B.C. municipalities call on province to legislate housing as a human right

2 week_ago 9

British Columbia

B.C. Coalition for Poverty Reduction provincial manager Rowan Burdge said legislating the close to lodging would mean there'd beryllium a ineligible model for extortion and accountability astatine the provincial level to guarantee lodging isn't conscionable a conversation, but an action.

Federal authorities recognized close to lodging successful 2019

Courtney Dickson · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 19, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 19

An Indigenous pistillate holds a motion that reads "Housing is simply a Human Right."

Nine metropolis councils successful B.C.'s Lower Mainland and connected Vancouver Island are calling connected the state to legislate lodging arsenic a quality close successful bid to code lodging affordability and insecurity crossed British Columbia.

The telephone comes arsenic lodging prices stay high, and the system remains volatile amid tariffs and uncertain planetary marketplace conditions.

Motions person been passed by metropolis councils successful Vancouver, North Vancouver, Burnaby, Port Moody, Langley City, Victoria, Saanich, Nanaimo and Langford, according to the B.C. Poverty Reduction Coalition.

"We've had dozens, if not hundreds of radical crossed antithetic communities penning letters ... to their assembly members, expressing wherefore lodging arsenic a quality close would interaction their lives," said Sacia Burton with the coalition.

"Whether they're a tenant with pets, they're looking for affordable oregon accessible housing, [or] they've been renovicted."

In 2019, the national authorities recognized lodging arsenic a close erstwhile it released the National Housing Strategy, which declared lodging "essential to the inherent dignity and well-being of the person."

It besides stated that "affordable lodging contributes to achieving beneficial social, economic, wellness and biology outcomes."

"We person things that we dainty arsenic a quality close successful British Columbia and successful Canada — things similar entree to water, entree to cleanable air, we dainty these arsenic necessities and we should besides beryllium treating structure successful the aforesaid way," Burton said.

According to B.C. Housing's 2023 study connected stateless counts successful 27 communities crossed the province, much than 11,000 British Columbians were experiencing homelessness that year.

The study is the astir recent available with provincewide information connected stateless counts.

Tents are shown acceptable up adjacent to a road overpass.

Coalition provincial manager Rowan Burdge said legislating the close to lodging would mean there'd beryllium a ineligible model for extortion and accountability astatine the provincial level to guarantee lodging isn't conscionable a conversation, but an action.

"We cannot spot the extremity of poorness successful B.C. without changing the mode we legislate our basal necessities," helium said. "Adequate, due lodging indispensable beryllium treated arsenic a close if we privation to physique a conscionable and equitable society."

The Early Edition6:33Municipalities telephone connected the state to enshrine lodging arsenic a quality right

Sacia Burton with the B.C. Poverty Reduction Coalition speaks with CBC big Stephen Quinn astir wherefore the state needs to instrumentality action.

A 2019 Healthy Housing study from B.C.'s Ministry of Health and the B.C. Healthy Communities Society says lodging is some a basal request and a quality right.

The study adds that quality, accessible and affordable lodging contributes to an accrued consciousness of information and improved prime of beingness — impacting individuals and communities alike.

Minister unfastened to moving with cities

In an emailed connection to CBC News, the Ministry of Housing said it's focused connected opening up structure spaces and closing stateless encampments.

"We each privation to physique a bully beingness here, successful a beardown assemblage we emotion wherever nary 1 is near behind," Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said.

A antheral successful a suit is speaking.

He said he's unfastened to talking to the 9 municipalities astir their needs.

"I've said each on that solving the lodging situation volition instrumentality each levels of authorities to travel unneurotic successful summation to moving with extracurricular partners, and I'm assured that we tin find ways to proceed to marque advancement connected lodging for everyone successful B.C."

The B.C. Poverty Reduction Coalition said it volition bring these ideas to the Union of B.C. Municipalities normal successful September, with the extremity of getting much communities connected board.

People locomotion past a motion that reads 'Welcome to the UBCM Convention'.

B.C. Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender said she's agelong advocated for lodging to beryllium recognized arsenic a quality right.

"Fulfilling the close to lodging is not lone a ineligible request nether planetary law; it is besides the lone viable way guardant to resolving the lodging situation successful our province," Govender said successful a media release.