As a longtime islander and renter I have witnessed firsthand the impacts of lack of rental housing in our community.
Over the years there has been a distinct shift from the previously challenging rental market. The “shuffle” as experienced on every other island or small tourist town with any amount of summer seasonality is alive and well here.
The pack/unpack, the search for the next rental and the hope that a rental is available is a common theme here for new or longtime renters.
A recent Globe and Mail submission entitled “In Tofino you must suffer for your housing,” by Coun. Greg Blanchette, highlights very similar problems with rentals in the Tofino community.
The shift that has become increasingly common and disturbing here with the uptake in the housing market, lack of new built rental options, loss of older style cottages, and Airbnb is the desperation to obtain any rental.
The stress and anxiety caused by lack of housing options here is immeasurable. Renters are in constant fear of their housing being put on the market or being evicted for landlord use or renoviction.
Many local Bowen Island renters have not noticed this shift if they have been fortunate enough to have an affordable rental or housing for a long period. Now each new rental is often hundreds of dollars more and unattainable.
Vulnerable islanders such as seniors, those living with mental illness or disabilities have no alternatives for housing here.
This disturbing trend has eroded the social fabric of the island and turned this once slightly diverse community into a whole different place to live. All of these rental challenges have serious impacts on our local economy and the health and sustainability of our community.
Without stable housing most no longer feel safe living here. The most difficult aspect of the rental housing situation is the absence of discussion around the struggle for rentals in community dialogue around housing. Most fear this discussion would only jeopardize their opportunities as renters.
I urge Bowen Islanders in need of rentals to take collective action and challenge your local housing providers, developers, and municipal leaders to come up with some concrete efforts to take action against this outstanding issue in our community not just to benefit their bottom line but to benefit the whole island.
Bowen Island as a community needs to get its collective act together to address the lack of affordable rentals on the island.
Robin Burger
