Perspectives: Everything you need Situated in north Burnaby’s Brentwood area, Ledingham McAllister’s Perspectives offers new tower homes in a great location. ›› p.4
Live in high-quality style at Duet in Maple Ridge ›› p.5
April 8, 2010
Fight HST petition kicks off this week Vander Zalm tours province to promote anti-HST initiative TRICIA LESLIE
Smallworks Studios and Laneway Housing Inc.’s Jake Fry in his Vancouver production facility. The company has been building small homes in backyards for more than five years in the Vancouver area, and with laneway housing now approved, the company is getting busier. Rob Newell photo
Laneway living: a new option If eligible, Vancouverites have new housing opportunities MAGGIE CALLOWAY Thinking about installing a laneway house on your property but don’t know where to start? Your hobby is taking over the house
and you desperately need a studio? Mom and Dad need to be a bit closer to your family and a small cottage at the foot of the garden fits the bill? Do you feel renting out a laneway house is a great long-term investment? The City of Vancouver has approved laneway housing if the property is zoned RS1 or RS5, is at least 33 feet wide and has access to an open lane or flanking side street.
There are many more rules and regulations regarding size, style and function but if your property is not zoned or doesn’t meet these basic requirements you are not eligible. If you are not sure if you qualify go to http:// www.vancouver.ca, then search VanMap. This will allow you to see your property details and you can quickly establish eligibilCONTINUED ON P.2
‘Buy before the HST’ is a prompt oftseen in the local real estate market these days. But former B.C. premier Bill Vander Zalm is confident that his Fight HST citizen initiative petition will get enough signatures from British Columbians to force the provincial government to repeal the much-maligned Harmonized Sales Tax. “The “The response has response has been nothing short of been nothing phenomenal,” Vander Zalm says, noting short of after a successphenomenal that ful tour of northern ... if (the B.C., he is even more optimistic that the petition) petition will be a succeeds, success. and I believe More than 1,000 it will, it will canvassers have been up throughout be a first for signed the province, with Canada.” hundreds more showing up during Vander Zalm’s B.C. tour to sign on as captains, organizers and other volunteers for the anti-HST petition campaign. British Columbians are rising up to take back their democracy, Vander Zalm says, adding that in his 25 years in B.C. politics – as a councillor, mayor, MLA, cabinet minister and premier – he has never seen a response that comes remotely close. CONTINUED ON P.2