September 10, 2026 - Protect the Progress: Vancouver Island Housing Leaders Call on Candidates to Take Pledge

With housing progress at risk, the Vancouver Island Housing Leadership Network (VIHLN) is calling on municipal election candidates to champion homes for people.

VIHLN, a coalition of non-profit housing sector leaders from across Vancouver Island, first issued a set of Calls to Action to municipalities in advance of the 2022 municipal elections. Those recommendations focused on removing barriers to building affordable housing.

Since then, meaningful progress has been made.

Several municipalities across Vancouver Island—including Victoria, Saanich, and Nanaimo—have taken important steps to prioritize housing through dedicated staff positions, financial incentives, faster approval processes, and stronger collaboration with community organizations.

"These changes demonstrate that municipalities can play a critical role in enabling housing solutions," said Waheeda Esmail, Interim CEO Victoria Cool Aid Society. "Municipal leadership has helped kick–start change."

However, the context has changed significantly since 2022 — putting the work at risk.

"While municipal barriers may have been a major factor slowing development, today the housing landscape is defined by disappearing funding for new affordable housing projects, the growing deterioration of existing housing stock, and a persistent homelessness crisis affecting the region," noted Carolina Ibarra, CEO at Pacifica Housing.

VIHLN is urging municipal leaders to build on the progress made and focus on protecting the housing system that already exists. The network is calling on municipal candidates to sign its three-point pledge to create homes for people:

Treat supportive housing as essential community infrastructure
Recognize supportive housing and emergency shelters as critical safety infrastructure and ensure municipal policies enable—not block—their development.

Protect and retain existing affordable, supportive and transitional housing
Support the preservation of existing affordable housing through tools such as tax exemptions, housing reserve funds, and policies that help non-profit housing providers maintain aging buildings. Advocate and work with the Province to ensure permanent housing options are made available with resources that meet the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors; and that no shelter or transitional site closes until an equal or greater number of units are delivered.

Maintain municipal leadership on housing
Build upon the progress made since 2022 by maintaining dedicated housing staff, streamlined approvals for non-profit housing, policies that prioritize affordable housing and sector engagement, and unlocking land and financial tools for non-profit housing.

"We must continue moving forward together," said Colin Doylend, Executive Director at Mount Douglas Housing Society.

VIHLN invites municipal candidates across the region to publicly endorse these priorities to keep moving housing forward in Vancouver Island communities.

The Vancouver Island Housing Leadership Network is comprised of 21 organizations including Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness, Ballenas Housing Society, BC Community Renewal Society of the United Church of Canada, Beacon Community Services, Dawson Heights Housing, Duncan Housing Society, Garth Homer Society, Gorge View Society, Greater Victoria Housing Society, Island Community Mental Health, Kiwanis Village, Ladysmith Resources Centre Society, Legion Manor Victoria, M'akola Housing Society, Mount Douglas Seniors Housing, Our Place Society, Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, Pacifica Housing, The Cridge Centre for the Family, Threshold Housing Society, and Victoria Cool Aid Society.

Contact:
Carolina Ibarra, CEO of Pacifica Housing:
Communications@pacificahousing.ca