After five years of consultations and public input, North Cowichan council voted 5-2 to adopt the municipality’s new affordable-housing policy at its meeting on Aug. 20.
Mayor Rob Douglas said that while municipalities can’t solve the housing-affordability crisis, which is an issue rooted in provincial and national dynamics, they do possess tools that can make a meaningful difference over time.
“As the staff report notes, every affordable unit created has the potential to be life changing for a family or an individual,” he said.
Christina Hovey, a project manager for North Cowichan, said in the staff report on the issue that the new AHP has been significantly revised from the 2023 version in that it places less emphasis on developer contributions towards affordable housing.
She said the current version is almost entirely “inward facing” and focuses on actions that North Cowichan can take to directly contribute to the delivery of new affordable housing, and leverage affordable-housing funding sources for the community.
“The goals of the policy are to create a supportive environment for affordable-housing projects and to provide a framework for leveraging investments in the community and region from the federal and provincial governments, while continuing to prioritize housing delivery," Hovey said.
“The policy provides standing direction for staff and also identifies a number of initiatives and projects that can be completed in the coming years.”
The policy, which has been in development since 2020, outlines a strategic framework to increase the supply of affordable housing, protect existing rental units, and support individuals experiencing homelessness.
It includes practical steps such as leveraging public land, offering financial and non-financial incentives, and working with other levels of government and community organizations.
But Coun. Bruce Findlay said he doesn’t think North Cowichan needs an affordable housing policy at all.
He said if the private sector was permitted to provide more market-housing units, that would create more affordable housing because it would lead to reductions in rent with new units coming into the marketplace.
“I have no problem having a look at a sustainable-housing policy and a homelessness policy that has to do with creating housing by assisting BC Housing, or situations for low-income people, but the best way to create affordable housing is to build new housing,” Findlay said.
Coun. Christopher Justice said he finds the focus on addressing homelessness in the policy a very appropriate addition to it.
He said there’s an undeniable connection between the lack of affordable housing and homelessness as many of the people on the streets have fallen off the lower end of the housing spectrum
“In that sense, I think the work we do on affordable housing is probably the most powerful long-term tool that we have for addressing these challenges in our community, Justice said.
“I also really like the idea of co-locating affordable housing with municipal facilities, which seems to be a very smart way to reduce the land and infrastructure costs associated with building affordable housing.”
Coun. Mike Caljouw said every jurisdiction in the world has some sort of an affordable-housing policy.
“These communities recognize, as we do, that the costs of housing is outpacing incomes, and without a deliberate policy, far too many people are left struggling to find secure and attainable housing,” he said.
“Affordable housing policies aren’t simply about building more units, they’re about shaping communities where everybody has the opportunity to live and thrive.”
Coun. Tek Manhas said North Cowichan taxpayers are already contributing 34 per cent of the $750,000 that is allocated each year from the Cowichan Valley Regional District to the Cowichan Housing Association that is used as seed funding to secure affordable-housing investments in the region.
“I think the non-profit sector should be partnering up with the private sector like what’s happening on Vian Street [in which the Parhar Group has partnered with the Clements Centre for Families to build an affordable-housing project],” he said.
“I think that’s a great collaboration and we should not be involved in this with this policy.”
The policy passed, with Findlay and Manhas opposed.
