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Stewart’s amendment was approved with the support of seven councilors, opposed only by the councilors of the non-partisan association. Melissa De Genova, Lisa Dominato and Sarah Kirby-Yung in the opposition. The other member of the Council’s NPA, the Council. Colleen Hardwick, supported Stewart’s amendment.
Ahead of the 2018 election, when the vacancy tax was still relatively new and stood at one percent, Stewart campaigned on the idea of tripling it, as he was quick to remind voters on Wednesday. Within hours of the board vote, a press release from Stewart’s office announced his follow-up on a “key campaign promise.”
A separate email Wednesday, from Stewart’s re-election campaign to supporters, struck a more political tone, stating that while the mayor was happy that most councilors were supporting his amendment, he was “disappointed that too many councilors. of the NPA have chosen to stand with wealthy real estate speculators who fight for Vancouver residents who need a home. “
While Stewart and some other mayoral candidates in 2018, such as third-place winner Shauna Sylvester, campaigned to raise the vacancy tax, Ken Sim of the NPA – who ended a close second to Stewart – criticized the tax during the campaign, saying it wanted to add new rental units to the market by allowing two secondary suites in the homes.
The Vancouver vacant housing tax was passed in 2016, under the former Vision Vancouver majority council, over opposition from all three NPA advisors.
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