The Province of British Columbia has set a five-year housing target of 1,069 new homes in Squamish to help meet growing demand and ease affordability pressures. Squamish now joins communities including Burnaby, Coquitlam, Richmond and Vernon in the program’s fourth round. BC had announced in June that Squamish would get new housing targets.
In a press release on Thursday, the B.C. government said the target takes effect Sept. 1, 2025, as part of the fourth round of housing targets under the Housing Supply Act. In total, 10 municipalities are expected to deliver 38,930 new homes by 2030.
According to the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs, the targets are based on 75% of each community’s estimated housing need, determined after consultation with local governments. Municipalities have also been given guidelines on how many units should be rental, owned, below-market, or include on-site supports. More than 14,000 of the planned units across B.C. will be below-market rentals.
The Province said the housing-targets program is designed to “increase the supply, availability and affordability of housing in areas with the greatest needs” and help communities prepare for population growth.
So far, more than 16,000 homes have been built in the first 30 municipalities assigned targets. The program is part of B.C.’s Homes for People action plan, which builds on a $19-billion housing investment since 2017. Since then, more than 93,250 homes have been delivered or are underway across the province.
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