B.C.'s Housing Ministry announced on Thursday (May 29) it is adding 12 more communities to the list subject to housing targets.
This will include Coldstream, Comox, Courtenay, Cumberland, Lake Country, Parksville, Peachland, Penticton, Qualicum Beach, Salmon Arm, Summerland and Vernon.
"As we add new communities to the housing targets program to keep up with demand, we will continue to work together with municipalities to make sure more people can find homes that fit their needs and budgets," Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said in a news release.
These municipalities were chosen due to their inclusion in the list of communities subject to the speculation and vacancy tax.
Each community is given a specific number of new homes that must be built in the municipality with benchmarks that must be met along the way.
Other communities announced in 2024 will soon be given targets.
The province first implemented the Housing Supply Act to enable the government to establish housing targets based on areas of greatest need and highest projected growth.
Housing targets for second and third sets of priority communities were announced in 2024, and the ministry released a summary of the six-month interim report findings Thursday.
The second set had a total target of 6,272 units from 10 communities:
• Central Saanich: 304 of 77 units (395%)
• Esquimalt: 224 of 81 (277%)
• Kelowna: 1,501 of 1,363 units (110%)
• Nanaimo: 539 of 783 units (69%)
• Maple Ridge: 376 of 612 units (61%)
• Surrey: 2,567 of 4,233 units (61%)
• City of North Vancouver: 351 of 581 units (60%)
• Sidney: 54 of 90 units (60%)
• Chilliwack: 332 of 659 units (50%)
• White Rock: 24 of 189 (13%)
The third set had a total of 1,546 units:
• New Westminster: 702 of 656 units (107%)
• City of Langley: 237 of 251 units (94%)
• Prince George: 210 of 273 units (77%)
• Mission: 133 of 211 units (63%)
• Colwood: 96 of 178 units (54%)
• North Cowichan: 83 of 191 units (43%)
• West Kelowna: 64 of 289 units (22%)
• North Saanich: 6 of 60 units (10%)
• View Royal: 4 of 99 units (four per cent)
• Port Coquitlam: 11 of 343 units (three per cent)
