Housing targets for the first 10 municipalities selected as part of the
Housing Supply Act have been released, laying the foundation for tens
of thousands more homes to be built faster in areas with the greatest
needs.
“The housing crisis is hurting people, holding back our economy and
impacting the services we all count on,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of
Housing. “We’re taking action and working with municipal partners to
make sure more homes are built in communities with the greatest
housing need. The targets include thousands of below-market rental
units for the largest and fastest-growing communities. This means
more people will be able find a home in the community they love.”
To support implementation, the Province will continue to provide local
governments with resources to speed up approval processes, including
$10 million for continued implementation of the Development Approvals
Process Review, and the Province’s work accelerating and streamlining
provincial permitting across multiple ministries and developing a new
digital permitting process. This is funding in addition to the $1-billion
Growing Communities Fund launched in February 2023 and the
recently announced $51 million to support local governments in
meeting new density initiatives.
The first 10 municipalities were selected for housing target assessment
in May 2023 under the authority of the Housing Supply Act, which
allows the Province to set housing targets in communities with the
most urgent housing needs. The Province consulted with the selected
municipalities during the summer to set the final housing target orders.
These housing targets are net new units to be completed within five
years.
The target orders for each municipality:
• City of Abbotsford – 7,240 housing units
• City of Delta – 3,607 housing units
• City of Kamloops – 4,236 housing units
• District North Vancouver – 2,838 housing units
• District of Oak Bay – 664 housing units
• City of Port Moody – 1,694 housing units
• District of Saanich – 4,610 housing units
• City of Vancouver – 28,900 housing units
• City of Victoria – 4,902 housing units
• District of West Vancouver – 1,432 housing units
The housing targets put forward by the Province mark a 38% increase
in overall housing to be built in these communities over what was
projected to have been created based on historic trends.
In addition to the targets, the Province has sent each of the 10
municipalities a list of housing target guidelines, including a
recommended number of units by size (one bedroom, two bedroom,
three bedroom), rental versus owned units, below-market rental units
and units with on-site supports. These guidelines include more than
16,800 below-market rentals.
The analysis took into consideration the total number of units that are
needed to address the shortage of housing now and to respond to
population growth over the next five years, and while the Province
encourages municipalities to work hard to meet the total housing need,
the targets have been set based on 75% of that municipality’s
identified housing need.
“These targets are a step toward creating more homes to meet the
diverse housing needs of Saanich residents,” said Dean Murdock,
mayor of Saanich. “We are committed to working together with the
Province on housing solutions, and welcome their support to help us
achieve our goals.”
Municipalities will be evaluated after six months, and every year
thereafter, on their progress toward achieving the housing targets and
actions taken to meet the target. The Province will monitor progress
and work with municipalities to better understand challenges and
opportunities. (news.gov.bc.ca/ flickr.com )