Eby delivers action to expand housing supply.
The Province announced new laws on Monday, November 21, 2022, to build the homes people need in British Columbia.
A first step in Eby’s 100-day plan involves making changes to deliver more homes for British Columbians, faster. The province will work with municipalities to set housing targets and make sure the homes people need get built.
The first piece of legislation, the housing supply act, if passed is poised to help speed up housing development and increase supply by giving the Province the power to set housing targets in municipalities with the greatest need and highest projected growth. Targets will be based on information provided by and in consultation with municipalities, with the official government release citing HAVAN’s report Are We Building Enough Housing Supply? released in April 2022 stating 19 out of 20 Metro Vancouver municipalities are not building enough housing to meet their projected population growth for 2040.
Ron Rapp, HAVAN CEO, is quoted in the association’s Monday Morning Briefing Newsletter to members stating “the era of “change” for our sector is now upon us and we will do our best to represent the concerns of members. In the past few years, HAVAN in partnership with CHBA BC and other HBA’s has worked hard to secure opportunities to access decision makers at the provincial and municipal levels, and we will continue to work to be part of the conversations to find the solutions to address the Lower Mainland housing supply issues.”
The new housing 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 approval processes. Also included in the announcement are changes to the Strata Property Act, to remove rental and certain age restrictions from strata housing.
