These days, it’s the norm for sellers to hold off offers for a few days, then receive multiple competing offers at once – most with no financing or inspection conditions attached. Langlois said 65 to 70 per cent of single-family homes sold in the region are going for above the listed price. “We are massively undersupplied and we have tremendous demand and pricing is very difficult in this market.” As of the end of April, just 1,133 homes were listed for sale in the region, a sharp drop from the 2,300 listings at the end of April last year. Sales have been brisk 1,173 properties changed hands in March, a 92.9 per cent increase from the 608 in March 2020.
Unfortunately, by ending their school liaison programs, school trustees in Vancouver and New Westminster have missed an invaluable teachable moment. By ending a program that encourages a positive relationship between police officers and students, school trustees have effectively joined society’s “cancel culture” phenomenon. Reasons for ending the program included concerns that “uniformed officers make some students anxious or upset, including many identifying as Black, Indigenous, or people of colour.” In addition, the 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis by police officer Derek Chauvin and the resulting global spotlight on excessive force by police officers were cited as contributing factors to the trustees’ decision.
Foul Bay Road, the supposed border between Oak Bay and Victoria. Image courtesy of Casey van Wensem.
Last Wednesday my recycling didn’t get picked up. Wednesday is usually recycling day, but this time the truck didn’t show up. This happens fairly often.
It’s a byproduct of living on the border between two Capital Regional District (CRD) municipalities: Oak Bay and Victoria. The line that divides the two municipalities runs right through the middle of my top-floor apartment, roughly dividing the guest bedroom from the rest of the suite.
This means that responsibility for simple tasks like waste collection, as well as bigger issues like property taxes and bylaws, is shared and often convoluted. Victoria handles the recycling pickup, which means that sometimes mine gets picked up and sometimes it doesn’t.
A group of neighbours living around a planned supportive housing project in Central Saanich briefly blocked workers from accessing the site Monday, saying they want answers on who will be living there and the services it will provide.
Steve Manchur, who lives near the 39-unit development at 1909 Prosser Rd. with his wife and seven-month-old child, is concerned the province will move people directly from hotels and city parks into the new building. He fears that without proper levels of supports for addictions, the housing development will bring increased crime and drug use into the neighbourhood.
“I play soccer and I’ve done the needle walks at the Crystal Pool field and at Beacon Hill,” said Manchur. “It’s a tough one, and I feel for people who need this.”
Crews from North Saanich and Sidney fire departments assisted. Mike Harman, deputy fire chief for the Sidney Volunteer Fire Department, said firefighters left the scene around 7 a.m. after battling the blaze for a few hours.
Read Related Topics