VANCOUVER - The organization representing British Columbia's municipal governments says resolving the province’s affordable housing crisis is more complex than just building more homes.
A Union of B.C. Municipalities report says the data shows enough homes are being built to meet the province's growing population, but the numbers of affordable houses and rental properties are lacking.
The report comes after Housing Minister David Eby recently said municipal governments are holding up housing developments in their communities and he’s preparing to introduce legislation to remove their final project approval powers.
Union president Laurey Anne Roodenburg says in an interview there are other factors involved in limiting local housing developments beyond municipal approvals and they range from shortages of skilled workers to provincial government red tape.
She says the report calls for a more collaborative approach between local and the provincial and federal governments to build more affordable housing in B.C.
The report calls for incentives to develop affordable housing projects and a provincial rental housing strategy to increase the supply of properties for rent.
