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Gregor Robertson, Vancouver’s mayor, had previously vowed to go it alone and create a special business tax for empty homes unless given the proper authority. “Vancouver housing is first and foremost for homes, not a commodity to make money with,” he has said.

A report presented in February for the Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency found the number of non-occupied housing units in the city grew from 8,400 in 2002 to 10,800 in 2014, an increase driven by the growth of the overall housing stock. Non-occupancy was defined as a housing unit that is not occupied for at least 25 days out of every month for a year, with the data based on hydro use.

The city of Vancouver has said the vacancy rate is now 0.6 per cent, which de Jong said is “ultimately it is about supply” and the request for a tax of vacant units was reasonable.

David Goodman, a commercial real estate broker who deals in apartment buildings, agrees there is a real problem with available units, but blames city officials for hurdles put in the way of new construction, choking supply. “This is maybe a token improvement in the overall scheme of things. What the city is doing and asking for is a smokescreen,” he said.

The implementation and administration of the tax — how much it will be hasn’t been decided — will be the responsibility of the city of Vancouver, but enforcement remains unclear.

“I have been a fan of the idea, but not because it will fundamentally solve anything,” said Tsur Somerville, an associate professor at UBC Centre for Urban Economics and Real Estate. He likes the idea that the tax money will be used for affordable housing, something the city has suggested in the past.