This thesis examines the changing role of British Columbia's municipal governments in
affordable housing policy.
In recent years, the federal government of Canada has withdrawn from active
involvement in affordable housing provision, and has passed responsibility back to the provinces.
The government of British Columbia has, in turn, amended its Municipal Act through Bills 20
(1992), 57 (1993) and 31 (1994), to grant municipal governments increased planning powers in
the field of affordable housing.
This thesis examines the responses of municipal governments to these changes and
specifically investigates whether the decentralization of responsibility has to led to policy
innovation. This research question is addressed in three ways. First, through a review of the
theoretical literature and legislation, a discussion is presented concerning the issue of
decentralization and the ways it has been enacted in the case of housing policy in British
Columbia. Secondly, the results of a postal survey of 52 municipalities in British Columbia are
presented, reflecting the range of local responses to the provincial housing legislation. Thirdly,
case studies, derived from key informant interviews and document analysis in three
municipalities (Burnaby, Sidney and Prince George) are presented. These provide more detailed
illustrations of housing strategies in different geographical contexts.
The research suggests that housing is a dynamic area of public policy in British
Columbia, with a distinct pattern of innovation. In particular, some 'entrepreneurial'
municipalities exhibited a shorter response time in reacting to the provincial legislation, and have
adopted more innovative approaches to housing policy; these in turn, serve as examples to other
jurisdictions. The wide range of innovative housing strategies adopted by local governments across the province, which are highlighted in this thesis, suggest that decentralization has ensured
the potential for a greater fit between the preferences and needs of a particular locale. To the
extent that it provides municipalities with the powers and resources they need, the
decentralization policy allows communities to capitalize on their existing strengths and to more
readily meet their housing needs. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/4353 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Britton, Hayley S. |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Format | 5987775 bytes, application/pdf |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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