Articles on housing-related advocacy, legislation and policy.
Three local government lawyers took a deep dive into Bills 44, 46 and 47 in the Recent Housing Legislation to provide greater clarity and answer questions around new local government obligations with respect to small scale multi-unit housing, new amenity contribution agreements (ACCs) and transit-oriented development.
A panel of planners and a representative from the Ministry of Housing gathered at the Housing Summit 2024 to discuss development finance changes stemming from legislation passed in the fall. Bill 46 specifically changes the framework for development and amenity charges, but is in context of several other housing-related bills that shift the way local governments plan for housing.
A panel of six mayors discussed the view from their cities as BC faces population growth of one million people over eight years, and the suite of legislative initiatives designed to increase housing supply. They covered topics from the need for infrastructure to match increased density, and reimagining what it looks like to live in dense cities, to the need for legislatively protected affordable housing.
The transformation of BC’s housing development system through recent legislation will require local governments throughout the province to remake local zoning and planning to integrate the new provincial rules. The scale of the work is considerable, as it touches on all aspects of local policy that relate to building sustainable communities, and needs to be completed within tight timelines.
The Province has issued guidelines, policy manuals, and regulations to implement Bill 35 – Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act, Bill 44 – Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act and Bill 47 – Housing Statutes (Transit-Oriented Areas) Amendment Act. Links to these materials are provided here for member reference.
UBCM president Trish Mandewo commented on the process followed by the province in developing these bills in a recent video.
Amidst the Province’s fall sitting—five separate pieces of legislation were introduced that, taken together, will fundamentally shift the way local governments plan for and manage housing—the UBCM Executive Board met for its quarterly meeting on November 16 – 17.
UBCM has received legal counsel that Bill 45, Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, is intended to, and may in fact, limit the ability of local governments to manage homeless encampments. Bill 45 will apply to local governments seeking court injunctions to remove or regulate homeless encampments.
The federal government released its 2023 Fall Economic Statement with an emphasis on housing announcements that include: $50 million in funding to support municipal enforcement of short-term rentals; new financing for rental construction; new funding for non-profit, co-op, and public housing; and tax changes to support rental housing and to support jurisdictions restricting short-term rentals.
Legislation (Bill 47) has been introduced that will allow the Province to establish minimum allowable height and density for Transit Oriented Development (TOD) areas. Local governments will be required to designate these areas near transit hubs and consider applicable guidelines pertaining to them. The Province expects that approximately 100 TOD areas will be designated in approximately 30 municipalities within the first year of the legislation coming into effect.
On November 6, the Province of BC introduced legislation under Bill 45, Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, that will apply to local governments who seek court injunctions to remove or regulate homeless encampments. These amendments will have significant impacts on local governments and their ability to address encampments in their communities.