u/Yukonduit

Any Yukoners want to spit in Piet Hoekstra's poutine?

Already more than 274,000 residents of Canada have signed this petition, focused on reining in the poor conduct of U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra.

You can sign this petition (one month left), to:

Declare Persona Non Grata: Formally declare Pete Hoekstra persona non grata and request his removal as the U.S. Ambassador to Canada.

Raise Vienna Convention Concerns: Formally raise concerns with the United States regarding a pattern of conduct inconsistent with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Parliamentary Review: Direct a parliamentary committee to review U.S. diplomatic interference in Canadian domestic affairs.

What is happening to the Whitehorse real estate market, what could this mean for the Yukon, (and why isn't local media all over this)?

Given that the period between April and July is often one of the busiest and most active stretches of the year for Yukon real estate, it seems odd that lots of houses are suddenly coming on the market, this late in the season.

There are currently 197 houses for sale in greater Whitehorse.

A snapshot of this, late yesterday evening -

9 houses went on the market 7-17 hours ago
4 houses 1 day ago
7 houses 2 days ago
2 houses 3 days ago
1 house 4 days ago
2 houses 5 days ago
2 houses 6 days ago

See for yourself -

https://www.realtor.ca/yt/greater-whitehorse/real-estate

So why are people suddenly deciding to sell, this late in the season? And are they leaving the Territory, or downsizing?

After all, it's not the best time to sell: some local realtors have noted that Inventory Levels have increased (so more competition, and a buyers market), and likewise, Days on Market (DOM) have also increased.

And earlier this year, a housing needs assessment, commissioned by the City of Whitehorse:
▶️ found a low rental vacancy rate, climbing rents (even with a rent cap imposed by the territorial government);
▶️ suggested that Whitehorse needed 3,000 homes in 5 years just to keep up with housing demand;
▶️ even though homeownership is out of reach for a growing share of the population (more than 60 per cent of residents can't afford to buy a home).

It's that last bit that seems important, as we stare down another long winter, with spiralling heating costs (and so far, no accountability from ATCO), along with sharp increases in grocery bills, transportation expenses, and rising property taxes.

Are we reaching the point where northern life is becoming so unaffordable that it will cause some people to leave? And is that what the recent shift in the Whitehorse real estate market is telling us?