The NOW asked each Burnaby candidate to answer 10 questions ahead of the provincial election on Oct. 19.
We will be publishing candidate answers by question daily.
Answers by candidates who participated are listed in alphabetical order by surname.
Question: Is the current plan to turn single-family zoning into multiplexes and create transit-oriented development areas the best way to deal with the housing crisis? What else can be done to make housing more affordable?
Reah Arora - BC NDP (Burnaby East)
Increasing density and focusing on building homes around transit is one key pillar of addressing both the housing crisis and the climate crisis. Burnaby is a great place to live with key Skytrain and bus routes running through it, and we need more housing. What’s important is that the housing development is thoughtful and the City of Burnaby has been a great partner in coming up with plans that fit various neighborhoods and town centres.
We also need to build up other options, including non-market and student housing. Over 800 units of student housing have been built at SFU with 445 more on the way, taking pressure off the rental market and using public land for public good. The BC NDP has worked with partners to ensure the many co-ops in Burnaby are protected, including hundreds of homes in Burnaby East at 115 Place Co-Op.
The steps taken to tackle speculation and rentals being turned into Airbnbs have already started to have effects with prices dropping for both purchases and rents. Tackling the housing crisis requires all hands on deck and, as a renter trying to get into the housing market, I am laser focused on investing in housing. John Rustad has said he doesn’t believe that government should have a role in housing. We need to continue tackling housing costs by taking on speculators and breaking down barriers to construction.
Simon Chandler - Conservative Party of BC (Burnaby East)
The Conservative Party of BC will repeal Bill 44 and amend Bill 47 to require adequate zoning for local small businesses and grocery stores within walking distance. We would speed up the permitting process by cutting red tape and setting deadlines of six months for rezoning and development and three months for building permits. We would also work with individual municipalities in pre-zoning areas for development. In addition, we would implement the Rustad Rebate which would start as a $1,500 per month tax credit on provincial income tax for rent and mortgage interest. The tax credit would increase by $500 annually to a three-year limit of $3,000 per month.
Meiling Chia - Unaffiliated (Burnaby South-Metrotown)
Transforming single-family zoning into multiplexes and developing transit-oriented areas are important steps in addressing the housing crisis. This approach can increase density and provide more affordable housing options while promoting sustainable transit use. However, it’s crucial to couple these changes with additional strategies to maximize their effectiveness. In order to control housing costs, there needs to be more options and competition. We will need to implement measures to increase affordable housing options for young people, seniors and families including rental subsidies, funding and support for co-living spaces and non-profit housing developers. By combining zoning reforms with these additional strategies, we can create a more comprehensive and effective approach to tackling the housing crisis and ensuring that everyone has access to safe, affordable homes.
Paul Choi - BC NDP (Burnaby South-Metrotown)
Like many other parts of the world, we’re up against high interest rates and real estate speculators in our housing market. The BC NDP is tackling housing costs by taking on speculators, cutting red tape and breaking down barriers to construction. The BC NDP supports transit-oriented development and small-scale multi-housing projects in single-family neighbourhoods. Starting to build townhouses, duplexes and triplexes in traditionally single-family zones is a balanced approach that adds housing options without drastically altering the character of our neighbourhoods.
Raj Chouhan - BC NDP (Burnaby-New Westminster)
Whether you are a young family looking to put down roots or a senior looking to downsize, we have all felt the pressures of the housing crisis. Transforming single-family zoning into multiplexes and focusing on transit-oriented development is a vital step in addressing these challenges. By increasing density in urban areas, we can create more diverse housing options and make better use of our existing infrastructure. Adding these options allows more people to stay in the community they have always called home, near their family and the services they rely on. To make housing more affordable for everyone we must also invest in non-profit and cooperative housing, and enhance support for renters through stronger tenant protections.
In our platform we commit to encouraging municipalities to get more market rental housing built with an infrastructure fund tied to housing starts and waiving provincial property taxes for new purpose-built rental projects. This will deliver the homes we know people need. The BC NDP have made record investments in communities across the province, including hundreds of new homes right here in Burnaby and New Westminster—but we know more needs to be done. When John Rustad was in government he let rents and home prices skyrocket. Rustad has made his intentions clear to undo the progress we have made together. A BC NDP government will ensure that this is a province anyone can call home and that all people have a pathway to homeownership.
Anne Kang - BC NDP (Burnaby Centre)
The BC NDP believes that a mix of housing is the key to easing the housing crisis across the province. In addition to transit-oriented development, manufactured and pre-fabricated homes, purchasing rental apartments before they are sold to investors and other speculators is important. Allowing people the ability to build multi-generational housing on their current lots is another option.
After years of neglect by the previous government who only built 138 student housing units in 16 years, the BC NDP government invested $2 billion dollars and partnered with post-secondary institutions across the province like BCIT and SFU, who have built or are building 12,000 student housing units where students can live, relieving pressure off of the local rental market.
The introduction of the Speculation and Vacancy Tax put 22,000 empty homes back into the market. That was complemented by the new regulations on short-term rentals, which also re-introduced housing stock back into the market. I am committed to working with my BC NDP team and my constituents and stakeholders to build more housing. We have a plan, advised by housing experts, that will work to turn the tide on this very important issue.
Martin Kendell - Independent (Burnaby North)
We need a 50/50 mix of gentle densification in single family neighbourhoods as well as transit-orientated development to effectively tackle the housing crisis in Burnaby. We need to investigate and invest in smarter, cheaper, faster and more efficient methods of home building such as 3D printing and prefabricated housing. We need to encourage home ownership by creating rent to own housing programs and other innovative financing methods.
One of the reasons that the cost of housing is out of control in Burnaby is because of the federal government’s poorly thought-out immigration policies that are causing millions of people to flood into this country and encouraging them to settle in areas where housing is a at a premium. While a well thought out and sustainable immigration plan and multiculturalism are essential to the growth and success of Canada, we should be encouraging some immigrants to this country to consider settling in regions of this country that have readily available and significantly more affordable housing options.
Han Lee - Conservative Party of BC (Burnaby South-Metrotown)
The plan to turn single family zoning into multiplexes and transit oriented developments is a step in the right direction, but it’s not enough to solve the housing crisis. We need faster approvals for housing projects and less red tape for builders. The Conservative plan will expedite rezoning and development permits to ensure homes are built in months, not years. We will also repeal hidden taxes that add to construction costs and make homes unaffordable. By trusting certified professionals and streamlining approvals, we will get homes built quicker and more affordably. Additionally, we need to ensure that housing near transit hubs includes community services like grocery stores, schools, and recreational areas to create vibrant, livable neighborhoods.
Carrie McLaren - BC Green Party (Burnaby South-Metrotown)
On the supply side, Yes zoning across the board is needed to allow landowners the choice to create more units of housing on their land. Partnering to create new builds for diverse community needs at the same time climate proofing along the way.
On the other fronts, protect current affordable housing stock, renters with rental protections and vacancy control, maintenance grants, and work on various ways to reduce the profit factor in housing (investment firms, REITs, etc).
Janet Routledge - BC NDP (Burnaby North)
BC is a great place to live, but homes are too expensive. The zoning changes and transit-oriented development regulations are only two of the tools we’re using to address the housing crisis. Our Housing Action Plan includes a flipping tax, using public land to build housing people can afford, and making it easier to build and rent out secondary suites. We are also going to help 25 000 middle-class families break into the housing market through an innovative program that reduces down payments and mortgage payments. John Rustad and the BC Conservatives have promised to undo all of the work we’ve done.
Tara Shustarian - BC Green Party (Burnaby East)
I support Transit-oriented development areas for housing, which provides options to residents incapable of driving and those who do not want to incur the costs of owning a vehicle. It is the intent of such transit hubs to be developed with density and mixed-use. The solution lies in partnerships to provide affordable rentals, with money contributed from the province, and higher government and associated bodies (which is essentially asking for our Burnaby tax dollars to be returned) while still allowing controlled market housing within the projects to encourage investors to spend their money in Burnaby. Burnaby must maintain its jurisdiction over its own official community plan. Moreover, the province must not overrule land use and zoning in Burnaby. Again we must have numerous consultations with stakeholders to see what sort of densification single-family zones would prefer. Planning and designing with enough amenities and infrastructure will always be appreciated. Once there is a thorough plan nobody would like to impede more housing.
