Whereas the District of Saanich introduced resolution B109 in 2007 for said purpose with a prescriptive remedy of 20 per cent of the Property Transfer Tax PTT to be annually directed to a pooled fund to be administered by UBCM to address homelessness and affordable housing; And whereas the resolution was endorsed by the Executive but not acted upon by the provincial government; And whereas the incidences of homelessness throughout BC have increased exponentially in the past decade and most particularly in recent years, based on anecdotal and empirical information derived from the Regional Homelessness Count across Metro Vancouver and across the province as a whole; And whereas there is a growing financial and social burden on local governments who are not statutorily mandated to provide below-market housing and deal with homelessness issues, but are nonetheless increasingly forced to spend inordinate and extraordinary resources relative to their tax base as in order to deal with the rising homeless population while concomitantly grappling with affordability issues; And whereas the provincial PTT has increased by 44 per cent between 201415 and 201516, and is forecast to increase by over 50 per cent between 201516 and 201617: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request that a defined percentage of funds arising from the Property Transfer Tax be attributed to a specific Affordable Housing and Homelessness reserve fund in order to address these issues proportionately facing local governments throughout the province of BC.
Ministry of Finance Provincial tax revenues flow into the consolidated revenue fund rather than being earmarked to fund particular programs. This approach allows the government to fund important ongoing services, while also providing the flexibility to adjust to changing priorities over time. The BC government continues to take action to improve the cost of housing, increase access to affordable rental units, and help more British Columbians achieve home ownership. Through partnerships with local governments, the federal government, and the private and not-for-profit sectors, the BC government has committed to building 114,000 units of affordable market rental, non-profit, co-op, supported social housing and owner-purchase housing. A total of 920 million has already been committed by government to create 5,280 affordable and supportive housing units across the Province. This includes a recent commitment of 65 million to create 380 more units for people with mental health and substance abuse challenges; 500 million to fund an additional 2,900 affordable rental units announced in September; and the Budget 2016 commitment of 355 million to create 2,000 additional new units of affordable rental housing throughout BC. Governments at all levels need to work together to ensure there is an adequate supply of affordable new construction, particularly multi-family housing. The Province continues to urge municipal leaders and regional directors, who are responsible for planning, zoning and development regulation, to use the tools at their disposal to support the Provinces efforts and further the creation of new housing supply. Homelessness is a concern to all British Columbians and that is why the BC government is developing a Homelessness Action Plan that will present long-term solutions to this problem. The Province is investing 291 million to support the construction of 2,000 modular housing units for people that are homeless, and more than 170 million over three years to provide 247 staffing and support services. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing also worked with the Federal Government and provinces and territories to help develop a new National Housing Strategy.