Neil Belanke is the Mayor of Belcarra, and the first new mayor the Village has seen in 35 years. The Village of Belcarra is the smallest municipality in Metro Vancouver, with no sewage, one bus, one business, and many properties that are boat access only. However, unlike Lions Bay, Bowen Island, and Whistler, the Village of Belcarra has been left off of the speculation tax exemption list.

People who are not familiar with Belcarra share a perception that it is a community of wealthy residents with multi-million dollar ocean front mansions. Yes, a handful of Belcarra’s 700 residents would fall into this category. However, as Neil has desperately been trying to explain to the NDP, the truth is that Belcarra is in fact a rural cabin land that does not suffer from a rental or real estate flipping problem.

As a result of the speculation tax, a significant portion of Neil’s constituents are going to be unfairly nailed by this tax. Many will be forced to sell their generational family cabins because these properties are water access only with no potable water, rendering them unrentable.