B.C. mayor says provincial housing targets put pressure on municipal infrastructure

In almost every corner of the township of View Royal, B.C., you'll see buildings under construction.

"We've got over 1,000 units that are being turned out in View Royal," said View Royal Mayor Sid Tobias.

In July, the province added View Royal to its housing target list, suggesting that the small municipality needs to build 585 units of housing over the next five years.

"I don't think we're going to have any problems meeting the province’s expectations for housing targets,” said Tobias.

The mayor does have a few concerns that come with all those new units of housing. "I think solid urban planning requires infrastructure,” said the mayor.

Things like storm drains, water pipes, sidewalks and road construction. All paid for by the municipalities.

"All of this is coming very rapidly and to offset the costs we need support from the federal and provincial government in order to do it,” said Tobias.

"I would have to agree with the mayor of View Royal,” said Mike Kozikowski, founder of Citified Media.

Kozikowski runs Citified.ca, the capital region's go-to resource for all things development related.

He says the region’s aging infrastructure is not keeping up with its population growth, beginning with our roadways, "many of which have not been expanded, many of which have just received small improvements here or there."

Leaving many sitting in traffic, lowering the region's productivity and livability.

Kozakowski says now is the time for more mayors throughout the capital region to join the View Royal mayor’s call to the province to take a second look at the ramifications the provincial housing targets are having on communities.

"We need to have a collective of mayors that go to the higher levels of government and say, 'this is what we need for our region, these are the issues that we're experiencing' because the status quo simply isn't working,” said Kozikowski.

The B.C. Ministry of Housing says View Royal received $4.6 million from the province’s $1-billion Growing Communities Fund, which was established in February 2023 to increase the local housing supply with investments in community infrastructure and amenities.

The mayor argues that a simple sidewalk can cost millions and that money doesn’t go very far.

Tobias says the pressures being placed on his community’s infrastructure are also amplifying another problem.

"Doctors don't want to come to a community that doesn't have a balanced infrastructure to it,” said Tobias.

"Does it have adequate day care, schooling? So I think in our focus on just housing instead of just good urban planning we're missing the mark of creating resilient communities for the future."