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Province touts speed of ‘BC Builds’ housing program after one year

Click to play video: '‘Critical segment of our workforce is struggling to find housing’: B.C.’s housing minister'
‘Critical segment of our workforce is struggling to find housing’: B.C.’s housing minister
RELATED: B.C.'s Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said at a press conference on Tuesday morning that a new program launched by the government will bring most home options for middle-income people. Kahlon said the BC Builds program will allow residents to live near where they work and raise children in communities close to family members. – Feb 13, 2024

British Columbia’s government celebrated the first anniversary of one of its cornerstone housing programs at the groundbreaking of a 179-unit rental building in North Vancouver, which it says went from concept to construction in 14 months.

Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon says approximately 1,400 homes are underway since the start of the BC Builds program with nearly 2,500 more in various stages of early development.

The $950 million multi-year program provides grants and loans for new rental developments and promises to speed up project timelines to get homes constructed.

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North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan says the support from BC Builds sped up her community’s plan “by years” and marks the largest investment in housing for everyday people the city has seen in a generation.

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The province spent $24.5 million on construction through a BC Builds grant, while the City of North Vancouver is contributing the land and $49.5 million to the project which will include a community services provider on the lower levels.

Earlier in the day, the government announced the beginning of construction on three rental housing developments through BC Builds that are expected to create a total of 236 new on-reserve rental homes with three First Nations.

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