Articles on housing-related advocacy, legislation and policy.
Budget 2026 expanded the Provincial Sales Tax to apply to a range of professional services, such as accounting, bookkeeping, architectural, engineering and geoscience services – increasing costs for local governments that depend on them. The PST on architectural, engineering and geoscience services will apply to 30% of the purchase price of the services subject to the tax. The changes will be effective October 1, 2026.
In Budget 2026, the Province indicated that it would be slowing delivery of its housing commitments, and reallocating $1.4 billion from its housing strategy. On further inquiry UBCM learned that some of that the reallocation is coming from the Community Housing Fund, cancelling the current funding intake and indefinitely postponing future intakes as President Cori Ramsay told the Vancouver Sun.
On October 9, the Province introduced the Housing and Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (Bill 25) that includes legislative amendments addressing both small-scale multi-unit housing (SSMUH) and short-term rentals. While the changes to the Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act are largely administrative in nature, the changes relating to SSMUH are more substantial.
The Province has introduced a series of amendments related to small-scale, multi-unit housing (SSMUH) and short-term rentals. If passed, the SSMUH related amendments will clarify definitions of where SSMUH should be permitted and expand the list of provincial site standards that can be regulated. The short-term rental related amendments include clarifying changes to the definition of “principal residence” and strengthened enforcement tools.
Within 14 of BC’s largest communities more than 21,000 households are on the wait list for BC Housing support. More than 3,000 homes are on hold in various states of completion because they’re waiting on provincial funding.
The federal government has launched Build Canada Homes (BCH), a new federal agency intended to build and finance affordable housing and generate demand for new building methods including factory-built, modular and mass timber housing.
The announcement expands on previously outlined plans for BCH detailed in the Liberal election platform, and included the following elements:
The Province continues to expand the scope of application of the Housing Supply Act by assigning housing targets to additional municipalities while also escalating compliance efforts by issuing directives to those municipalities deemed by the Province to be making insufficient progress.
The Province has issued a series of new or updated guidance documents on the planning and development finance legislative framework brought into effect in the fall of 2023, addressing: tenant protection, inclusionary zoning, development cost charges and amenity cost charges, pro-active planning and more.
The new and updated guides are:
With a trade war now underway, the BC Government introduced a budget earlier today that continues to invest in provincial services while attempting to shore up the provincial economy. Incremental new spending has been targeted for local government priorities, including homelessness response, addiction treatment, street disorder and affordable housing. Longer-term challenges lay ahead, however, with a growing debt and still unknown impacts from tariffs to the provincial economy and government revenue.
Responding to a Federal invitation for engagement, UBCM submitted an overview of our policy regarding taxation of vacant lands. UBCM policies include requests for vacant land taxation to incentivize and fund development of affordable housing or shelters. Resolutions seek greater local authority through legislative support from the Province.