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Airbnb-Craigslist rental scam dupes Vancouverites out of $1,000

Scammer pretends to own condo he booked on Airbnb, makes off with $1,000 deposits By Erica Johnson, CBC News Sarah Bidner says she's "still in shock" after a longtime criminal bilked her out of $1,000 in a rental scam.   Bidner and her boyfriend Daryl McDona...
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B.C. cities must cut red tape for affordable-housing funds

Mike Hager And Justine Hunter, The Globe and Mail B.C. communities that want to dip into the province’s new affordable-housing fund will have to show they can get construction for such projects approved quickly, says the minister responsible for the file. Rich C...
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New Fire Safety Act aims to modernize fire safety regulations in B.C.

New legislation was tabled today to modernize the regulatory framework for fire safety in British Columbia. The Fire Safety Act will replace the Fire Services Act, legislation that has not had substantial updates since 1979. The new act will: improve fire c...
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Premier announces $355 million affordable housing investment for B.C.

The Canadian Press Details are still being worked out, and B.C. Housing said it will seek proposals from municipalities, non-profit societies and other community groups interested in creating appropriate developments   VANCOUVER — British Columbia has committed...
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Protect our oceans, and get it done already

By Mike Harcourt, Times Colonist Greater Victoria’s daily flush of 130 million litres of raw sewage and 40,000 kilograms of solids into Haro Strait and toward Race Rocks is neither environmentally nor politically sustainable. Just ask Washington state Gov. Jay I...
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Do cities require too many parking stalls be built?

Buyers of condos in urban centres near transit have little need for cars  By Kevin Griffin, Vancouver Sun A real estate developer says that a special case needs to be made to ease parking requirements for residential construction in dense new urban areas such as...
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Affordable rentals on their way

Rebecca Aldous / Whistler Question Up to 100 Whistler employees may find themselves in affordable rental units early next year. Last week the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) approved rezoning of municipally owned land to pave the way for 27 resident restr...
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Canada builders shift from condos to rentals amid investor demand

By Andrea Hopkins TORONTO (Reuters) - Amid fears of a bubble in condominium prices in Canada's largest cities, developers say they are shifting from building condos to high-rise rental apartments, as institutional investors look for assets with steady cash flow. ...