Articles on housing-related advocacy, legislation and policy.
The Province has introduced new legislation to address some issues created by pre-zoning large areas of BC communities for increased density. The new legislation addresses: inclusionary zoning; updates to the density bonus framework; providing local government with expanded authority to require site-specific works and services, and transportation demand management measures; and tenant protection bylaws.
In advance of the 2024 Budget, the Federal Government has announced a significant series of housing-related measures including: a $6 billion infrastructure fund comprised of $1 billion for municipalities for urgent infrastructure needs, and $5 billion to Provinces and territories; additional housing-focused requirements to access a forthcoming public transit fund; $15 billion in additional funding for rental construction; a Canada Builds fund modelled on BC Builds; and a $400 million top-up to the Housing Accelerator Fund.
Delegates at UBCM’s Housing Summit last week heard how changes to the framework for housing development and a surging provincial population will require rapid upgrading of community infrastructure throughout the province. How communities will pay for infrastructure renewal, while also taking on an increasing role in financially supporting attainable housing, are key themes in a joint effort by UBCM and the Province to review the local government finance system.
Record-breaking population growth in BC has led to data projections that forecast a significant need for more housing—beyond what is already needed for existing residents.
The need for that data to be accurate is important as each order of government plans for expected growth. If the projections end up being too high, it could result in excess spending. But they are too low—the resulting lack of housing would be profound.
Three local government lawyers took a deep dive into Bills 44, 46 and 47 in the Recent Housing Legislation to provide greater clarity and answer questions around new local government obligations with respect to small scale multi-unit housing, new amenity contribution agreements (ACCs) and transit-oriented development.
A panel of planners and a representative from the Ministry of Housing gathered at the Housing Summit 2024 to discuss development finance changes stemming from legislation passed in the fall. Bill 46 specifically changes the framework for development and amenity charges, but is in context of several other housing-related bills that shift the way local governments plan for housing.
A panel of six mayors discussed the view from their cities as BC faces population growth of one million people over eight years, and the suite of legislative initiatives designed to increase housing supply. They covered topics from the need for infrastructure to match increased density, and reimagining what it looks like to live in dense cities, to the need for legislatively protected affordable housing.
The transformation of BC’s housing development system through recent legislation will require local governments throughout the province to remake local zoning and planning to integrate the new provincial rules. The scale of the work is considerable, as it touches on all aspects of local policy that relate to building sustainable communities, and needs to be completed within tight timelines.
The Province has issued guidelines, policy manuals, and regulations to implement Bill 35 – Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act, Bill 44 – Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act and Bill 47 – Housing Statutes (Transit-Oriented Areas) Amendment Act. Links to these materials are provided here for member reference.
UBCM president Trish Mandewo commented on the process followed by the province in developing these bills in a recent video.