I read with interest the article in your paper about refugees being housed in Oak Bay.
The article brought to mind the housing shortage that we keep hearing about in Victoria. Make no mistake about it, Victoria is one of the world’s most desirable communities in the world in which to live.
Victoria’s immigrant population is over 65,000, which is approximately 20 per cent of the total population of the Victoria metropolitan area. 7,700 of them came here in the five years between 2011 and 2016.
There is no doubt that our housing problem is being fueled in large part by a massive in migration to our city and a misguided belief by some that anyone who wants to move here is entitled to a home.
In addition, efforts being made by municipal and provincial governments to deal with the housing problem are also being undermined by Ottawa’s immigration policies and practices.
The federal government has the unexercised power to determine that foreign immigrants may only settle in areas where there they will not add fuel to the fire of a housing shortage.
Unless more is said and done about changing all of this, we will continue to suffer from a ballooning and unending housing problem.
What we don’t resist will persist.
Bruce Filan
Oak Bay
