Christy Clark is doing her best to take every ounce of credit she can for BC’s tech sector. Meanwhile, tech leaders have been sounding the alarm for years that inaction on housing affordability under the BC Liberals is holding back BC’s tech industry. Here’s what they’re saying:

Ryan Holmes, founder of Hootsuite:“Unaffordability is emptying Vancouver of one of its most valuable assets — young people who grew up in the city and who are invested in it. As well, qualified newcomers who could bring talent, drive and vision to Vancouver are looking elsewhere... And the city will miss out on the very tech boom whose promise now seems so near.”

Raza Mirza, Principal Software Engineer, Move Inc: “You ask any tech executive today what’s their biggest challenge in growing the business, and they’ll say they can’t hire enough senior people. And the reason is the cost of living here. Just yesterday, I saw our premier standing in front of empty desks saying how good the tech economy is. Had we basically paid attention to our housing and making housing affordable for everybody, those desks would not be empty anymore.”

Christine Duhaime, founder of the Digital Finance Institute on not being able to fill office space for tech startups: “We’re banging our heads on the wall. Why aren’t they staying? Because it’s too expensive. Vancouver is going to lose its tech edge.”

Michael Tippett, founder of Wantoo:“Affordable housing is obviously critical to anyone’s ability to stay and live in Vancouver, and the fact that it’s expensive to have a home here whether you’re renting or buying makes it difficult for people to start companies. In those instances, you’re having to invest capital to start things up, and that’s a challenge.”

British Columbians deserve some answers from Clark:

• Why did you refuse to take action on housing affordability for years while tech leaders were sounding the alarm?
• How can you take credit for any success in the tech industry when you watched housing prices soar $600,000 in two years while you did nothing?