Response from Minister of Housing regarding SSIP

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BRITISH  
COLUMBIA 
 
Office of the 
Minister of Housing 
 
Website: 
www.gov.bc.ca/housing 
 
Mailing Address: 
PO Box 9074 Stn Prov Govt 
Victoria BC  V8W 9E9 
Phone: 236 478-3970 
 
 
Location: 
Parliament Buildings 
Victoria BC  V8V 1X4 
Email:  HOUS.Minister@gov.bc.ca 
 
  
 
VIA EMAIL          Ref.  61830 
 
February 1, 2024 
 
Timothy Peterson, Chair 
Salt Spring Island Local Trust Committee 
Islands Trust 
1-500 Lower Ganges Road 
Salt Spring Island BC  V8K 2N8 
Email: rpingle@islandstrust.bc.ca 
 
Dear Timothy Peterson: 
 
Thank you for your October 3, 2023 letter, regarding the Secondary Suite Incentive 
Program (SSIP). I apologize for the delay in responding.  
 
First, I would like to thank you, the Salt Spring Island Local Trust Committee, and the 
Salt Spring Island community as whole, for your interest in this innovative new program. 
The Province recognizes that one of the biggest challenges for people in BC is finding an 
affordable home to live in. To address this need, we have developed an action plan to 
meet those challenges and to deliver more homes for people, faster. The Homes for People 
action plan will speed up delivery of new homes, increase the supply of middle-income 
housing, fight speculation, and help those who need it the most, and the SSIP program is 
just one of multiple initiatives coming out of the plan. Complete information on the action 
plan is available here: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Homes_For_People.pdf  
 
SSIP is a three-year pilot program, which we expect to expand over time. This program 
supports the creation of new, affordable rental housing while ensuring the units are safe 
for tenants and owners living in those homes. SSIP requires participating homeowners to 
provide building and occupancy permits issued by the local authority to verify that 
publicly-funded units are legal and meet building safety standards. 
 
 
 
.../2 

 
 
Timothy Peterson, Chair 
Page 2 
 
 
As a result of recent discussions with individuals and local representatives in 
unincorporated areas, we have expanded program eligibility to include 16 Regional 
Districts for the April 2024 launch. These are Regional Districts with building bylaws that 
provide building permits and inspections to all parts of the electoral areas within their 
boundaries, and the Salt Spring Island Trust area is among them.  
 
Updates to program eligibility on BC Housing’s website are forthcoming and will be shared 
on the BC Housing website when they become available at   
https://www.bchousing.org/housing-assistance/secondary-suite 
 
Program adaptations will be explored in future years to enable expansion to properties in 
the remaining Regional Districts. 
 
Thank you again for writing. I hope this information is helpful to you and your committee. 
 
Sincerely, 
 
 
 
 
 
Ravi Kahlon 
Minister of Housing 
 
pc: The Honourable Anne Kang

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