Housing Crisis Response | Provincial Reform
BC's Bill 44: Why the Province Overrode Municipal Zoning
Facing a deepening housing crisis, British Columbia passed Bill 44 to break through municipal zoning barriers. Here is the problem it addresses, the housing supply data behind it, and how it fits into BC's broader housing policy toolkit.
The housing crisis that triggered Bill 44
By 2023, British Columbia's housing affordability crisis had reached a breaking point. Metro Vancouver's average home price exceeded $1.2 million while rental vacancy rates sat below 1 percent. The root cause was structural: decades of single-family zoning on over 80 percent of residential land had artificially constrained housing supply.
Population growth of 60,000 to 80,000 people annually into Metro Vancouver outpaced housing starts by a widening margin. CMHC estimated BC needed 610,000 additional housing units by 2030 to restore affordability — a target impossible to reach without fundamentally changing what could be built on existing residential land.
350,000+
Population growth in Metro Vancouver (2016-2023)
200,000
Single-family lots eligible for multiplex redevelopment
130-200K
Estimated new units enabled province-wide over 10 years
70+
Municipalities required to comply with Bill 44
Population growth vs housing supply
The mismatch between population growth and housing construction has been widening for over a decade. Between 2018 and 2023, Metro Vancouver added approximately 280,000 residents but completed only 155,000 housing units. The annual deficit of 20,000 to 25,000 units compounds year over year, driving prices higher and pushing middle-income households further from employment centres.
Single-family zoning was the primary bottleneck. Before Bill 44, roughly 57 percent of Vancouver's residential land and 70 percent of Burnaby's was zoned exclusively for single-family homes. This meant the vast majority of urban residential land could only produce one housing unit per lot, regardless of demand, infrastructure capacity, or transit access.
Bill 44 directly addresses this constraint by requiring municipalities to allow 3 to 6 units on these lots, effectively multiplying the housing capacity of existing residential neighbourhoods without requiring new land, new roads, or new utility infrastructure.
Bill 44 within BC's housing policy toolkit
Bill 44 is one piece of a coordinated provincial housing strategy. The BC government introduced multiple bills in 2023-2024 that work together to increase housing supply, regulate short-term rentals, and encourage transit-oriented development.
Bill 44 — SSMUH Zoning
Mandates 3-6 units on single-family lots across all municipalities over 5,000 population. The supply foundation of the strategy.
Bill 46 — Transit-Oriented Development
Requires higher density development within 800m of rapid transit stations. Targets apartment and townhouse forms near SkyTrain and future transit lines.
Bill 47 — Housing Targets
Sets specific housing unit targets for municipalities and requires progress reporting. Creates accountability for translating zoning changes into actual construction.
Bill 35 — Short-Term Rental Regulation
Restricts short-term rentals to return housing units to the long-term market. Complements supply-side measures with demand-side regulation.
Expected impact on housing supply
The province projects that Bill 44 alone could enable 130,000 to 200,000 new housing units over the next decade. However, enabling is not the same as building. Actual construction volumes will depend on interest rates, construction costs, labour availability, and individual property owner decisions.
Early data from Vancouver and Burnaby is encouraging. Development Permit applications for multiplex projects increased over 400 percent in the first year after SSMUH bylaws took effect. If this trend holds across the province, Bill 44 could meaningfully narrow the housing supply gap by 2030.
The key constraint is construction capacity. BC's construction workforce is already stretched thin. Modular and prefabricated building methods, which Bill 44 accommodates, may be essential to scaling multiplex delivery beyond boutique volumes.
Want More Details?
For market data, investment analysis, and detailed coverage of how Bill 44 is reshaping BC's housing landscape, read our in-depth feature.
Read: The Rise of Multiplex Housing Under Bill 44 →What can you build under Bill 44?
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