BC NDP Government Finally Admits Its Own Red Tape Is Stalling Housing Construction

Linda Hepner, MLA for Surrey-Serpentine River and Official Opposition Critic for Housing, is responding to the NDP government’s latest announcement on development cost charges (DCCs) with cautious support, but says the real story is what’s being left unsaid.

“This announcement confirms what we’ve known for years: provincial policies have driven up housing costs and stalled projects across British Columbia,” said Hepner. “Now the Housing Minister is scrambling to shift blame to municipalities after years of burying builders in red tape, taxes, and delays.”

The new regulation, set to take effect in 2026, will allow home-builders to defer up to 75% of development charges until occupancy or four years after permit approval. It also expands the use of on-demand surety bonds province-wide, reducing builders’ reliance on bank letters of credit.

Hepner says these tools are helpful, but overdue and don’t absolve the Province of its role in choking supply.

“Permitting delays, overlapping agency approvals, endless consultant studies, and ballooning environmental and energy compliance costs, these all stem from provincial mandates,” she said. “The NDP is trying to cast itself as a partner in building housing, when in fact they’ve been one of the biggest obstacles.”

Hepner noted that under the NDP government, the cost of compliance for housing projects has soared due to poorly coordinated policies, uncertainty around land use, and shifting building code requirements. A recent Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) study found that government-imposed costs account for as much as 30% of the final price of a home in Metro Vancouver.

“Builders need predictability, not just payment plans,” said Hepner. “This government keeps announcing ‘solutions’ to problems it created.”

The Conservative Party of British Columbia has long advocated for cutting red tape, simplifying the development process, and restoring accountability in how infrastructure fees are collected and spent. Hepner called on the Province to go further by implementing real permitting reform, increasing transparency in housing-related taxation, and reviewing provincial cost drivers that inflate every project.

“The latest announcement is a quiet admission that the NDP’s housing strategy has failed,” Hepner added. “British Columbians deserve a government that clears the path to building—not one that throws obstacles in the way and then blames everyone else when things don’t get built.”