Trust Council Resolution Submission - Affordable Housing

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2022 RESOLUTION SUBMISSION TO AVICC 
 
 
AFFORDABLE HOUSING SUPPORT FOR RURAL AREAS                ISLANDS TRUST 
 
RESOLUTION: 
 
WHEREAS the Province of British Columbia has implemented the “Homes for BC: A 30-Point Plan 
for Housing Affordability in British Columbia”;  
 
AND WHEREAS the Plan largely benefits urban areas that have better access to both resources 
and support services than rural areas; 
 
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that AVICC & UBCM call upon the Province of British Columbia to 
provide funding and support to local governments to facilitate affordable housing projects in 
rural areas in British Columbia. 
 
 
 
BACKGROUNDER: 
 
British Columbia is facing an acute shortage of affordable housing options needed to support the long-
term sustainability and resilience of local communities. The Province of British Columbia has instituted 
“Homes for BC, a 30-Point Plan for Housing Affordability in British Columbia” in order to address some of 
these challenges. However, the plan largely caters to high-density urban areas that have good access to 
the resources and support services needed to access BC Housing funding mechanisms.  It is vital that the 
Province also provide capacity building support to rural communities in British Columbia to address their 
unique housing affordability challenges. 
 
Amidst a heated real estate market and a global pandemic that has encouraged people to migrate to 
rural areas where they can work from home or have ‘staycations’ in second homes, rural areas are facing 
unprecedented housing demands and lack adequate affordable housing to support the basic needs of 
local seniors, working class families, tradespeople, and other key members of diverse and healthy rural 
communities. The dramatic deficit of affordable housing in rural areas has led to significant challenges for 
local governments, Islands Trust, and non-profits working in this field. Local rural governments are often 
required to expend significant resources putting in place supportive zoning, water, and personnel to 
support proposed housing projects before even being considered for BC Housing funding. These are 
resources that rural communities, in comparison to their urban counterparts, do not have. Rural BC 
needs more resources to be able to get projects to the point of being “shovel-ready” so that they are able 
to access the bulk of affordable housing funding intended for construction.  
 
Provincial funding and support could help local governments and Islands Trust respond to the urgent and 
rapidly-increasing need to support affordable housing projects in their local jurisdictions, thus supporting 
the Province’s broader strategy for housing affordability in British Columbia.

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