Add StudioX as a preferred source on GoogleB.C.’s incoming premier says he wants the province to stop dictating how municipalities build housing, and many mayors are welcoming the idea, Vancouver Sun reports.
Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson has promised to repeal Bill 44. He may also scrap the housing targets the previous NDP government under David Eby put in place, according to the newspaper.
What Bill 44 requires
Eby and then-Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon introduced Bill 44 in 2023. It applies to every municipality with more than 5,000 residents. Those municipalities must allow up to four units on a single-family lot. They must allow up to six units on a lot near transit.
A separate law passed around the same time, Bill 43, lets the province set housing targets for municipalities. It also lets the province appoint advisers to municipalities that miss those targets and are considered obstructive. Vancouver Sun names West Vancouver and Oak Bay as examples. The paper says the approach essentially put them on a “naughty list.”
Doerkson’s position
Doerkson promised during the campaign to repeal Bill 44, and possibly Bill 43. He repeated that commitment to Postmedia News on Thursday. He said he does not believe the legislature in Victoria has any right to tell communities such as Penticton, Chilliwack or his home community of Williams Lake how to build housing.
He also said he has heard frustration with Victoria acting as though it knows best. He said he sees a chance for a relationship with communities based on respect and support. “It can’t just be dictated by Victoria,” he said, adding that the province has already seen pushback.
Mayors’ reaction
Vancouver Sun reports that mayors largely see the change as a good thing. They argue that local communities know best where density can be increased. They also say communities understand what their local infrastructure can support.
Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West has long criticized what he describes as a one-size-fits-all approach by the provincial government under Eby on housing.
The story is of particular interest in Metro Vancouver. Municipalities there have been subject to the provincial rules on small-scale density and housing targets.
Source: Vancouver Sun
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