Overview
Housing Needs Reports are a way for communities to better understand their current and future housing needs. These reports can help identify existing and projected gaps in housing supply by collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative information about local demographics, economics, housing stock, and other factors. A housing needs report is critical to developing a housing strategy or action plan. Learn more about the legislation and background of housing needs reports through BC Government's Website.
All local governments are required to complete an Interim Housing Needs Report by January 1, 2025. The Interim Housing Needs Report must only include three new, additional items:
- The number of housing units required to meet current and anticipated need for the next 5 and 20 years, as calculated using the HNR Method provided in the Regulation;
- A statement about the need for housing in close proximity to transportation infrastructure that supports walking, bicycling, public transit or other alternative forms of transportation; and,
- A description of the actions taken by the local government, since receiving the most recent Housing Needs Report, to reduce housing needs.
As official community plans are reviewed and updated, the CRD will consider the recommendations of housing needs reports and the implications they have on how we plan communities, neighbourhoods, and developments in rural areas. As OCPs are updated and amended, they will also need to accommodate the number of units identified by a housing needs report to ensure that planned land uses and projected housing needs are aligned. The types of land use regulations we may consider are set out under Part 14 of the Local Government Act and include land use designation, policy statements and objectives, development regulations, and various form, character, and use requirements.
| North Cariboo (Quesnel, Electoral Areas A, B, C & I) |
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The housing needs study examined the North Cariboo’s housing needs. In total, 2,506 units were assessed under the British Columbia housing needs method over the period 2021-2041, about half of which apportioned to Quesnel and half are apportioned to Electoral Districts A, B, C, and I. The North Cariboo is still recovering from economic changes over the last several decades which caused population fall in the 2000s and more recently. Despite this, general trends of falling household sizes tend to create need for new housing even in communities that are smaller than in the recent past. |
| Central Cariboo (Williams Lake, Electoral Area D, E, F, J & K) |
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The legislatively required 5- and 20-year estimates are for 508 and 1,547 additional units respectively for City of Williams Lake. Amended OCPs must accommodate the amount of housing estimated for the 5- and 20-year additional units. The legislatively required 5- and 20-year estimates are for 499 and 1,227 additional units respectively for Electoral Areas D, E, F, J, K combined. A breakdown of each Electoral Area can be found in Appendix B. Amended OCPs must accommodate the amount of housing estimated for the 5- and 20-year additional units. Given most development seen over the next five years will be from projects currently underway, it is unlikely the short-term estimate is achievable in most municipalities. However, as local policies and plans are amended to accommodate other legislative changes to support additional housing development and diversity, it may become more realistic to achieve these 5-year estimates over time; these changes establish a new framework for land use and housing regulation, and it may take time to be fully operational. |
| South Cariboo (100 Mile House, Electoral Areas G, H & L) |
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The key findings are the assessed housing needs of each area under study, including housing needed to address deficits in homelessness, households experiencing extreme unaffordability (extreme core housing need), projected population changes, achieving a healthy rental vacancy rate, as well as a buffering ‘demand factor’ provided by the province for municipalities. These projections provide a province-wide comparison of housing needs for all regions and municipalities. The study examined the housing needs using the Provincial Housing Needs Report method, finding a total of 1,774 homes needed over the period 2021-2041 spread across 100 Mile House and area G, H and L. |