37 more municipalities find themselves on the province's housing naughty list
The province is revealing its housing cards, as 37 more municipalities have been identified as the next group that will be required to create housing targets in their communities to help combat the ongoing housing shortfall.
“They are trying to look at which communities have grown a lot and which communities have shied away from growth,” said Philip MacKellar, a volunteer with Homes For Living, a housing advocacy group.
MacKellar applauds last week’s provincial announcement naming the first 10 municipalities to be put on the list, including Victoria, Saanich and Oak Bay.
“The province is saying everybody needs to build more housing,” said MacKellar.
As for when the next 37 will be added, the province isn’t saying. Instead, it says 16 to 20 municipalities per fiscal year will be added to the list over the next three years.
“The timeline I think will be important,” said MacKellar. “Hopefully it happens sooner rather than later.”
Of the 37 municipalities, 16 Island communities have been targeted for the next round, including Nanaimo.
“I don’t know what more this city could possibly do,” said Leonard Krog, the mayor of Nanaimo.
Krog says his council has approved virtually every building application that has come before it over the past four years.
He says it’s time for the province to do its share of the heavy lifting.
“If the province wants more housing built, the private sector here has been doing a lot. They have to step up to the plate to build the housing for people who can’t afford it,” said Krog.
“Whatever we’re doing right now is not working,” said Luke Mari with Aryze Developments.
Aryze Developments focuses on multi-family dwellings. The development company is currently building a six-storey, 57-unit rental building in Quadra Village. From a developer standpoint, expanding the list is a good thing.
“Every environmental, social, economic outcome that we want in our province is connected to people being securely housed,” said Mari.
Ultimately, the goal is to remove municipal red tape -- tape that could stall a project for years.
“We had a four-storey rental building, 70 units that took five years to get approved, and our costs increased by $11 million during that period of time,” said Mari, adding the increase drove up the costs of rent in the end.
“Whether this makes a difference or not will really depend on the targets the province implements,” said MacKellar.
He says the policy could potentially have a huge impact on turning around B.C.’s housing shortfall if the targets are aggressive enough and properly enforced by the province.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Homeowners brace for mortgage payment shock amid higher-for-longer rate outlook
From ultra-low interest rates that led to a huge spike in real estate demand to the speed with which interest rates shot up to levels not seen in a generation, it's been hard to keep up with the shifting landscape for mortgage holders.
McDonald's, Wendy's defeat lawsuit over size of burgers
McDonald's and Wendy's have defeated a lawsuit accusing them of deceiving hungry diners by exaggerating the size of their burgers.
New study shows where you fall on new internet addiction spectrum
Researchers have come up with categories for people who are addicted to the internet and for those who are at risk.
Trump seethes through the start of trial in New York lawsuit accusing him of lying about his wealth
Aggrieved and defiant, former U.S. president Donald Trump sat through hours of sometimes testy opening statements Monday in a fraud lawsuit that could cost him control of Trump Tower and other prized properties.
Diwali fireworks advisory issued despite warnings it might be discriminatory: emails
An Environment Canada advisory that singled out Diwali fireworks as a reason to prepare for poor air quality last October was issued despite multiple warnings from some staff about it being discriminatory.
Federal ministers still lack mandate letters, two months after majority shuffled
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has yet to issue mandate letters for his cabinet ministers, two months after announcing an overhaul to his front bench.
Grizzly bear attacks rare, but a risk in wilderness, experts say after Banff deaths
Grizzly bear experts say fatal attacks are extremely rare, but it's always a risk when people venture into the wilderness.
Venus may be choked in toxic clouds, but lightning could be a rare sight there, new data suggests
We know the second planet from the Sun to be an inhospitable place, cloaked in thick, yellow clouds of sulfuric acid – but according to a new study, a hypothetical trip to Venus might not be full of thunder and lightning.
Before and after: Damage in wake of Canada's wildfires seen from space
Images captured by satellite show that the damage left in the wake of some of Canada's worst wildfires.