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By Liam Verster

Housing Supply Act

Kamloops sole Interior city identified in housing target program

May 31, 2023 | 3:15 PM

The B.C. government has announced the first 10 cities and districts to receive housing creation targets under a provincial initiative to address the housing crisis and just one Interior city made the list.

In addition to Kamloops, the other nine communities were Abbotsford, Delta, North and West Vancouver, Oak Bay, Port Moody, Saanich, Vancouver and Victoria.

“The housing crisis is hurting people and holding back our economy, and we’re taking action with our partners to cut red tape and get homes built faster for people. Municipalities are our critical partners in addressing the housing crisis and building healthy, economically viable communities,” Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said.

“Our government is eager to work with this first cohort of municipalities to get shovels in the ground faster and ensure the homes people need get built.”

The Housing Supply Act gives the government the authority to set housing targets in municipalities. The province stated these targets will “encourage municipalities to address local barriers to construction so that housing can get built faster, including updating zoning bylaws and streamlining local development and approval processes.” It also enables compliance options as a last resort in cases where municipalities have trouble creating conditions necessary to ensuring housing is built.

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“The Housing Supply Act recognizes that municipalities may make land-use decisions based not just on maintaining local built character or amenity, but also in the broader provincial interest of allowing households to choose the location and type of housing that serves them best,” Director of the University of B.C. Centre for Urban Economics and Real Estate, Thomas Davidoof, stated.

“In determining which municipalities would benefit from additional help in making land-use decisions, I was pleased to see that the province was receptive to feedback from professionals in the field of housing and implemented a screening mechanism that was based on objective and, I believe, reasonable standards.”

Consultations will be held between the province and the selected municipalities over the summer to set final housing targets, with the province stating it will monitor progress and help communities meet their goals once those targets are in place.

“The selection of this first round of communities is a welcome next step toward implementing the resources and guidance that have long been needed to reduce red tape and speed up approval processes to boost housing stock across B.C.” Neil Moody, the CEO of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association of B.C. said.

“Our members share a common goal with the Province and the selected municipalities to facilitate the development of these much-needed new homes once the targets are revealed later this summer.”

A second cohort of eight to 10 communities are expected to be selected to be directed through the Housing Supply Act in late 2023.