Solving The Biggest Housing Crisis in North America

Vancouver is maybe the biggest housing affordability disaster in North America. Fortunately, over the past year, the government of BC just decided to become the most ambitious province or state in North America on housing reform.
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References:
Housing affordability report: thoughtleadership.rbc.com/tou...
Larch Lab point access block report: www.larchlab.com/wp-content/u...
Why North America Can't Build Nice Apartments: • Why North America Can'...

[@JeremyVanderwall]

Love the anti-government people. REMOVING government restrictions is somehow "government over-reach"

[@shingshongshamalama]

Socialism is when plebs live near me.

[@walawala-fo7ds]

It's big government they are talking about. State and provincial versus local.

[@justauser]

It's true, they're really just going back to the early 1900s with regulations which is a GOOD thing. Government over regulations have created a giant disaster

[@mariusfacktor3597]

@@walawala-fo7ds Zoning (in the US) was pushed by the federal government which would only subsidize mortgages if the city adopted single-family zoning in that neighborhood. This was known as Red Lining. It was by every definition a big government, socialist, federal program.

[@neonspark707]

Federal vs state vs local. People dislike big government because people who don't live where they do make rules based on radicalized agendas. That's why local governments have higher approval than bigger governments and that's why legislation that will never pass as the local level is rammed by big government. Obey

[@user-vv6vu1xj7t]

It's really refreshing to see a politician challenge NIMBY's bs. I admire Ravi's political bravery and he doesn't get punished for it!

[@ecurewitz]

We need more like him

[@blogdesign7126]

Same in the United States we need them.

[@justanawkwardnerd]

Not just challenge, but succeed in it! Putting their money where their mouth is by putting it into law is amazing!

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

Agreed, user!

[@AmokCanuck]

He's likely to keep his job for the foreseeable future, our province's progressive party the NDP are set to absolutely sweep this next election.

[@JohnFromAccounting]

If someone is following the regulations, their neighbours should not be allowed to interfere with their property rights to build what they want to. "Not in my back yard" is even more villainous because it becomes "Not in your back yard, either."

[@gearandalthefirst7027]

"My backyard" in the way the US government means it (everything within visual range and then a couple miles farther for good measure)

[@Zalis116]

BANANA!

[@komfyrion]

My backyard extends 100 km in each direction since I have an observation tower on the top of my house with advanced optical equipment. Nobody gets to ruin the character of my view.

[@shanevanc]

Property rights? Most urban land in BC was stolen from natives who make up the biggest block of homeless. What happened to their rights?

[@eksbocks9438]

I would just tell them to, "Put a sock in it." There has to be a Working Class neighborhood somewhere. And if they're not comfortable with it: They can move into one of the Gated Communities. And then both parties win.

[@gabedubbs2186]

My favorite thing about this is that it isn’t government overreach, this is simply giving rights back to the people that had been taken away.

[@gearandalthefirst7027]

Exact same thing as people complaining about trains in the US when trains are privately run and don't require a license but the highway system is almost entirely federal.

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

EXACTLY, gabedubbs!

[@critiqueofthegothgf]

@@gearandalthefirst7027 the irony of it all is cars and car centric infrastructure is absolutely dead in the water without the ridiculous amount of federal, state and local subsidies they receive. no interstate highway support, no oil and gas subsidies for cheap fuel, no road widening projects, etc. without big government to support it, car centric infrastructure would be extinct

[@Gluteus.Maximus]

It comes down to people not wanting change. Especially older retirees who have benefited from this system so far. "Government overreach" is just a catchy soundbite

[@tann_man]

A few of the reforms are state overreach. But some are the opposite. On the whole the reforms move the city in a better direction.

[@tebryenton]

One of my favorite urbanism videos to date! Love the point from Ravi's conversation with the resident of 40 years: "Your community has already been changing during that time in terms of who can live here, even if the buildings have stayed the same."

[@geoff5623]

and the buildings would have changed pretty gradually over those 40 years if zoning wasn't made so restrictive in the 70s. It may feel like big changes now to some, but it's only catching up with how many homes incremental growth would have created if it were allowed, and the few locations being allowed to build up need to go taller to meet the current need - so those pushing to limit how much things can change right now are setting cities to stay 30 years behind necessary growth.

[@markshawtoronto]

Ravi is such a leader 😭. I only wish my province Ontario could step up and copy him.

[@EdPMur]

Same here in Quebec, the province is doing basically nothing for the housing crisis!

[@theaveragejoe5781]

He is def well spoken

[@heartborne123]

you must be kidding, he only talks and nothing more. Show me anything that he just said in practice, in real life. I don't see any building being built ofc apart from skyscrapers with apartments for chosen ones with prices for Cristiano Ronaldo

[@Fenthule]

Dougieboy would never. He's pandering the to NIMBYs and the single family home owners.

[@SteveBluescemi]

@@heartborne123 BC has passed tons of major housing legislation in the past few months, most of which are going into effect in June as they had to give municipalities time to prepare for such large changes. Kahlon walks the walk.

[@nairbos]

I’m a renter in BC and I applaud all of these new rules. At 37 it’s looking increasingly difficult to ever own a home. This will take a while to take effect but for once in years I have some hope.

[@abdulwahid113]

Plz move to Alberta 🙏

[@TheRandCrews]

@@abdulwahid113 Alberta is going growing fast and no surprise if in a few years it gets really expensive too to live, healthcare and energy is pretty expensive in Alberta while you can still have a doctor and cheaper energy bills in BC

[@jessip8654]

​@@abdulwahid113 Alberta is starting to suffer a similar housing crisis because everyone is trying to move there.

[@jamesphillips2285]

@@abdulwahid113 Alberta is current actively blocking such reform from the feds.

[@nairbos]

@@abdulwahid113 i lived in Alberta, it's hell

[@seantroy3172]

This is actually deregulation. The regulation before was ONLY single family homes. They have deregulated that which I thought more conservative folks generally are in favor of right? Let the market decide. BC govt is making it easier to build different styles of housing where there is a need.

[@shingshongshamalama]

Conservatives SAY they hate "government overreach" but what they actually hate is government telling them not to hurt others for the sake of their supposed comfort. They're just fine with bulldozing black neighbourhoods to build giant ass expressways nobody wants.

[@Zalis116]

I can't speak for Canada, but in the US, conservatives are motivated by a primal fear of crime committed by the poor and the Racial Other. So their housing policy priority is enforcing racial and class segregation (i.e. creating car-centric suburbs), and if it takes Big Government regulation to accomplish, so be it.

[@illiiilli24601]

Depends on the type of conservative. But the usual definition of conservative is someone who wants to preserve the status quo, and deregulation in this market isn't that

[@seantroy3172]

@@illiiilli24601 certainly for some, though often conservatism (in the USA) is geared toward individual liberty, personal freedom, small gov't, and deregulation.

[@coke8077]

“Conservatives” in America today are only socially conservative, while they’re usually economically liberal, but they often change their views in self interest, i.e. NIMBY’s. Doesn’t just apply to republicans either, a lot of democrats are just as bad as republicans when it comes to infringing on property rights, this is extremely evident in California’s largest cities. Case in point most people aren’t really liberal or conservative they’re just very self interested.

[@jonah11111]

Lets make this a nationwide endeavor. These reforms have been needed for a long time

[@TheTroyc1982]

that pretty much what the federal government is now trying to do.

[@KnowPiracy-zu7il]

Continent wide please.

[@ahealthkit2745]

Long overdue. The liberals keep pushing for these kind of housing initiatives elsewhere but don't put in the actual effort to make it a winning solution, they just introduce 'low income housing' for middle-income families who definitely aren't struggling with housing. What about housing for the THOUSANDS of independent Canadians who can't afford to live alone anymore?

[@NordeGrasen34]

Worldwide.

[@albatrose1001]

Yeah, but I have seen many of these “higher density” apartments for sale or rent in Ottawa gng for same or even crazier prices, the only thing is now you have less space. Immigration rates are turbocharged. There’s is just so much misalignment between housing, healthcare, social services, and immigration policies. I now wholeheartedly believe that they can remove single family zoning all they want in BC or GTA but prices will go higher and higher only.

[@ElectrifiedBacon]

everyone wants more affordable housing, but nobody wants _their_ house to be more affordable

[@mrmelmba]

Homes may be mass produced at low cost. There is little reason to custom build a basic, single-storey home. This process may be automated to produce panels that fit together that are insulated, wired and plumbed. Wall panels fasten together and into a floor panel that contains all of the utility lines to form rooms. Infrastructure that comprises a residential base with water, electricity, and sewer connections contained within are constructed beforehand to serve the needs of a city on which homes are erected. Imagine, ordering a home on Amazon for fifteen thousand dollars and being able to assemble it within an hour that has double or triple the space of a million-dollar apartment with state-of-the-art features such as an embossed ceiling that add a whole new dimension to luxurious living. The floor contains all of the utility lines, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, wiring, plumbing, water and drainage. Then it is merely a matter of plugging in vertical panels into the floor to form the outer walls and space for living-room, bedrooms, closets, kitchen and bathroom. This floor is the "mother floor-board" from which all utility connections rise upwards from the lines in the floor into vertical wall panels. No utility lines connect horizontally between vertical panels. Sinks, toilets and shower head are attached to wall panels that also plug into the floor. Wall panels that include lighting and an electrical outlet, which are possibly 4’x8’ or one meter by three meters, are mass produced in an automated process from a composite plastic material. Panels that comprise the floor are one meter by fifteen meters with the edge panel containing utility lines. A ceiling is set on top of and fastened to the walls. The roof is a convex panel that fits on top of and plugs into the outer walls. It is also possible that with this waterproof plastic material each individual room has a bubble skylight dome roof/ceiling with pipes in the walls that drain into the base. Thus, the entire home is made by inserting vertical wall panels into the floor panel that rests on top of and is connected to the city infrastructure slab base. It is not inconceivable that this single-storey home with one, two or three bedrooms be assembled and ready to move into within a few hours of the kit being delivered. Of course, this will never happen. Keep dreaming. It will take China to lead the way and transform housing from the nineteenth century tailor-made suit concept into standard ready-to-wear off the rack homes that cost $15,000/$5,000,000 = 0.003 of the present cost of a home in Vancouver. The flaw in the analysis: Citizens may not utilize the land resource that was _not_ promised to them in the presently cozy arrangement-functioning like a monopoly with monopoly prices-that shunts their lifetime earnings exacted through shelter directly into the pockets of the chosen few making them rich without effort while after a lifetime of hard work residents own nothing and are left to die homeless on the street.

[@shanevanc]

You hit the nail right on the head. The financial plan for most Canadians is make the next generation pay ten times more than I did so I can retire in a foreign country.

[@runningfromabear8354]

Speak for yourself. As a parent who owns a house and has 5 kids (oldest is 20, youngest are 1 with2 sets of twins), I can barely help with college, I don't have downpayments for all 5 of them. I'm happy to lose value in my home if housing becomes affordable for my adult children. I have a vested interest in affordable housing.

[@viaxxl]

No profit 🥺?

[@leopoldleoleo]

Ravi Kahlon seems like an awesome guy. BC is lucky to have him

[@BC_Geoff]

Yeah I honestly hope he never makes the move to federal politics, even though he would be great, because it means BC would lose a great politician at the provincial level. He was also an Olympic athlete on the Canadian field hockey team at the 2000 Olympics.

[@Amir-jn5mo]

@@BC_Geoff he should stay where he can do the most change. If going federal would mean he has to bend to the party politics and federal theatrics then its better if he stays and help in his current role.

[@MrAlen6e]

If only Ontario did the same ....

[@kennethridesabike]

I remember listening to a podcast about people who were working on a few zoning reforms in Minneapolis/St Paul. They were working on some zoning rules that designated something like street frontage requirements and set backs. At some point one of the person exclaims “why are we even setting inane rules like how the windows need to look, maybe we should just throw it (zoning bylaws) all away and just let people figure it out”. I thought this sentiment was the direction we needed to head toward

[@junco8]

I live in Mpls and would love to listen to this podcast. Remember what it was called?

[@langhamp8912]

Zoning laws are there to protect the value of current homeowners by constraining the supply of housing by stopping new construction. Thus, any zoning law reform is doomed to failure in the short-term, but as housing prices rise so do evaluations and eventually property taxes.

[@ahealthkit2745]

@@langhamp8912 If zoning laws exist solely to protect the value of existent homes, then they should be scrapped wholesale. Canada's been in a housing bubble for so long that most Canadians don't even think of it as a bubble. It's the new norm. You either bite the bullet and go into debt for a home or you rent forever and suffer the consequences.

[@geoff5623]

​@@langhamp8912 property taxes are determined by a per-mil rate. The city's budget is divided amongst the value of all property in the city to determine how much each pays. If all property goes up in value, then the portion of the budget each pays for stays the same. The city's budget goes up to cover additional costs from inflation or new spending - but if that new spending is related to new people living in new homes in the city, then there's also more tax revenue collected from those new people.

[@langhamp8912]

@@geoff5623 That's the suburban debt Ponzi scheme, whereby older more urban areas pay a lot more in taxes to fund new construction in the suburbs. If you tripled the property taxes of the suburbs then that'd just barely pay for both their construction and their maintenance. "Not Just Bikes" has a few excellent articles plus proof of this via kzbin.info/www/bejne/bX_aZ6SvrteHm6ssi=nt0-WtWGtnbDJWjy

[@gentlydown41]

Fuck I love Ravi so much, I honestly would leave this province without him and Eby, I have so much hope for Vancouver. Can only imagine how amazing our city will be when people can actually afford to live in it and have the time to enjoy it

[@ransom182]

There’s an important election this year as you no doubt know. We all have to get our friends and family out to vote.

[@onthewater4020]

I would argue that BC is the only province with acceptable leadership right now. Manitoba's MNDP has outed themselves as conservatives in sheep's clothing. Eby may not be perfect, and we're stuck with a Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure who wouldn't be out of place in 1970, but we have a few stars - like Ravi.

[@gentlydown41]

@@onthewater4020 I would argue we might have the best provincial or state government in North America by a wide margin. Not a high bar but still wild

[@paulbadics3500]

So you support these clowns that helped cause the housing crisis with their mass immigration policies?

[@mbogucki1]

Meanwhile, in Ontario, Dougy thinks Fourplex is just TOO big.

[@user72974]

I was disappointed to see Ford reject fourplexes being allowed province-wide. But maybe we'll still end up seeing multiplexes allowed city-wide in many cities because of the way Ontario is doing this, where cities are penalized (indirectly, by losing funding) for not achieving housing goals. Higher density city-wide is a great tool to reach for to reach those goals, so maybe many cities will do it.

[@Zyo117]

Ontario didn't learn from the Rob Ford scandals, the Ford motor company collapse...why would they learn from the next Ford?

[@yaygya]

@@user72974 Maybe he'll pull a UCP and just ban municipalities from receiving federal funding without provincial approval.

[@Zraknul]

The Fourplex issue is extremely simple. Ford was elected (almost?) entirely rural and suburban ridings, so make the change in urban ones rather than theirs.

[@sjappiyah4071]

@@Zyo117Ford motor company collapse ? What does that have to do with Rob ford ?

[@test40323]

There are no constancy in life but change. Kahlon is spot on. People need to embrace change and take part to maximize the positive effects. Not changing has a negative effect too!

[@christianwestling2019]

Why should you have to accept your standard of living being worse just because its "change"?

[@dylanc9174]

​@@christianwestling2019The change is just preserving the standard of living. Without changing with the environment you fall behind, and your standard of living goes down. Living on a large lot in the middle of nowhere doesn't have a better standard of living than someone living in the city without a car. The reverse is fact, as you have more amenities, and third places.

[@mindstalk]

@@christianwestling2019 The standard of living is getting worse for people who can't afford housing. They're not accepting it, thus these new laws.

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

EXACTLY, test! Change FOR THE BETTER. Change for the FAIRER! NOBODY is entitled to a nation. NOBODY is entitled to the status quo. EVERYBODY was FORCED into the world WITHOUT THEIR CONSENT by their breeders. Since governments do not stop that, then NO government has the right to complain about people overthrowing laws, parts of government, they consider to be unfair.

[@EmperorBeef]

Desperately need this in Ontario

[@teddymacrae]

As a young person who left BC due to unaffordability prior to the new legislation I have been following it closely and it has brought me a lot of hope. I think it is a good sign that a senior minister is willing to do an interview with a channel such as this. Great video guys!

[@elizabethpatitsas565]

Same - the minister talked about being worried brain drain could happen, and in my experience it's been happening for years. I'm from BC, went to university in BC, have a PhD, and now live in Quebec because BC was unaffordable. Almost all of my classmates from UBC have left BC for cheaper places.

[@teddymacrae]

@@elizabethpatitsas565 Also educated in BC and live in quebec now. Thanks for the french immersion BC, its come in handy!

[@draedonlongley2259]

It's crazy how BC is doing almost everything right when it comes to housing, so impressed and so excited for the results of these reforms

[@JohnstonRobare]

We're looking at allowing "single stair" apartments here in Denver as well. I sincerely hope it passes 🤞 I heard an architect speak in favor and he said it opens up the potential for small apartments again. If you can only get a smallish city lot, that right now might only fit a duplex or triplex, soon, we could see 8 or 12 or 20 unit buildings. Sounds like missing middle housing to me!

[@drivers99]

Is that still in the works? The fire department came out against it. Said they needed one of the stairwells while people exit in the other one.

[@drivers99]

Found this, 2 days ago on Denver Post: “Opposition from Colorado fire chiefs sinks bids to allow taller single-stair apartment buildings” Once again we allow a single interest to veto progress. They’re the same ones who require large turn radiuses and large intersections rather than adapt by getting different vehicles.

[@geoff5623]

​@@drivers99 That sucks - access through a single stairwell shouldn't be an issue for ~6 stories, especially with better building techniques and fire suppression systems.

[@scpatl4now]

Those new rules sound wonderful! Especially the ones that keep NIMBYs from nitpicking every single project.

[@TheWedabest]

Sometimes, the simplest solutions are the best solutions!

[@BC_Geoff]

It’s already driving the NIMBYS absolutely crazy, I love it.

[@brsn2991]

meanwhile BC united is running ads blaming the housing crisis on "lack of action" by the NDP lmaoo

[@fallenshallrise]

I'm not going to pick on any one of our political parties but if any of our representatives spent some time governing instead of wasting every moment of their time in office picking apart what some other party member has done or hasn't done we might actually see some progress instead of this slow decay.

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

@@fallenshallrise Agreed. People in government have the right to be Marxists, Communists, Socialists just as much as they have to be Anarchists, Separatists and to vote for these groups. The ONLY thing that matters is whether they do more positive than negative in government: have government do more positive for those who have received the least positive, and if that means it has to come at the expense of those who have too much from government. Does not matter WHAT they ARE.

[@MrAlen6e]

Hence why PP is also pushing its own interest in BC

[@paulmcewen7384]

This is so good to hear. For so many years in Vancouver it was painful to hear the NIMBY politics at play blocking development. John Horgan was no ally either, when he said "we need to recognize people have equity in their homes" at a presser in response to a housing reform question I knew he would do nothing. In 10 or 15 years housing might get better in Vancouver with these changes. After 15 years in Vancouver and 5 years trying to get into the market I moved to Edmonton and bought a house next to one of the new Valley line light rail stations, so hearing this news in Vancouver is bittersweet. I have spent most of my adult life in Vancouver, went to UBC and BCIT, and I do think it's Canada's best city by a longshot but housing cost is absolutely devastating there. The island, Kelowna, even Kamloops and Terrace are very bad also. Hopefully this government can turn things around.

[@mushroomsteve]

Funny, as I was reading the comments for this video, someone knocked on the door, and it was a candidate for city council! We have an election coming up next month in Eugene, Oregon, and we are facing many of the same issues Vancouver is. I told him that I was all about urbanism, mixed-use development, good public transit, and affordable housing!

[@TheWedabest]

What was the response of the candidate?

[@mushroomsteve]

@@TheWedabest He largely agreed with my position. I mentioned how I like all the mixed-use development and walkable neighborhoods we have here, food cart areas, music venues, parks, etc. all mixed in with houses, duplexes and multi-unit dwellings like the "Garden on Friendly" in Eugene, and want the city continue to move more in that direction. I also mentioned wanting more protected bike lanes, good public transit, and eventually light rail. I referred him to Not Just Bikes and CityNerd as channels for policy inspiration. He hadn't heard of either channel. I should have mentioned this one, too!

[@TheWedabest]

@@mushroomsteve cool thanks. I just now got the notification. I hope it works out! I have seen some CityNerd vids.

[@LiveInLove33]

Like the old song goes: "something's gotta give." Good on you, BC. I hope other regions follow and improve upon your example.

[@Earth098]

BC is lucky to have such an ambitious and knowledgeable housing minister. Thanks for the quality video. I always come to this channel for high quality informative videos, with no rambling.

[@ThomasNing]

Holy crap, BC is actually doing that? That's huge.

[@cingkole7893]

WE NEED THIS IN TORONTO!!!

[@BC_Geoff]

First step is getting rid of Douggie

[@jordanoickle6998]

It's comforting to hear directly from the Ministry of housing themselves that they're aware of the issues, and seeing that they're doing their best to make the changes that need to be done. As a younger person, I don't know how to cast votes to help support this kind of action, and cut down the red tape, but props to this channel for helping spread this information.

[@ahealthkit2745]

At least in B.C, you can vote for the NDP. They're almost always in favour of the more 'socialist-leaning' policies that tend to better quality of life for the majority of Canadians. You could also attend municipal meetings and speak in favour of improved low-income housing. You live in the era of Google, so you have the power to do as much 'research' as you can afford time-wise to see what options you have.

[@geoff5623]

Look for a local YIMBY organization that you can follow for news and opportunities to get involved. You can always email your representatives about how you want to see changes that improve housing availability and affordability too. More Homes Canada has a bunch of local affiliated organizations, and Vancouver also has the Vancouver Area Neighbours Association as a citizen group that operates like residents' associations but actually supports new housing.

[@isimerias]

Meanwhile in Quebec we have our brilliant minds coming up with “Let’s weaken the power of lease transfers” and “This is all because of the federal government’s immigration! Cut the immigration!”

[@AwesomeHairo]

I mean, it's true. Immigration in Canada is getting out of hand.

[@freebarbecue622]

🍻

[@Dreadlock1227]

@@AwesomeHairoit’s a catch 22 though because immigrant labor is absolutely necessary to build the amount of housing required. Yes immigration is in part responsible for increases in housing prices (I’d suspect not nearly the the degree most people think though) but it’s crucial to the solution. Go to any construction site in Canada, half the guys aren’t Canadian, and the ones doing high quality work definitely aren’t Canadian. For as much of a shortage there is in housing, there’s even more of a shortage of Canadians who know how to work with their hands

[@ahealthkit2745]

@@AwesomeHairo I'd like to know exactly what personal experience you have to suggest such a profoundly stupid statement. Canada without immigration is a crippled economy. As part of a globalist system, immigration is necessary in order to maintain economic growth. Canada's population is considerably smaller than the U.S. and barely covers all of it's provinces. Immigration is what keeps Canadians comfortable, since immigrants fill our entry-level positions as part of the program that allows them to become permanent residents. Without them, we'd have dozens of empty Tim Hortons and other conveniences that allow more elderly Canadians to live comfortably in smaller towns that are hours from the nearest city. Not to mention the impact on the agriculture industry, farmers need farmhands and that'll never change. Simply put: There aren't enough 'true-blooded Canadians' to fill every role necessary to keep our modern economy churning. So to say that it's getting out of hand is like claiming a life-saving surgery is getting out of hand.

[@gracicot42]

​@@AwesomeHairowe need more houses and more immigrants

[@supermash1]

I work as a designer in Victoria, BC. There are 13 separate municipalities in this city region and each one has different building permit and zoning regulations. And the building and planning officials in each municipality each want to protect their little fiefdom. And the province is always changing the building regulations, now the new "green" regulations are becoming a burden. The province wants to get to "net zero" by 2030 I think it is. It takes a HUGE amount of time to simply research what can and can't be done on each lot. I don't think people realize how much regulation there is and how much it costs to meet it. Of course life and fire safety are legitimate concerns but there is a lot of paper documentation required that is never followed through during the building process. These kinds of regulations need to be dropped.

[@paulmcewen7384]

Agree. I'm an electrician and even the new electrical code changes are burdensome. AFCI circuit breakers add a large cost to a residential install at a marginal increase in safety. Can we not as a society look at the overall benefit of green building improvements vs the crushing damage being done to multiple generations struggling with housing?

[@supermash1]

@@paulmcewen7384 It seems that we can't do that as long as the liberals and the ndp form government. Canada has to change it's direction, and that has to start with the political direction. Quite honestly, I think that climate change cannot be reversed, it is a natural phenomenon for the most part. Remember that the North American continent was covered in a 2 kilometer thick sheet of ice at one time. Now it is getting warmer, perhaps much warmer over time. Sure carbon emissions are not good, and we should reasonably reduce them. But we should not sacrifice our economy and standard of living because of a natural change in the dynamics of the sun that we cannot control.

[@Trohnald]

I am so inspired by the way that the housing minister talks about strategy. It’s clear that he is super qualified for the jobs. It makes me happy to see that some of our best and brightest go into government and try to make it better.

[@zachem66]

He's a former banker and 2-time Olympian. The guy is a beast.

[@owenreese2216]

I'm grateful that you all focus on the causes and solutions for urban issues, instead of blindly criticizing a city as if its problems are inherent and permanent, the way others do.

[@bighugejake]

I’m a “young” person who already moved to a different province because of housing affordability in BC. I wish I could move back there one day if housing ever gets under control.

[@michaelcarrasco5755]

Impressive you guys were able to get the Provincinal Minister on for an interview! Great work as always

[@matthewconstantine5015]

There's been a lot of movement in the right direction in the Northern Virginia area outside of Washington D.C. Unfortunately, there's been little movement on the state level. But I'll take the wins where I can find 'em.

[@skipj5480]

Thank you Thank you Thank you Ravi Kahlon. Thank you!!! I am studying nursing outside of BC and have been dreaming of moving to Vancouver or Victoria for the last 10 years, but haven't been able to because it's too expensive. I don't come from money, I've had to work hard and pay for my own education. But this gives me hope. Fix the housing and healthcare problem and you got yourself at least one other nurse. Thank you Thank you Thank you!!! Fix housing!

[@CtrlShiftGo]

I’m cautiously excited by all these changes, especially the timelines! It’s remarkable to hear about things that might be going into effect within a year. Thank you so much and I hope we can hear more about this in the future ❤

[@brianmombourquette2673]

Very exciting. And the design/build community has been looking to Vancouver for inspiration for a long time. Maybe this will help more than just BC

[@uppercampbell2618]

I applaud the bold policies that the BC NDP government has implemented to deal with the housing crisis. The policies are multifaceted, informed, research based, and centred on serving the needs of a vast range of people.

[@icomefromcanadia2783]

Biggest problems we have are absurd and wasteful set back and side gap restrictions, and the fact that basically all we're building now are strata homes. People can barely muster together a down payment, barely qualify for mortgages at the crazy high prices we're at now, ...and then the only "affordable" options are ones that keep us at the bottom forever because we're stuck paying hundreds of dollars a month ON TOP of our mortgage and insurance. Traditional UK/Victorian style terraced/row housing is the way to go. They can be either single family or easily split into 2 or 3 levels of apartments, they're privately held with no strata, and with minimum set-back and little to no side gaps they accomplish way more density than giant 80-90s North American homes we've been building yet are at a human scale compared to apartment blocks so they're a perfect middle ground. Plus, they're street facing and have usable back yards so they actually contribute to a neighbourhood community unlike condos and inward facing townhomes.

[@ahealthkit2745]

Agreed, Stratas are exploitative and hurt low-income Canadians as well as landlords and first-time home buyers.

[@SteveBluescemi]

Fee simple row homes are good to have in our housing solution portfolio but may not be dense enough for somewhere like Vancouver

[@cmmartti]

​@@SteveBluescemiMost of Vancouver outside downtown is detached homes.

[@paulmcewen7384]

Agree. When I was condo shopping the mortgage was doable but the strata fees make it a no-go. We need row houses and other forms of multi-family.

[@darynvoss7883]

What a nice interview. So great to hear a poltician talking straight.

[@vette1]

I can only hope will get this in Ontario one day

[@keshanranasinghe]

This is sorely needed in Perth and the rest of Australia's capital cities. 1:00

[@jasonmacfarlund2703]

I love our housing minister. I hate how so many people in Vancouver talk about not wanting change in their communities, yet all the kids have moved away, and all the homes are full of people from out of town. I dont have anything against people moving in from out of town, but I'm not open to the suggestion that the shapes of the houses provides more to the character of neighbourhood then the people who live there.

[@eCitaroFan]

BC also needs to make sure communities are walkable by at the very least zoning more areas as mixed use and ideally allowing small scale commercial units on the 1st floor of every home and apartment building by right, a la Japanese style zoning

[@antonburdin9756]

There are no sidewalks on some of our streets SW Marin Drive, parts of Highbury and Wallace streets.

[@kevin_andrews735]

I want all these changes as someone who wants a home, but one of the major problems here in Ontario is the NIMBY's that are protecting their housing value simply because they need that equity to pay for their end of life care (nursing home or assisted living) which is also crazy expensive (avg 4-6k/month).

[@ahealthkit2745]

That doesn't make much sense, they could easily stow away money without purchasing a home and then going hard Nimby any time someone proposes something they assume will crush the value of their property (which is a bit of a pipe dream anyway, Canada has been in a housing bubble for 40 years now) Even then, a smarter solution would be to pressure politicians for improved senior care. Putting the weight of the previous generation's problems on the backs of the next generation just cripples all of us.

[@kevin_andrews735]

@@ahealthkit2745 Mike Harris- our former premier serves as the Chair on the board of Chartwell Retirement Residences, senior living will continue to be absurd for the foreseeable future especially with so many of his former party in power.

[@SteveBluescemi]

Upzoning generally increases property values. Those homeowners are either mistaken or they are more motivated by their fear of change.

[@MegaJellyNelly]

​@@SteveBluescemiexactly!! It should bring more services and amenities to communities, making them more attractive and increasing demand. At least until enough, more areas are developed.

[@hendrikbijloo]

A more multipolar approach is the only way to solve this. If everyone must move to downtown Vancouver the house prices will go trough the roof. Also, there needs to be a substantial percentage of rental housing that is owned by non-profits to anchor rents at a reasonable level. If the rental sector is (close to) 100% for profit, rents will trend towards the maximum that can be squeezed out of renters!

[@atn_holdings]

that approach CANNOT possibly be multipolar. TOD zoning extends far into the suburbs along with Skytrain, and the province is setting itself up to be able to build more public housing

[@paulmcewen7384]

Of course it would be wonderful to have not for profit rental but who pays to build it? on what land? The reality is in Canada the private sector will need to do the vast majority of the heavy lifting on eliminating the massive deficit of housing. I'm tired of people complaining about developers and builders, it's not realistic to think we can blow up the existing system and build out a big not for profit rental sector in a reasonable time frame. It's a worthy goal but decades away, we need massive housing construction right now.

[@hendrikbijloo]

@@atn_holdings exactly. So it won’t solve the housing crisis!

[@hendrikbijloo]

@@paulmcewen7384 I wrote ”not for profit”, it doesn’t have to be loss making! So there needs to be a substantial initial investment, but the cost should not be a huge problem. The only party that can generate enough resources to make a real impact is the government, but of course it can be strengthened by for instance filantropy. A billionaire kickstarting housing? Why not! Starting with a couple of billion you can start building and then use rents to expand! When combined with public transport you can build on cheaper land or governments might own suitable land already! A good example of such a community is imo Houten in the Netherlands! If hou search Houten and Bycicle Dutch you’ll find a good explainer video! The aim is to land on rents for a sizeable chunk of the rental market that are costprice+ in stead of maximal market value. And yes it’s a long term solution. In housing there aren’t quick fixes!

[@bronsondesign]

BC resident myself - 10/10 Great video guys!

[@themanyouwanttobe]

David Eby just picked up the infinity gauntlet and decided to do it himself

[@maudelemelin9026]

Congrats for scoring this interview (I imagine it's not easy getting elected officials on any KZbin channel). This was very enlightening!

[@bradcomis1066]

Adding supply will help, but the biggest problem is that there are waaaay to many buyers because the pool of buyers isn't just people looking for their primary residence. The pool of buyers is massively composed of so called 'investors' buying their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th, etc property. This means that demand is MUCH higher than it should be. The solution is two pronged: 1. Add supply to balance with population growth 2. Kill the culture of housing as investment. This investment mindset and culture is so insidious and the thing that politicians really don't want to tackle. Those already wealthy people that are profiting off of housing wield a lot of power and will never allow their profits to be diminished.

[@rileynicholson2322]

Supply puts downward pressure on rents, which puts downward pressure on demand from 'investors'. In other words, supply is the solution to both problems and there's no world in which the culture of housing as an investment gets addressed without it.

[@jenbanim]

This channel is chicken soup for the YIMBY soul. Much appreciation to Ravi for his hard work and thank you for sharing this encouraging story

[@yunleung2631]

Sounds amazing!! I hope we have walkable cities here outside of NYC in the US soon!!

[@Quadrophiniac]

We need this in Ontario as well. Its really difficult to find an apartment that's affordable where I live. Apartments that were like 800 bucks a month before the pandemic are like 1200+ bucks a month now, its insane. None of them have been renovated or anything either, its just greedy landlords being parasites, as is the great tradition. Landlords provide no value to society whatsoever

[@AwesomeHairo]

You misused a comma. Also, it was a scamdemic.

[@loganwenzel1615]

I agree Ontario housing prices have changed a ton recently, but landlord behaviour hasn't changed. You can't just blame expensive housing on landlord greed and call it a day - this is not a hero-villain story. If you were a landlord and market rate increased, would you not also increase your rent? Why would you deliberately charge less than everyone around you?

[@jerrymoore838]

Landlord expenses have risen just like everyones have

[@neonspark707]

Affordable housing is bad for Capitalism

[@emilyleaf9857]

Unfortunately deregulation and removing nimby-blocks is not the full solution to affordability. Keep in mind that without protections against gentrification already in place, intensification causes terrible consequences for low-income tenants. Another thought: sometimes we conflate homeowner NIMBYs with marginalized tenants who would like new condos to genuinely include affordable housing.

[@smareng]

Recognized so much of the b-roll in this video. You guys are cycling down the exact same streets I commute on in Vancouver!

[@ActiveTowns]

Well done, Patrick. 🙌

[@MirorR3fl3ction]

I love that BC is finally taking steps to address the housing crisis, but the reality is increasing the housing supply wont do anything as long as corporations and wealthy individuals are allowed to hoard residential property. Increasing supply only decreases costs when there is a surplus, but as long as corporation and wealthy ppl are allowed to buy as many properties as they can the demand will just keep rising to absorb all the new housing, so there is never a surplus to drive down the costs for normal people

[@zachem66]

that's a fair point, but coporations and rich people buy up properties most likey because they're speculating. their strategy is only viable as long as there is a massive shortage that will continue to get worse. once you massively boost supply like BC is doing, it addresses the housing shortage to a great extent, causing rents to stabilize or even decrease. when this happens, it will likely shake investor confidence that there will continue to be a housing shortage, at which point it no longer makes sense to hoard properties and sit on them hoping for a guaranteed return. this will drive corporations and rich speculators out and the market will stabilize.

[@polishtheday]

I’m glad to see the B.C. government working on making housing more affordable, but what’s missing in this is that Vancouver has been moving in this direction for a long, long time. I lived in that city for thirty years, two-thirds of that time as a rent and only three years when I owned a car. It became more dense and walkable during that time. Some of that is a result of a forward-thinking urban planning department. There’s been density around Oakridge, Brentwood and Metrotown for decades. What’s happening now is they’re building a lot more of it. I hope there will soon be shops at the Skytrain stations and that, by the next time I go back to visit, the parking lots in front of the grocery stores in my old neighbourhoods will be gone. But even Point Grey, where I lived for over a decade, first in a basement suite and then a small apartment, was more than just single family homes. It was already unaffordable in the 80s and 90s when quite a few of those single family bungalows were divided into two or three living spaces. Even back then, it was the only way middle income professionals could afford their mortgages. Yes, there were NIMBYs. They weren’t the majority but were certainly the loudest. Anyway, keep the good videos coming.

[@atn_holdings]

all of this sounds pretty good lol here in Quebec the reaction at the provincial level was to weaken rent control to disallow lease swaps. That's right folks they decided that the real victims were landlords and are now allowing them to jack up the rent back to market rate even if the outgoing tenant went out of their way to do the landlord's job and found a new tenant for them. Oh and they privatized a public housing body too!

[@shanevanc]

Great interview. Encouraging to hear what my gov is doing.

[@schmitty8225]

I completely agree with getting rid of piblic input for infrastructure projects. There is no need to have the public give input on bike lanes and other things for piblic interest.

[@paulbadics3500]

Really? So you agree activists should have no say in pipeline projects too?

[@zachem66]

@@paulbadics3500 apples and oranges. bike lanes and other urban planning measures are for public interest. pipeline projects are against public interest.

[@paulbadics3500]

@@zachem66oh really..well for vast majority of middle income & working class especially in rural areas pipelines provide good high paying skilled jobs & prosperity for entire communities & from the oil & gas revenues & royalties we can pay for better social services, health care & schools ..the more clean canadian oil & LNG we can export to the world the less dirty coal is used

[@paulbadics3500]

Maybe in the "interest" of a few privileged urban elites who have luxury to be able to live close to work & bike or take transit to work or the stay at home lap top class..for most canadians having cheap energy would help them more

[@zachem66]

​@@paulbadics3500 people in living in rural areas are less than 20% of the population. they are not the majority. not fair to hurt all of society just so this minority can have jobs. oil & pipelines is not the only industry in the world. well paying jobs can also come from investing in other industries that don't cause climate change. and going by your logic, the tobacco industry also produced well paying jobs for a lot of people. but their product causes cancer and has killed countless people along the way. the economic benefits from tobacco are not worth the societal harms it caused. not even close. the same goes for oil & pipelines. a few well paying rural jobs isn't worth the destruction from climate change and ruining of lives that society must endure. also, oil & gas is dirty no matter where or how it's produced. no such thing as clean oil, it's just oil industry propaganda. as for how to pay for social services, it's not through oil & gas royalties. instead how about we stop giving oil companies billions in subsidies, and use that money to fund schools/hospitals/social services instead?

[@Roboboy]

Appreciate you diving so deep into policy mechanisms and being able to hear such technical strategy from someone in leadership! Connecting this heavy stuff with the quality of your content - visuals and narrative style in bite-sized pieces - is such a critical part of the communications angle in the fight for better housing policy in North America.

[@chengyanboon]

Absolutely fantastic video! You did a great job highlighting both the strengths and deficiencies of BC's housing policy. Thanks for asking the questions about the West Side and bus exchanges. Minister Kahlon's answer was a bit lacking there but hopefully as that point gets made from more and more angles he'll come around to prescribing more density around intersections of the Frequent Transit Network and add Rapid Bus stops to the prescribed TOA zones. He's come around on many other things so I have hope!

[@achen131]

This was a really cool interview!

[@sachamm]

Thank you for this, super informative and uplifting.

[@lost_porkchop]

It's nice to see a politician that seems interested in doing a good job. I couldn't even tell you the name of the minister of housing here and my local city counselor is just a dinosaur surviving on thirty years of name recognition.

[@erickpalacios8904]

Grassroots in productive dialogue with the grasstops. Love to see it. 👍🏼

[@MsMarmima]

This is really interesting! I'm happy for you guys!!!

[@ww3k]

Good interview!

[@tangomango2353]

I loved this video! Will be coming back to take notes❤❤❤

[@mushroomsteve]

In Oregon, you now need a six-figure salary to afford the median home! Housing affordability is a real crisis on the entire west coast (both Canada and the US), and I'm glad to see BC is starting to address it!

[@KarolaTea]

Great video, thank you!

[@carmencofano530]

Such a great video!

[@NABloisROTH]

The point access blocks are exciting, especially because they make it easier to get light on at least two sides of a room. Given the choice between rooms with light on two sides vs light on only one side, people prefer the former. Light on two sides makes rooms more alive, which makes the people living in those rooms more alive. Further reading can be found in Christopher Alexander's well-known book, A Pattern Language. I just wish we could get such housing build in waaaay more places.

[@zacdef8845]

Amazing video! Really good questions. This was super informative.

[@fhh4397]

My favorite video so far! Well structured, good questions, solution-oriented and experience-based answers, and good visuals to add clarity. Thanks for sharing this and I hope you're able to get more interviews with experts, politicians, and organizers!

[@rbenjamin1429]

BRAVO! Hope these initiatives will spread to all cities in Canada and elsewhere in North America.

[@massvt3821]

Excellent video--Ravi is very convincing...

[@johnnyboyvan]

Bravo 👏 to the BC government. Most people don't need giant houses anymore. However, I doubt that housing will become "affordable ".

[@ahealthkit2745]

I don't think people have ever *needed* giant homes. They are pure vanity, plain and simple. But the era of being able to afford that style of home within 50 years of hard work is long gone. It's time we got rid of space-wasters and 'single family homes' that serve only to become derelict investments. But, I also agree with your second point. It does feel like the public is desperately screaming for low income housing and what we usually get is 'median-income family housing', which does nothing to actually solve the core issue of a severe lack of affordable housing for individual Canadians.

[@nicthedoor]

I am so impressed with David Eby and BC NDP. Fellow BC residents, elections coming up soon. Keep this in mind when you head to the ballot box 👆

[@sachamm]

I was really worried he would be another Horgan, but the whole team has stepped up and made some great law -- and not just in housing.

[@christopherrseay3148]

i've always loved this man

[@SZiani]

Great video, as always. You should give more context for the first graph as it looks like the average home price is 106% of de median household income. I guess it’s the proportion of the monthly mortage cost, assuming a 20% cash down, It’s just not clear when seeing the graph.

[@cmmartti]

More like median *monthly* income, instead of annual. So if the average home price in Vancouver is 1.3M and the median monthly income is 115k (rough estimates), the math is in the right ballpark.

[@SZiani]

@@cmmartti it makes even less sense with monthly income. 1.3M / 115k ….will not give you in the. 106 % ….. anyway , no city has a median monthly income of 115k a month ….not even in Monaco.

[@same9309]

nice work

[@rmschindler144]

thanks, Ravi

[@brycebundens6866]

This is so exciting!!! I want to see this in the DC area!!!

[@adanactnomew7085]

Wasnt going to vote for the BC NDP because I thought they were not addressing housing enough, but in November I changed my mind because of these laws. Very ambitious, and shows a lot of initiative in this government.

[@louis-josephcouturier4999]

What a great educated and informed conversation! I just hope that we could take couple a page from this book in Qc

[@James-el6lj]

love this channel

[@ahealthkit2745]

Proud to be a BC resident but as a person living in the valley, it's hard. I think when your in the hot water, it's a lot easier to get people to recognize that they're boiling. But in the valley, there's a ton of wealthy old NIMBYs. It's hard to imagine change will come unless younger people get involved in municipal politics. Additionally, I'm nervous about 'new housing' arriving and turning out to be STILL far too expensive to remedy the issue. What's the point of going through all this trouble to get new housing if these homes aren't affordable to anyone but those who are already capable of purchasing housing?

[@kanucks9]

If they build 500,000 new homes, and price them so high no one can afford them, then no one will buy/rent. And prices will come down. Remember that developers losing money is possible lol.

[@SteveBluescemi]

It can be difficult to see how new homes could lead to affordability when for so long the only new homes have been ultra expensive houses and condos. But we've allowed so few homes to be built that the market has naturally decided to cater to the wealthy. If you were a car manufacturer and the government said you can only make 100 cars per year, it would be good business to make 100 Lamborghini-type supercars, because you know you could sell all of them and make a huge profit. But if the government says you can build 100,000 cars, you're not going to be able to sell 100,000 Lamborghinis because there aren't that many people who want or can afford them. So you start to make cheaper cars for the masses at lower prices. And unfortunately the government can't just pass a law that says the 100 cars have to be built and sold cheaply to the poor and middle class, because there are 100,000 people who need a car. It's just not enough cars any way you cut it. The same situation is happening with housing. There's a massive shortage. Even non-profit developers cannot deliver affordable housing in a place like Vancouver because the city restricts how much housing they can build. In BC, the housing shortage is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. It will take years for us to build our way out of this hole. Even if we go full bore ahead on construction, it's likely that market prices will continue to rise for a while, before levelling off and eventually declining. But there's really no other option.

[@geoff5623]

Even if new housing is expensive, there's people who can afford it that will move out of less expensive homes, which frees up those homes for other people (and on down the ladder). We need to make sure that new homes aren't only possible to build where cheaper rentals currently exist (replacing old low rise apartments with larger apartments), but that SFH areas can be densified too. The Broadway Plan requires that displaced tenants are compensated for the increase in housing costs while they're waiting to return to the new building where they will continue to pay their original rent. This is important for those renters, but also levels the cost and effort to redevelop so that it makes sense to purchase SFHs and owned condos for redevelopment too.

[@jjk9o9]

Thank you

[@davidhutchinson5233]

Seems like great move(s) are being made in BC. Good for the people there.

[@Krommandant]

Wow bravo ! Interviewing the minister of the province for a KZbin is incredible credit to your work and credibility. Can you interview Valerie Plante some day?

[@benbailey7772]

Thanks!

[@OhTheUrbanity]

Thank you!

[@Gromitdog1]

Transit is only one piece of critical infrastructure that should be considered. As we are seeing on the north shore something as simple as the sewer system needs upgrading and the cost of that has turned out to be many times what was originally forecasted. So add to that water, schools, hospitals, recreation facilities, parks electricity and you see how important planning is to having a properly functioning society therefore we might not want to disparage local input to development as forcing density will have its own set of problems.

[@loganwenzel1615]

Great video. Ravi is a beast

[@loganwenzel1615]

Also very interesting to hear about the upcoming changes to apartment staircase layouts. If cities are densifying and more families are moving into apartments, we should be very thoughtful about how we design those spaces to actually accommodate family life well, instead of the traditional layouts for young people

[@eksbocks9438]

Apartments are the basic building block to housing. Because more people can be housed per building. That's why they're more common in the Eastern World. And it provides more revenue for a landlord. The problem is when higher income people get First Priority. And sometimes the only group that gets priority. Nothing is set aside for Working Class people. And aspiring Robber Barons can charge any price they want for what little housing is left in the inventory.

[@ttopero]

One thing I’m working on in my neighborhood is converting NIMBYs (oppose everything regardless of what it is) to nimbys (selectively oppose for defensible reasons not emotionally driven). They might not become YIMBYs or even yimbys, but we can at least start to coalesce around what we WANT, not against what we don’t want.

[@gabrielgrenier-mcdermott4465]

Amazing interview, really touching to finally see some action and good news. It's a new hope for housing. This absolutely needs to become a nation-wide endeavor, get the provincial leaders together to talk about this. I hope Quebec and Ontario get the memo follow suit.

[@JamesTaylor-zs2gq]

Pro-housing planner working in a pro-housing BC municipality here. The provincial activity is both exciting and incredibly frustrating. Unfortunately, there are a lot of "devil in the details" issues with several components of the legislation that will result in a drop in housing output, at least in the short term. And I hope it's just the short term.

[@adanactnomew7085]

Can you elaborate?