'Holy Grail of housing' or provincial overreach? B.C.'s new housing plans spark strong reactions

Esther Greenlay and her husband rent a home in Victoria, but they and their young family are moving to Alberta—because they want to buy a home, but can’t afford to buy a house in B.C.

“Our only option is to get a condo, which would be out of our budget and not what we want,” said Greenlay Thursday.

She and her family are exactly the type of people who the province's new multi-unit housing plan unveiled Wednesday is aimed at.

“(It’s for) first time home buyers who can't find a home that meets the needs of their budget,” said Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon on Wednesday.

The plan requires most municipalities across B.C. to automatically allow four units on land that's about 3,000 square feet, and six units if it’s also near transit.

The proposed laws also target red tape.

Under the new rules, lengthy public hearings would be done away with and in two years, rezoning will effectively be done away with altogether, as all zoning will have to be aligned with reworked Official Community Plans.

“We call it the Holy Grail of housing reforms, because it really is the ultimate change that will deliver housing,” said Luke Mari of Aryze Developments.

Still, not everyone’s a convert yet. Douglas King, a housing advocate with Together Against Poverty, worries property values will spike, leading to higher rental costs.

“There might be property tax increases as a result of the new zoning potential that a property has—and landlords often want to pass those expenses on to their tenants”, said King Thursday.

Meanwhile, Burnaby’s Mayor, Mike Hurley, has concerns about the province overreaching its authority into municipal affairs.

“The powers that cities have to operate—really what we used to be able to control—which is land use, is really being taken away from us and taken away from our communities,” said Hurley.

Still, for many, like Esther Greenlay, their communities are no longer affordable, and bold steps are needed.