Strategic Context

Vision, Mission and Values

Vision

British Columbians enjoy secure and affordable housing and safe buildings in which to live, work and play.

Mission

To provide leadership in meeting the building needs of British Columbians by:

• Promoting a range of housing choices;
• Developing regulations and promoting their application;
• Providing information regarding rights and responsibilities; and
• Providing mechanisms for resolving disputes.

Values

The Office of Housing and Construction Standards is an organization guided by the following values:

• We value the importance of housing as a home — the foundation on which to build a healthy life and a sustainable community.
• We value innovation and excellence in the work we do and are accountable to ourselves and ultimately to the citizens of British Columbia.
• We value strong working relationships built on open communication and shared understanding that inspires trust and confidence.
• We value integrated services and partnerships that optimize resources and improve the well-being of our clients and stakeholders.
• We proactively resolve conflicts in a neutral way, balancing the interests of our clients.
• We value the people we work with and the people we serve, respecting diversity and treating everyone fairly and with dignity.

Planning Context and Key Strategic Issues

Housing need and the provincial government’s response can be viewed as a continuum. At one end are people who cannot house themselves without some form of government assistance. At the other end are people who can adequately house themselves in the private housing market. The continuum spans low to high-income, homelessness to home ownership, dependence to self-sufficiency.

Government housing assistance is strategically designed to promote movement towards self-sufficiency and homeownership. Underlying the continuum are foundational elements including the B.C. Building Code, B.C. Fire Code, Safety Standards Act, the Homeowner Protection Act and the Residential Tenancy Act. These governing elements contribute to consumer protection and the safety and stability of our housing.

The vast majority of British Columbians are housed successfully in B.C.’s private housing market. According to BC Stats, approximately 36 per cent of B.C. households are renters and 64 per cent are homeowners. Even with the rising cost of renting and homeownership in the province’s larger urban centres, the private market is adequately meeting the housing need of approximately 85 per cent of B.C.’s population. For the remaining 15 per cent, however, housing need is very real, and the challenges to address that need are significant.

The province has fulfilled one of its key 05/06 Service Plan targets by developing a comprehensive Housing Strategy that will focus assistance to those most in need along the housing continuum — the homeless, vulnerable populations, Aboriginal groups and low-income households requiring better access to rental housing. In addition, the Strategy outlines government’s plans to improve the foundational elements of the housing continuum including building safety modernization, improved professionalism in the residential construction sector and strengthened consumer protection for tenants and homebuyers. In working towards the realization of these goals, the province will build on productive, successful partnerships with federal and local governments, the private sector, non-profit societies, BC Housing, provincial ministries, local health authorities and a multitude of other stakeholders.

Housing Trends and Responses

B.C.’s current building boom, coupled with an aging workforce, is resulting in a shortage of skilled labour in the housing and construction sectors. This has an impact on the cost of construction, and ultimately housing affordability. These trends, coupled with rapidly changing technology and increased liability exposure, are creating major pressures in the environment regulated by the building regulatory system. Industry participants have expressed concern that the system is not responding effectively to these pressures or to participant needs.

According to the September 2005 RBC Financial Group’s Housing Affordability Study, housing in some areas of B.C. is the most expensive in the country, and the gap between what people are earning and the cost of housing is growing. Greater Vancouver continues to have the highest prices and worst affordability index in Canada, with most housing types (particularly single family detached homes) out of reach for median income earners. In addition, recent net population migration to B.C. and strong employment growth is putting further pressure on housing market demand.

Very few new rental units are being built in the private market, and those that are do not fall into the affordable housing category. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) reports that only 934 purpose-built rental housing units were constructed in B.C. in 2004.

In recent years, homelessness has roughly doubled in urban areas such as Vancouver and Kelowna, despite increased spending on emergency shelters and transitional housing. The Greater Vancouver Regional District reported that homelessness counts increased from 1,049 in 2002 to 2,112 in 2005 — an increase of about 101 per cent. In Kelowna, homelessness counts increased from 160 in the spring of 2003 to 420 in the fall of 2005. Families and the “working poor” now constitute a visible part of the homeless population.

The province is addressing absolute homelessness through programs administered by BC Housing, which provides for 879 year-round emergency shelter beds and 391 additional beds during cold/wet weather months. In 2005 BC Housing assumed responsibility for the Emergency Shelter Program with the objective of improving the movement of shelter users to more permanent supportive housing. Under this program, transitional housing will be created for homeless individuals.

B.C. is nearing completion of a devolution agreement with the federal government that would see responsibility for administration of federal social housing transferred to the province. As a result, the Province will be able to re-align and re-develop social housing stock to achieve provincial housing objectives and to deliver housing programs more effectively and at a lower overall cost.

In addition, the Local Government Survey of 2003 highlighted a number of innovative practices among municipalities across B.C. With assistance from the province, new housing and planning tools are increasingly being used by local governments to help create affordable housing options for British Columbians — tools that recognize and encourage secondary suites, increased densities and housing affordability.

Demographic Trends and Responses

Canada and British Columbia’s Aboriginal populations are growing relative to other demographic groups. 73 per cent of B.C.’s Aboriginal people live off-reserve. Over the last decade, the provincial government has funded Aboriginal housing societies to build approximately 500 new units of non-market housing. Nevertheless, core housing need among Aboriginal people remains higher both on and off-reserve in comparison to non-Aboriginal British Columbians.

At the November 2005 First Ministers’ Meeting on Aboriginal Issues, the federal and provincial governments signed the Transformative Change Accord making the commitment to address the significant housing needs of Aboriginal British Columbians. Flexible federal-provincial funding arrangements will be developed following regionally-based discussions.

British Columbia’s population continues to age. The number of senior-led households is expected to increase by over 60 per cent from 246,000 in 2001 to 397,418 by 2021². Demographic trends point to a growing seniors population with fixed incomes and a need for housing supports. Seniors are predicted to make up 23.5 per cent of B.C.’s population in 2031, compared to 13.2 per cent in 2001.

The province recently doubled funding for senior rental subsidies through the SAFER program, and is committed to increasing funding for this benefit as the number of seniors in B.C. increase.

Many seniors live in rental accommodation where hospitality and personal care services are provided by the landlord. The Office will introduce legislation to address the specific consumer protection needs of landlords and tenants of assisted living and supportive housing tenancies.

2	Source: BC Stats, Ministry of Labour and Citizens’ Services.

Regulatory reform is a global trend that is shaping how government interacts with the construction industry and other building and safety stakeholders. British Columbia continues to introduce outcomes-based and risk-assessed regulatory approaches for safety technologies. These approaches have been shown to encourage economic growth while maintaining safety standards in the built environment. The next edition of the B.C. Building Code, expected in 2006, will be adopted in an objective-based code format. By stating the rationale behind each provision, the code will facilitate greater innovation and flexibility.

Economic competitiveness and the growth of new technologies are creating opportunities for jurisdictions across Canada and the world to work with industry in harmonizing safety regulation while promoting research, development and marketing of new applications. As an example, British Columbia is benefiting from the expertise of its successful fuel cell industry and providing leadership over the next several years in “smart regulation” development related to hydrogen fuel applications.