BC Housing to work on Fort St. John vacancy rate

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The housing minister has agreed to update Fort St. John council on what is being done to rectify BC Housing’s unusually high vacant homes rate in the city.

The Ministry of Housing will provide quarterly updates from BC Housing to the City of Fort St. John council on 24 units within the city.

This comes after developments from the July 28th regular meeting of the City of Fort St. John council, when Councillor Trevor Bolin shared the findings of a freedom of information (FOI) request by the Council’s Response Committee on Housing and Emergency Shelter (CRCHES).

The FOI revealed BC Housing-operated units within the city had a 15 per cent vacancy rate, which is more than three times more than the rest of the city’s rate of 4.8 per cent. 

BC Housing is a Crown corporation that supports low-income residents by offering subsidized housing within their community through an application process. 

During the July meeting, council voted to send a letter to the minister of housing and municipal affairs, Christine Boyle, to request the vacant units be filled and BC Housing be held to a vacancy rate no higher than the city’s average of 4.8 per cent. 

The council also voted to request quarterly, emailed reports about the rental properties operated by BC Housing.

In a letter dated August 25th, Boyle replied to the council’s letter, stating she had reached out to BC Housing about the situation.

“I trust you will be pleased to learn that BC Housing has made offers to rent nine of the 24 units…the remaining 15 units require extensive repairs and renovations in order to ensure that they are safe and comfortable for future tenants,” Boyle wrote.

According to Boyle, seven of the units needing repairs are expected to be ready for occupancy by November, and the other eight will be tenanted “as soon as the repairs are complete.”

The minister also acknowledged the municipality’s request for quarterly updates on the status of BC Housing-operated properties, agreeing to do so via BC Housing’s data sharing agreement. 

To read the complete letter, see below.