---
title: "BC municipalities wait to learn what Conservatives will do to provincial housing law"
description: "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."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/news/bc-bill-44-housing-law-municipalities-october-2026"
last_updated: "2026-10-29T14:31:06.417Z"
---

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](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/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](/bc/provincial-2026/tracker#gov-promise-local-say-on-density).

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/provincial-2026/tracker#gov-promise-zoning-match-community-plans).

BC residents can follow both commitments at the [BC provincial promise tracker](/bc/provincial-2026/tracker).

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/bc/provincial-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.