BC PULSE – Interior residents want Eby to keep hands off local zoning

By ANGUS REID INSTITUTE

December 18, 2023 – As 2023 closes, British Columbians find themselves in a similar place as they opened the year – concerned with the rising cost of living and housing affordability and disapproving of the B.C. government’s response.

New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds residents just as critical in December as they were a year ago when it comes to government performance on those two key issues, while rent and mortgage costs trend persistently upward.

In December 2022, 12 per cent said the government was doing a good or very good job of handling housing affordability, while 15 per cent said the same of its cost-of-living management. Twelve months hence, those numbers are now 13 per cent and 14 per cent respectively.

The good, or at least better, news for the BC NDP: they appear to be the party most trusted to resolve these issues going forward. The party holds a 17-point advantage in vote intention over the second place BC Conservatives.

The bad news is trust in recently released housing policies is low, and the province’s push to assume jurisdiction over some municipal decision making when it comes to zoning has the potential to ruffle more than a few feathers.

After the province released new home building targets for 10 municipalities and introduced new legislation that eliminates single-family zoning, 45 per cent of residents say the province is not best to make housing decisions, preferring their own local or municipal government. That said, one-in-three (32%) say the province is better suited to make these calls.

In municipalities with more than 5,000 residents, the province’s zoning policy will now be in force. British Columbians are divided evenly over the perceived effectiveness of this, with 44 per cent saying it will help, and 41 per cent saying it will be ineffective in addressing the housing deficit.

There is one area of more agreement, with respect to short-term rentals. More than half (56%) say that prohibiting short-term rentals at properties where the owner does not live will be effective in creating more long-term rental stock, while 36 per cent disagree.

More Key Findings:

• As has been the case for all of 2023, cost of living (66%), health care (54%), and housing affordability (44%) are the top issues for B.C. residents.

• 42 per cent of would-be voters say they would support the BC NDP if an election were held, while 25 per cent would vote for the surging Conservative Party of BC. One-in-five would support BC United (20%), and 12 per cent would vote for the BC Greens.

• Residents in the B.C. Interior are much more opposed to the idea of provincial influence on housing decisions (61% say it should remain local versus 21% provincial), while Metro Vancouver residents are most divided (36% versus 39%).

Link to the poll here: www.angusreid.org/