Council supporting resolution requesting matching donation from the province for all local affordable housing efforts

Photo: File photo

Unanimous support for Penticton Mayor Julius Bloomfield’s motion to press the province for a more significant financial contribution to local affordable housing projects came from council on Tuesday.

Bloomfield had proposed a resolution to take to the 2023 Southern Interior Local Government Association in Vernon this April.

The motion would establish a model that provides provincial funding equal or greater in value to any donated land or a local government contributes for the purpose of attainable and affordable housing projects.

Bloomfield said that the background for this motion comes from staff looking at using municipal land for affordable housing and attainable housing projects in Penticton.

“There are many municipalities that are looking at this same model of providing housing as well,” he said.

“I think it's prudent or it would be positive action from the provincial government to have a policy such as this in place, which would create some certainty with municipalities and districts in making their applications to the provincial government for that kind of funding. So it's about building certainty into the ideas of the potential of using local government land for affordable housing.”

Since supported by council, the motion will be sent to SILGA for inclusion in the debate by members present at the AGM in April.

If the SILGA membership supports the motion, it will be sent to the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) for debate in September. If supported by the UBCM, it will be provided to their executive for comment and submission to the province.