Mayor Dianna Watts has been declared fourth best mayor in the world — well, she could not enjoy this honour without the law-abiding tenants in the ‘illegal’ suites and well-maintained houses by their owners.
Dear Editor:
By-law 1993, No.12000 empowers City of Surrey to close down 25,000 illegal suites. If Surrey had affordable houses these suites would not have been built. City has been aware that soon after new homes are approved as single-family homes one or more suites are added on because the market needs it. Duty to build enough affordable homes is that of province and city but it is unofficially delegated to some home owners to develop suites in their homes without obtaining officially approval. Politics is at its best — a government generated problem that should not have been allowed to occur.
Surrey and other satellite cities have allowed such suites to prop up without official approval only to meet needs of their growing population. If Surrey (and province) does not have enough money to provide affordable housing why does it makes by-law to close down illegal suites? Lately Surrey has allowed only one legal suite in a house so the next one in under the hatchet.
Here you can get one to two bed-rooms between $450 and $650 inclusive heat, hydro, cable and may be laundry too. B.C. government only provides $375 per person as housing allowance.
Probably City of Surrey has learnt from Metro Toronto’s problems where certain publicly funded buildings have become ghettos with ongoing law and order problems and furthermore real estate markets in their neighbourhoods have permanently dropped. If Surrey did to develop public buildings to avoid negative impacts it certainly did well with its unofficial consent allowing suites in homes to spread in certain areas to fit well to city’s demographic parameters.
Mayor Dianna Watts has been declared fourth best mayor in the world — well, she could not enjoy this honour without the law-abiding tenants in the ‘illegal’ suites and well-maintained houses by their owners.
Suites in the private houses mean government saves its housing and management costs and collects more property tax from such extra valued homes. In this win-win situation, instead of City of Surrey appreciating private sector’s contributions, it has the draconian by-law to harass. Mayor, please repeal this by-law!
Shan Rana
Surrey, BC
