Election newsReported

What Vancouver's seven civic parties say about housing

Vancouver Is Awesome compiled housing platform positions from all seven mainstream parties ahead of the October 17 election, covering affordable homes, supportive housing, renter protections, and zoning.

By voche.me editorsPublished Wednesday, October 7, 2026 at 8:52 pm PT2 min read · 2 sources

Reported. A news outlet found this. voche.me names the outlet and links its report. Read the original report on vancouverisawesome.com.

Housing construction in Vancouver — Vancouver Is Awesome

Vancouver Is Awesome published a side-by-side of all seven mainstream parties' housing platforms on October 6, compiled by reporter Mike Howell from news conferences, press releases and party websites. Housing is again a top issue as parties campaign ahead of the October 17 election.

The City of Vancouver's communications department told Vancouver Is Awesome that 26,350 total housing units began construction based on building permits issued between November 2022 and June 2026. Of those, 16,600 have reached completion based on occupancy permits in the same period. The figures cover multi-family developments and low-density buildings such as duplexes, laneways and coach houses.

The parties' stated positions differ on almost every aspect of housing policy. OneCity calls for building 4,000 affordable homes on city-owned land and wants to reverse ABC Vancouver's ban on net new supportive housing construction. COPE would also reverse that ban and create a community land trust to hold city land for affordable and co-op homes. The Green Party plans an affordable housing czar and a Vancouver Public Housing Bond to fund city-owned housing. Vote Vancouver wants to use public land for permanently affordable homes with child care included.

ABC Vancouver calls for pre-approved housing designs, legalized 25-foot lots and streamlined permits. The party also wants to align Vancouver's building permit system more closely with the rest of British Columbia and remove what it describes as unnecessary local rules. TEAM would repeal the Broadway, Jericho, and other upzoning plans and replace the Official Development Plan with what it calls a Respect for Neighbourhoods Plan. The Vancouver Liberals would remove the Vancouver Building Code entirely and consolidate the 12 city departments that currently approve housing applications into one.

All seven positions are the parties' own claims, compiled by Vancouver Is Awesome from party materials. A voter comparing platforms can read each party's full profile at /parties. Advance voting is open through October 10.

Questions this story answers

What does OneCity say about housing?

OneCity's housing platform calls for building 4,000 affordable homes on city-owned land, with revenue recycled into new projects. The party wants to legalize 25-foot lots and allow four-floor buildings with corner stores everywhere and six-floor buildings near city centres. OneCity also plans to bring back the renters' office, reverse ABC Vancouver's freeze on net new supportive housing construction, and create a Community Land Trust Support Strategy so non-profits get first opportunity to buy affordable buildings and land. These are OneCity's own stated positions.

What does the Green Party of Vancouver say about housing?

The Green Party of Vancouver's housing platform includes hiring an affordable housing czar to focus on partnerships and policies for non-market and supportive housing. The party wants to create a Vancouver Public Housing Bond to build affordable city-owned housing, launch a Rental Housing Acquisition and Preservation program for at-risk rental buildings, and work with community land trusts to build more co-op and community housing while keeping public land in community ownership. These are the Green Party's own stated positions, as compiled by Vancouver Is Awesome.

What does Vote Vancouver say about housing?

Vote Vancouver's housing platform includes using public land to build permanently affordable homes for middle-income earners, with child care included in new developments. The party wants to make it easier for faith-based communities that own land to redevelop into mixed-use communities and to maximize the Affordable Housing Endowment Fund by pairing it with city land. Vote Vancouver also commits to replacing unsafe single-room-occupancy buildings with affordable supportive housing. These are Vote Vancouver's own stated positions.

What does TEAM for a Livable Vancouver say about housing?

TEAM's housing platform would repeal the Broadway, Jericho, Rupert and Renfrew, and Villages plans, and replace the Official Development Plan with what TEAM calls its Respect for Neighbourhoods Plan. The party wants to reinstate minimum parking requirements for new buildings and stop demolitions of older rental buildings. TEAM also plans to put residents and businesses first in planning decisions and rethink the Jericho Lands development plan toward more ground-oriented and low- to mid-rise building forms. These are TEAM's own stated positions.

What does ABC Vancouver say about housing?

ABC Vancouver's housing platform calls for launching pre-approved housing designs, streamlining permitting for low-rise apartments, rowhouses and townhouses, and simplifying zoning, development and building permitting. The party also wants to implement a Buy Vancouver, Build Canada economic strategy that would use the city's nearly $800 million in annual purchasing to support Canadian businesses and would prioritize mass timber and wood-frame construction in city projects. These are ABC's own stated positions, as compiled by Vancouver Is Awesome.

What does COPE say about housing?

COPE's housing platform calls for reversing ABC Vancouver's ban on net new supportive housing construction and ensuring the most vulnerable residents receive support. The party wants to create a community land trust to hold city-owned land for affordable and co-op homes, extend every co-op and non-profit lease on city land with automatic renewals, and restore the renters' office to protect tenants from renoviction. COPE also calls for taking down the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts and restoring Hogan's Alley and Chinatown. These are COPE's own stated positions.

What does the Vancouver Liberals party say about housing?

The Vancouver Liberals' housing platform calls for removing the Vancouver Building Code and aligning Vancouver with the rest of the province to simplify the construction process, and for consolidating the 12 departments that currently approve new housing into one. The party also wants to let faith groups, co-ops and non-profits build homes without rezoning, and plans to require every new supportive housing project to have 24-hour public bathrooms and showers for people who are unhoused. These are the Vancouver Liberals' own stated positions.

How much housing has been built in Vancouver since November 2022?

The City of Vancouver's communications department told Vancouver Is Awesome that 26,350 total housing units began construction based on building permits issued between November 2022 and June 2026, and 16,600 have reached completion based on occupancy permits in the same period. The figures cover multi-family developments and low-density buildings such as duplexes, laneways and coach houses. These are the City's own figures.

When and where can I vote in the Vancouver municipal election?

Voting day is Saturday, October 17, 2026. Advance voting is open now through October 10 at locations across Vancouver. You can find voting places on the City of Vancouver's website or at voche.me under Where to Vote. Party platforms on housing and other topics are compared at voche.me/parties.