Housing will be a key issue in the upcoming election for many BC residents.
Today, the Conservative Party of BC leader, John Rustad, announced their plan to mitigate the housing crisis that would undo all that the BC NDP have worked towards.
The Conservatives’ plan to ‘Get BC Building’ is multi-faceted and highly critical of the BC NDP’s efforts.
Its main focuses are “removing barriers to construction, cutting taxes on new housing, and providing immediate relief for renters and homeowners.”
Below is a summary of the Conservatives’ plan:
- The Rustad Rebate – The BC Rent and Mortgage Rebate, dubbed the ‘Rustad Rebate’, will remove BC income taxes from $3,000 per month of housing costs – for both renters and homeowners.
- Hastened speed with approval processes – The plan would have the Province step in to approve any housing project that takes longer than six months for a municipal council to approve while also decreasing regulation and inspection of work done by BC tradespeople, engineers and architects
- Undo or amend NDP housing initiatives – They would repeal the NDP’s ‘Step Code’ efforts to encourage business and residents to go net-zero emissions when building, amend the Local Government Act to push municipalities along in approval processes, reform development cost charges and create new towns in BC using ly owned land
- Work with cities – The Conservatives say they would repeal Bill 44—which The BC NDP passed to allow for streamlined and cheaper processes in building homes—and create a $1 billion fund for cities who are building homes to access
- Build more purpose-built rentals – They would introduce tax incentives for rental construction and try to do so in collaboration with the federal government
- Accountability in the non-profit sector – They would cut back and give more oversight into funding of non-profit organizations, specifically BC Housing and other housing-related non-profits
- Bring strata insurance costs under control – The Conservatives say they will make sure that strata insurance rates charged to BC homeowners are based on the risks to property in BC, not the United States
Related:
- BC Greens announce plan for improved access to mental healthcare if elected
- Premier Eby announces new tower for patients at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital
The BC NDP say this plan presented by Rustad would be detrimental to the province and the housing crisis.
Specifically, they say it would bring back local government bureaucracy and red tape as well as cancel 300,000 middle-income homes that are on the way via Premier David Eby’s Housing Action Plan.
Additionally, the BC NDP say that Rustad plans on cancelling the speculation tax and ending the short-term rental ban, which were put in place to ensure there were less empty homes in BC communities being owned by Airbnb hosts and people who do not live here full-time.
“John Rustad has a 20-year record of defending the status quo on housing—and today he confirmed his plan to cancel 300,000 homes and bring back the bureaucracy and red tape that got us into this mess in the first place,” said Ravi Kahlon, BC NDP candidate for Delta North.
“Rustad’s plan will make housing more expensive, not less. John Rustad is a risk people can’t afford.”
Thus far, the BC Green Party have not announced their platform on housing initiatives they would implement if elected.
