Province Overrules West Van on Housing

0:00The BC government just stepped in big time on West Bank Hoover's housing mess. After nearly two years of them dragging their feet, the province overrode the town's official community plan to green light more density along Marine. Drive. West Bank only built 58 of the 220 units they were supposed to hit in year one, and they blew past the December 31st, 2025 deadline for the Ambulicide Area Plan. This marched the first time the province used an order and council to force through changes to a local plan like this. Now, four story buildings can go up all the long marine drive, with spots allowing up to 16 stories on 17th street. The plan had been stalled at council for almost a year, even hitting a three to three tie last May. Folks are reacting strong on both sides. Mayor Mark Sager called out their progress on spots like Cypress Village, a 3,700 unit project over 25 years, but premier David Evie says West Van got plenty of chances while places like

1:00Colona crushed their targets. Urban expert Andy Yann warns this top-down push skips local know-how and could spark backlash. The province is keeping the pressure on, demanding regular reports on densification around Park Royal, plus housing studies for Ambulicide departments, and Dunderev to dodge more overrides. They even appointed a housing advisor back in January 2025, after initial bylaws fell short. As this plays out, it'll test how far Victoria can push local councils on the housing crunch eyes wide open for what's next in BC. Is build or bust battle. This has been Canada News Today, powered by AI.