National

B.C. to bring in housing supply, rental changes

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 21 Nov, 2022 02:09 PM

VICTORIA - The British Columbia government is moving to increase housing supply with measures that will end rental restrictions and force local governments to meet housing growth targets.

Join Premier David Eby; Murray Rankin, Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing; Marianne Alto, mayor of Victoria; and Omama Shoib, a health-care worker, for an announcement about new actions to tackle the housing crisis. https://t.co/f6UG8vTtm1
— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) November 21, 2022

Housing Minister Murray Rankin introduced two pieces of legislation today, saying the province will work with local governments on the housing targets and that rental restrictions on apartment complexes will be removed.

Premier David Eby, who was sworn in on Friday, says housing is one of the most critical issues that he will immediately address.

The legislation includes provisions that allow the province to force municipal compliance, although the government says it doesn't expect that will be necessary for communities facing a housing crisis.

The legislation would also change the law to remove discriminatory age limits in all condominium properties covered by the Strata Property Act, however 55-plus buildings would remain to preserve seniors' communities.

Eby, who was housing minister before running for premier, released a housing plan during his leadership campaign aimed at addressing affordability, targeting speculators and protecting renters.

The premier said on Friday that he planned to "hit the ground running" and then set out two one-time payments for residents, to help mitigate inflation pressures on them.

Extra support with the cost of living is on the way:
• $100 credit on your power bill in Dec
• Savings of up to $550 per child per month on child care in Dec
• New BC Affordability Credit in Jan
• Increased BC Family Benefit for Jan-March 2023 https://t.co/DshgshYU1R pic.twitter.com/TKVlfmXA0E
— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) November 18, 2022

He announced a new public safety plan on Sunday to increase enforcement on repeat violent offenders and expand mental-health crisis response teams.

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