Chilliwack officials protest provincial housing mandate, say there’s been no ‘acceptable outcome’

CHILLIWACK – Even though it has met and exceeded yearly housing quotas to date, the City of Chilliwack is urging the B.C. govt. to accept development activity on First Nations land toward provincially mandated housing targets in Chilliwack.

“In spite of significant efforts on Council’s part to advocate for the inclusion of local First Nations’ housing unit contributions towards these housing targets, there has been no acceptable outcome,” said Mayor Popove. “We may be separate jurisdictions, but we are extremely connected both in terms of essential community services and our work to address the housing crisis, and it is past time for the Province to recognize that.”

Chilliwack is unique in the sense that 14 local First Nation reserves form an integral part of the broader community. The city says it works with First Nations to help facilitate future development on their land in terms of traffic management, servicing, utility system capacity planning, environmental design, recreational facility planning, and social, economic, and cultural activities.

Under the BC Housing Supply Act, the city of Chilliwack was issued a Provincial Housing Target Order effective July 1, 2024, which required 4,594 net new residential units to be completed by June 30, 2029.