As housing costs in BC increase, people are looking to the government for support.
Though BC parties have some similar goals regarding housing, the groups disagree on some points.
The Ubyssey summed up each party’s platform to help UBC community members make an informed vote.
BC Conservative Party
Led by John Rustad, the BC Conservative Party has said it’s time to address BC’s "urgent" housing crisis.
On September 27, the party publicly released Get BC Building, a plan which promises to streamline housing approval processes, combat the housing shortage and provide housing tax cuts.
Rustad said Get BC Building will end what he called the NDP’s “over-regulation” so the government can faster approve rezoning and developing permits. Rustad additionally plans to to identify land outside Vancouver’s Agricultural Land Reserve in an attempt to address “the housing shortage with smart, sustainable development.”
Where that outside land will come from is unclear, and Rustad’s promise to eliminate “redundant” regulations in the mining industry comes with sustainability concerns like deforestation, water contamination and impacts on Indigenous Peoples’ land rights.
The largest part of Get BC Building is Rustad’s housing costs relief plan — what the party calls the BC Rent and Mortgage Rebate or, more commonly, the "Rustad Rebate."
According to the party’s website, this rebate would provide a tax credit to qualifying renters and homeowners.
The program, set to begin in 2026, would initially cover $1,500 per month and increase by $500 per year thereafter until reaching a final maximum rebate of $3,000 per month.
The rebate program is aimed at the middle-class tax brackets and is not specifically for students.
In an interview with The Ubyssey, Dr. Craig Jones, associate director of the housing research collaborative at UBC, said students are often overlooked regarding housing, and he hopes to see more public policies aimed toward students in the future.
“Most of the housing policy I see isn’t really geared to serve students,” said Jones. “It’s geared to serve maybe the middle class or lower income earners … and [is] not so focused on student relief.”
BC Green Party
Led by Sonia Furstenau, the BC Green Party called the housing crisis “complex [and] deeply entrenched” with “no quick fix.”
The party plans to ensure everyone in BC has access — whether as renters or owners — to an affordable home by 2035.
The Greens plan to implement policies which would better support renters, increase non-market housing (similar to the NDP) and climate-proof housing by reducing building sector emissions.
The party also plans to allocate $100 million annually to a rental maintenance fund to maintain existing non-profit and co-op housing. Co-op housing allows residents to hold shares of a non-profit organization in the form of residential units.
Additionally, the Greens want to double existing provincial property taxes for homes valued above $3 million, $4 million and $7 million to ensure “high-value properties contribute more.” Furstenau said these increased taxes are aimed at creating “an economy that serves the people” instead of “delivering harm,” according to Global News coverage.
Jones felt the Greens’ platform showed promise, but said he wanted more specifics.
“There’s a lot of information [on its website], a lot of good ideas,” said Jones. “But again, [there’s] not a whole lot of depth [in] information that I’ve been able to come across.”
BC NDP
If re-elected, the BC NDP plans to continue Premier David Eby’s Housing Action Plan, which updates restrictive zoning laws, and the ongoing BC Builds program.
The NDP’s platform said the party will “fast-[track] BC’s factory home construction to quickly deliver lower cost middle-class homes.”
“Factory-built home construction will play a critical role in solving the housing crisis — delivering immediate results,” read the platform.
The party also said it will encourage municipal governments to build more housing through a new local infrastructure investment fund.
Additionally, aimed at eligible first-time homeowners, the party’s Opening Doors to Homeownership Action Plan would “help thousands of middle-class families break into the housing market every year by financing 40% of the purchase price,” according to a BC NDP press release. Buyers would need to secure 60 per cent of the house’s market value.
In April, the provincial government, under Eby’s leadership, announced it would contribute $300 million for the contruction of more than 1,500 beds on UBC’s Vancouver campus by 2029, marking the largest provincial contribution to a single building project in the university’s history.
This contribution will allow for the construction of five new residential buildings with child care spaces. Residence construction isn’t set to begin until 2026, but the new space will help alleviate housing pressures on students and the local rental market, according to UBC President Benoit-Antoine Bacon.
Jones said he believes the province’s contribution to campus housing is a positive action.
“Having stronger partnerships between the province and the university is really important,” he said.
Jones also said he thought the NDP had a good track record on housing issues.
“I think that the housing policy that [we’ve] got in place over the last few years, there’s a lot of good ideas there,” said Jones. “So my hope is that, coming out of this election, the policies that we have already … such as the Rental Protection Fund [and] BC Builds, really generate [more] support.”
This article is part of The Ubyssey's 2024 provincial elections coverage.
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