A new Canada Pulse Insights poll says cost of living and housing affordability are among the top issues for residents across three B.C. regions.
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Newly elected mayors and councillors across British Columbia are entering their terms with residents pointing to affordability as a priority, according to a Canada Pulse Insights poll of residents across three regions: Metro Vancouver, Vancouver Island and the Okanagan.
The survey found the cost of living ranked among the top three issues for 62 per cent of Metro Vancouver residents, 58 per cent on Vancouver Island and 54 per cent in the Okanagan Valley.
Cost of living was listed as the top concern in each region, with 48 per cent of Metro Vancouver respondents selecting it, compared with 42 per cent on Vancouver Island and 39 per cent in the Okanagan.
In Metro Vancouver, housing affordability and home ownership ranked second among residents’ concerns for 32 per cent of respondents.
On Vancouver Island, housing affordability and home ownership ranked third overall at 30 per cent, while in the Okanagan it ranked fourth at 27 per cent.
The poll also said the concerns were particularly common among renters: in Metro Vancouver and on Vancouver Island, 78 per cent of renters named at least one of the two issues, compared with 52 per cent and 48 per cent of homeowners, respectively.
In the Okanagan, the figures were 65 per cent for renters and 47 per cent for homeowners.
Other priorities varied by region, with health care cited as the second most important issue on Vancouver Island by 34 per cent of respondents.
In the Okanagan, homelessness and crime and public safety ranked second and third, at 39 per cent and 29 per cent respectively.
Within Metro Vancouver, crime and public safety was identified by 32 per cent of Surrey residents and 29 per cent of City of Vancouver residents, compared with 15 per cent elsewhere in the region.
The online survey was conducted between Sept. 28 and Oct. 14, with responses from 1,374 people in Metro Vancouver, 511 on Vancouver Island and 498 in the Okanagan Valley.
The results come as British Columbians head back to the polls this coming Saturday, Oct. 24, for the provincial election.
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