Mayor's Task Force on Housing Affordability

Work updates from the Task Force

Council approves the creation of a Housing Authority

July 8, 2014 – Council approved Vancouver's Affordable Housing Agency (VAHA).

• View the presentation to Council
• Read the Council report

Council appoints Chief Housing Officer

September 10, 2013 – The City has made good on another recommendation from the Mayor’s Task Force on Housing Affordability by appointing a Chief Housing Officer, Mr. Mukhtar Latif, an international property consultant from the UK.

• Learn more about the appointment in the news release

Academic Working Group reports released

March 15, 2013 – The task force's Academic Working Group released two reports on March 15, 2013: its summary report, and its foreign investment report.

• Read the Summary Report
• Read the Foreign Investment Report

Council receives final report and directs staff to implement action plan

October 4, 2012 – The task force presented their final report to Council on October 3 and 4, 2012. Task force recommendations provide a framework for progress, delivering a set of bold and pragmatic actions to confront out city's lack of affordability. Council directed staff to implement the Task Force's action plan with revisions to Actions 1, 2, 3 and 13.

• View the Council motion
• Read the Mayor's Task Force on Housing Affordability report to Council

Interim report released

June 25, 2012 – The task force released its interim report. Key priorities include:

• Increase supply and diversity of affordable housing
• Enhance the City's and the community's capacity to deliver affordable rent and social housing
• Protect existing social and affordable rental housing, and explore opportunities to renew and expand the stock
• Streamline and create more certainty and clarity in the regulation process, and improve public engagement

• Read "Mayor's Task Force on Housing Affordability: Bold Ideas Towards an Affordable City"

Draft for Discussion: Building Form and Design

April 11, 2012 – Michael Geller and the Building Form and Design Roundtable released their discussion draft, identifying the these priorities:

• Create new transition zoning categories to accommodate townhousing, stacked townhousing, and higher density ground-oriented housing
• Modify C-2 zoning
• Create more housing choices in RS zones
• Appoint an Affordability Ombudsman

• Read the Roundtable discussion draft on Building Form and Design

Interim Progress Report released

March 12, 2012 – The task force released its initial recommendations, which include the following Quick Start Actions for the City:

• Fast track applications
• Use inclusionary zoning
• Leverage City assets
• Wield influence

• Read the Interim Progress Report

Working Groups

Working groups are struck for 3 months, from the start of March 2012 to the end of May 2012. The groups will meet bi-weekly to examine issues in these four areas with the goal to expedite and expand affordable housing starts:

Finance Working Group

• Ensuring long-term affordability, investigating the use of City assets (particularly land), innovative financing vehicles, delivery models, and ownership (tenure) arrangements for affordable housing 

Form Working Group

• Design flexibility, optimizing asset value, and understanding the barriers to affordability in the current building code and City policies, and how they could be altered to improve affordability

Flows Working Group

• The wide range of City processes required before approvals are given to construction of affordable housing, including rezoning, development permits, building permits, and procurement of partners

Partnerships Working Group

• Effective taxation policies and incentives by senior governments, legislation needed to enable a variety of ownership (tenure) models, optimizing support for renters, optimal use of social housing and non-profit assets

Task force roundtables

Task force roundtables provide input and expertise to the working groups.

Building Form and Design Roundtable

• Led by local developer and architect Michael Geller, this roundtable identifies design and building code requirements that are adding costs to the provision of quality affordable housing, as well as design changes that could increase the supply of affordable housing in Vancouver.

Academic Roundtable

• Led by UBC School of Architecture Adjunct Professor Erick Villagomez, this roundtable of distinguished academics studies the conditions that make it difficult to build affordable housing in Vancouver, as well as international best practices for improving housing affordability. 

Task Force Co-chairs

• Mayor Gregor Roberstson
• Olga Ilich: former BC cabinet minister with extensive experience in the real estate sector

Task Force

• Al Poettcker: UBC Properties Trust (Finance WG Chair)
• Nathan Edelson: 42 Street Consulting (Flows WG Chair, Finance WG)
• Marg Gordon: BC Apartment Owners and Managers Assoc (Partners WG Chair, Flows WG)
• Alan Boniface: Dialog Consulting Architects (Form WG Chair)
• Michael Lewis: Canadian Centre for Community Renewal (Finance WG)
• Mark Guslits: Mark Guslits & Associates Inc (Finance WG, Form WG)
• John D’Eathe: Real Estate Counsellor (Finance WG, Partners WG)
• Colleen Hardwick (Nystedt): New City Ventures (Finance WG, Flows WG)
• Eric Martin: Bosa Development Corp (Finance WG, Flows WG)
• Howard Johnson: Baptist Housing (Flows WG, Partners WG)
• Bradford Tone: Tone Management (Flows WG, Form WG)
• Karen O’Shannacery: Lookout Society (Flows WG, Form WG)
• Peter Simpson: Great Vancouver Home Builders Assoc (Flows WG, Partners WG, Form WG)
• Kenneth Kwan: SUCCESS (Flows WG, Form WG)
• Leonard George: Tsleil-Waututh Nation (Partners WG, Form WG)

City Staff

• David McLellan: Deputy City Manager (Lead)
• Jim De Hoop: Managing Director, Social Development
• Abi Bond: Assistant Director, Housing Policy
• Dennis Car: Assistant Director, Social Infrastructure

Support

• A facilitator and City of Vancouver staff are providing support to each working group.
• City of Vancouver Communications and Engagement team will assist with the public engagement process

Task Force reports

• Academic Working Group — Summary Report (March 15, 2013)  (114 KB)
• Academic Working Group — Foreign Investment Report (March 15, 2013)  (68 KB)
• Final report to Council (October 3, 2012)  (2.2 MB)
• Interim Report (June 25, 2012)  (539 KB)
• Roundtable Discussion Draft: Building Form and Design (April 11, 2012)  (24 MB)
• Progress Report (March 12, 2012)  (134 KB)

Terms of Reference for working groups

• Finance Working Group Terms of Reference  (31 KB)
• Form Working Group Terms of Reference  (31 KB)
• Flows Working Group Terms of Reference  (31 KB)
• Partnerships Working Group Terms of Reference  (32 KB)

Reference materials

• Vancouver's Housing and Homelessness Strategy 2012-2021: A home for everyone  (3 MB)
• Council Motion (December 2011)  (20 KB)
• The Growth of Pension Fund Investment in Real Estate (2011)  (416 KB)
• The Urban Infrastructure Challenge in Canada: Making Greater Use of Municipal Debt Options (2011)  (463 KB)
• Canadian Housing Industry - Performance and Trends (2011)  (1 MB)
• Housing Affordability and Accessibility - A Synopsis of Solutions (2010)  (45 KB)
• Government-imposed Charges on New Housing in Canada - Summary (2009)  (878 KB)
• Government-imposed Charges on New Housing in Canada - Full Report (2009)  (1.5 MB)
• Residential Property Taxes & Utility Charges Survey - City of Edmonton (2010)  (506 KB)
• Municipal Residential Taxation Rates per Capita, Canada (2010)  (93 KB)