Displaced tenants in B.C. look for more protection

Burnaby, B.C.’s affordable rents are under threat because of new provincial legislation designed to keep costs reasonable for developers, says Burnaby’s chief planner.

The city had set the bar with an inclusionary rental scheme that requires one-for-one replacement of units that are lost due to redevelopment as well as a robust tenant relocation policy. Twenty per cent of a new rental building’s units must have below-market rents, defined as being 20 per cent below the median rent as set by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.