Tuesday February 13, 2024 | VANCOUVER, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The BC government might look at a way to provide non-market housing to municipalities for new staff needed as communities grow.
That possibility came in the form of a response by Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon during a Q&A with municipal mayors and councillors during a Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) Housing Summit 24 panel session in Vancouver today.
The question was asked by District of Sooke Councillor Tony St-Pierre who said that his small municipality is expected to grow but needs to attract staff with new or other skills than are currently on staff. Providing non-market housing to help with the costs of relocation and retention might help, according to St-Pierre.
Kahlon says it’s “worth exploring” if multiple communities come together.
Municipalities that are immediately adjacent to Sooke include Metchosin and the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area, while Langford and Highlands are also close by.
This need to help support municipal staff expansion as communities grow is coming up now in the wake of significant new housing legislation that municipalities are being asked to deal with — some of it with a deadline of June 30, 2024.
===== RELATED:
- Province launches BC Builds to address lower-cost middle-income rental homes (February 13, 2024)
- UBCM 2024 Housing Summit: affordability, growth & new legislation (February 12, 2024)
- Housing minister to participate at UBCM 2024 Housing Summit (January 30, 2024)
- BC takes transformative action on housing in fall session (November 30, 2023)
===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
Island Social Trends posts local, regional and provincial news analysis daily at IslandSocialTrends.ca as well as biweekly in print (Premium subscribers receive a PDF of the print edition by email). | NEWS SECTIONS: POLITICS | VANCOUVER ISLAND | HOUSING
Island Social Trends began mid-2020 during the pandemic, in the footsteps of its predecessor West Shore Voice News (local weekly in print 2014-2020) which was previously Sooke Voice News (weekly print 2011-2013).
Founder and editor for that entire series of news publications is Mary P Brooke. Ms Brooke now reports with the BC Legislative Press Gallery as well as covering west shore news highlights.
Ms Brooke was nominated in 2023 for a Jack Webster Foundation journalism award for serving her community through journalism. She was a west shore school trustee candidate in 2022.
In 2024 Mary Brooke has launched the Urban Food Resilience Initiatives Society to provide leadership in neighbourhood resilience in tough economic times.
