Despite a loss in the BC Court of Appeal, B.C.'s housing minister vows to continue pushing for local approval of new housing projects.
B.C.’s housing minister is vowing to continue forcing local approval of new housing projects, even after a surprising loss in the province’s top court. Ravi Kahlon said he’s frustrated by a BC Court of Appeal decision that ruled provincial legislation was unconstitutional when it tried to override a judicial challenge to a 12-storey supportive housing project in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood. “I think this is a symbol of why it’s so hard to get housing built,” Kahlon said in an interview.
“Engagement on this project starts in March 2021, and here we are in 2025 still trying to figure out if we can get this housing built. “Meanwhile you’ve got people who are in that neighbourhood sleeping in parks, sleeping in tents. Unfortunately, I’m sure some people have passed away waiting for housing to be built, and we’re still here trying to figure out if we can actually build something for these vulnerable people.” However, the Kitsilano Coalition for Children & Family Safety, a neighbourhood group that challenged the province in court, celebrated the win. “The 7th/8th & Arbutus project, as proposed, would have placed 129 units of low-barrier supportive housing, including an in-house drug consumption room, a mere 17 metres from an elementary school with 450 children, a successful women's recovery home, and a toddler park,” it said in a release. “This is simply not a recipe for success.” The court loss is highly technical — and while limited in scope, it does carry with it wider political implications as well. The three appeals court justices said their decision was not about whether the Kits project was appropriate for the neighbourhood. Instead, it was a rebuke of the government’s overstep in using legislation to quash a judicial challenge by the coalition on the fairness of the City of Vancouver’s rezoning process and public hearing. By trying to end-run the judicial review, the government infringed on the court’s constitutional authorit
BC Housing Court Ruling Supportive Housing Local Approval Rezoning
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