BC Greens announce protections for leaseholders, a group the party says current law leaves out
The BC Green Party published a platform commitment on October 21 to extend legal protections to people living in long-term leasehold housing, which sits outside both the Residential Tenancy Act and the Strata Property Act.
Announcement. A campaign, a party or the City chose to say this. voche.me reports it as their claim. Read the original report on bcgreens.ca.
The BC Green Party published a platform commitment on October 21, 2026 to extend legal protections to people living in long-term leasehold housing. The party says about 2,500 BC homes sit outside both the Residential Tenancy Act and the Strata Property Act, leaving residents with no legal recourse when building owners raise fees.
The announcement came from the party's own website. Every figure and quote below reflects what the party says.
What the party says about the problem
Long-term leasehold homes are typically structured as 99-year lease agreements. The BC Greens say most of these homes are in Victoria and Vancouver's West End.
Katharine Ferguson, a leaseholder quoted in the release, said: "We're not protected by the Residential Tenancy Act or the Strata Property Act, and building owners are taking full advantage."
BC Greens leader Emily Lowan said: "People living in housing subject to long-term leasehold contracts aren't protected by the law, and corporate landlords are taking full advantage, squeezing exorbitant profits out of people's homes."
The party's candidate for Victoria-Beacon Hill, Rajinder S. Sahota, said: "People living in housing subject to long-term leasehold contracts deserve the full protection of the law."
What the announcement does not say
The BC Green Party release does not describe which specific protections it would introduce, which legislation it would amend, or on what timeline. The party puts the number of affected homes at 2,500, a figure voche.me has not independently verified.
No response from the BC NDP or the Conservative Party of BC was found in published reporting at the time this article was written.
What a voter can do
If you live in long-term leasehold housing, you can read each party's full housing platform before voting. Find the BC Green Party's page at /bc/provincial-2026/parties/bc-green-party. Voting day is Saturday, October 24. Find your voting location at elections.bc.ca.
Questions this story answers
What is long-term leasehold housing?
Long-term leasehold housing is a type of home where a person buys the right to live in a unit for a fixed period under a lease, rather than owning the land outright. In BC, these leases are often structured as 99-year agreements. The BC Green Party says about 2,500 homes in BC are held under these contracts, with most found in Victoria and Vancouver's West End. The party says these homes do not fall under either the Residential Tenancy Act, which covers renters, or the Strata Property Act, which covers strata unit owners.
What protection does the BC Green Party say these residents lack?
The BC Green Party says people in long-term leasehold homes have no legal protection against large fee increases or changes imposed by the building owner, because the two main pieces of housing law that apply to most BC residents do not cover their situation. Katharine Ferguson, a leaseholder quoted in the party's release, said: 'We're not protected by the Residential Tenancy Act or the Strata Property Act, and building owners are taking full advantage.' The release does not describe what specific protections the party would introduce or what legislation it would amend.
What did the BC Green Party say about this?
The BC Green Party published the announcement on its website on October 21, 2026. BC Greens leader Emily Lowan said: 'People living in housing subject to long-term leasehold contracts aren't protected by the law, and corporate landlords are taking full advantage, squeezing exorbitant profits out of people's homes.' The party's candidate for Victoria-Beacon Hill, Rajinder S. Sahota, said: 'People living in housing subject to long-term leasehold contracts deserve the full protection of the law.' Both quotes are from the party's own release and have not been independently verified by voche.me.
How many households does this affect?
The BC Green Party says about 2,500 homes in BC are held under long-term leasehold contracts. The party says most of these homes are in Victoria and Vancouver's West End. This figure comes from the party's own release and has not been independently verified by voche.me.
Who are Emily Lowan and Rajinder S. Sahota?
Emily Lowan is the leader of the BC Green Party and the party's candidate for MLA in Saanich North and the Islands. Rajinder S. Sahota is the BC Green Party's candidate for MLA in Victoria-Beacon Hill. Both are named in the party's announcement. You can read their candidate pages on this site at /bc/provincial-2026/candidates/emily-lowan and /bc/provincial-2026/candidates/rajinder-s-sahota.
Has any other party responded to this announcement?
The BC Green Party's release does not mention a response from the BC NDP or the Conservative Party of BC. As of the time this article was written, no response from either party was found in published reporting. The voche.me editors asked neither party for a comment, and the release itself carries no response from other parties.
This announcement came from the BC Green Party's own website. How should I read it?
This announcement was published on bcgreens.ca, the party's own website. The BC Green Party published it for its own purposes. Every claim in it, including the number of homes affected and the quotes from the party leader and the candidate, comes from the party directly and reflects what the party says. The voche.me editors have not independently checked these figures.
What should I do before voting day?
Voting day is Saturday, October 24, 2026. If you live in long-term leasehold housing and want to know what each party would do, you can read each party's platform at their own website or on this site's parties pages. Find the BC Green Party's page at /bc/provincial-2026/parties/bc-green-party. Find your voting location at elections.bc.ca.
Where can I read the full announcement?
The BC Green Party published the full announcement on its website. The link is in the sources section below. The release includes direct quotes from the party leader, the Victoria-Beacon Hill candidate, and a leaseholder named Katharine Ferguson. The release does not include a bill number, a timeline, or specific regulatory changes the party would make.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
- BC Greens press release, October 21, 2026bcgreens.ca
- BC Green Party, bc-provincial-2026voche.me
Found an error? Tell the editors with the corrections form. A correction is noted on the story it changes. Read our standards.
Topics
More from voche.me
BC Greens announce seniors plan with higher renter aid thresholds and more public long-term care
BC Greens publish wealth tax plan, saying it would raise $22.2 billion in the first year
