A Place to Live, Work and Raise a Family

In this first post-pandemic provincial election, the challenging new landscape has pressurized the lives of British Columbians on everything from healthcare to safety to cost of living. Housing costs in particular are among top challenges for all three main parties in the race. Legislation introduced by the NDP last year focused on building up inventory by increasing density around transit hubs and allowing for upzoning on single family properties. In this issue of LOCUS we asked the opposition leaders for their views on housing policy, how they might agree and differ from the NDP strategies. Unsurprisingly, their views diverge somewhat, however it is clear that all three parties recognize the crisis we are in and consider housing, along with cost of living, to be a central component of their strategy to move the province forward (Note: the NDP office did not respond to our interview request by press time).

Housing is among the top concerns for voters too. It ranks among the most important issues facing municipalities according to a recent poll conducted by the FVREB among voters in the Fraser Valley. Yet despite other key concerns such as crime, safety, and cost of living, roughly two-thirds of residents still feel a “strong” or “very strong” sense of community where they live. And when asked which level of government they believe is most responsible for solving the housing crisis, nearly half said all three: local, provincial and federal.

Regardless of how British Columbians vote, we all share the same aspiration: to build a British Columbia where we can all live, work and raise a family.