More than 2,000 property owners in Vancouver failed to notify the city before the March 5 deadline whether their homes are subject to the empty homes tax. "We brought in an empty homes tax because Vancouver has a near-zero vacancy rate and many people are struggling to find a place to rent." More than 60 per cent of the vacant or underutilized properties are condos and around a third are single-family homes. Downtown Vancouver has far more empty or underutilized homes than any other neighbourhood, with a total of 2,244. Strathcona has the fewest unoccupied homes with 86.

Source: CBC News March 07, 2018 20:37 UTC