B.C. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon (Image Credit: Flickr / Province of B.C.)

By Doug Collins

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: The B.C. Housing rules get more and more confusing

Jan 26, 2024 | 6:00 AM

THE B.C. HOUSING RULES become more confusing by the day. The rules are all over the place and there doesn’t seem to be a plan in sight. As usual, the province provides lots of rhetoric but little substance.

If you wanted proof, you have only to look at the Kamloops council meeting this past Tuesday. Council members were visited by reps of B.C. Housing, ostensibly to provide council with an update on their thoughts going forward with regard to the government’s housing plans. These reps told us nothing, gave no real information on any plans for the city. Councillors like Katie Neustaeter, Dale Bass and Bill Sarai pressed for answers — sadly, they could not pull the duct tape off the lips of these government drones.

There are concerns about density, concerns about parking rules and concern about property owners forced into unfair deals to satisfy the government’s public relations image. There are concerns, too, and this may be most important — what happens when the easily-identifiable land is gone? That’s when the heavy slugging begins, as we try to determine a way forward.

The city has started off well, but the province? Not much at all. Just another case of gumming up the works for political expediency.

It hasn’t been all negative. We’ve seen some progress in a couple of areas, including plans for two complexes on Eighth Street. There are a couple of areas of concern for traffic and access, but I think those can be resolved.

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I think the pros outweigh the cons on this one. But the government still won’t talk about their thoughts on the big parcel of land at Sixth and Columbia. It’s a huge chunk of land and there’s a lot of potential. Several buildings combining housing and retail could take care of some of the offices now housed there, and an underground parkade could alleviate a lot of parking issues. But until Premier Eby or his trusty deputy Ravi Kahlon decide to spread more moon dust, which may come just prior to an election call, we’ll be in a fog just like we were in this past week.

One of the better analogies I can think of? If we look at the way the North and South Thompson Rivers look during runoff, we might get the picture. One beautiful clear river flowing downstream, rolling gently along until it hits the confluence with another stream, this one dark and murky, filled with silt, uprooted trees, sometimes even dead animals. I probably don’t have to tell you which stream I think represents the city and which one represents the government.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.