Free market and rebates: BC Conservatives lay out housing platform

The leader of the BC Conservative Party laid out his strategy to solve the province's housing crisis Friday, which includes slashing red tape and letting the private sector take the reins on boosting supply.

John Rustad unveiled his platform at a north Surrey construction site, promising quick timelines for zoning and other approvals, "presumption of compliance" by builders, and reiterating his promise to axe Bill 44.

"We just need to get government out of the way, stop this nonsense that government thinks that it should be running and doing everything," he told construction workers and reporters, once again promoting his “Rustad Rebate” tax break program.

Rustad also pledged to launch a forensic audit of BC Housing, citing irregularities while making vague references to taking advantage of underutilized land in communities like Surrey to build more housing.

When CTV News pointed out that many of the campaign promises he was making were firmly in the territory of municipal governments, he didn't disagree.

"There’s certainly barriers from the municipal side as well that need to be looked at but yes, there are some problems municipally, there’s no question there," Rustad replied. "I’ve talked to many municipalities, they’re interested in being able to do this work and so we want to enable them and work as partners."

Rustad claimed there are tens of thousands of shovel-ready projects that have "stalled out" and "because of the economic policies of this government, they are no longer financially viable." He believes flooding the housing market with supply will ease prices and help solve the housing crisis.

The platform release comes the day after a well-attended rally in Prince George, where Rustad's wife introduced him to an enthusiastic crowd who heard his talking points about people leaving British Columbia, his commitment to reducing the cost of living, and his plans to axe the sexual orientation and gender identity principles in the education system.