Is housing supply keeping up with demand? Municipalities disagree with Housing Minister David Eby
REBGV Staff
other
At a glance
Housing Minister David Eby believes red tape at the municipal level is restricting new housing supply. The municipalities disagree.
- The Union of BC Municipalities recently released a report they believe shows the issue lies in other areas, like supply chain limitations, provincial approvals, and federal inaction.
BC Attorney General and Housing Minister, David Eby thinks municipalities aren’t doing a good job of getting affordable houses and rental properties to the market.
With an estimated 25,000 new residents moving here each year, ramping up housing supply is an urgent priority.
Municipalities, however, continue to be bogged down with red tape and lengthy timelines according to Eby. He’s considering intervening with legislation this fall to streamline zoning approvals and provide greater density in single family neighbourhoods.
Municipalities respond
The Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM), representing BC’s 162 municipalities, disagrees with Minister Eby’s analysis.
In a new report, Building BC: Housing completions and population growth, 2016-2021, the UBCM finds:
The UBCM asserts that the problem of getting more supply to market is rooted in:
The UBCM also has data which finds:
Action to address speculation
Rental housing strategy
Would include a variety of incentives and investments to support coops and other forms of attainable housing, not just supply for the sake of supply.
A Demand Management Strategy
Would include measures to stabilize prices and restore affordability.
A Comprehensive Homeless Strategy
Would substantially reduce the number of homeless residents.
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