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
BREAKING Former Air Canada employees among suspects identified in gold heist at Pearson airport: police
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
BREAKING Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
ArriveCan contractor to be admonished by MPs in extraordinarily rare parliamentary display
Enacting an extraordinarily rarely used parliamentary power, MPs have summoned an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon to be admonished publicly for failing to answer their questions.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
Ancient skeletons unearthed in France reveal Mafia-style killings
More than 5,500 years ago, two women were tied up and probably buried alive in a ritual sacrifice, using a form of torture associated today with the Italian Mafia, according to an analysis of skeletons discovered at an archeological site in southwest France.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s sons have released a single together
A new Lennon and McCartney collaboration is the last thing anybody expected.