Articles on housing-related advocacy, legislation and policy.
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.
The Province has introduced legislation that will bring about sweeping changes to the local planning framework through new requirements to allow increased density in areas currently zoned for single-family or duplex use. The legislation will also change housing needs reporting and public hearing requirements, and require more frequent updating of Official Community Plans together with pre-zoning that accommodates a 20-year housing supply.
The Province has introduced legislation that will support local government regulation of short-term rentals, increase allowable fines, and establish a provincial registry and enforcement unit. Key elements of the legislation supporting local government regulation respond directly to recommendations made in a 2021 Joint UBCM-Province Advisory Group report.
On the day before UBCM’s Housing Summit, the Province announced its new strategy for housing, Homes for People, an ambitious plan with wide-ranging elements that will have significant implications for local governments across B.C. UBCM will continue to push the Province for meaningful engagement with local governments, not just in legislative development, but also in subsequent stages of implementation.