While metrics point to the District of North Vancouver falling short on population growth and building new housing – how to generate more affordable dwellings in the municipality has no turnkey solution.
But lagging metrics have landed the district on a list of municipalities – along with West Vancouver – that will face housing quotas from the province. With that pressure looming, a staff report sparked debate in council chambers earlier this week as to the merits of what’s being done already, and how the district should address related issues moving forward.
In January, council passed a resolution to support a pledge to Make Housing Central, a collaborative project between the BC Non-Profit Housing Association, Aboriginal Housing Management Association, and the Co-operative Housing Federation of BC. Ahead of local elections last October, MHC released data highlighting where new housing is required based on municipalities’ own needs assessments, and measured how on-pace they are to meeting demand.
During the election race, Couns. Jim Hanson, Jordan Back, Lisa Muri and Catherine Pope signed the pledge, indicating a commitment to several tenets outlined by MHC.
In the recent report, staff showed where existing initiatives align with the pledge and where future action to advance each of the pledge’s affordable housing commitments.
In the report summary, staff highlighted that:
- local governments play an important role in supporting affordable housing in their communities;
- the district needs more rental and affordable housing, more diverse housing, as well as more housing for seniors, immigrants, families, people experiencing homelessness, Indigenous households and people with accessibility needs; and
- the district is working toward commitments in the pledge through existing or future efforts, such as waiving development cost charges for social and supportive housing, and streamlining the development approval process.
But while council voted unanimously to receive the staff report, there was disagreement among elected officials regarding how to measure the district’s performance so far, and how best to proceed.
Pledge sparks debate at council
Coun. Lisa Muri said the district has been doing many of the things listed in the pledge for years.
“I think we’ve been gaslit,” she said. “I think we’ve been convinced that there’s a housing crisis, when, is there really a penthouse housing crisis and a three-bedroom condo on the 17th floor crisis? Is that the crisis?”
She noted 2021 census data showing that the North Vancouver District had approved 4,600 occupancy permits but the population only grew by 2,500.
“Why is that? Because people bought units and invested and you know what, there’s nothing wrong with that. I have an investment property with my sister – many of us do,” Muri said. “But when that takes precedence over keeping people that have lived in your community for 40 years and have run businesses and raise their children here, then I have a big problem with it.
“We failed those people. And we continue to fail them,” she added.
Coun. Catherine Pope had a different perspective.
“Earth to Councillor Muri. Yes, we have a housing crisis – well documented,” she said.
“Sorry, I did not deny that there was a housing crisis,” Muri replied. “I denied that there was a penthouse housing crisis.… We have a social housing crisis, Coun. Pope, I absolutely agree with that. And I’ve been fighting that for 30 years.”
The district has been identified as having a very poor record of addressing that problem with affordable housing, Pope said.
“That’s why our children won’t be able to afford to live here, grandparents don’t see their kids,” she said. “We have a labor shortage because workers can’t afford to live here.
“That’s why the government is attempting to push us to make change, so we could build more houses for more people faster,” Pope added. “I feel very strongly that we should be embracing the help being offered by the provincial government and collaborate with them and creative ways to finding solutions to this vexing problem.”
Coun. Herman Mah – who has extensive experience working in the supportive housing sector with BC Housing, and currently with S.U.C.C.E.S.S. – said signing off on the pledge sends a message to the province, development community and non-profit section that the district will be a partner in addressing the housing issues the community faces.
“It’s important to remember that it’s not really the district that builds anything,” he said. “I think our role is to create an environment whereby developers and other partners will work with the district to build the forms of housing that the community wants and needs.”
Mayor Mike Little said he had an “absolute” problem with one commitment in the pledge, which states that approval of projects in line with the official community plan should be delegated to staff.
“It has to be retained by council to make that decision,” he said. “What goal number five suggests is that if a non-profit walked in the door, they’d be able to go for the maximum of the OCP. And it would cause a couple of things.”
Following one of the other goals, he said, a non-profit wouldn’t have to contribute any development cost charges, “even though the province pays for that in other communities.”
“They would automatically get the approval without having any discussion about the impact on the neighborhood around it, whether we have proper access and egress to the to the property … it would be pre-approval effectively for the project. And so I have a big problem with this,” he said.
