BC municipalities wait to learn what Conservatives will do to provincial housing law
Local governments are watching to see whether the new Conservative government will reverse the 2023 law that required cities to allow more housing units and removed public hearings on density-compliant projects.
Reported. A news outlet found this. voche.me names the outlet and links its report. Read the original report on timescolonist.com.
Local governments across British Columbia are watching to see what the new Conservative government will do with Bill 44, the 2023 provincial law that required cities to allow more housing units on residential lots. Times Colonist reported on October 28.
Bill 44 required municipalities to amend their bylaws by mid-2024 to allow four to six units on lots previously zoned for single-family or duplex housing. The law also removed the right of residents to attend public hearings on development projects that follow a city's official community plan.
The Conservative platform, page 6, promises to let local governments decide where new housing density goes and to hold municipalities to their own official community plans. Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson has said his government will return planning decisions to local governments.
Victoria says it will continue its current approach
Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto, re-elected in the October 17 municipal vote, said her city's existing housing agenda already went further than Bill 44 required. "Frankly our own agendas were more assertive than that anyway," Alto told the Times Colonist. She said the city will continue on its current path until told otherwise.
Victoria issued 2,359 occupancy permits for new homes by late fall 2025, ahead of its target of 1,425. Its goal is 4,902 occupancy permits by 2028, according to the Times Colonist.
Saanich says reversal would be significant work
Outgoing Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock said updating the district's zoning and official community plan to comply with Bill 44 took considerable work from staff, and that reversing those changes would also require "significant" work. He said housing affordability pressures would fall on a Conservative government the same way they fell on the NDP.
Developers call for flexibility and cost limits
Mike Drummond, chief executive of the Urban Development Institute, told the Times Colonist that blanket up-zoning created unintended consequences including making land assembly harder, and that municipalities should have more flexibility on where new density goes.
Casey Edge, executive director of the Victoria Residential Builders Association, asked the province to limit the charges municipalities can require from developers for roads, water and sewer upgrades, and to set consistent timelines for building permits across municipalities.
What was promised
The Conservative platform, page 6, says local governments and residents should decide where density goes, and that municipalities will be held to their own official community plans. This promise is tracked at the BC provincial promise tracker.
The platform, page 6, also says a Conservative government will work with municipalities so their zoning bylaws match their official community plans. That promise is tracked at the BC provincial promise tracker.
BC residents can follow both commitments at the BC provincial promise tracker.
Questions this story answers
What is Bill 44 and why are municipalities watching it?
Bill 44 is a BC law enacted by the NDP government in 2023 that required municipalities to amend their bylaws by mid-2024 to allow four to six housing units on lots previously zoned for single-family or duplex homes. The law also removed the right of residents to attend public hearings on development projects that follow a city's official community plan. The incoming Conservative government has promised to return density decisions to local governments, so municipalities are waiting to learn what changes will follow.
What has Victoria said about Bill 44?
Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto, who was re-elected in the October 17, 2026 municipal election, told the Times Colonist that the city's own housing agenda already went further than Bill 44 required. She said the city will continue on its current path until told otherwise. The Times Colonist reported that Victoria issued 2,359 occupancy permits for new homes by late fall 2025, ahead of its target of 1,425. Victoria's goal is 4,902 occupancy permits by 2028.
What has Saanich said about Bill 44?
Outgoing Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock told the Times Colonist that amending the district's zoning rules to comply with Bill 44 required a large amount of work from district staff, and that reversing those changes would also require significant work. Murdock said new governments are typically opposed to their predecessors' policies, but noted that housing affordability pressures will not go away for a Conservative government.
What does the Conservative platform say about housing density and municipalities?
The Conservative platform, page 6, says municipal governments will be held to their own official community plans with density targets, and that local governments and residents should decide where density goes. The same page says a Conservative government will work with municipalities so their zoning bylaws match their official community plans. Both commitments are tracked at the BC provincial promise tracker.
What are developers asking for from the new government?
Mike Drummond, chief executive of the Urban Development Institute, told the Times Colonist that blanket up-zoning created unintended consequences including making land assembly harder, and that municipalities should have more flexibility on where new density goes. Casey Edge, executive director of the Victoria Residential Builders Association, asked the province to set limits on the charges municipalities can require from developers and to set consistent timelines for permit approvals.
What did Bill 44 change about public hearings?
Bill 44 removed the right of residents to attend public hearings on development projects that conform to a city's official community plan. Before the law, residents could speak at those hearings about proposed buildings near their homes. Under Bill 44, if a project meets the rules in the plan, the municipality cannot hold a hearing. This was a point of concern for many residents in Saanich, according to the Times Colonist.
What is the PST expansion on professional services and how does it relate to housing?
The previous NDP government had planned to extend the provincial sales tax to professional services such as architectural and engineering work. That expansion was paused before taking effect. Mike Drummond of the Urban Development Institute asked the incoming Conservative government to permanently remove the expansion, which he said slows housing projects.
Where can I follow what the Conservative government does on housing?
The BC provincial promise tracker at voche.me tracks both the commitment to let local governments decide on density and the commitment to align zoning bylaws with official community plans. The density promise is at /bc/provincial-2026/tracker#gov-promise-local-say-on-density and the zoning commitment is at /bc/provincial-2026/tracker#gov-promise-zoning-match-community-plans.
Sources
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