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The full text of the motion, released this week, did not include details about how such a framework would operate, but cites the example of West Vancouver, which negotiated a policy last year for a specific large-scale residential development “which prioritized marketing and sales to residents of the municipality and region, as well as discouraged bulk purchases and the flipping of units.”

The policy may not, however, do much to directly improve affordability.

McMullin wrote to Quinlan in her email: “You know as well as I do that this will do nothing for affordability,” to which he agreed, explaining the motion is meant to address the public’s lack of trust.

Quinlan replied to McMullin: “You are right it does nothing for affordability, and we have never said so. The issue is there’s a real lack of trust in the public when it comes to new development and who it is aimed at, and if the city is going to move forward with a very substantial increase in supply we need to address that.”

On Thursday, the Globe and Mail published a story quoting excerpts from Quinlan’s email response to McMullin, but not McMullin’s original email to him, reporting that “the correspondence underlines the pressure many municipal, provincial and federal politicians are facing to do something about housing affordability” while some point to foreign investment and speculation as a factor.

The full email exchange, obtained by Postmedia, shows McMullin’s initial message to Quinlan responding to the mayor’s announcement, in which she said she was “so utterly disappointed” that real estate industry members learned about the motion through the Friday press release.