Housing affordability is a key issue for many local governments across the province. Its effects can be felt across a community through secondary impacts such as homelessness, labour shortages, strained transportation networks, hampered local economic development and diminished participation in civic life.
Many communities in B.C. are exploring the use of land acquisition strategies to proactively respond to these challenges, guide decision-making and help create property portfolios that lend themselves to the community’s strategic priorities and goals.
As part of our Local Government Leaders Speaker Series, BC Healthy Communities is pleased to present Creating Healthy Public Policy: Affordable Housing Land Acquisition Strategies. This session, featuring James Moore and Arlene Janousek from the City of Kelowna’s planning department, looks at Kelowna’s experience developing a strategy to support the acquisition of land that can be used for affordable housing.
Designed for elected officials and staff in decision-making roles, each event in the speaker series provides participants with the opportunity to explore whether a similar policy fits their community’s needs, and to consider the next steps needed to advance action towards adopting such a policy.
The Creating Healthy Public Policy: Local Government Leaders Speaker Series features healthy public policy leaders from local and Indigenous governments across the province discussing one policy implemented by their government, reflecting on why the policy was chosen, the implementation process, and the impacts they’ve seen as a result of adopting the policy. Future events are slated for October and November 2021. The series is supported through PlanH, a partnership between BC Healthy Communities Society and the BC Ministry of Health and is informed by health authorities and other stakeholders. PlanH creates healthier communities by supporting partnerships across sectors, providing learning opportunities, resources, and consultation, and facilitating collaborative local action.
