B.C. launches working group to address safety in supportive housing

Chuck Chiang · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 30, 2025 4:29 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

British Columbia's authorities is forming a moving radical to tackle a fig of information issues successful supportive housing, including concerns implicit cause trafficking, weapons and second-hand vulnerability to fentanyl. 

Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon says information is being fixed to removing the facilities from the Residential Tenancy Act, which would let lodging providers to footwear retired unsafe radical taking vantage of susceptible tenants. 

The announcement comes aft a fig of caller incidents, including a occurrence connected June 11 astatine the erstwhile Howard Johnson edifice successful Vancouver that injured 2 people.

Fire crews accidental they person been called to the tract much than 900 times since the installation was converted to supportive lodging successful 2020, and constabulary besides accidental they person been called to the determination thousands of times during the aforesaid period. 

Downtown concern groups successful Vancouver and Victoria person made caller pleas to authorities astir doing much to code the nationalist information situation, with the deteriorating conditions severely hampering section shops' quality to proceed operating.

Kahlon says successful a connection that the moving radical volition impact instrumentality enforcement, supportive lodging providers, national representatives and B.C. Housing "to guarantee information for tenants and workers is paramount."

"We person heard from providers that they request much authorization to instrumentality enactment and support radical safe, and we volition beryllium moving with our partners to find a way guardant that ensures radical tin unrecorded successful a safe, inclusive and supportive environment," Kahlon said.

The ministry besides says it is moving with the B.C. Centre for Disease Control to look into the interaction of the toxic cause situation connected supportive housing.

It says aboriginal results from investigating 14 buildings successful some Victoria and Vancouver amusement that immoderate supportive lodging areas whitethorn beryllium "more apt to person elevated levels of airborne fentanyl, supra the bounds WorkSafeBC has established."

The state says determination person been astir 7,500 caller supportive lodging units opened successful B.C. since 2017, and different 2,900 are successful progress.