In the Southern Gulf Islands, the need for affordable housing is a key factor influencing the economic and social sustainability of the islands. Like many communities in the Capital Regional District (CRD), housing affordability involves complex issues, which in the Southern Gulf Islands Electoral Area (SGI EA) are compounded by the unique characteristics of the islands as rural, remote, environmentally sensitive, and growth constrained.

The Southern  Gulf Islands Housing Strategy outlines seven objectives and 22 actions to address this, including a primary objective to investigate creating a Rural Housing Program.

The strategy was endorsed by the CRD Board on May 11, 2022. The basis of the recommendations respond to the 2018 CRD SGI Housing Market Analysis (2022), as well as broadly reflect many years of community engagement and input learned through community planning and land use processes in the region.

• Southern Gulf Islands Housing Strategy (PDF)

The SGI Housing Strategy identifies the issue as a shared responsibility and proposes a whole government approach that involves the non-profit sector and residents working together with the federal, provincial, and local governments to advance the goals of the strategy.

In March 2024, the CRD Board received the following reports:

• Rural Housing Pilot Project Analysis (Urban Matters, 2024) (PDF)
• Rural Housing Program Pilot 2024 (PDF)

Additional Resources

• Southern Gulf Islands Housing Needs Assessment (PDF)
• Southern Gulf Islands Housing Market Analysis (PDF)
• Southern Gulf Islands Housing Feasibility Analysis (PDF)