Maple Ridge mayor defends Metro Vancouver for building affordable housing projects following ‘scope creep’ criticism

At a Metro Vancouver unveiling of a new 85-unit apartment building in Surrey last week, Mayor Dan Ruimy defended the regional government’s role in housing.

 This came one day after Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke put Metro Vancouver on blast in an interview. She said Metro Vancouver is a bloated organization that is guilty of “scope creep” by taking on too many projects and not focusing on core sewer and water services.

This followed comments by Surrey Coun. and mayoral candidate Linda Annis, who said Metro Vancouver costs are “out of control.”

“Metro Vancouver also needs to get back to basics, namely sewer and water,” said Annis.

Ruimy, who is also the chair of the Metro Vancouver housing committee, had a passionate response to critics, saying the way the rents and costs are structured there’s: “virtually no cost to taxpayers.”

“We’re in a housing crisis,” Ruimy said. “Why would we want to walk away from something that is actually delivering the housing that we need? We have 10,000 people who otherwise may not have a home at this point.”

Metro Vancouver Housing is one of the largest non-profit housing providers in BC, with more than 3,400 affordable rental homes on 49 sites, serving close to 10,000 people.

This includes Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, with sites like Fraserwood and Heron’s Nest.

What are the Metro Vancouver housing projects?

The new $44.7-million Surrey project was a joint effort with BC Housing, providing an $8.3-million equity contribution, while Metro Vancouver Housing provided land and equity totaling $14.7 million. The federal government, through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, provided a low-interest loan of $29.4 million through the Affordable Housing Fund.

A regional approach is needed to the housing crisis, Ruimy said.

“We can’t do this alone,” he said. “That’s why it works so well because we work together.”

Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley, chair of the Metro Vancouver board of directors, said the regional government has been building housing for 50 years and that it’s part of its core mandate.

“We’re delivering the type of housing that people need,” said Hurley. “Some people have different opinions and that’s OK.”

Hurley said the board recently did a core review and the majority agreed to continue building housing.

This is a $16.1-billion program under the National Housing Strategy that gives priority to projects that help people who need it most, including women and children fleeing family violence, seniors, Indigenous peoples, people living with disabilities, those with mental health or addiction issues, veterans, and young adults.

Metro Vancouver is building approximately 800 new homes underway across the region in seven projects, and a further 760 homes at the design and approvals stage in four projects.