The City of Kamloops will be reaching out to the provincial government asking for help in overcoming some of the issues it is dealing with as it tries to meet provincially-mandated housing targets.
Councillor Katie Neustaeter says while the city is willing to do its part to build 4,236 net new homes by September 2028, it cannot do so without support of the provincial government.
“As we look at these targets, and being one of these identified communities, I think we’ve identified that the province’s own processes and some of the things that they implemented are some of our greatest barriers to success,” Neustaeter said.
“And as we look at wanting to achieve the outcomes that they’ve set out, I think we’re in alignment, we want more housing, we need more housing, its critical.”
The City’s Development Director Marvin Kwiatkowski says those concerns have been top of mind for the local development community as well as city staff.
“We’re finding that there’s new interpretations of existing legislation that’s not being applied consistently throughout the province,” Kwiatkowski said. “It’s actually being applied here but not other areas – which is very concerning.”
“Some of these processes, we’re talking not six months, we’re talking two to three years in the process.”
Kwiatkowski cited the extension of Qu’Appelle Boulevard in Juniper as an example, noting the project been delayed by at least a year because of a situation that is out of City’s control.
Part of the planned road extension runs through a new Juniper West subdivision, while another portion, Kwiatkowski said, runs through provincial Crown land.
“That was considered by the [Assistant Deputy Minister] to be a top, high priority project,” Kwiatkowski added. “And that’s over two years to get that moving before we could go on site to actually do investigative-type works.”
“There’s many projects where it just seems like we’re going in circles.”
The City is also asking the province to lobby the Federal Government for more funding to help Kamloops meet its housing targets after the City’s unsuccessful application for $15.6 million from the $4.4 billion Housing Accelerator Fund.
“We are profoundly disappointed and feel we were misled in the process,” Neustaeter added, noting Kamloops was the only community in the B.C. Interior that has provincial housing targets.
“My hope is that the province would appeal on our behalf to the federal government for dollars that have now become available, that are similar to encourage them to identity Kamloops as one of the communities who should be funded in this area.”
While Kamloops is the only community that knows how many housing units it needs to build, the Province announced plans to issue housing targets to Kelowna, West Kelowna, and Prince George last month.
Councillors also reached out directly to Federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser and Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo MP, Frank Caputo, asking that the City be considered for any future funding that is connected to housing initiatives.
“If we can get that $15.6 million, it would certainly help up with the infrastructure that is desperately needed in this community to build the homes that the provincial government is mandating us to build,” Coucillor Kelly Hall said last month.
The City is also asking the Province for more transit hours and funding, saying its required before the B.C. Government can fully enact its housing legislation.
“Our partners at the CHBA and other independents, whatever they bring forward we’ve been pretty proactive in saying yay to but we don’t build. We only approve,” Councillor Stephen Karpuk said, noting the City needs all the help it can get as it does not actually build any of the units.
“I think market conditions, interest rates, and everything being what they are, I think that’s the one penalty and the big stick we have hanging over our head.”
As it stands, the City of Kamloops says it is on track to hit its first year target of 679 new units, having previously projected it would have fallen short by about 20 per cent.
B.C. Housing Minster Ravi Kahlon said he is pleased with that reversal in projections, noting his Ministry is trying to provide the tools needed so municipalities with housing targets can achieve them.
“Hearing that Kamloops is getting more optimistic is great news,” said Kahlon in an interview with Radio NL. “To be honest, our teams have been working with the staff at Kamloops [City Hall], who have been doing really good work.”