I enjoyed reading Phillip Wolf's column, 'Days of $125 Rent are just a fading memory in 2025'.
I rented a bachelor apartment in Edmonton for approximately $300 a month in the mid 1980s. I remember feeling very independent being on my own and happy to not be living with mom and dad anymore. In Calgary, my husband and I rented a whole house with a nice yard for $600. The rent never changed for the dozen years we lived there until we moved to the Island in 2004. Ahhh, those were the years of affordability.
What we need happening is 100% purpose-built rental buildings that are built, owned and operated by the government. No private developers involved. No 'below market' prices. No 10% of units set aside for renters with the rest being owned. Us renters want controlled rent prices.
I will never be able to own my own home here and have serious worries about if I'll ever be able to retire. I am faced with knowing that I will have to continue working well into my 70s just to make ends meet.
Bonnie Reszel
Saanich
