Editor: Seeing that Mr. Berg is the president of Cowichan Lake Seniors Citizens Housing Society, I am surprised his definition of affordable housing is not the same definition shared and supported by BC Housing, Canada Mortgage Housing Commission, and Cowichan Social Planning.
Their benchmark for housing to be affordable is that you are not spending over 30 per cent of your income for shelter.
Locally, King George Seniors Affordable Housing (Evergreen Place), and Cowichan Lake Seniors Citizens Housing Society (Olson Manor) both are required by BC Housing’s Subsidized Housing Agreements to abide by this definition when accessing if a prospective tenant is eligible for this program.
The community can be very thankful for the dedication and accomplishments of the founders of Evergreen Place and Olson Manor, many years ago, for providing truly affordable housing for seniors.
Evergreen place is a prime example of the proper legal use of Seniors Affordable Housing on P-1 zoned land for the benefit of the public.
Allowing any other use not allowed by the P-1 zoning bylaw is not in the public interest and has been pointed out many times by citizens attending the many meetings regarding the many different plans for the old J.H. Boyd School property.
There is nothing holding back the present owners from developing the property under the existing P-1 defined legal uses and other pertinent regulations.
Seeing that Mr. Berg states he has been so successful in single-handedly being able to resolve a lot of our previous serious problems, it is our great loss that he won’t consent to run for town council, or possibly premier and share his expertise to pull us out of these dark times. A wasted mind is a terrible thing.
