owned their home, lived on Canada & Veteran's Pensions and still struggled when it came to additional expenses. They bought their house in the fifties and things like window upgrades, electrical & new siding meant that they had to remortgage their home to pay for it. My Grandfather was a regular working class man who took a job with Chateau-Gai wines and stayed there until retirement. It was by no means a dream job, but he did what he had to do to take care of his family. Upon retirement, he was given a watch as a thank you and sent on his way. They worked their entire lives. He fought for our country, and lost a brother in a P.O.W. camp, during the war.... and when it was their time to rest and relax after a lifetime of service it wasn't as easy as it should have been.
Abbotsford doesn't have enough housing for Seniors. Not even close. We need more suitable housing that is geared to pension income. Lynnhaven Society moving their tenants into 300 sq. ft. rooms is depressing. What I don't understand is if the city can subsidize the Abbotsford Heat for over a million dollars per year, why is it so difficult to invest a fraction of that to ensure that Lynnhaven residents can remain where they are? Or better yet, let's STOP subsidizing a private hockey team and put that money to much better use! Seniors walking around in downtown Abbotsford makes me fearful. It's too dangerous after dark and not near enough amenities.
If we have a seniors housing crisis now, what will happen over the next few years when increasing numbers of baby boomers retire? Our senior citizens deserve respect. They've paid their dues. They deserve to live in affordable, dignified housing - not crammed into 300 sq ft apartments like sardines. And if there are some people who want to live there, that's great... but THAT can't be the only option available. I want you to know that I realise that this issue is a priority and I am researching all I can to learn what we can do to correct it.
Affordable Housing
Like seniors housing, there is not enough affordable housing in Abbotsford for low income earners. Property tax increases equate to rental rate increases which means that property taxes affect everyone. Allow me to quote Vibrant Abbotsford to make some key points.
- According to Statistics Canada’s Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) definition of poverty, a household is poor if it spends at least 20% more than the average Canadian household on basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter.
- With the average rent in Abbotsford at $767, a household income of $30,680 is required.
- In Abbotsford, a worker must make a minimum of $8.65/hour to afford a bachelor apartment. A one bedroom requires $10.77/hour; a two bedroom requires $13.54/hour; and a three bedroom requires $15.19/hour.
- In a recent report, 13.1% of food bank clients in Canada listed their primary source of income as wages, or employment income.
If you are not on assistance, have children and are having difficulty making ends meet, check out BC Housing's Rental Assistance Program. They may be able to help ease the burden.
For everyone else, try applying to one of these housing options.
*** I've recently had a conversation with someone on Facebook re: my concern for property taxes considering I am a renter. Check it out under The Journey - A Facebook Question. ***
Job Creation & Nothing To Do
Job creation is a huge issue in Abbotsford. Peary speaks a lot about creating jobs, but from what I've learned since this process started is that the city, when hiring contractors to do various things, seems to always contract to friends, family, and people in their circle. How can you preach job creation and contract to people who don't really need the money?
Aside from contracts as I've mentioned above, a mayor cannot actually create jobs. What a mayor can do is make it easier for business to set up shop here. My concern is that with our taxes, who can really afford to open up new business? I've talked to many people who were fortunate enough to open businesses and many have had to go outside of downtown Abbotsford due to ridiculous zoning laws.
Our taxes are higher than Surrey & Langley. Surrey businesses have far more foot traffic and much better accessibility with transit. People can skytrain in from Vancouver. Now, we have peopel struglling to pay property taxes or rent - yes, if you pay rent you are still paying taxes... just not your own) - and who can afford to save up money to start a business? I've been to Community Futures trying to do just that. Without start up money, getting funding is nearly impossible.
Abbotsford needs to be more affordable before we can entice businesses to open up shop and create jobs. It also needs to have more things to do. There are nearly no places to listen to live music or go dancing. If you have a band, forget it. Where are you going to play? This is why we are losing people to other cities like Surrey & Vancouver.
If I'm elected, I'll keep taxes within the rate of inflation and work non-stop to lure business in to Abbotsford.
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