Rent is too Damn High!!

Housing stability is crucial in a public health emergency in which containment and treatment rely on individuals staying indoors and not being forced to seek shelter or experience homelessness; and no incomes pose a hardship to Victorians who already struggle to make rent.. 1/

or mortgage payments — one in five tenants in BC pay more than 50% of their income to rent according to Statistics Canada.

British Columbia has the highest rate of evictions in the country - almost 70 per cent higher than the national rate. 2/ #bcpoli #yyjpoli #RentIsDue #yyj

One in 10 British Columbians who moved in the past 5 years were either forcibly evicted or foreclosed. In the midst of an affordable housing crisis, the majority of Victoria's residents are renters- many of whom live precariously. 3/ #bcpoli #yyjpoli #yyj

According to research by the Community Social Planning Council (2018), tenants in Victoria report that being evicted is their top concern after affordability. Within this community, even those with moderate incomes face very high rents, and often have no savings; and 4/ #bcpoli

During the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, workplaces such as restaurants, cafes, theatres, office buildings, schools, and child care centres closed except essential services, and residents asked to stay home from work, under quarantine. 5/ #bcpoli #yyjpoli #yyj #COVID19BC

It’s likely that many of Victoria's residents lost their incomes & face enormous financial stress — already pushed to the breaking point by housing costs & low wages, many more renters could now be facing the threat of eviction due to lost wages & a lack of emergency savings. 6/

In this environment, with low vacancy rates & the highest "moving penalty" in the country (Bergmann 2018), relocating to alternative housing will be next to impossible — this public health emergency, we must take bold action and raising our collective voices to stand up. 7/end