Premier David Eby Deploys $90 Million to Accelerate Mass Timber Affordable Housing Construction

VICTORIA, B.C. — British Columbia Premier David Eby and Minister of Housing Ravi Kahlon announced on Monday the distribution of $90 million from the Building BC Community Housing Fund to finance the construction of twelve mass timber multi-family rental developments across Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, and Prince George.

The initiative pairs British Columbia's aggressive housing supply targets with its world-leading value-added forestry sector, utilizing prefabricated cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glue-laminated (glulam) beams manufactured from sustainably harvested B.C. timber.

Faster Construction, Lower Carbon, and Local Forestry Jobs Premier Eby highlighted that engineered mass timber buildings can be erected up to 30 percent faster than conventional concrete structures with significantly reduced construction noise and carbon footprints, while storing thousands of metric tons of biogenic carbon in the building fabric.

"British Columbia is facing a housing crisis, and we need to build high-quality homes faster while supporting our forestry workers in rural communities," Premier Eby said at a mass timber housing site in East Vancouver. "By building with B.C. mass timber, we are turning local logs into beautiful, fire-resistant, sustainable apartment homes for middle-income families, seniors, and students, all while creating value-added manufacturing jobs in our interior communities."

Provincial Project Distribution The twelve funded projects will deliver more than 1,450 affordable rental suites across the province, with priority allocations including:

• City of Vancouver: Four mid-rise buildings (up to 18 storeys) delivering 620 units near SkyTrain stations.
• City of Victoria: Three projects delivering 340 units in the downtown core.
• City of Kelowna: Two rental developments delivering 220 suites for healthcare workers.
• City of Prince George: Two mass timber senior housing complexes delivering 180 units.
• Town of Squamish: One mass timber cooperative housing development delivering 90 units.

Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon noted that recent updates to the BC Building Code permitting encapsulated mass timber construction up to 18 storeys make British Columbia a North American leader in tall-wood architectural innovation.

Forestry union leaders and non-profit housing providers commended the integrated strategy, pointing to strong local economic multipliers across logging, sawmills, engineered timber fabrication, and union construction trades.