Metro Vancouver mayors ask province for more funding for affordable housing

Metro Vancouver mayors are asking the provincial government for support providing more affordable housing in the region.

During the mayors' committee meeting on April 6, BurnabyMayor Mike Hurley said that the committee wanted $190 million in grant money from both the provincial and federal governments. The money would go toward Metro Vancouver's 10-year housing plan, which Hurley says will provide a "meaningful contribution" to the housing crisis by adding 2,000 new and redeveloped units to the region.

Housing Minister David Eby says there is an "endless appetite" for provincial and federal support for affordable housing. However, he said that one of his main concerns was getting faster approval from local governments to build, and that cities and municipalities needed to work with provincial and federal governments to meet housing goals.

The request comes as Statistics Canada released data that day showing that over 100,000 people moved to the province in 2021, the highest annual total since 1961.

Eby says these numbers are already exacerbating the housing crisis, and that the ministry expects that they will "stay at that level or even increase", particularly as the province prepares to accept migrants from Ukraine. He says he plans to tackle the issue collaboratively with Municipal Affairs Minister Nathan Cullen and municipal leaders.

"Metro Vancouver is a great place to have this discussion, because this is a regional issue." Eby said.

"Regional growth is exploding and... we need to respond at a regional level."