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Even with legalization pending, the report found that the majority of Canadians still would not consider growing the plant inside their home. Just 19 per cent of millennials (age 22 to 37) would consider growing it, as would 14 per cent of Generation X respondents (age 38 and 53), and 11 per cent of Boomers (age 54 to 72).

Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS

Perceived effectiveness of foreign buyer taxes

The report also looked at support for foreign buyer taxes across the country.

Across Canada, 68 per cent of respondents said they supported the tax, while 59 per cent blamed foreign buyers for driving up real estate prices in their city, down from 69 per cent and 61 per cent last year, respectively.

In B.C., the percentage of those who support a foreign buyer tax increased from 75 per cent last year to 77 per cent this year, while the percentage of those who felt foreign buyers had driven up housing prices increased from 74 per cent last year to 76 per cent this year.

Meanwhile, very few people in B.C. and Ontario — both of which have implemented foreign buyer taxes in the last two years — felt that the tax had made homes more afforded. Only five per cent said yes in B.C., while 16 per cent said yes in Ontario.

A total of 32 per cent of B.C. said they weren’t sure if the tax had an effect on home prices, while 63 per cent said no.

Photo by JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP/Getty Images

Support for regulation and taxing of short-term rentals

B.C. and Ontario also had the highest rate of support for regulations and a tax on short-term rentals.

A total of 54 per cent of British Columbians felt that there should be a tax on rentals through Airbnb, VRBO and other similar platforms, the highest amount of support in any province. That tops the Canadian-wide percentage of 39 per cent and sits ahead of Ontario’s 40 per cent.

That said, the number of Canadians hosting short-term rentals has dropped by 33 per cent since 2017. The report found that while short-term rental taxes in B.C. and Ontario weren’t implemented until this year, consistent media coverage of the issue likely had an impact on Canadians’ willingness.

A total of 46 per cent of British Columbians also agree that short-term rentals affect the city’s housing affordability for long-term renters, while 49 per cent believe the short-term rentals should be regulated by government.

The report was compiled from data collected during a March 2018 online survey of 1,431 respondents across Canada. The estimated margin of error is +/- 2.6 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

See the full report below.

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