Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon in Kamloops, Jan 2023 (image credit - CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

BC BUILDS

NDP government’s B.C. Builds campaign could help unleash new developments in Kamloops

Feb 15, 2024 | 5:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — Earlier this week, the B.C. NDP government presented its plan to help the middle class enter the housing market through its ‘B.C. Builds’ campaign. B.C. Builds is a new initiative that leverages government, community and non-profit-owned and underused land with $2 billion in low-cost financing and a commitment of $950 million for the overall program.

All units will have a target of middle-income households spending no more than approximately 30 per cent of their income on rent.

“Twenty years ago, the provincial government and the federal government decided that they weren’t going to be in the game of building housing anymore and, quite frankly, we are paying the price for it right now,” said B.C. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon, speaking to CFJC Today. “What we are doing with this is moving into building housing for middle-class families — that is using public lands, using public financing and eliminating the profit margin.”

After outlining the plan on Tuesday (Feb. 13), Minister Kahlon met with members of Kamloops city council, who came prepared with ideas for two specific properties in the city to help speed up the process.

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“The Columbia Precinct Lands are our highest priority to get moving on some project development there, as well as the Northbridge (Hotel) property,” said Councillor Margot Middleton. “They are doing us no good right now, they are underutilized properties that we need to get some housing on and get going to meet the demand of Kamloops.”

B.C. Builds includes a timeline of 12-to-18 months, that because local governments will be required to move the projects to the front of the queue.

“That is the condition that comes with, is bringing significant dollars to build that type of housing. Not only that, but our changes with legislation around public hearings with community projects that fit within the community plan. All of these measures help us, I think, get to this 12-to-18 months that we have targeted for this type of housing to be built,” added Kahlon.

That proposed timeline was a sticking point for opposition, who questioned the government’s record on the housing file.

“When they first took office almost seven-and-a-half years ago, they promised 114,000 units in 10 years. Here we are seven-and-a-half years later and they have delivered 16,000. Then they turn around and their answer is to repackage all the same programs and say it’s going to deliver better results over the next 12-to -18 months,” said Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Peter Milobar.

Overall, Middleton hopes the new plan will help Kamloops increase density and provide an opportunity for the younger generation to stay in a place they’ve called home.

“That missing middle — the goalposts on that are changing and what used to be the missing middle has changed a little and now we know that missing middle, the families who are included in those numbers now are significantly increased. We need to get on top of that and get building so all families can live affordably,” said Middleton.

The B.C. Builds program comes with a $950-million budget.