The B.C. Real Estate Association is urging the incoming provincial government to consult industry experts before changing housing legislation after premier-designate Lorne Doerkson signalled he would scrap the previous government’s controversial housing targets for municipalities. During the election campaign, Doerkson and the B.C. Conservatives promised to return control over housing density decisions to local governments, allowing municipalities to determine where new development should take place. “Victoria really doesn’t know best” when it comes to building new housing units, the premier-designate affirmed in an interview with CTV News earlier this week. The previous B.C. NDP government set benchmarks for new housing construction in dozens of municipalities in an effort to increase the supply of affordable homes to meet surging demand across the province. The targets drew criticism from some local governments, which argued that blanket quotas failed to account for the unique characteristics and circumstances of individual communities. The previous government went as far as ordering some municipalities to amend bylaws and adopt community plans outlining where new housing would be built. “Victoria does not know best how to build a home in Williams Lake, whether that’s a multi-unit apartment or six-plex or whatever,” Doerkson said. ‘Change is necessary’ While the B.C. Real Estate Association agrees that legislative reform is needed, it is urging the incoming government to proceed cautiously and avoid a blanket repeal of existing policies that could create further uncertainty in the real estate market. “Our recommendation is to establish a permanent housing roundtable made up of 12 to 15 market, non-market, and Indigenous housing experts, working collaboratively with the province to review existing housing legislation, and to make recommendations for reform,” said Trevor Hargreaves, senior vice-president of policy research and government relations at the B.C. Real Estate Association, in a statement. “There is a mixed bag of housing initiatives that have been implemented in recent years,” Hargreaves added. “While significant change is necessary, it’s a misstep to start blanket-repealing policy simply because it was put in place by the former administration. In terms of housing targets and zoning changes, again, reform is needed. But careful, collaborative research is needed before any action is taken.” During the campaign, the Conservatives also promised to reduce red tape and construction fees, with the goal of bringing more homes to market and speeding up development approvals. The real estate association said it supports those commitments and acknowledges that a one-size-fits-all housing plan cannot address the diverse needs of communities across the province. “The housing needs of downtown Vancouver are not the same as the housing needs of the Cariboo Regional District, where premier-designate Doerkson is from,” the BCREA said in a separate statement earlier this week. “Having said that, local flexibility should not become a euphemism for preventing homes from being built.”
