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CBC
28-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
With U.S.-bound traffic down 51%, Bellingham, Wash., council pens letter to B.C. cities
The mayor and council in an American city have penned a letter expressing a "commitment" to their "connection" with Canada amid ongoing tensions between the neighbouring countries. Bellingham, Wash., has long been a popular tourism destination for British Columbians looking to do a little shopping south of the border. But since U.S. President Donald Trump started threatening and imposing tariffs on Canada and travellers have reported being detained at the border, there's been a notable drop in visitors heading south in recent months, according to Statistics Canada. Recent data from border crossings in B.C.'s Lower Mainland shows the number of vehicles with B.C. licence plates heading south in April 2025, compared to the previous April, is down 51 per cent. Now, a letter signed by Bellingham city council president Hollie Huthman and Mayor Kim Lund says the city hopes the "peaceful partnership" between Canada and Bellingham will continue. "Though we live in separate nations, we share longstanding, collaborative relationships with the Indigenous communities that have lived in harmony with the land and the water for thousands of years," the letter reads in part. "We share the same responsibility for the families who have come to depend on generations of uninterrupted, cross-border transportation and commerce." Huthman told CBC News that she, herself, is the owner of a live music venue called the Shakedown, and that she was being told by Canadians that they couldn't visit right now, even though they loved her place. "The ability of bands to cross the border and that cultural exchange of music — it's become even harder," she said. "It was already hard, and it's become harder. And that's really unfortunate." WATCH | U.S. woman asks for cross-border compassion: U.S. woman who frequents B.C. says human connection needed amidst tariff turmoil 3 months ago Duration 4:04 CBC's On The Coast heard from an American listener, who lives just south of the B.C. border in Washington state, on the importance of approaching international relations on a "personal" level. Suzanne Wheeler said she comes to Vancouver every Wednesday to listen to live music at Frankie's Jazz Club. At an April 28 Bellingham council meeting, Coun. Michael Lilliquist said the purpose of the letter is not to outline the economic importance of Canada. "It's a more personal message to fellow jurisdictions, kind of just renewing at a more cultural and personal level that we're still your neighbours, we still value you, we still want to work with you," he said. According to a spokesperson for the City of Bellingham, the letter was sent to nine Lower Mainland communities on May 21. Langley mayor unconvinced Langley Township Mayor Eric Woodward said that while he hasn't received the letter as of yet, he understands why Washington state communities would be trying to reaffirm the relationship between the state and the province. "Canadians have been crossing the border for generations, supporting American businesses and participating in one of the largest open borders in the world," he said. But he said the message doesn't speak to him on a personal level. "My personal opinion is that the American government and the American establishment essentially decided that it wants to change the nature of the relationship." Woodward said he, like many other Canadians, is planning to spend his money and vacation time in Canada. Bellingham isn't the first jurisdiction to acknowledge the tension and hope Canadians will return to American travel; in mid-April, California Governor Gavin Newsom urged Canadians to visit the Golden State's sandy beaches and wine country. Point Roberts, Wash., has appealed to B.C.'s humanity for support — if a trade war gets out of hand, leaders aren't sure the community would survive. But Woodward said Bellingham should look elsewhere for support.
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Affordable homeownership that lasts forever': 18 homes coming to Bellingham neighborhood
A quiet piece of land — currently vacant with the exception of an urban vegetable farm — will soon welcome 18 first-time Bellingham homebuyers with the promise of permanent affordability. LaFreniere Court is a Kulshan Community Land Trust (KulshanCLT) development planned in the Birchwood neighborhood that officially broke ground Thursday. 'We're trying to create affordable homeownership that lasts forever,' said KulshanCLT Executive Director Rose Lathrop at the groundbreaking event. 'So this is not a temporary, momentary thing. The homes that we're building today will be permanently affordable forever. I could not be more proud to be part of this organization and doing this work.' It will feature 18 permanently affordable, energy efficient, solar-ready homes for purchase, including: ▪ Eight 1,233-square-foot, two-story homes with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. ▪ Eight 923-square-foot, two-story homes with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. ▪ Two ADA accessible 932-square-foot, single-story homes with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The homes will be located nearby bus routes and schools. The urban farm on the property, City Sprouts Farm, will also maintain its location after development is complete. The homes will be made available to low- to moderate-income (LMI) households — those at or below 80% Area Median Income (AMI). Whatcom County's median household income was $80,989 in 2023, according to U.S. Census data. 'We're moving forward with permanently affordable ownership in such a pivotal neighborhood in Bellingham. Homeownership is how we build wealth in our country. It's a system that we've created and it's important that we expand access into that system,' Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund said at the event. KulshanCLT creates permanent affordability by leveraging state, federal and local funding to support the down payment in the home purchase. The homeowner purchases the home itself below market rate, while the nonprofit owns the land under the home. This creates a ground lease that ensures the home will maintain affordability. The LaFreniere Court homes are expected to cost less than $325,000 and $275,000 respectively, according to previous reporting by The Bellingham Herald. In exchange for the reduced price of the home, homeowners agree to sell their home at an affordable price, if and when they decide to sell. Homeowners earn a 1.5% yearly equity on their homes — a rate determined by KulshanCLT — as the home appreciates in value and the mortgage principle is paid down. This allows homeowners to build equity over time but keeps the home from becoming unaffordable for the next buyer. 'It really does take a village to do this work and it's such critical, important work. I only regret that we don't have more resources to do more of this more quickly. That's something that we're working on and we're going to keep working at it,' Lund said. Lathrop thanked the city of Bellingham 'not just for helping on this project, but for the bigger picture on the policy, the advocacy and the work that they're doing to create more affordable housing in Bellingham.' Fifty-six percent of renters and 24 percent of homeowners in Bellingham are cost-burdened, spending over 30 percent of their income on housing. Mayor Lund proposed several measures to increase housing affordability and availability across the city, under an executive order last year, saying she is taking the step 'to increase housing opportunities, with a focus on creating more — and more affordable — housing choices' as the city copes with its housing crisis. The order directed city officials to: ▪ Diversify and expand housing options in all neighborhoods. ▪ Streamline the city's permitting process. ▪ Incentivize, fund or create partnerships to develop more permanently affordable or transitional housing options like tiny home villages. KulshanCLT currently has 142 homes in the trust and has partnered with more than 230 homebuyers, including more than 80 resales. The Land Trust's homeowner waiting list had more than 70 families — longer than ever — last year, according to the nonprofit's former executive director. LaFreniere Court is expected to welcome 18 first-time homebuyer households by December.
