Saanich chamber of commerce warns of dire workforce shortage if more housing not built

A note posted on the door of the Canada Post office in Brentwood Bay warning customers of an upcoming noon hour closure due to a staffing shortage could be a sign of things to come on the Saanich Peninsula.

A note posted on the door of the Canada Post office in Brentwood Bay warning customers of an upcoming noon hour closure due to a staffing shortage could be a sign of things to come on the Saanich Peninsula.

“We’re on route to lose probably another 20 per cent of our effective workforce by 2036,” said Al Smith, executive director of the Saanich Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.

Between 2016 and 2021, seven per cent of the workforce evaporated, according to the chamber. That’s having a massive impact on not only small businesses but larger ones as well.

“We found out that the root cause of it all is just the cost of living here,” said Smith.

“When we started to dig into it even more we noticed that it was getting even harder to hire high-level workers, like engineers."

The chamber blames a lack of housing options for the affordability issues.

In 2001, the median family income on the Peninsula was $59,000 a year and the median house price was $288,000 – meaning with a 20 per cent down payment, you would need to spend about 30 per cent of your yearly income on housing.