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This core of supporters — making up about 1 to 2 per cent of our daily readership — enables us to pay our writers, keep our articles free and open to all, and not bombard our readers with annoying ads while you try to read.

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— Jeanette Ageson, Publisher

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Help us un-break journalism in Canada

You made it all the way through the article — I hope that means you liked it (or if not ‘liked’ it, gleaned some useful information from it). Tyee articles are known for being quite lengthy, so we appreciate when people spend some quality time with our work.

Listen, I’ll get to the point — the article you just read was made possible because our non-profit newsroom was able to pay a talented journalist to research and write it. And we can only afford to do that because of our business model, which relies on a certain percentage of our readers signing up for our paid membership program called Tyee Builders.

The traditional business model for journalism in Canada has been completely disrupted, and we’re witnessing a slow collapse as corporate newsrooms buy up distressed publications, lay people off, and suck the value out of them before declaring bankruptcy. And it doesn’t help that tech giant Meta has blocked Canadian news on their Facebook and Instagram platforms.

There is another way and we are carving the path.

Between 1 to 2 per cent of people who visit The Tyee contribute financially, but amazingly, that small percentage is enough to fund half of our overall budget. And it means we can operate without a paywall, too. 1 per cent of people giving means 99 per cent of people get access to quality, fact-based journalism from a talented team of journalists who live and work in B.C., Alberta, and across Canada. We think that’s pretty remarkable.

If you’re concerned about the way journalism is heading in Canada and you’d like to do something about it, consider joining Tyee Builders and contributing an amount that works for you.

— Jeanette Ageson, Publisher

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Marking 20 years
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Welcome to Tyee’s reader poll.

Should BC Introduce Vacancy Control?

Housing affordability is top of mind in B.C., especially for renters.

Vancouver — with average rent for a one bedroom at $3,013 — is the most expensive rental market in Canada.

A January report from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. found that in Vancouver, “turned over” two-bedroom units in 2022 had new rents that were 23.9 per cent higher, while units that did not change tenants saw rent increases of 3.9 per cent.

One possible solution to such rent increases is vacancy control, which would limit landowners from hiking rates between tenants.

But the provincial government has said vacancy control would disincentivize housing construction, and that its 3.5 per cent rent increase cap for 2024 was an attempt to balance the needs of renters and landowners.

A new Tyee report found that landowners are generally still making a profit on apartment buildings at existent rents.

Many groups, including the British Columbia General Employees’ Union, one of B.C.’s largest unions, have backed vacancy control. The union has said its members increasingly can’t afford to live in the communities they work in.

As conversations about the housing crisis and its solutions continue to intensify, we want to ask:

Should BC introduce vacancy control?

* Please note that all poll answers will be publicly viewable, but anonymous.

Fill out this week's poll.

Please note that Tyee Barometer polls are only intended as a quick and engaging non-scientific snapshot of our readers' opinions on various topics that fit with The Tyee's very broad editorial mandate. They are not intended to be seen as a representative sampling of BC opinion.

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