Eby says there ‘will be affordable social housing’ in Kits neighbourhood, despite pushback

B.C. Premier David Eby said he is frustrated about a supportive housing project in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood.

In December, the B.C. Court of Appeal ruled that a law passed by the provincial government to stave off opposition to the project was unconstitutional.

The B.C. government adopted the law in 2023 at the City of Vancouver’s request to push through the development, which would be 12-storeys high on Arbutus Street with units open to low-income residents and those needing support services.

1:44 ‘This is frustrating’: B.C. premier says about supportive housing in Kitsilano

However, the Kitsilano Coalition for Children and Family Safety has been battling the project for years, saying it’s too big and in the wrong location as it’s across from an elementary school.

“This is frustrating,” Eby said on Tuesday.

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“We’re trying to build housing for people. Everybody in British Columbia knows there’s a housing crisis. They see the people in the streets. They see that providing affordable housing with supports for people as part of the response to this.”

2:13 B.C. government changes legislation to push through Kitsilano social housing project

Eby said it has been four years and there still hasn’t been a shovel in the ground. He said the province’s lawyers are looking into what to do next.

“But what is not up for discussion is that there will be affordable social housing in that neighbourhood,” he added.

“We will ensure that every neighbourhood and every community does its part in terms of responding to the housing crisis.”

Karen Finnan with the Kitsilano Coalition for Children and Family Safety said they are not opposed to having supportive housing in the neighbourhood.

“We remain open to B.C. Housing, the province coming to us with an alternative plan for this site,” she said.

“We will support a plan that is safe for the neighbourhood and ideally is something that will further the lives and the recovery of the people that live in this building.”

Construction had originally been scheduled to begin in 2022.

“We have to deliver housing,” Eby said. “We have to be able to do it faster. If we built that housing four years ago, it would have been way cheaper than it will be when we have to build it after we’ve resolved all the issues related to this court decision.

“And that means less housing overall for everyone and the housing is still going to get built. So I’m encouraging the Housing Minister to find ways to expedite housing approval across the province.”