As Indigenous nations expand housing projects in B.C., new initiative helps industry navigate opportunities

Ho’-kee-melh Kloshe Lum, a project in Vancouver by M’akola Development Services (photo Matthew Greco, Viewpoint Visuals).

In British Columbia, First Nations are leading major residential developments that will deliver thousands of rental units and unlock much-needed housing supply over the coming years – but do real estate professionals have what they need to tap in?

Greater Vancouver Realtors and the Real Estate Institute of BC have launched a new initiative aimed at helping real estate professionals build stronger working relationships with Indigenous communities and development corporations across the province. 

The initiative, called Transforming Landscapes, includes a report and an accompanying website, built on direct engagement with First Nations leaders and economic development officials. The goal is to give agents, developers and other industry professionals practical insight into Indigenous-led development and guidance for engaging with Indigenous partners.

A response to a changing landscape

The project comes as First Nations across British Columbia take on a larger role in shaping the province’s housing supply, leading major residential developments expected to deliver thousands of new rental units.

Craig Munn, chief corporate development officer at GVR, said the initiative grew out of a desire to better understand that shift. He pointed to the Squamish Nation’s Senakw development in downtown Vancouver, which will include 11 residential towers and more than 6,000 housing units for nation members and the public, as one of several projects leading conversations around land use in the region.

The scale of investment behind the project reflects that shift. In 2022, the federal government, through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, announced a $1.4-billion loan agreement to support the first two phases of Senakw, one of the largest Indigenous-led housing projects in Canadian history.

Senakw is not the only large-scale project highlighted in the report. MST Development, a corporation jointly owned by the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam Nations, oversees 160 acres of development lands valued at more than $3 billion. The corporation plans to build roughly 13,000 new homes on the Jericho Lands and about 2,600 on the Heather Lands in the coming years.

The report also points to Tsawwassen First Nation, which over the past decade has grown its leasehold housing stock from about 200 homes to more than 1,500, making it one of the most significant Indigenous-led residential development efforts in Metro Vancouver.

 “Rather than try to get a read of it,” Munn said, the groups chose to speak directly with nations and “key people of influence in these spaces” to understand their goals and how industry professionals might support them.

Provincial funding adds momentum

The projects are part of a broader push to expand Indigenous-led housing across British Columbia. The province’s Indigenous Housing Fund supports Indigenous-led and Indigenous-partnered housing projects, and in 2023, the provincial government invested an additional $1.3 billion in the fund, bringing it to $1.8 billion, doubling its housing target from 1,750 homes to 3,500 homes for Indigenous people both on and off reserve.

As of 2024, the most recent year for which data is available, more than 3,220 homes funded through the Indigenous Housing Fund were open or underway across the province.

The funding supports affordable and supportive housing projects led by agencies such as M’akola Development Services, an Indigenous-governed development agency highlighted in the Transforming Landscapes report. Among its projects is Ho’-kee-melh Kloshe Lum in Vancouver, which opened in March 2026 with 143 rental homes, 25 supportive units and 80 shelter beds. M’akola is also developing the Urban Aboriginal Community in Prince George, a project featuring 176 housing units and 40 childcare spaces that is expected to be completed by summer 2026.

Findings point to sophisticated planning

Munn said the engagement process behind Transforming Landscapes did not produce surprises so much as a deeper understanding.

“It’s always great to go to the source of people who are driving initiatives and just hearing their own words and their own vision,” he said.

One of the clearest takeaways, he said, was the scale of long-term planning already underway within Indigenous communities.

“How advanced some of the planning is, and how far out the kind of visioning is for what they want to do” stood out to him, he said, adding that nations are building sophisticated frameworks that traditional real estate professionals need to understand in order to collaborate effectively.

Munn said Indigenous-led development should not be approached the same way as other real estate work. Professionals need to understand the legal arrangements, land stewardship principles and long-term goals that shape how nations intend to use their land, he said, and should view the initiative as a starting point for their own conversations with economic development departments.

An evolving initiative

Munn described the report’s release as an early step rather than a finished product.

“We really see this as a beginning,” he said, noting that the organizations plan to continue conversations with Indigenous leaders and share additional findings with members and the public over time.

Asked what outcomes he hopes the initiative produces, Munn pointed to better-informed engagement across the industry.

“We think productive relationships and effectiveness for professionals is rooted in informed conversation,” he said. He added that staying current on headlines is not a substitute for deeper understanding, saying, “If you’re gonna call yourself a professional, professionals need to be informed and have proper context before getting into operations.”

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