Fraser Valley Real Estate Board cries “Down In The Valley” as a new survey reveals voter concerns about affordability, leadership and an uncertain future, the Group said Wednesday. In a new poll conducted by the Mustel Group for the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB) on leadership, housing, and quality of life, voters in the Fraser Valley have a lot on their minds in the lead-up to the provincial election October 19.

By PD Raj – Senior Reporter DESIBUZZCanada

SURREY-- Fraser Valley Real Estate Board cries “Down In The Valley” as a new survey reveals voter concerns about affordability, leadership and an uncertain future, the Group said Wednesday.

In a new poll conducted by the Mustel Group for the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB) on leadership, housing, and quality of life, voters in the Fraser Valley have a lot on their minds in the lead-up to the provincial election October 19.

“In the lead up to the Provincial election on October 19, we wanted to gauge the prevailing sentiments of residents in the Fraser Valley,” said, Gurdip Sahota, Chair of the Government Relations Committee for the FVREB and a sitting director on the Board of Directors for FVREB. “These findings are concerning, particularly in the face of increased immigration at a time when more and more British Columbians continue to emigrate.”

Top Election Issues

The most important issues among Fraser Valley voters—issues that will influence most how they will vote—are: cost of living/inflation, housing affordability and healthcare (among the top three for 66%, 60% and 45% respondents, respectively). Rounding out the top seven issues were: government spending/taxes (28%), employment opportunities/economy (22%), crime (22%) and the drug crisis (21%).

Uncertain Future

Although the majority (64%) of residents throughout the region (Surrey, White Rock, Langley, Abbotsford, Delta and Mission) felt a strong sense of community or belonging within their municipalities, at the same time, nearly one-half (45%) felt their quality of life would get worse over the next five years. And over one-third (38%) reported having considered moving away from the province in the previous year, citing the high cost of living (84%) and high rents/home prices (69%) as the main reasons.

Grading Leadership

At the provincial level, opinions are somewhat divided as to whether the NDP government is taking the province in the right direction or wrong direction—37% say wrong direction in contrast to 32% believing they are headed in the right direction.

Turning to municipalities, opinions are just as divided as to whether their mayor and council are taking the municipality in the right or wrong direction. Overall, 31% of area residents believe they are headed in the right direction compared to 34% who said they are going in the wrong direction.

Housing Issues

When asked which level of government is most responsible for solving the housing crisis, nearly half (45%) felt all levels are. Roughly one-quarter (26%) felt the province is primarily responsible, followed by the federal government (18%) and the municipal government (7%).

In terms of solutions to improve housing affordability, the top solutions are viewed to be (in descending order):

*Make it easier to build/faster permitting

*Limit immigration

*Improve labour wages and salaries

*Increase transportation/transit infrastructure

*Increase density by adding more, smaller units

The majority (56%) of voters agree that increasing housing density and supply will make housing more affordable (i.e., adding more units to existing lots, building more mid- and high-rise buildings, increasing density around transit). 

And there was no shortage of suggestions to increase the density including:

*Set limits on real estate prices or rents

*Reduce red tape/development costs

*Build more low-cost rentals/co-ops

*Change zoning to create more density (i.e., smaller lots, laneway houses, mixed usage)

Almost three-quarters (72%) of respondents felt that the government is not adequately planning for the infrastructure and community services required to meet the needs of a growing population.

“These findings demonstrate that both the province and the municipalities need to do more in the Fraser Valley,” said Jeff Chadha, Chair of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. “Our research suggests that voters want to see additional solutions to deal with critical issues around housing supply, affordability, and infrastructure.”

“The survey findings of voters in the Fraser Valley show an increasing desire for practical solutions to the three top issues of cost of living/inflation, housing affordability, and healthcare,” said Evi Mustel, CEO of the Mustel Group. “Voters are looking at all levels of government to find ways to attack these issues affecting the various communities in the Valley.”

The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board is an association of 5,225 real estate professionals who live and work in the BC communities of Abbotsford, Langley, Mission, North Delta, Surrey, and White Rock.