cabins – BIG

Cottage owners in Western Canada should take note, B.C. is expanding its speculation and vacancy tax to six new regions within the province.

Starting January 2023, property owners with vacant residences in the municipalities of North Cowichan, Duncan, Ladysmith, Lake Cowichan, Lions Bay, and Squamish will be subject to the tax.

The speculation and vacancy tax was first introduced in 2018 as a way to discourage investors, specifically foreign investors, from buying up multiple B.C. properties, limiting supply and driving up prices.

The tax currently applies to municipalities in the Greater Vancouver Region, Lower Mainland and southern Vancouver Island, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Kelowna, West Kelowna, Nanaimo, and the District of Lantzville. Under the tax, B.C. residents who own a vacant home in one of those areas must pay 0.5 per cent of their property’s assessed value annually, while foreign owners and satellite families (individuals who earn the majority of their income outside of Canada) pay two per cent annually.

The decision to expand the number of taxable regions was, in part, because those real estate markets were being advertised as appealing alternatives to the already taxed regions, putting housing pressures on the communities, said B.C. Finance Minister, Selina Robinson, during a press conference.

“We kept an eye on how this tax unfolded,” she said. “There was good analysis and recommendations on where else this might need to be expanded given the pressures outside urban centres.”

According to a report commissioned by the B.C. government, the tax has helped add approximately 20,000 condo units to the Metro Vancouver market, and generated $231 million towards affordable housing in its first three years.

Despite these accomplishments, some feel the tax isn’t solving the main issue. “The spec tax has had little to no impact on greater Vancouver real estate,” said Denny Dumas, a Vancouver realtor. “The percentage of homes and condos that are foreign owned and sitting vacant is so small in the big scheme of things. Our big problem in greater Vancouver is supply. The amount of people wanting to live and invest in greater Vancouver far exceeds the supply. And municipalities’ processes to approve permits and add density is 10–20 years behind population growth. I don’t think any policy will really help the prices of housing long term. It’s pretty simple actually, we just need more housing.”

There’s also concern that groups, such as cottagers, are being unintentionally targeted by the tax. In 2019, six B.C. residents launched a lawsuit against the tax. One of the plaintiffs was a 72-year-old woman who’d lived in a house outside of Victoria since she was five. She and her husband now split their time between Texas and B.C., using the B.C. house as a vacation property. But with a primary residence in Texas, they were considered a satellite family subject to the tax.

The overall number of cottagers affected is minimal, but those hit do see significant increases to their taxes. The couple who owned the house in Victoria, for instance, were expected to pay an additional $6,000 per year. The tax’s new expansion will force a handful of B.C. residents who own cottages in Lake Cowichan to start paying the tax in 2023.

“I talked to one gal this weekend,” said Jennifer Allen, a Lake Cowichan realtor. “She came by an open house of mine, and she said she will be one of the people affected because she’s right in the town of Lake Cowichan on Point Ideal where there are probably about 40 lakefront residences.”

To avoid being taxed, a property must be occupied for six months of the year. The property can be occupied by the owner, a family member, or a long-term renter. When asked about cottagers, the Ministry of Finance said that if a cottager wanted an exemption from the tax, they should use the property as their principal residence or rent it out for six months.

Cottages only accessible by water do qualify for an exemption. And the provincial government does offer a $2,000 tax credit to B.C. residents who own a secondary property. This covers the speculation and vacancy tax of a property valued at less than or equal to $400,000. If the property’s value is above that, cottagers will have to pay.

In terms of further tax expansion, specifically to areas such as Whistler and the Gulf Islands, notorious for foreign buyers and short-term rentals, the ministry of finance said: “We are taking a phased approach with the speculation and vacancy tax, and we will continue to monitor the housing markets in areas like Whistler, the Gulf Islands, and other areas of the province to determine whether further changes are required.”

Some buildings are so well known—or are so significant historically—that they’ve come to be a part of the fabric of Canadian history. And while there are lots of big, grand buildings on that list—think the Château Frontenac or the Parliament buildings—there are plenty of smaller spots too. Here are some of the most iconic cottages and cabins in Canada.

Caretaker’s Cottage in Murdo Frazer Park, B.C.

This small log cottage in Murdo Frazer Park in north Vancouver may not be historically iconic, but chances are you may have seen it in a film or television show. Lots of them. Most recently a setting for Virgin River, the cabin, built in 1950, has also been seen in Supernatural, The Flash, Stargate SG-1, Once Upon a Time, and MacGyver among many others. It’s also the setting of the Shaw cable yule log, the first widely broadcast fireplace channel in Canada.

Sam McGee’s Cabin in Whitehorse, Y.K.

Made famous by Robert Service’s poem because his name sounded poetic, the real Sam McGee was an unsuccessful prospector from Ontario who lived off and on in Yukon (and was definitely not cremated in a woodstove). There’s some debate about whether the cabin, now located on the grounds of the MacBride Museum in Whitehorse, was actually built by McGee, but it is known that McGee’s family lived in a similar building, so it’s OK to let your imagination run wild if you visit.

Grey Owl’s Cabin in Waskesiu Lake, Prince Albert National Park, Sask.

Archibald Belaney, who was born in Hastings, England, adopted the name Grey Owl after relocating to North America and eventually told people he was half Scottish and half Apache. While the persona may have been fake, Belaney’s conservation work—which was inspired by his wife, a Mohawk woman named Gertrude Bernard/Anahareo—helped influence generations of conservationists to come. His cabin, tucked on the banks of the Waskesiu River in Prince Albert National Park, is accessible by foot (20 km one way) or by boat.

Tom Thomson Shack in Kleinburg, Ont.

While it was originally located in a Rosedale ravine in Toronto, the Tom Thomson Shack—now located outdoors at the McMichael Gallery in Kleinburg—might as well have been a cottage. The spot where the celebrated artist painted two of his most famous works, Jack Pine, and The West Wind, was a modest wooden cabin that served as a home and studio and was a gathering place for the members of the Group of Seven.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic Site in Dresden, Ont.

After escaping slavery in Maryland and Kentucky, abolitionist Josiah Henson eventually relocated to Dresden in 1841 and became a conductor on the Underground Railroad, helping 118 enslaved people find freedom. Henson, who was known as “Uncle Tom” because of his connection to Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel of the same name, founded the British American Institute of Science and Technology with missionary Hiram Wilson, and his house still stands, along with the settlement that grew up around the school.

Roosevelt Cottage in Campobello Island, N.B.

Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s summer home on Campobello Island is really a cottage in name only. Jointly administered by Canada and the United States, the 34-room summer home is part of the Roosevelt Campobello International Park, which boasts three other turn-of-the-century summer cottages, along with nature trails.

Maud Lewis Painted House in Halifax, N.S.

The tiny home of renowned folk artist Maud Lewis and her husband Everett is covered in her colourful decorations: on the walls, mirrors, canisters, cast-iron stove — and almost every other paintable surface. Purchased by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in 1984 after falling into disrepair, the house sat in storage for a decade until it was restored and finally put on display in 1996.

Hawthorne Cottage in Brigus, N.L.

Hawthorne Cottage, built in 1830, was the home of one of Canada’s most celebrated Arctic explorers, Captain Bob Bartlett. Named for the hawthorn trees planted around the cottage, the building is now home to a museum that, with artifacts from Bartlett’s expeditions as well as period furnishings, offers a look into maritime life in Newfoundland in the 19th century.

Green Gables Heritage Place in Cavendish, P.E.I.

This iconic building—the setting for L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables—is located in the L.M. Montgomery Cavendish National Historic Site, a spot that also houses Montgomery’s childhood home. Along with the house and a new interpretive centre, you can also wander the grounds and explore spots from the book, including the Haunted Wood, the site of the schoolhouse, Lover’s Lane, and a babbling brook.

Featured Video