Housing affordability, encampment response, infrastructure needs top of mind at UBCM Summit
News Release
Mayor Tom Dyas attended the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) Housing Summit in Vancouver this week for collaborative dialogue with municipal leaders across BC on the recent provincial Government housing legislation changes.
Addressing one of Council’s top priorities, homelessness, Mayor Dyas was a panelist discussing encampment response, the Province’s Bill 45 and the HEART & HEARTH Memorandum of Understanding the City signed with the Province in October 2023 that will see 180 transitionary encampment response shelter spaces be provided in Kelowna.
“In Kelowna we have been a willing partner, we continue to ask for more shelter spaces, complex care, supportive housing and affordable housing options,” said Mayor Dyas. “Yet, Bill 45 would remove another tool for municipalities to deal with the downstream impacts in our community to what are Provincial mandates and gaps in delivery – housing, health, mental health, drug enforcement, justice.”
Mayor Dyas spoke on the need for improved cross-ministry collaboration between Housing, Health, Mental Health and Addictions, Justice and Public Safety to better serve those most vulnerable and for solutions that will improve current conditions within the community more effectively and quickly.
Kelowna is one of the fastest growing communities in Canada. As more homes are needed to meet the demand of population growth, Mayor Dyas joined Mayors from across BC in asking for infrastructure development to match the pace of growth and for a revised fiscal framework for senior levels of governments to work with municipalities in providing long-term, predictable and flexible funding, shifting away from applications-based programs.
On a staff panel discussing Bill 44, the Province’s Small Scale Multi-Unit Housing legislation, Kelowna’s City Manager, Doug Gilchrist shared with delegates Kelowna’s leadership in infill housing policies and development, the challenges with attaining affordability in modern market conditions, automation for process improvements and also echoed the call for long-term predictable permanent infrastructure funding to support municipal capital projects and budget planning.
Councillor Loyal Wooldridge attended the summit as the Chair of the Regional District of the Central Okanagan.
At the Summit, Mayor Dyas connected with the Hon. Ravi Kahlon, BC’s Minister of Housing and the Hon. Anne Kang, BC’s Minister of Municipal Affairs to keep Kelowna priorities top of mind.
