Organizations call on B.C. to form permanent housing roundtable

Apr, 20, 2023

Initiative would work to address unintended consequences of housing policies and create new ideas and legislation

The B.C. Real Estate Association (BCREA) and various housing organizations across the province are calling on Victoria to establish a permanent housing roundtable to address the ongoing housing crisis.

The roundtable aims to bring together housing experts alongside municipal, provincial, federal and Indigenous governments to create a review and advisory panel. 

The goal is to analyze various housing policies to uncover any unintended consequences that may work against mitigating the housing and affordability crisis. They also hope to create new ideas, policies and legislation.

“What’s lacking here isn’t new ideas, but process,” Trevor Hargreaves, senior vice-president of policy research and advocacy at BCREA, said in a statement Thursday. 

“We’re calling upon government today to create a permanent housing roundtable that will add more rigour to the policy-making process in B.C., and create a structure that better utilizes the broad collection of expertise within the market and non-market housing organizations that can be brought to the table. The only outcome here would be stronger and more effective housing policy.”

Ten market and non-market housing organizations support the roundtable, according to BCREA.

"Achieving more attainable housing for British Columbians requires a robust and co-ordinated effort between different levels of government in close collaboration with market and non-market housing stakeholders. On-the-ground real estate expertise is underutilized in the policy process,” LandlordBC CEO David Hutniak, whose organization supports the initiative, said in a statement.

The roundtable will also collaborate to address red tape that may be hindering efforts to build more housing stock, Surrey Board of Trade CEO Anita Huberman said in a statement.

[Top photo: Ten organizations support the creation of new housing roundtable, including the BCREA. | Chung Chow]