B.C. housing minister in the Okanagan ‘listening and learning’ as he takes aim at the housing crisis | 24CA News

The challenges posed by the housing crunch within the Okanagan are in all places: folks residing in RVs, households making their houses in motels, and companies struggling to seek out employees.

On Thursday, B.C.’s new housing minister, Ravi Kahlon, was in Vernon getting a way of the scenario as he begins work to deal with one of many province’s greatest issues.

His North Okanagan cease is a component of a bigger tour of the Interior.

“There [are] challenges across the province. I’m out here listening and learning and hoping to take that knowledge back to come back with some positive solutions,” Kahlon mentioned.

Kahlon mentioned the province is working to have extra reasonably priced models constructed each for hire and to purchase.

The ministry mentioned he can be speaking to metropolis councils and mayors within the Interior about find out how to get that kind of housing on-line.

“We need to do it faster. Waiting two, three, four years for these things to be built is too long,” Kahlon mentioned.

Beyond constructing on present packages, the brand new minister was quick on specifics.

“We are right now refreshing our housing strategy so you will have very soon a road map of what we are going to be doing, from the province’s perspective, to ensure that housing that people need, no matter where they are in their lives,… is there for them,” Kahlon mentioned.

“That may mean supportive housing … but it also may mean affordable rental units or smaller units people can actually afford to buy.”

Asked concerning the province’s plan to create housing targets for some municipalities, Kahlon mentioned it was too quickly to say if any Okanagan communities can be included.

“We are right now in the process of picking eight to 10 communities that will have targets put on them. It gives us the tools to be able to step in if we don’t see action at the level that we want to see it, but so far every mayor I have talked to is ready to go,” Kahlon mentioned.

“There will be certainly a community in the Interior that will be on that list I just don’t know [which] at this point because the analysis is still happening.”

Vernon Mayor Victor Cumming got here to Thursday’s assembly with the minister with three particular requests: extra supportive housing models, a fancy care facility for folks unable to even keep in a shelter, and “a mechanism to bring on rental accommodations for those people who work here.”

Cumming says he needs Vernon was extra profitable at addressing affordability.

“I think we’ve had some facilities go in that are really positive. Where are we in terms of our need? Clearly, at less than one per cent vacancy rate we are well off of what we need. We need to be able to accelerate this process,” Cumming mentioned.

Cumming mentioned the town had document constructing allow numbers final yr, “but it isn’t enough.”

“You talk to anyone who is looking for housing here they will say this is a really, really difficult housing market. [We’ve been] successful at doing things but not at the pace we need here in Vernon,” Cumming mentioned.

Expectations can be excessive, as Kahlon heads again to Victoria to attempt to ship on his imaginative and prescient of housing for all.

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