Richmond cancels B.C.-backed supportive housing project

Richmond city council and Mayor Malcolm Brodie announced Thursday that the city has cancelled a proposed supportive housing project at Cambie Road and Sexsmith Road.

The provincial government had previously paused work on the controversial project in August – a couple of months ahead of the October provincial election. Last week, B.C. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said that after reviews of five alternative locations, the project would proceed in its original location.

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Brodie says that the most recent update drew loud criticism.

“As a result, the voices of concern in the community grew louder, and because of that, I’m here with members of city council today to announce that we have made the decision as a council to terminate the project at Cambie and Sexsmith. The proposed 90-unit supportive housing project will not proceed,” Brodie explained.

He claims the province was not transparent in its process of reviewing other locations. Brodie says Richmond city council has listened to its constituents, while the provincial government has not.

“Any proposal needs to include a suitable location and involve proper consultation. Such sites need to be close to services, close to amenities, and to transit. The residents need to be part of the broader community; providing housing and supports for those in need remains a priority. We hope that our announcement today sends a clear message that supportive housing and housing for our vulnerable residents must be provided in an acceptable location with due process.”

Last week, Richmond Coun. Kash Heed said the timing of the province’s pause on the project was absolutely related to the election.

“How much more political can this be?” he asked 1130 NewsRadio — rhetorically. 

He says the issue was so hot-button it basically tanked the BC NDP’s election chances in Richmond, adding the only reason the party hit pause was to salvage its polling numbers in the city.

A community group that campaigned against the project last year reassembled outside the site last week, pushing back against the project, citing safety concerns.

‘Keep Richmond Safe,’ a coalition of local, conservative politicians, candidates, and hopefuls, spoke to the media, arguing anecdotally that low-barrier access to housing attracts crime.

At the announcement Thursday, Brodie says the vocal opposition factored heavily into the city’s decision.

“It got louder than ever. That has necessitated a change in our direction, one which we don’t happily or willingly take, but we have recognized that this project is not on, and therefore we have made a difficult decision to terminate it,” said Brodie.

He says the city remains “supportive” of its vulnerable and unhoused population, but “that doesn’t mean you can do anything anywhere.”

“And having gone through the process and the flip flops by the provincial government, and the events of the last four or five months, this project and this site became absolutely untenable. And we’ve recognized it, and we move on.”

Brodie says he has not yet discussed the announcement with Kahlon. He says the city is a “creature of the province,” and BC Housing may yet push back on its decision. But, he notes, the location is on city land “worth many millions of dollars.”

He explains that the project was designed to replace two existing supportive housing projects in the area whose leases end in 2027.

“That’s what we’ve been working on for six, seven years: to have a permanent site that would then take over from those two leases. And there were 10 more units — but basically it was a substitution for the existing projects. So I think that has to be borne in mind,” he said.

“We weren’t creating extra capacity to assist those who have no home; we are designing an option that would have a permanent, stable residence, a facility to house the people who are in difficult circumstances.”

Brodie declined to speculate whether council would extend those leases as an alternative to the construction of the permanent space.

Speaking from Victoria Thursday, Kahlon responded to the city’s decision, calling a “disappointing reversal.”

Kahlon claims the province was preparing to give Richmond city council the names and locations of the five alternative sites it researched.

“The unfortunate situation for us now is, if the city doesn’t want to proceed with that site, it means that site is no longer viable. We will now need to go back to the city and ask them where they want this supportive housing. Because we have 90 people plus, that are living in places where leases will expire, and very soon, those people, they can’t find another place, will be in parks, sleeping in front of businesses, and that is not safe for the community,” said Kahlon.