The British Columbia government is considering removing supportive housing from the province’s Residential Tenancy Act (RTA) as it responds to safety concerns from housing providers.
Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said the potential move is among the options on the table for a new “short timeline” working group tasked with delivering recommendations to address crime, health and safety concerns raised by housing providers.
“We know that low-barrier housing is needed, but that doesn’t mean no barriers,” Kahlon said.
“The steps we are taking will help supportive housing providers be able to put strict rules in place to keep people who are living there safe, keep their workers safe, and the community safe.”
The working group will be made up of supportive housing providers, police, unions representing supportive housing workers, staff from the province and BC Housing. It will also consult with First Nations and tenant advocates.
The move comes after a coalition of supportive housing providers called for more tools to enforce weapons bans after Keith Scott, a 34-year-old father, was killed in a Victoria supportive housing building.
Last month, Victoria’s outgoing police chief also called for changes to the RTA to proactively exclude known criminals from the facilities.
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Kahlon said housing providers have told the province they don’t have the tools under current laws to enforce rules and to address the criminal element preying on residents. They have also told the province they are limited in when they can allow access for police.
He said a provincial review has also documented a troubling rise in ambient fentanyl smoke in the air of some supportive housing buildings, despite no-smoking rules.
The result is a safety risk to other tenants, staff, and the wider community, he said.
Some B.C. supportive housing operators say it is a growing concern.
“When someone is behaving in a way in our building that is dangerous for others and unsafe for others, either through behaviour or in possession of weapons, it is often extremely difficult to evict them from buildings,” said Julian Daly, CEO of Our Place Socity.
“While providers wait for people’s cases to come up, that could be months. And that person who is potentially posing a threat to others in the building remains in the building.”
At the same time, Kahlon said the working group is being tasked with ensuring any changes also protect residents.
“If we are to move away from the RTA, then what are the protections for individuals who are there? How do we ensure they have some basic rights?” Kahlon said.
“But also, how do we ensure that those that are working there and those that are operating these places can make sure the rules are being followed? I think there is a balance there we can strike.”
Kahlon acknowledged that there is a “small group” of people who have consistently shown they are unable to follow rules, and who are often the same people who end up living in encampments.
Asked what would happen to them under possible supportive housing changes, Kahlon pointed to efforts to build out the availability of complex care beds throughout the province.
“They need the additional HC supports that complex care beds provide, and we are expanding those out,” he said.
“I do think that’s part of the solution as we move forward, and that is something we are considering as we move forward on any changes to the RTA around supportive housing, is what does that next step look like?”
The working group is expected to deliver recommendations by the end of summer, and Kahlon said his hope is that the government can act on them by September or October.
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