British Columbia Minister Hints At Withholding Of Funds To Municipalities That Thwart Affordable Housing Proposals

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British Columbia Housing Minister David Eby threatens to throw a financial hammer on municipalities that do not cooperate to address the housing affordability crisis in the province.

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Eby told an affordable housing conference Monday that his government “could withhold funding for the programs if a municipality refuses to work on the supply challenge.”

He suggested that he could use that stick with municipalities that refuse to acknowledge that there is a housing supply problem that needs to be addressed.

Housing advocates and developers have said that lengthy municipal rezoning processes add more costs to developments, making them less affordable.

The province has told municipalities that they must submit a housing needs report by April 2021, outlining how much supply is needed now and in the future, based on expected growth. Eby suggested that some communities have refused to acknowledge a housing supply crisis.

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“It’s okay to say that you are not interested in bringing more people into your community, but when you have thousands of people coming to your community, through federal immigration and immigration policies from other provinces, it should coincide with your official community plan with growth. and with zoning, ”Eby said.

The province set aside $ 5 million to help municipalities create their housing needs reports, but the minister did not confirm whether that was the funding that could be withheld if municipalities foil measures to create affordable or supportive housing.

Eby said a report commissioned by the provincial and federal governments called “Open Doors” suggested that withholding funding could be an option if the cooperative approach doesn’t work.

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“It was described to us as a potential option, but it is not something we are actively doing,” he said.

Eby said he was “frustrated” that a housing project in Surrey, a 91-unit, six-story building to allow people with disabilities to live independently, failed after complaints from neighbors in a public hearing.

“Supporting adults with disabilities to have independent living and independent living, you would think this would be a no-brainer,” he said. “It is an example of where we have the money, we have the developer, we have the non-profit organization to build it, but the municipality has acted as a gatekeeper to prevent it from being built.”

The Union of British Columbia Municipalities did not respond to a question about the Eby threat, but President Laurey-Anne Roodenburg said in a written statement that about 90 percent of municipalities are already working with the province on the affordability of the House.

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“Local governments have demonstrated a high level of commitment to this provincial initiative,” he wrote, “with more than 90 percent of the reports completed or in progress. Housing affordability and accessibility is a challenge for British Columbia communities, and local governments have welcomed provincial support to improve data on local needs. “

In an effort to speed up municipal approval processes and avoid the backlash municipalities face when considering higher density projects, the province introduced legislation last month that would allow housing projects to be approved without going to a hearing. public, if it coincides with the official community plan. However, a municipality may order a public hearing if it believes it is in the public interest.

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Eby has also used provincial powers to override municipal objections to some of his government’s supportive housing projects.

On Friday, the province announced its decision to relocate residents from a temporary housing unit in Royal Crescent by building a 52-unit permanent housing facility without approval from the Maple Ridge council. The province said it was accelerating the project directly to construction under legal authority that it says gives the province the right to do so.

In March, the British Columbia government used its legal authority to override the Penticton city council’s wishes to keep a homeless shelter open. The city of Penticton is challenging the province’s powers to do so in a lawsuit in the BC Supreme Court.

BC’s 10-year housing plan promises $ 7 billion to build 114,000 units that include supportive housing for the homeless or addicted, social housing initiatives targeting indigenous populations, people with disabilities, women fleeing domestic violence and housing based on income levels, low market price units and so-called “off-market units”, which include housing managed by cooperatives and non-profit housing societies.

– with files from Dan Fumano