At the recent Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) convention, held in Victoria, a resolution was passed that calls on the BC government to declare housing as a human right.
The resolution was sponsored by the City of Langford, but had support from nine other municipalities, including Burnaby, Saanich, Langley, Nanaimo, North Vancouver, Port Moody, Richmond, Vancouver and Victoria.
The idea behind declaring housing as a human right is not a new one, and the notion is that it might fundamentally change the Province’s approach to housing policy from the top-down, if employed correctly.
“The passage of the resolution ‘Declaring Housing as a Human Right’ at UBCM is a historic milestone for British Columbia – and a signal to the rest of Canada,” said Rowan Burdge, Provincial Director at the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition.
“By affirming that housing is a fundamental right, not a privilege, we are taking a decisive step toward tackling the housing crisis head-on.”
Burdge added that this will send a clear message to all levels of government: that housing justice must guide our policies and investments.
Prior to this year’s UBCM convention, housing was declared a human right at the federal level back in 2019.
Then in 2023, the Federal Housing Advocate called upon all provinces and territories to pass legislation declaring housing as a human right as well.
Furthermore, in 2024, the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs Council passed a similar resolution, calling on the BC government to legislate housing as a human right, citing a commitment to Indigenous Peoples rights in BC that had been left unfulfilled.
Teale Phelps Bondaroff, a District of Saanich Councillor who helped Langford put together this resolution and worked with an organization dedicated to ending homelessness, believes that until the Province can be on the same page as the federal government, housing will remain an issue in BC.
“Treating housing as a commodity has turned homes into investment vehicles, while people struggle to find housing that meets their needs and the most vulnerable in our communities are left to sleep on the streets,” said Phelps Bondaroff.
“Recognizing housing as a human right shifts our focus from profit to people and is essential to ensuring everyone has a place to call home.”
Now that the resolution for BC to declare housing as a human right has been passed, the Province will be obliged to respond with their intention: to either enshrine the resolution as legislation, or to say that this is not in the cards for the current government.
Phelps Bondaroff says that he is hopeful because of the united front made by 10 municipalities at the UBCM convention, and for the overwhelming support it received from all members present during the UBCM vote.
