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Yahoo
a day 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.
CBC
28-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Vancouver approves updated plan for city's urban forest
Vancouver is aiming to cover nearly a third of the city in trees by 2050, up from the 22 per cent proposed in 2018 — the last time the city updated its strategy. This commitment comes amidst challenges posed by development and climate change, as well as ongoing inequity issues around tree distribution in the city. Stephen Quinn, the host of CBC's The Early Edition, discusses the plan with Joe McLeod, the city's associate director of parks responsible for urban forestry.
CBC
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
This B.C. woman is internet-famous for chopping wood. So, she wrote a book about it
When Nicole Coenen started posting wood chopping videos online, it was a bit of a joke. She was parodying social media star Thoren Bradley who posts videos of himself cutting wood and offering fitness advice. But Coenen soon became incredibly popular herself. "I sort of became the cliché woodchopper that I was parodying," Coenen told CBC's The Early Edition host Stephen Quinn. "[Thoren] is a great guy." Now, the 31-year-old "axe-pert" has millions of followers across half a dozen platforms — all pining for her next wood splitting video. WATCH | Nicole Coenen's guide to chopping wood: "It's funny how life turns out sometimes," she said. After three years of logging her passion for chopping wood online, she's just released a book full of advice and history about the world of wood chopping, titled Axe in Hand: A Woodchopper's Guide to Blades, Wood and Fire. Coenen, who now lives in B.C.'s Gulf Islands area, grew up in Ontario, and said she never really chopped wood as a kid. "Maybe once at Girl Guides." But she had to learn the tricks of the trade in 2020 when she was working on a farm in B.C.'s Kootenay region. "I was really bad at it, my aim was horrible, and I just couldn't get the wood to split," she said. Coenen joined a community group of woodchoppers who taught her everything she needed to know, and then, she was hooked. She had to learn everything there was about the best techniques for splitting logs. Using her skills as a videographer, Coenen spruces up her videos with quick, fun editing. While she takes the odd landscaping or labourer gig, she's carved out a full-time job creating social media content for the last two years. Not all her content focuses on wood; sometimes she gets personal, shares fitness tips for getting those toned woodchopper arms and even answers viewer questions. Coenen said some people bark sexist comments on her videos, but she's built up such a loyal following that she never has to respond — her fans are quick to defend her. "A lot of people almost, like, kind of have my back now or they are women that wood chop or they are women arborists," she said. "You really find your people on social media." Not one to sit on her laurels, she wrote a book. Axe in Hand, published by Cool Springs press in Massachusetts, aims to do something similar for those learning to sharpen an axe and cut a piece of wood. It includes the history of axes, tips on choosing the right kind of wood, and advice on restoring axes, how to stack wood and how to build a fire. "I wanted to sort of spark a lot of curiosity," Coenen said. "It's kind of like a choose your own adventure." WATCH | Nicole Coenen's power chop:
CBC
24-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
Trey Helten, advocate for drug users in Vancouver, dead at 42
Trey Helten, a prominent advocate for drug users and those experiencing homelessness in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, has died at the age of 42, according to friends and colleagues. Sarah Blyth, a friend of Helten's and the executive director of the Overdose Prevention Society (OPS), where he worked, said his life mission was to help people. "There was really no one like him and I don't think there will ever be another person like him," Blyth said Thursday morning on CBC's The Early Edition. She said Helten started working with the OPS in 2017 as a volunteer and worked his way up the organization, eventually becoming the general manager of the overdose prevention site. "He came in and just said, 'I want to be part of the solution, I want to help people,'" said Blyth. Helten went above and beyond to help those struggling around him, said Blyth, driving people places, visiting people at the hospital, and even housing and feeding people in his own home. "Coming from the perspective of a person with lived experience, who had at one point been homeless and had at one point been a drug user, he came with a lot of empathy and understanding," she said. Helten would host Narcotics Anonymous meetings often, according to Blyth, who said the gatherings grew in attendance. She said she hopes he will be an inspiration to people, especially those who are struggling with addiction: "I think he would just say, 'Keep trying.'" Advocacy work Deb Bailey, member of Moms Stop the Harm, said Helten fought for causes he believed in, often speaking on proposals at city hall and advocating to officials on behalf of those struggling with addiction. "His resolve and strength was really quite amazing," said Bailey. She said Helten was approachable and always willing to help, often working with members of Moms Stop the Harm when it was needed. He would also do NARCAN demonstrations at Adler University, where she was a professor. "I feel really devastated by his loss and it's kind of hard to believe it," Bailey said. "He was an inspiration to a lot of people."
CBC
15-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Retiring Conservative MP Ed Fast endorses Independent Abbotsford-South Langley candidate
Abbotsford-South Langley candidate Mike de Jong, who is running as an Independent, has received an endorsement from retiring federal Conservative MP Ed Fast, who represented a riding in Abbotsford for more than 18 years. Fast, who was first elected as the member of Parliament for Abbotsford in 2006, announced last year he would be stepping down from federal politics. Shortly after, de Jong, who won eight terms in the B.C. legislature with B.C. United — formerly known as the B.C. Liberal Party — and held cabinet posts, including finance and forestry, announced plans to seek the Conservative Party of Canada nomination for the newly-formed riding of Abbotsford-South Langley. Early last month, de Jong was "informally advised" that he had been rejected as the Conservative candidate for the riding. The party instead chose Sukhman Gill, a 25-year-old Langley businessman who was raised on his parent's blueberry farm in Langley, according to his website. Fast described the party's move as "profoundly dishonest." "The way the party backroom operators acted to steal democracy from the good people of Abbotsford and Langley is unconscionable," he told CBC's The Early Edition host Stephen Quinn Tuesday morning. He said he still supports the election of a Conservative government, but does not support Gill as his successor. In a press release, de Jong said he's honoured to have Fast's endorsement. "Ed Fast has served this community with integrity and conviction," he said. "He leaves huge shoes to fill and, if the people of Abbotsford-South Langley select me to succeed him as their MP, I will do my very best to honour the legacy of integrity and principled public service he leaves." WATCH | Mike de Jong to run as Independent: Former B.C. Liberal Mike de Jong announces he will run as an Independent 19 days ago Duration 2:23 Former B.C. Liberal cabinet minister Mike de Jong is going solo in the federal election after being rejected by the Conservative Party. He's running as an independent in the Fraser Valley, and as Katie DeRosa reports, he's one of several former politicians who were passed over by the Tories. Fast said voters in the riding will have two conservative-leaning candidates to choose from on April 28. "I know which one I would choose, and I'm pretty sure I know which one the people of Abbotsford-[South] Langley will choose," he said.
