Public Policy Affects Housing Affordability

PRINCE GEORGE – Affordable housing and housing that is affordable are two different things. That was one of the many messages the Canadian Homebuilders Association of BC took to the government in Victoria recently.

Jody Tindall is a small home builder in Prince George and she says producing the latter is becoming increasingly challenging.

“All across the province, we’re all in the same boat. Everybody is short labour, everybody is feeling the pressure of cost increases. Most of us are 25% to 30% for most items that go into a home,” she says. 

On top of that, small operations like hers outside of the Lower Mainland and other larger urban centres are being adversely impacted by government policy designed to deal with housing woes in those centres, but are still impacting small centres, too, such as the stress test, the speculation tax and interest rates.