BC Housing launches podcast to discuss the province-wide housing crisis

BC Housing announced the launch of its first podcast Tuesday, which will take a deep dive into the challenges and solutions for the real estate market in British Columbia. 

The podcast, Let’s Talk Housing, is a 12-part series that will feature experts from the housing sector across the province and B.C. Housing partners, who are actively working to “address the housing crisis.” 

A municipal government representative will also be on the show, however, further details were not provided.

An episode future episode in the six-month-long series, will engage a municipal representative on the housing challenges within a specific community, according to Tim Chamberlain, senior communication advisor BC Housing. 

A new report indicates that housing activity continues to grow in the province. The New Homes Registry report showed that 53,189 new homes were registered in 2021, the highest since 2002. 

Home registration data is collected before construction permits are issued. This data has been a key determinant of housing activity in BC.

According to the BC Real Estate Association, a record-breaking 124,854 houses were sold in 2021. This broke the previous record of 112,425 in 2016. 

A total of 2,737 houses were sold in Greater Vancouver Area, with an average price of $1,241,332. 

As per data, there are only 5,525 active listings, the lowest ever recorded. This in turn is creating a substantial strain on the housing market as the supply and demand imbalance continues.

The pre-recorded podcast has explored deep-rooted issues and examined why there continues to be this imbalance between supply and demand. Future episodes will discuss how mental health, homelessness, domestic violence and other societal factors contribute to housing issues in the province.

The first episode which is already available sets the foundations of what’s to come in the series.