VANCOUVER – The British Columbia government’s push to build more homes has created “chaos” within communities, and a collection of groups is calling for the creation of a roundtable of experts to lead housing policy in the province.
The groups, which includes the BC Real Estate Association, the Aboriginal Housing Management Association, Canadian Mortgage Brokers and local politicians and developers, say the roundtable is needed to help create effective housing policy.
Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West says Premier David Eby’s government “opened the floodgates with an avalanche of new legislation” to build more housing, but it has also created “a lot of chaos.”
B.C’s legislation has set targets for numerous communities to build more homes and requires local governments to change zoning to allow for small-scale multi-unit housing on most lots that had been zoned for single-family homes.
West says the policy of allowing multiple homes on single-family lots is “incredibly problematic” for builders and also for neighbourhoods that were not intended for such density.
The groups say the roundtable would bring housing experts to sit alongside municipal and provincial government officials to create housing solutions that better reflect the needs of communities,
Delegates at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention passed a resolution on Friday calling for the establishment of a permanent provincial housing policy roundtable.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2025.
Note to readers:This is a corrected story. A previous version attributed a Brad West quote to Trevor Hargreaves of the BC Real Estate Association.
