Latest news with #Bill44
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
B.C. given C+ housing grade by task force — but builders say cities need to step up
British Columbia is falling short when it comes to building new homes, according to a new report on housing across the country — and some leaders in the housing sector agree with the report's findings. The Task Force for Housing and Climate, a group of 15 housing policy experts that formed in 2023 to make recommendations for governments across the country, commissioned the report. It gives B.C. a C+ for its progress on developing much-needed homes across the province. "British Columbia has instituted the most ambitious reforms, but their overall performance is undermined by high (and still rising) municipal development charges and some of the slowest permitting approval times in the country," the report says. No province received a better grade than a C+. Alberta, given a D+, was given the lowest grade, but it gave the federal government a B. The province says that it appreciates the task force's work, and its acknowledgement of "the progress we're making to build more homes faster." "Despite economic challenges, we saw a 37 [per cent] increase in housing starts in January 2025 and a 61 [per cent] surge in purpose-built rental unit registrations, showing strong momentum," a Housing Ministry spokesperson said in a statement. "With unprecedented provincial investment in non-market housing, we're on track to exceed our goal of 114,000 new housing units by 2027/2028, with nearly 92,000 homes already delivered or underway." Dan Winer, executive lead with the non-profit group Small Housing B.C., says the report does have some merit, but he says the province has made a lot of improvements that deserve recognition. "We agree with the overall tone of the urgency and the need for bold, drastic moves," Winer told CBC's The Early Edition host Stephen Quinn. "But at the same time, we disagree with the harsh grading." Winer says B.C. has been a leader in legalizing what he calls "gentle density" — adding more homes to existing properties by building things like basement suites and coach houses, or building triplexes and fourplexes on a single lot. "But gentle density is the chance to add homes to established neighborhoods and leverage existing infrastructure without fantastically altering the shape of the neighborhood or the community," he said. "We just think it's one of the most elegant solutions to adding more housing to our vast portfolio here in B.C." In 2023 B.C. passed Bill 44, which requires municipalities to rezone in order to increase small-scale, multi-unit housing. Some municipalities have pushed back, however, and have asked for more time to apply the bill to their official community plans and bylaws. Winer says some of the biggest obstacles to creating more housing in B.C. include high municipal fees, and unpredictable timelines that increase costs and slow down construction. The problem mainly lies with municipalities, Winer says. Casey Edge, executive director of the Victoria Residential Builders Association, agrees that municipalities are the leading obstacle of more housing. In the Capital Regional District there are 13 separate municipalities, each with their own municipal plans, that govern a total of about 400,000 people. "It's why we don't have LRT out to the West Shore," Edge told CBC's On The Island host Gregor Craigie. "Edmonton created their LRT in 1974 with the same population that we have in Victoria today and we're nowhere close." Edge points out that the province recently had to enforce its housing targets for Victoria suburb Oak Bay by releasing recommendations for the municipality. He wishes that Bill 15, the controversial infrastructure legislation that B.C. passed earlier this week to fast-track schools, hospitals and some private projects, had included housing as well. Permit and other development delays are a significant source of cost increases, Edge says, because builders still have to pay loans and taxes on land while they wait for the go-ahead to build.
American Press
14-05-2025
- Business
- American Press
Legislators kill two taxes on carbon capture
A liquid carbon dioxide containment unit stands outside the fabrication building of Glenwood Mason Supply Company in 2023, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. New York is forcing buildings to clean up, and several are experimenting with capturing carbon dioxide, cooling it into a liquid and mixing it into concrete where it turns into a mineral. (Associated Press) By Nolan McKendry | The Center Square Louisiana lawmakers have rejected two separate proposals that would have imposed new taxes on carbon capture and sequestration operators, stalling efforts to generate local revenue from the growing industry. Rep. Shane Mack's House Bill 44, which proposed a per-ton injection tax on carbon dioxide stored underground, failed in committee last week in a 4-10 vote. The Livingston Parish Republican originally proposed a $3-per-metric-ton tax but amended it down to $1 in response to industry concerns. 'There are several industrial representatives that are comfortable with a $1 tax,' Mack said during testimony. Under the bill, revenue from the tax would have been distributed to parishes where carbon is stored, based on the geographic footprint of each facility. The Louisiana Department of Revenue would have collected the tax, and the Department of Energy and Natural Resources would certify injection volumes. The bill drew pushback from the oil and gas industry. Tommy Faucheux, president of the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, warned that imposing a tax too early in the industry's development could chill investment and drive CCS projects to other states. A second measure, House Bill 646 by Rep. Robby Carter, D-St. Helena, proposed a 30% excise tax on the gross proceeds of geologic carbon storage. Carter voluntarily deferred the bill until next year, but not before voicing his broader concerns about CCS. 'I think everyone on the floor knows I'm against carbon sequestration,' Carter said. 'I see us in 50 or 60 years, St. Helena being like the problems with the coast — having a big problem with these wells, with the carbon bubbling up, or even having lakes form where they've fallen in, and having no money because we didn't get any money to take care of it.'
