B.C. given C+ housing grade by task force — but builders say cities need to step up

British Columbia is falling short when it comes to building new homes, according to a new report on housing across the country — and some leaders in the housing sector agree with the report's findings. 

The Task Force for Housing and Climate, a group of 15 housing policy experts that formed in 2023 to make recommendations for governments across the country, commissioned the report.

It gives B.C. a C+ for its progress on developing much-needed homes across the province. 

"British Columbia has instituted the most ambitious reforms, but their overall performance is undermined by high (and still rising) municipal development charges and some of the slowest permitting approval times in the country," the report says. 

No province received a better grade than a C+. Alberta, given a D+, was given the lowest grade, but it gave the federal government a B. 

The province says that it appreciates the task force's work, and its acknowledgement of "the progress we're making to build more homes faster."

"Despite economic challenges, we saw a 37 [per cent] increase in housing starts in January 2025 and a 61 [per cent] surge in purpose-built rental unit registrations, showing strong momentum," a Housing Ministry spokesperson said in a statement.

"With unprecedented provincial investment in non-market housing, we're on track to exceed our goal of 114,000 new housing units by 2027/2028, with nearly 92,000 homes already delivered or underway."

Pushing for 'gentle density'

Dan Winer, executive lead with the non-profit group Small Housing B.C., says the report does have some merit, but he says the province has made a lot of improvements that deserve recognition.

"We agree with the overall tone of the urgency and the need for bold, drastic moves," Winer told CBC's The Early Edition host Stephen Quinn. 

"But at the same time, we disagree with the harsh grading."

Winer says B.C. has been a leader in legalizing what he calls "gentle density" —  adding more homes to existing properties by building things like basement suites and coach houses, or building triplexes and fourplexes on a single lot.

"But gentle density is the chance to add homes to established neighborhoods and leverage existing infrastructure without fantastically altering the shape of the neighborhood or the community," he said. 

"We just think it's one of the most elegant solutions to adding more housing to our vast portfolio here in B.C."

In 2023 B.C. passed Bill 44, which requires municipalities to rezone in order to increase small-scale, multi-unit housing. Some municipalities have pushed back, however, and have asked for more time to apply the bill to their official community plans and bylaws.

Winer says some of the biggest obstacles to creating more housing in B.C. include high municipal fees, and unpredictable timelines that increase costs and slow down construction. 

The problem mainly lies with municipalities, Winer says. 

Municipal delays

Casey Edge, executive director of the Victoria Residential Builders Association, agrees that municipalities are the leading obstacle of more housing. 

In the Capital Regional District there are 13 separate municipalities, each with their own municipal plans, that govern a total of about 400,000 people.

"It's why we don't have LRT out to the West Shore," Edge told CBC's On The Island host Gregor Craigie.

"Edmonton created their LRT in 1974 with the same population that we have in Victoria today and we're nowhere close."

Edge points out that the province recently had to enforce its housing targets for Victoria suburb Oak Bay by releasing recommendations for the municipality.

He wishes that Bill 15, the controversial infrastructure legislation that B.C. passed earlier this week to fast-track schools, hospitals and some private projects, had included housing as well. 

Permit and other development delays are a significant source of cost increases, Edge says, because builders still have to pay loans and taxes on land while they wait for the go-ahead to build.