15 per cent?: Committee questions BC Housing vacancy rate which is triple Fort St. John level

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The city’s response committee is looking to hold BC Housing accountable for a vacancy rate more than three times higher than the rest of Fort St. John. 

During the July 28th regular meeting of the City of Fort St. John council, Councillor Trevor Bolin spoke about the most recent meetings of the Council’s Response Committee on Housing and Emergency Shelter (CRCHES).

The committee had recently discovered BC Housing-operated units within the City of Fort St. John had a 15 per cent vacancy rate, which is more than three times higher than the city’s rate, which is 4.8 per cent. 

The committee was established in August 2024 and consists of city councillors Bolin, Sarah MacDougall and Gord Klassen.  

BC Housing is a Crown corporation which supports low-income residents with subsidized housing based in the community through an application process.  

Bolin explained the committee has been working to gather information on BC Housing, which has required six months of research and inquiries and a freedom of information (FOI) request. 

Klassen also detailed a meeting with Brittny Anderson, the minister of state for local governments and rural communities, who was “surprised” that an FOI was required for the committee to find out the city’s BC Housing unit vacancy statistics. 

Bolin recommended to council that Mayor Lilia Hansen send a letter to Christine Boyle, the minister of housing and municipal affairs, requesting the vacant units be filled and BC Housing be “held to maintain a vacancy rate” no higher than the city average, which is 4.8 per cent. 

“I truly feel that at 15 per cent, this has gotten away from [BC Housing] and us,” Bolin stated. 

Bolin also recommended requesting regular reports on the vacancy rate of BC Housing-operated units in Fort St. John. 

“If we’re truly a partner, to BC Housing and the province, we need to share…information, and that 15 per cent immediately impacts Fort St. John,” Bolin said. 

The councillors agreed with the spirit of Bolin’s recommendation, briefly conversing about the merits of which organization the vacancy reports should come from, the frequency of the reports and whether they should be delivered virtually, in writing or in person. 

The council ultimately agreed to request quarterly, emailed reports and annual visits from the northern regional manager of BC Housing.