British Columbians head to the polls this month. Advance voting is open October 10-13, 15 and 16. The final day to vote is October 19. You can find out where and how to vote at https://elections.bc.ca/

The provincial election is your opportunity to shape tenancy and housing policy, and below is a description of the tenancy and housing positions of the three major parties – the Conservatives, the Greens and the NDP – to help you make an informed decision.

TRAC is a non-partisan, non-profit organization whose mission is to advocate for tenants regardless of which party governs our province. This article is descriptive only, and the appearance of a party, their positions or actions detailed in this article is not an endorsement from TRAC.

(Keep in mind the publication date of this article and that parties may alter their positions leading up to election day – you can find their up-to-date platforms on their websites, linked in each section below. Also keep in mind that there are Independent candidates and candidates with other, smaller parties that this article does not cover; you can find all candidates running in your riding here: https://elections.bc.ca/2024-provincial-election/candidate-list/)

BC Green Party

“Every British Columbian deserves a safe, secure and affordable home.” – Party Platform

1. Vacancy control: limiting the amount that landlords can increase rent between tenancies (rent control tied to units rather than tenancies). In February, the Greens introduced legislation to this effect.

2. Create province-wide minimum standards for tenant protection to safeguard renters from renovictions and other forms of displacement.

3. By 2035, everyone living in BC can afford a home that meets their needs.

4. Enhance the Residential Tenancy Branch to address tenant and landlord disputes more effectively, ensuring fair and timely resolutions.

5. Increase funding to $164 million annually for the Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters (SHELTER) and Rental Assistance Program (RAP). Raise the rent ceilings, index them to inflation, and expand eligibility to better support low-income renters.

6. Introduce legislation to formally recognize housing as a fundamental human right.

7. Advocate for federal legislation to ban the sale of residential units to REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts – large corporate landlords). Introduce measures to protect renters, including requiring cooling systems in existing rental buildings or setting a maximum allowable temperature for rental units.

Party Platform: https://bcgreens2024.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/BCGreens-Platform-2024.pdf

BC NDP – governing since 2017

“Getting more people into homes they can afford.” – Party Platform

1. End the bias against pet owners in purpose-built rental buildings.

2. More construction of rental and non-market housing.

3. Low-interest loans to middle-income tenants to buy their first home.

During their term since 2017, the NDP have enacted the following changes (this list is not exhaustive):

• Eliminated vacate clauses (except for landlord personal use)
• Changed renovation evictions so that landlords must apply directly to the Residential Tenancy Branch.
• Restricted short-term rentals
• Introduced a $400 tenant tax credit
• Increased restrictions on landlord-use eviction notices, including increasing the notice period and fulfilment length, banning them from being given in 5+ units, and making landlords use a web portal
• Banned rent increases for babies and minors
• Exempted “supportive housing” from parts of the Residential Tenancy Act around landlord entry and guest access.

Party Platform: https://www.bcndp.ca/actionplan#pillar2

Conservative Party of BC

“When housing is abundant, it’s affordable” – Party Platform

1. Beginning with Budget 2026, $1,500 per month in rent, mortgage interest, and strata fees will be exempt from BC income tax. The exempt amount will increase by $500 per year until reaching $3,000 around 2029. This is estimated to be worth about $265 in annual savings for the average taxpayer.

2. Modernize the Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters (SAFER) program. Rent and income thresholds will be updated annually to reflect current market conditions and inflation.

3. Eliminate provisions under Bill 44, which allow multi-unit housing in single-family home neighbourhoods.

4. Never force any kind of “low-barrier” housing or shelter on a community that “doesn’t want it.”

5. Conduct a forensic audit into BC Housing and its “relationship with politically-connected non-profits.”

6. Provide professional training to non-profits building housing: Groups that receive tax dollars to build homes must be given training and support, so that public money is spent in a cost-effective and responsible manner.

7. Repeal provincial restrictions on short-term rentals (AirBnB, VRBO etc.) that were implemented in May 2024. 

8. While the party platform does not mention rent control, when asked about it the leader of the Conservative Party, John Rustad, said, “Rent control is something that we have no plans at this stage to look at… Once you get to that place [of rent stabilization by building capacity], then that’s something you need to look at doing, is remove rent control.”

Party Platform: https://www.conservativebc.ca/ideas 

The final day to vote is October 19.