B.C. 's 2023 Local Government Housing Supply Initiatives

The Province of British Columbia has enacted unprecedented legislation to compel municipalities to take action to address housing supply. The Province has also undertaken a wide array of other significant measures to curtail unnecessary demand and provide/retain below market housing.  All of the Provincial efforts are summarized on the Province’s website. 

The legislative changes enacted in 2023 represent the most significant changes to local government planning and development regulation since the Town Planning Act was first introduced in 1925. The changes include:

• Bill 44 (Residential Development) 
• Bill 46 (Development Financing) 
• Bill 47 (TOA”s)
• Orders of Council (OIC 674-2023, OIC 676-2023, OIC 677-2023, OIC 678-2023) 
• Small Site Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) Policy Manual
• Transit Oriented Area (TOA) Policy Manual

Further policy manuals/guidelines are still pending that address Housing Needs Reports (HNR’s), SSMUH proto-type buildings and an Amenity Cost Charge (ACC) Guide. Further legislative changes may also  be forthcoming.  

The 2023 legislative changes are very broad and are contained in a combination of legislation and policy manuals. As a result, they can be difficult to grasp. To provide a concise summary of what is required of local governments, I have created four summary tables as listed below. Feel free to download them for your reference.

These tables are condensed summaries and should not be relied upon for final decision making, however, they do offer a useful quick reference to help understand and explain what is contemplated. Users should always refer to the original source documents from the Province of BC for complete and accurate information, as noted on the tables with current links. (Note that Table 4 was revised to clarify SSMUH sideyard setbacks and is marked REVISED.)

If you wish to discuss these unprecedented changes or require assistance implementing them, please contact me.