Welcome to Neepawa. No Vacancy.

That no vacancy sign some would have you believe that should be flying on the entrance to Neepawa is misleading.

There appears to be a misguided notion that there are no homes to buy in Neepawa, especially starter homes. When compared to the rest of the nation, what most in Neepawa would consider an expensive home, is a starter home.

A $250,000 Neepawa home anywhere in the Lower Mainland of B.C. would start at $1 million or more, much more.

In fact, the price for the average starter home — not your higher end — in Canada is nearly $350,000.
When looking at Neepawa’s housing crisis, it’s not a real estate crisis. Neepawa’s real estate is very much a bargain. For committed homebuyers there are relatively affordable homes to purchase.

Those causing the current housing crisis, however, are not homebuyers.
They are renters. And for the most part, they are immigrants coming in to fill positions left vacant by Canadian workers.

Mayor Bob Durston was recently quoted by CKLQ saying that the housing market in Neepawa is non-existent. What Durston should have said was the rental market. That would have been more accurate.

While the men and women sitting around the table at town council seem to be preoccupied with East View Lodge being the ultimate solution to the rental crisis. It is but a small part of the solution.

To understand the mechanisms of a solution, we need to go back to the question.
Why are there no rentals available?

If there is a glut of potential renters, why are there no developers jumping at the chance to turn a buck?

Business always abhors a vacuum.

However, in Neepawa, for potential developers to accomodate this relatively new rental demand, there must be a reasonable expectation for a dependable return on investment.

Therein lies the rub.

The bulk of the influx of immigrants are not looking for accomodations which could command a price tag suitable for new development.
Couple that with the transient nature of this new immigrant workforce, many developers do not see a working long-term business model.

Undoubtedly, this immigrant influx is seen by many as a boon to the Neepawa community, and therefore we need to address the rental situation. But if private enterprise isn’t willing to fill the void, should we open the public purse strings?
As one business owner remarked: “Should we be dishing out taxpayer money to house them, when the first thing they are shown at a Welcome to Neepawa seminar, is how to fill out a Western Union transfer so they can send the money they make back home?”

That just may be the best question to ask: Where do these new workers want to make home?

There is little point building apartment buildings or houses, if Neepawa never will be home. Instead, maybe we should be building out-of-the-way cheap little motels as temporary accomodations.

At least there, a flashing no vacancy sign won’t cast its negative light on a great place to buy or build and make a home — Neepawa, Manitoba, Canada.