9 Jun 2025 Council meeting Housing

Councillor Eastmure Motion re: Housing as a Human Right UBCM Resolution

Motion
That Council direct Staff to submit the following resolution to the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) for consideration at their 2025 Annual General Meeting and Convention: “WHEREAS recognizing housing as a human right fundamentally shifts government motivations by adding critical urgency and responsibility to ensure access to affordable housing (meaning housing costs are aligned with income) through policies that prevent homelessness , address the escalating housing and homelessness crisis, eliminate discrimination, and prioritize the needs of vulnerable and marginalized populations; AND WHEREAS the Government of Canada affirmed the right to housing as a matter of international law and enshrined it domestically through the National Housing Strategy Act (2019), recognizing housing as a human right and establishing mechanisms for accountability and inclusion; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the UBCM call for the British Columbia Government to enshrine housing as a human right in legislation and forthcoming housing and homelessness strategies, ensuring that housing policy in British Columbia is grounded in principles of equity, accessibility, accountability, and the inherent dignity of all people.”
Minutes, page 10
Sources
Agenda itemCity agenda
Put forward by Hilary Eastmure Source

Hilary Eastmure Yes

Eastmeer. Yes. Pardon me. So I'm bringing this motion to council tonight in an effort to support the BC poverty. Reduction coalition's call for the province to enshrine housing as a human right in their policies. So if passed in Nanaimo, what it effectively means is that we would be co sponsoring this resolution of the next union of BC Mun. Municipalities convention in the fall, where delegates will vote on whether UBCM should advocate for this on behalf of BCU municipalities. So the same motion has already passed unanimously in other cities, including Vancouver and Langford. And it's being debated tonight in north Vancouver, Sanich, Richmond and nightly, and I think it's important for Nanaimo to co sponsor. This, especially considering. The high degree of housing insecurity experienced by people in our community. I'm sorry. What's the second? Am I even allowed to be speaking to it? Okay, thank you. Now that it's seconded so we have a disproportionate. Number of unhoused community members with no access to any kind of shelter, not even an overnight shelter bed or a winter shelter bed in extreme weather, let alone housing with dignity. But this is not just about homelessness, which is certainly a crisis. It's also about the untenable. Number of people who are paying more than 30% of their income to keep a roof over. Their heads. The many senior students, singles and families who are afraid of ever having to move because rent costs have gone up so much. So much. I faced this myself last year when I was looking for an apartment. It was scary. There wasn't much available, let alone in my price range, and I was told not to even bother applying to live. In several corporately owned apartments that had been sitting empty for six to eight months because the one $800 per month cost represented more than 30% of my income, and those were some of the cheapest rentals that I could find, and at the same time, we have corporate. Landlords and developers bragging that their rents don't or won't exceed 30%. Of people's income, but that's because they simply won't rent to. Anyone whose income doesn't meet that threshold, and there are a lot of folks making around. What I make as a city counselor, around $50,000 a year, and I believe they deserve a place to live. According to the 2024 State of Nanaimo economy report, Nanaimo's estimated per capita income was $42,000 a year, and on average, As of 2023, Nanaimo households were spending 8% more on shelter compared to the national average. And then, according to the 2025 State of Nanaimo Economy report, the rental market saw higher rent, increased vacancy rates and more available units year over year. Make that make sense? Rents are not coming down even as we build more units and morse it. Empty bachelor units were up 9.9%. Three bedrooms. Were up 7.7% and one bedroom units were up 6.7%. And from the 2025 report. Despite overall income growth, the decline in lower income households highlights potential affordability challenges for the working class and those on fixed incomes. That is a lot of people in Nanaimo and that shrinking low income bracket suggests that rising housing and living costs. May be pushing out lower income households. This could impact community diversity and service sector employment. Reinforcing the need for affordable housing initiatives and social equity policies so municipalities have to deal with the massive costs as a result of having to manage the downstream effects of homelessness and unaffordable housing, and it makes it hard for employers to attract. New people or for people who grew up here to stay here. And we all suffer as a result of the province not treating this issue with the urgency required or providing the resources or support to make it possible to build housing that people can actually afford. And yes, UBCM created a housing strategy in 2018, acknowledging that at the federal level, the National Housing Strategy clearly states that. Housing rights are human rights, but we have not seen the same acknowledgment. At the provincial level, which is the level of government directly responsible for housing in BC, the province where residents face the highest rate of unaffordable housing in Canada. So this is about keeping up the pressure and keeping the issue top of mind for all elected representatives in BC who have the ability to change. The system. We have to keep up the momentum and continue shining a light on this issue until we see real results. And it might feel like it's redundant or repetitive sometimes, but until everyone has a safe, secure roof over their heads. We need to collectively keep sending this message. And doing what's within our power to do. And in June of last year, we unanimously passed emotions stemming from a recommendation from the mayor's. Leaders. Table recognizing homelessness as an existential crisis in the city where. We formally endorsed the concept that homelessness violates the principle of human dignity, and at that time. John McCormick, the Nanaimo Systems planning organization's executive director, said it's going to take money, it's going to take resources, and it's going to take a provincial commitment. So that is what this promotion is about, about getting the province to say it out. Loud and ensh. Enshrine in their policies that housing is a human right.

Sheryl Armstrong Yes

This has gone to UBC and they have made. It a right previously to 2018 2019. But obviously the province isn't moving on it, especially not quickly enough.